Pounds Army Air Field

Pounds Army Air Field is a former United States Army Air Forces airfield, located west of Tyler, Texas. It was established in 1942 and assigned to Third Air Force. Its mission was the training of units, crews, and support individuals prior to their deployment to the combat theaters overseas. It was closed as an active military airfield on 31 January 1945 and was subsequently turned over to local civilian authorities. Today it remains in use by the city of Tyler as Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.

History

Establishment

Pounds Field was established by the City of Tyler in 1929 at a cost of as a municipal airport. As part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps in 1941, the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics of the Department of Commerce, acting under the Commerce Appropriation act, entered an agreement with the city for the development of the Tyler Municipal Airport as a necessity for national defense. In exchange, the city would continue to use the airport as a civil facility. In November 1942, the Army Air Forces began the conversion of the municipal airport to a military airfield, with the construction of hangars, a large aircraft parking ramp, two hard-surfaced runways along with a station area consisting of numerous buildings and barracks to support 2,000 personnel. Initial construction was completed in April 1943. The facility, named Tyler Army Air Field was assigned to Third Air Force officially on 27 March 1943. Third Air Force assigned the facility to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, as a sub-base.AFHRA Document 176699, History of Pounds Army Air Field, Texas Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

A detachment was assigned to Tyler from Barksdale to prepare the facility as an operational training field. This included erecting a control tower and also setting up facilities such as a hospital, post exchange and other support facilities. The land also required sod and shrubbery which was purchased from local sources along with service clubs for keeping up enlisted men's morale. In April transient aircraft began to land at the airfield and a transient alert detachment was established to render refueling and maintenance support.

Jack Windham Pounds

On 8 November 1943, the facility was renamed Pounds Army Air Field in honor of Second Lieutenant Jack Windham Pounds. Lt Pounds was killed in the crash of a Vultee BT-13A Valiant (41-1249) at Lemoore Army Air Field, California on 4 March 1942. He was a flying instructor at Lemoore who was born in Tyler.

Operational use

On 11 November 1943, Pounds AAF was formerly dedicated, and the sub-base detachment was re-designated Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Pounds Army Air Field, and consisted of medical, signal and a flying training detachment. Other support units which arrived were the 370th Service Group detachment, the Ordnance Section of Barksdale Field Base Detachment and a detachment of the 105th Army Airways Communications Squadron. The Service Group acted as a sub-depot supplying replacement and spare parts for units using the airfield for training, the Ordnance Section serviced all base and aircraft weapons along with all vehicles, and the control tower was manned by 6 men of the communications squadron.

The base's first arrivals for training was the 344th Bombardment Group, comprising the 494th and 495th Bombardment Squadrons. It was equipped with Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers, arriving from Lakeland Army Air Field, Florida on 10 September 1943. The group received advanced training at Ponds, and moved back to Lakeland on 15 November 1943. The 344th was replaced by the 409th Bombardment Group, comprising the 642d and 643d Bombardment Squadrons. It was equipped with Douglas A-20G Havoc light bombers, arriving from Woodward Army Air Field, Oklahoma on 1 December 1943. It also received advanced training before departing for DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana on 15 December. These units were accommodated by the Ponds HHS, which provided the barracks, operational buildings, tents and other training requirements.

In early 1944, training at the airfield was re-oriented from bomber units to the training of observation and reconnaissance aircraft units. On 1 February 1944, the 159th Liaison Squadron (Commando), arrived from Cox Field, Paris, Texas, equipped with Stinson L-5 Grasshoppers. The unit was composed of 109 enlisted and 12 officer personnel. On 30 May, the squadron departed for Statesboro Army Air Field, Georgia.

On 1 May 1944, in accordance with a re-alignment of training units, the Ponds HHS was redesignated as the 362d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Training), Section "A". It was further changed to Squadron "A" on 15 June. Also on 1 May, two Link Trainer flight simulators were received from Barksdale, which gave the base additional training resources, along with additional personnel for instruction and aircraft maintenance. In addition the sub-depot was expanded with a larger selection of parts to support assigned aircraft.

Also in May 1944, Ponds Field was the location of a large training exercise involving Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carrier aircraft and CG-4 Waco Gliders, which arrived from Bergstrom Field