Hayward Air National Guard Base

Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields
Hayward Air National Guard Base
(Russell City Army Air Field, Hayward Army Air Field)


P-51D's of the 194th Fighter Squadron at Hayward ANG Base (Courtesy of Bill Larkins)
History

In 1942 Hayward Army Air Field west of the city of Hayward was built as an auxiliary field to Chico Army Air Field. The primary aircraft stationed at the field were P-38 fighter aircraft. This post may have also named "Russell City Army Air Field" for the unicorporated area outside of the Hayward city limits where it was located.

Later it came under the control of Hamilton Field. Hayward became a civilian airport in 1946 and in August 1947 it was deeded to the City of Hayward. It was called Hayward Municipal Airport, became Hayward Air Terminal in 1963, and in January 1999 it was named Hayward Executive Airport. It is a general aviation and corporate operating field.

The California Air National Guard moved onto land adjoining the airport in 1949. A control tower was erected in 1960. Initially it was the home of the 61st Fighter Wing which included the 194th Fighter Squadron on 25 June 1948. The 61st Fighter Wing was redesignated as the 144th Fighter Bomber Wing on 1 November 1950. The wing also consited of the 192nd Fighter Squadron at Reno, Nevada and the 191st Fighter Squadron at Salt Lake City, Utah.

The P-51D and later the P-51H were flown from 1948 until 31 October 1954. During its early years with the P-51D/H, the unit earned prominence as one of the Air Force's most respected aerial gunnery competitors. In June, 1953, while still flying the P-51, the unit qualified for the first all-jet, worldwide gunnery meet. Using borrowed F-86A Sabre jets, the 144th, which represented the Air National Guard, placed fifth in competition.

On 1 November 1954, the 194th accomplished the transition from the piston-engined, propeller driven P-51 to its first jet aircraft, the F-86A. At the same time, the 194th relocated to Fresno, followed by the wing in 1957. The site of the Fresno Air National Guard Base has been used for military aviation since World War II, when it was known as Hammer Field.

For 22 years after the Korean War the field was home to the 129th Air Rescue Squadron, (including it's several redesignations), of the California Air National Guard. In 1955 the California ANG was authorized to organize a new squadron to replace its 194th FIS at Hayward Airport; the new unit was the 129th Search and Rescue Squadron (SRW) (Medium), an ANG-manned unit which had been activated during the Korean War in August 1951 and had been assigned to the 111th SRW to serve alongside a Pennsylvania ANG squadron, the 103rd. The 129th SRS was inactivated on January 1, 1953 after the PA ANG unit was returned to state control.

On April 3, 1955 the 129th Air Resupply Squadron was established at Hayward and equipped with Curtiss C-46D Commandos in the Summer 1955 supplemented by Grumman SA-16A Albatrosses in 1958. The C-46Ds phased out 1 November 1958: redesignated 129th Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium). January 20, 1962 reached Group status with federal recognition of the 129th Troop Carrier Group. May 1, 1980: permanent change of station from Hayward Air Terminal to NAS Moffett Field.

Sources: 144th Fighter Wing, Ron Reuthers and Bill Larkins


Hayward Air National Guard Base, then home of the California Air National Guard's 61st Fighter Wing (after 1950, 144th Fighter-Bomber Wing). (California Military Department Historical Collection)


Army Corps of Engineers History, Hayward Army Air Field

Hayward Army Air Field is located in the County of Alameda, two miles west of Hayward and 11 miles southeast of Oakland, California. The site consisted of 727.125 acres: 713.05 acres fee was acquired from private owners between December 2, 1942 and July 10, 1944; 14.02 acres easement was acquired from Leslie Salt Company, the City of Hayward and private owners between April 17, 1943 and May 5, 1944; and 0.055 of an acre license was acquired from Southern Pacific Company on April 27, 1943. All property was acquired by direct purchase or Declaration of Taking.
Hayward Army Air Field was used by the Fourth Air Force) as a sub-base of Chico Army Air Field and later Hammer Field, and a military reservation which included an easement known as Sulphur Creek Drainage Ditch near the area of Russell city Air Field. Use of this property at the time of acquisition was agricultural, with the exception of one pickle processing plant and one trucking agency. buildings and improvements constructed on the site consisted of: housing, barracks, day room, mess hall, dispensary, lavatories, club house, school, shops, fire station, guard shelter, beacon tower, storehouse, paint shop, four 25,000 gallons underground gasoline storage tanks, runways, taxi apron, incinerator, siren and tower, sheds and fuel pits. Some of original farm buildings were left on the land for camouflage purposes.
Real property disposal report was dated November 15, 1945. The War Assets Administration (WAA) assumed accountability of the 727.125 acres on December 20, 1946. On July 18, 1946, 22.17 acres were transferred, at the request of the WAA, by the War Department to the Federal Public Housing Authority. By deed dated April 16, 1947, 690.88 acres were quitclaimed to
the City of Hayward; the deed contained a permanent recapture clause which was released by the Federal Aviation Administration on July 23, 1965. The lessor interest of 14.075 acres of
perpetual easements and license was assumed by the WAA on December 20, 1946.

Building Inventory

Number Designation

T-1 Flag Pole
T-2 Base Headquarters
T-3 Guard Shelter
T-7 Officers Quarters
T-9 Officers Quarters
T-15 Paint Shop
T-16 Barracks
T-18 Supply
T-19 Supply
T-22 Lavatory
T-25 Barracks
T-28 Carpenter Shop
T-29 Officers Quarters (Family)
T-30 Chlorinator
T-40 Lavatory
T-43 Officers Quarters
T-45 Officers Club
T-46 Officers Club
T-48 Storehouse
T-49 Barracks
T-50 Day Room
T-52 Barracks
T-53 Barracks
T-55 Mess Hall
T-56 Incinerator
T-57 Barracks
T-58 Dispensary
T-59 Barracks
T-62 Lavatory
T-65 Barracks
T-67 Barracks
T-68 Barracks
T-70 Siren and Tower
T-75 Barracks
T-80 Beacon Tower
T-101 Link Trainer
T-102 School
T-103 Shop
T-104 Operations and Control Tower
T-106 Fire Station
T-107 Radio Shack
T-108 Farm House (pre-existing)
T-110 Wind Tee
T-111 Storage
T-112 Magazine
T-113 Storage
T-114 Guard Shelter
T-115 A.C. Gas Storage
T-125 Fuel Storage
T-126 Farm Buildings (pre-existing)
T-127 Farm Buildings (pre-existing)
T-145 Skeet Range
T-150 Fuel Pit
T-190 Fuel Pit


Army Units Assigned to Hayward Army Air Field
Data Source
Date(s)
Unit(s)

Army of the United States Station List 1 June 1943

Detachment, 1st Airways Communications Squadron, Regional (AAF)

www.armyairforces.com 4 June-4 October1943 362nd Fighter Squadron (P-39) (AAF)

www.armyairforces.com 8 December 1943- 8 March 1944 394th Fighter Squadron (P-39) (AAF)

Army of the United States Station List 7 April 1945

Detachment, Section D, 87th Army Air Forces Base Unit (101st Army Airways Commincations Squadron) (AAF)
AAF - Army Air Forces units | AGF - Army Ground Forces | ASF - Army Service Forces units | WDC - Western Defense Command


Extract, Army Air Forces Directory of Airfields, January 1945


Additional Histories

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayward_Executive_Airport

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Updated 8 February 2020

Data Source	Date(s)	Unit(s)
Army of the United States Station List	1 June 1943	Detachment, 1st Airways Communications Squadron, Regional (AAF)
www.armyairforces.com	4 June-4 October1943	362nd Fighter Squadron (P-39) (AAF)
www.armyairforces.com	8 December 1943- 8 March 1944	394th Fighter Squadron (P-39) (AAF)
Army of the United States Station List	7 April 1945	Detachment, Section D, 87th Army Air Forces Base Unit (101st Army Airways Commincations Squadron) (AAF)