Helm Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield A-7 is a former US Army Airfield use for training during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Helm Field was location in the town of
Coalinga, California
Coalinga ( or ) is a city in Fresno County and the western San Joaquin Valley, in central California about 80 miles (128 km) southeast of Salinas.
It was formerly known as ''Coaling Station A'', ''Coalingo'', and ''Coalinga Station''.
The ...
, 70 miles south of
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
. Helm Field had two 3,000 foot runways, one oriented east/west and one oriented northwest/southeast. The Airfield was on a 773 acres site of form farm land. The US Army purchased the land on January 11, 1943 for training pilots. The Airfield was used by the Lemoore Basic Flying School, based at the
Lemoore Army Air Field. Helm Field was 15 miles northwest of Lemoore Army Air Field. The Army built at Helm Field to support training stage house, control tower, motor pool building, crash truck shelter and latrines. Helm Field was used by Air Corps Basic Flying School, the AAF Basic Flying School, the AAF Pilot School, the 88th Air Base Squadron, the 3023rd Army Air Force Pilot School and the 461st Army Air Force Base Unit. The army closed Helm Field on October 15, 1844 and the Airfield was sold by the
War Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration (WAA) was created to dispose of United States government-owned surplus material and property from World War II. The WAA was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by Executive Ord ...
. Helm Field was used as a farm labor camp in the 1950s. The east/west runway was returned to farmland. The northwest/southeast runway was still intact and was used as a civilian airfield till 1971.
Lemoore Auxiliary Airfields
To support the Lemoore Basic Flying School, based at Lemoore Army Air Field Auxiliary Airfields and Landing Mats were built around the Lemoore Army Air Field.
Boston Field
Boston Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield (A-1) was located at near
Westhaven, Fresno County, California
Westhaven is an unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It is located south-southwest of Riverdale, at an elevation of 279 feet (85 m).
A post office operated at Westhaven from 1918 to 1958.
During World War II was the site o ...
. After the war the Airfield was abandoned and returned to farmland. Boston Field was 3 miles south/west of Lemoore Army Airfield. The Airfield is listed as Bond Field on some later maps.
Huron Field
Huron Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield (A-2) was located at , near the City of
Huron, California
Huron is a small city in Fresno County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,754, up from 6,306 at the 2000 census. During the harvest season, the population swells to over 15,000 people due to the influx ...
. Huron Field was 7 miles west-southwest of Lemoore Army Airfield. This was a 3,000 by 3,000 foot landing mat. After the war the Airfield was abandoned and returned to farmland.
Indian Field
''(for crops see
Indian old field
Indian Old Field, or simply Old Field, was a common term used in Colonial American times and up until the early nineteenth century United States, by American explorers, surveyors, cartographers and settlers, in reference to land formerly cleared a ...
)
![IndianFieldMarch13 1950USDAaerialphot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/IndianFieldMarch13_1950USDAaerialphot.jpg)
Indian Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield (A-3), Indian Auxiliary Landing Field and Indian Auxiliary Field No. 3 was located at , near the city of Huron, California at the corner of South Siskiyou Avenue and West Jayne Avenue. The 641.60 acres site was native pasture land, the air field was built in 1944. Prior to acquisition, the site was native pasture This was a 3,000 by 3,000 foot landing mat. Indian Field was 13 miles southwest of Lemoore Army Airfield. The land was sold on September 12, 1946 and turned into farmland. The 1950s Indian Field was used as a farm labor camp and the runway was not used. Late the Airfield was abandoned and returned to farmland.
Murray Field
Murray Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield (A-4) was located at , 6 miles southwest of
Stratford, California
Stratford (formerly, Stratton) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kings County, California, United States. Stratford is located southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford– Lemoore Metropolitan Statistical Area ...
, near the current town of
Avenal, California
Avenal (Spanish for "Oat field") is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Avenal is located southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25260), which enc ...
. The 621.76 acres site was purchased in 1941. Murray Field was 14 miles west of Lemoore Army Airfield . This was a 3,000 by 3,000 foot landing mat. After the war the Airfield was abandoned and returned to farmland.
West Field
West Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield (A-5) was located at , near Huron, California. This was a 3,000 by 3,000 foot landing mat on 522.32 acres. West Field was 14 miles west of Lemoore Army Airfield. The Army purchased the farmland on 4 February 1943. After the war the Airfield was abandoned and returned to farmland, that land was sold off on 12 September 1947.
Other Lemoore Auxiliary Fields
*
Coalinga Municipal Airport was used a both as Auxiliary Field and as the Coalinga Emergency Landing Field. Coalinga Municipal Airport was 22 miles west-southwest of Lemoore Field. Located at in
Coalinga, California
Coalinga ( or ) is a city in Fresno County and the western San Joaquin Valley, in central California about 80 miles (128 km) southeast of Salinas.
It was formerly known as ''Coaling Station A'', ''Coalingo'', and ''Coalinga Station''.
The ...
. This airfield is now closed, as a new Airport was built called the
New Coalinga Municipal Airport.
*
Porterville Army Airfield
Porterville Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Porterville, a city in Tulare County, California, United States. According to the FAA's Nation ...
, located at was used buas an Auxiliary Field. Now called the Portersville Municipal Airport in
Porterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia Metropolitan Area, Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area.
Since its incorporation in 1 ...
.
*
Corcoran Municipal Airport
Corcoran Airport was a public use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of Corcoran, California, Corcoran, a town in Kings County, California, Kings County, California, United States. It is private ...
, located at one mile west of
Corcoran, California
Corcoran is a city in Kings County, California. Corcoran is located south-southeast of Hanford, California, Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford, California, Hanford–Corcoran Hanford-Corcoran metropolitan area, Metropolitan S ...
was built to support training. After the war the 220 acres site became the Corcoran Municipal Airport. The farmland was purchased by the Army on October 13, 1941.
*
Summit Lake Field
Helm Field also called Lemoore Auxiliary Army Airfield A-7 is a former US Army Airfield use for training during World War II. Helm Field was location in the town of Coalinga, California, 70 miles south of Fresno. Helm Field had two 3,000 foot runw ...
located at in
Lemoore Station, California
Lemoore Station is a census-designated place (CDP) in Naval Air Station Lemoore, Kings County, California, United States. It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,438 as of the 2010 United States ...
was used to support training at Lemoore Field. Summit Lake Field is three miles north of Lemoore Airfield. The Summit Lake Field is listed as Summit Field on some maps. The land of Summit Lake Field became
Naval Air Station Lemoore
Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base, located in Kings County and Fresno County, California, United States. Lemoore Station, a census-designated place, is located inside the base's borders.
NAS Lemoore is the Na ...
.
militarymuseum.org Summit Lake Field
/ref>
See also
* California during World War II
California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long Pacific Ocean coastline provided the support needed for the Pacific War. California also supported the war in Europe. After the Japanese attack ...
* American Theater (1939–1945)
The American Theater was a theater of operations during World War II including all continental American territory, and extending into the ocean.
Owing to North and South America's geographical separation from the central theaters of ...
* Desert Training Center
The Desert Training Center (DTC), also known as California–Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA), was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert, largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942.
It ...
* Military history of the United States during World War II
The military history of the United States during World War II covers the victorious Allied war against the Axis Powers, starting with the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and ending with the 2 September 1945 surrender of Japan. During ...
* United States home front during World War II
The United States home front during World War II supported the war effort in many ways, including a wide range of volunteer efforts and submitting to government-managed Rationing in the United States, rationing and price controls. There was a gen ...
References
* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.
* Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields
Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields is an online database An online database is a database accessible from a local network or the Internet, as opposed to one that is stored locally on an individual computer or its attached storage (such as a CD) ...
California: Southwestern Fresno area
{{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II
1940s in California
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in California
United States in World War II