Lemoore Army Air Field, located nine miles
southwest of town, was a dirt air field usable only in dry weather.
It nevertheless was used by the 4th Air Force as a processing
and training field. Lemoore had a sub-base, Porterville
Army Air Field near Porterville, California.
History
This base was built during World War 2
as an Army Air Forces training field. According to a World War
II-era diagram, the field consisted of a roughly triangular shaped
landing mat, which measured 3,470' along its longest side. A
3,700' long north/south apron sat to the southwest of the landing
mat, and west of the apron was the building area.
Lemoore AAF was described by the 1944
US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields as having a 6,500' hard-surface
runway, although the remarks included, "Entire field available
only when dry."
Lemoore AAF had a total of seven satellite
airfields for the use of its cadets:
The satellite fields each consisted of
a 3,000' square landing mat, with either a "road mix"
or oiled surface. Additionally, the
"Coalinga Emergency Landing Field"
(22 miles west-southwest) was also designated for use by Lemoore
AAF.
The airfield was apparently reused for
some unknown time period as a civil airfield, as that is how
it was depicted on the 1953 San Diego - San Francisco Flight
Chart. Apparently the airfield had also been significant expanded
at some time after World War II as the 1953 chart depicted the
field as having a 6,100' runway.
According to the 1 February 1957 issue
of the Fresno Bee, the 1,460 acre site of the former Army
Airfield was sold by the City of Lemoore in 1957 to the Navy,
to be used as part of the site for the new Lemoore Naval Air
Station. The present-day Lemoore Naval
Air Station is just a few miles to the north of the former
Lemoore AAF. Ironically, the northern end of the runways of the
huge Lemoore NAS sit on the same ground previously occupied by
Lemoore AAF's satellite field A-6 Summit Lake.
In the 1950's the Air Force considered
placing a long range radar station on the site of Lemoore AAF.
Although planned to operate under the Air Defense Command. this
site, known a P-74A, was never built.
The site of Lemoore AAF is located south
of the intersection of Route 198 & 27th Avenue, two miles
west of the main gate of Lemoore NAS.
Known
Units at Lemoore AAF
Present 7 December 1941
Hq, Air Corps Basic Flying School
527th School Squadron
528th School Squadron
529th School Squadron
530th School Squadron
531st School Squadron
532nd School Squadron
Hq and Hq Sq, 87th Air Base Group (Special):
302nd Material Squadron (Special)
88th Air Base Squadron (Special)
Air Force Band
Sub Depot
Det, 1st Communications Squadron
Det, 1st Weather Squadron
Det, 853rd Ordnance Service Company (Aviation)
Co M (less Det), 32nd Quartermaster Regiment (Truck)
Det, 858th Signal Service Company (Aviation)
California State Military
Department