San Julián Air Base or ''Base Aérea San Julián'' is a military

air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

located approximately southwest of the city of

Guane Guane is a municipality and town in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1602. Geography The municipality is divided into the barrios of Cabo de San Antonio y La Fe, Catalina, Cortés, Hato de Guane, Isabel Rubio (Paso Real d ...

a municipality in the province of

Pinar del Río Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del R� ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. The provincial capital,

is located to the northeast approximately with the capital of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

also to the northeast .

Tenant commands

The 23.Regimiento de Caza operating Russian Mig-23ML aircraft

History of San Julián

On December 9, 1941, Cuba declared war on the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

. On December 11, 1941, Cuba and the United States of America, Costa Rica,

The Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, Guatemala and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

declare war on

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and Fascist Italy. On January 14, 1942, the Cuban Secretary of State ( José Manuel Cortina) indicates in a diplomatic message to the American Chargé in Cuba ( Ellis O. Briggs) the following "I take pleasure in advising you that the Government of Cuba, inspired by the lofty sentiments of cooperation and alliance which joins the Cuban Nation with the United States of America in the present war, engaged in the territorial defense of America and of every one of the American nations, as well as of the principles of democracy and of the liberty of the peoples, has accepted the suggestions of your Government which were transmitted by the Embassy in the above-mentioned notes." The above-mentioned notes were two and included 5 specific points of suggestion including in part: Stationing of US Aviation Corps Detachments in certain airfields (i.e. La Fé, in the Province of Pinar del Río; Rancho Boyeros, in the Province of Habana; and in Camagüey); Permission to use Cuban landing fields; Permission to take photographs of Cuban territory for aerial navigation charts, etc. On June 18, the United States established Naval Air Facility (NAF) La Fé, Cuba. The US NAVY Code Word for La Fé was HUMPBACK. U.S. Navy bases in Cuba fell under the command of the Gulf

Sea Frontier Sea Frontiers were several, now disestablished, commands of the United States Navy as areas of defense against enemy vessels, especially submarines, along the U.S. coasts. They existed from 1 July 1941 until in some cases the 1970s. Sea Frontier ...

headquartered at Miami, Florida (after a brief stint based at Key West). June 26, the United States established Naval Air Auxiliary Station (NAAS) (

Lighter-than-Air A lifting gas or lighter-than-air gas is a gas that has a density lower than normal atmospheric gases and rises above them as a result. It is required for aerostats to create buoyancy, particularly in lighter-than-air aircraft, which include fre ...

), San Julián,

. This was in response to

announcing

unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships such as freighters and tankers without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules (also known as "cruiser rules") that call for warships to s ...

off the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Specifically, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

recognized the need to augment

antisubmarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

patrols in the

Yucatán Channel The Yucatán Channel or Straits of Yucatán (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Canal de Yucatán'') is a strait between Mexico and Cuba. It connects the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico. It is just over wide and nearly deep ...

. NAAS San Julián was established on the western tip of Cuba near

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

' Isabel Rubio Emergency Landing Field. August 6, in Havana, Cuba the U.S. Secretary for State announced that negotiations had been conducted between Cuba and the United States for the establishment of the air base in San Julián,

Pinar del Río Province Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guanig ...

. September 7, Cuba and United States sign a new Naval and Military Agreement of Cooperation. The strategic importance of Cuba for the air and maritime communications of United States and the importance of its production of sugar obliged them to reinforce the island. The Pinar del Río area was considered ideally situated for further development and the Army began construction by expanding the existing Pan American airfield on November 1. :A second air base was negotiated between Cuba and the United States and known as

San Antonio de los Baños Airfield San Antonio de los Baños Airfield is a military air base located near San Antonio de los Baños, a municipality in the province of Havana (La Habana) in Cuba. It is located approximately southwest of the city of San Antonio de los Baños, abou ...

. The air base was also known as the ''Cayuga'' was built near a town of the same name in the

Havana Province La Habana Province , formerly known as Ciudad de La Habana Province, is a province of Cuba that includes the territory of the city of Havana, the Republic's capital. Between 1878 and 2010, the name referred to another province that covered a m ...

, by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

(USACE) and the San Julián Air Base in the

Guanahacabibes peninsula Guanahacabibes Peninsula is the westernmost point on the island of Cuba. It is located in Pinar del Río Province, in the municipality of Sandino and is sparsely populated. The waters surrounding the peninsula are important spiny lobster and re ...

in Pinar del Río was also built. The United States flew patrols in the Caribbean and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

to hunt German submarines (

U-boats U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare rol ...

). The

USAAF 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 ...

flew out of San Antonio de los Baños and the

US NAVY The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

used San Julián. September 22, the USAAF began to organize the

Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which ...

(AAFAC), using the

I Bomber Command The I Bomber Command (later XX Bomber Command) was an intermediate command of the Army Air Forces during World War II. It trained bombardment units and aircrews for deployment to combat theaters. From shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor ...

as its core for personnel and aircraft. The USAAF had been engaged in anti-submarine war for almost a year. During that time it had laid the basis for an effective organization and made plans for a larger anti-submarine force. The new AAFAC was constituted on October 13 and activated on October 15, 1942. Simultaneously, I Bomber Command was inactivated the same day. :The principal mission of AAFAC was to be "the location and destruction of hostile submarines wherever they may be operating". As a necessary means to this end it had the secondary mission of training crews and developing devices and techniques. The command was to be a direct reporting agency to the Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces, although its operations on the US NAVY

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

and Gulf Sea Frontiers were to be conducted under the tactical control of US NAVY officials. The former I Bomber Command furnished the personnel, aircraft, and equipment for the new organization. November 20, AAFAC had organized the squadrons it had inherited from I Bomber Command into the 25th and 26th anti-submarine Wings with headquarters at New York and Miami respectively.

1943

January 1, the

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 ...

(USAAF) set up postal operations for San Julián using a non-descript number. They used Army Post Office, Miami with the address: 2754 APO MIA. Although the facility was under USAAF administration and operational control all air activities and operations were US Navy. April 1, USAAF transferred control of NAAS San Julián to the Navy. The first Commander of the base was

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

Beckwith Havens Beckwith Havens (1890-1969) was an early American aviator. He flew primarily on the Curtiss Pusher aircraft. In later life he gave accounts of what it was like to be an aviator in the pioneer days. He related how pilots were sometimes forced to f ...

, USN. The US NAVY likewise used a non-descript number for postal operations. They used Fleet Post Office, Atlantic located in New York City with the address: 301 FPO NY July 1, construction was completed and the new facility was re-designated Naval Air Facility (NAF) San Julián. :The US Navy's Airship Squadron Twenty One (ZP-21) established a number of detachments at advance bases to provide ASW, rescue, escort and utility services in its area of operations, i.e. CARIB (Caribbean). These detachments were maintained throughout the war and located at: NAF San Julián; Santa Fe, Isle of Pines, Cuba; NAS Banana River, Fla.; Meacham Satellite Naval Air Field, Key West, Fla.; NAS Houma, La.; NAS San Juan, Puerto Rico; NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and La Chorrera Army Airfield, Panama. October 1, the US Navy's Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty Five (VB-125) sent a three-aircraft detachment to NAF San Julián for ASW patrols.

1944

May 1, VB-125 transferred from Boca Chica, Florida, to NAF San Julián, joining the detachment sent there previously. The squadron was under the operational control of Fleet Airship Wing Twelve (FAW-12) and stayed in San Julián until February 11, 1945 when they we relieved by VPB-145. Between mid-1942 until early 1944, seven Cuban ships were sunken by German submarines (U-Boats) in actions where more than eighty Cuban mariners and three Americans were killed.

1945

Many American squadrons trained in Cuba in navigation, bombing,

air-to-air combat Air combat manoeuvring (also known as ACM or dogfighting) is the tactical art of moving, turning and/or situating one's fighter aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. Air combat manoeuvres ...

and close air support. A fighter squadron of

P-39 The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

Airacobras was placed in San Antonio for their defense. Towards the end of 1944 and the beginning of 1945 intense training was conducted by the

509th Composite Group The 509th Composite Group (509 CG) was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces created during World War II and tasked with the operational deployment of nuclear weapons. It conducted the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in ...

using B-29s. These were tests in preparation for dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan. They trained in long-range over-water navigation from Cuba into the Caribbean in order to acclimate themselves to similar conditions in the Pacific Ocean. From Cuba the B-29s flew to the

Marianas Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

in the Pacific, in June 1945. These same aircraft would carry atomic bombs to Hiroshima and

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

in August 1945. Among them also was the Enola Gay. February 8, by means of Decree 409, the control of civil aviation is transferred from the Cuban Army to the newly created Commission of National Transportation.

Post-World War II

May 20, 1946 NAF San Julián was disestablished. :Both airports were passed to the Cuban Army for the use of the Aviation Corps after the War during the government of President

Ramón Grau San Martín Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

. San Antonio de los Baños Air Base was used by the military aviation at all times, however San Julián Air Base was used to host the San Julian Aircraft Technical School for both military and commercial aviation. May 2, 1952 by Decree Law No. 41, the Civil Aeronautics Board (Dirección General de Transporte Aéreo) is created. June 1952 the Army Aviation Corps changes to Cuban Army Airforce (FAEC). December 22, 1954 the Commission of Civil Aeronautics is created by Law-Decree 1863.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Early preparations for the invasion included the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front (FRD) on October 26, 1960 distributing its first Combat Order. In general terms, the order describes the logistics of an attack on the San Julián air base. That plan calls for seizing the airfield and using it as an operational base for "our air and land force." The order also describes how supplies will be obtained and communications handled during the operations. Planning for the invasion included targeting numerous military bases including San Antonio de los Baños Air Base, the Campo Libertad Air Base, and the naval bases at

Batabano Batabano (officially called Cayman Carnival Batabano) is the name of the Caribbean Carnival held in the Cayman Islands. The festival takes place annually during the first week of May in George Town. Batabano is a time for people of all different ...

and

Nueva Gerona Nueva Gerona is a Cuban city, capital of the Isla de la Juventud special municipality and province. As of 2012, its population was 59,049. History The city was founded in 1830 by Francisco Dionisio Vives, who was the Spanish governor of Cuba a ...

(on the Isle of Pines). San Julián Air Base was placed on the primary target list.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:San Julian Air Base Airports in Cuba Military history of Cuba Military installations of Cuba Buildings and structures in Pinar del Río Province