Harmon Air Force Base
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Harmon Air Force Base is a former
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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 ...
airfield, and postwar
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
Base on
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
in the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Millard F. Harmon. Harmon Air Force Base was closed in 1949 due to budget constraints and was merged with the neighboring
Naval Air Station Agana Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Naval air station located on the island of Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed by the United States government in 1995. During and after its closure, it was operated al ...
.


History

Harmon Field was built by CB 25 as the headquarters for the
XXI Bomber Command The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in the Mariana Islands for strategic bombing during World War II. The command was established at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas on 1 March 1944. After a period of organization and ...
and later
Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...
which directed the
B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to ...
strategic bombing campaign against the
Japanese Home Islands The is an archipelago of 14,125 islands that form the country of Japan. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East China and Philippine seas in the southwest along the Pacific coast of the Eurasian continent, and cons ...
. It was also the major B-29 aircraft depot and maintenance facility in the Western Pacific during the war, and that mission continued for Far East Air Forces until its closure. Harmon was used operationally by the United States Air Force
11th Bombardment Group International direct dialing (IDD) or international subscriber dialling (ISD) is placing an international telephone call, dialed directly by a telephone subscriber, rather than by a telephone operator. Subscriber dialing of international calls t ...
as an operational B-29 Base. After the war the
9th Bombardment Group 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 ...
used the base for strategic reconnaissance missions and the 374th Troop Carrier Group of the Technical Service Command used the base for transport of supplies and equipment from its depot facilities. Harmon Air Force Base was closed in 1949 due to budget constraints and was merged with the neighboring
Naval Air Station Agana Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Naval air station located on the island of Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed by the United States government in 1995. During and after its closure, it was operated al ...
. Today, the technical facilities are an industrial area to the northeast of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, which served as the main airfield for both Harmon Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Agana.


Major units assigned

*1537th Army Air Forces Base Unit, 30 September 1944 – 1 August 1945 *75th Air Service Group, 1 May 1947 – 20 September 1948 *367th Air Service Group, 1 May 1947 – 1 November 1949 *Guam Air Depot (later Guam Air Materiel Area, Marianas Air Materiel Area) : 56th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 9 November 1944 – 31 August 1945 : 24th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 8 November 1944 – 1 July 1949 : 55th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 1 January 1945 – 21 December 1945 : 25th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 21 January 1945 – 1 November 1949 *
XXI Bomber Command The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in the Mariana Islands for strategic bombing during World War II. The command was established at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas on 1 March 1944. After a period of organization and ...
, 4 December 1944 – 16 July 1945 *
Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...
, 16 July 1945 – 16 May 1949 *Western Pacific Wing, Air Transport Command, 10 April 1946 – 1 March 1947 *
11th Bombardment Group International direct dialing (IDD) or international subscriber dialling (ISD) is placing an international telephone call, dialed directly by a telephone subscriber, rather than by a telephone operator. Subscriber dialing of international calls t ...
(Very Heavy), 15 May 1946 – 20 October 1948 *
9th Bombardment Group 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 ...
(Very Heavy), 9 June 1947 – 20 October 1948 * 374th Troop Carrier Group, 1 April 1947 – 5 March 1949 * 3d Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Photographic), 11 January 1945 – 15 March 1947


See also

* Andersen Air Force Base * USAAF in the Central Pacific * Naval Base Guam


References

*Maurer, Maurer (1983). ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. "Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama": Office of Air Force History. .


External links


www.pacificwrecks.com
{{USAAF 20th Air Force World War II Installations of the United States Air Force Military installations of the United States in Guam Installations of Strategic Air Command Military Superfund sites Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in the Pacific Ocean Theater Military installations closed in 1949 1944 establishments in Guam