Aguadulce Army Airfield (also known as Airdrome Aguadulce ) is a former

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

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 opposing ...

airfield in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

used as part of the defense of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. It was closed on 1 March 1948. Established on 1 April 1941, Aguadulce Airfield's mission was to defend the

. Most of its operational history was that of an auxiliary airfield, hosting fighter squadrons. Training of South American air force personnel was also conducted at the field. Wartime units assigned were: * 74th Bombardment Squadron(

6th Bombardment Group Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

) : 8 November-11 December 1941 (B-18 Bolo) : 13 February-1 May 1945 (B-24 Liberator) *

59th Bombardment Squadron The 59th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated in Panama in 1941 during the expansion of the United States Army Air Corps before World War II. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor the squadron ...

(

9th Bombardment Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

), 11 December 1941 – 19 February 1942 : Detachment operated from: Hato Field, Curaçao, 13 January-24 September 1942 : Detachment operated from:

Dakota Field Queen Beatrix International Airport ( nl, Internationale luchthaven Koningin Beatrix; pap, Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix), colloquially known as Aruba Airport , is an international airport located in Oranjestad, Aruba. It has flight ...

, Aruba, 14 January-24 September 1942 * 29th Bombardment Squadron (

40th Bombardment Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

), 16 June 1942 – 29 March 1943 (B-18 Bolo, Northrop A-17 Nomad) *

30th Fighter Squadron 030 may refer to: * Motorola 68030 * BR-030 * Geographical telephone calling prefixes ** Greater Accra area code, Ghana ** Utrecht, Netherlands ** Berlin, Germany ** Bar Municipality and Ulcinj Municipality of Montenegro ** Province of Brescia ...

(

XXVI Fighter Command The XXVI Fighter Command was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to Sixth Air Force throughout its existence. It was based at Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, where it was inactivated on 25 August 1946. It engage ...

), 10 February 1943 – 25 January 1945 (P-40 Warhawk) With the end of World War II Aguadulce was reduced in scope, with only a skeleton staff. It was closed on 1 March 1948 due to budget reductions. For several years, it was used as a civil airport, but was later closed; today the airfield is abandoned, with the runway still visible but in poor condition.

References

* * Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Panama Airports established in 1941 {{USAF-stub