California State Military
DepartmentCalifornia State Military
DepartmentIn 1942, the site of Redding AAF was acquired for the Air Corps by the Corps of Engineers from the City of Redding by lease (1,120 acres) and by condemnation proceedings against L.A. Butzbach (140 acres), Estate of Earl and Mary Stevenson (160 acres) and Estate of A.L. Cross (20 acres). On 9 December 1942, the Air Corps became the semi-independent Army Air Forces. Initially, Redding AAF was a sub-installation of Chico AAF and was under the operational control of that field’s 433rd Army Air Forces Base Unit (AAFBU) and was garrisoned by Squadron “N” of that unit. As with all of the operational and training airfields in the southwestern United States, the overall operational control of Redding AAF rested with the Fourth Air Force of the Army Air Forces.
The building areas at former Redding AAF consisted of a Housing Area, Operations Area, Bomb Storage Area, revetments, taxiways, and two runways. The Housing Area contained barracks, bath houses, latrines, a dispensary (medical clinic), officers’ quarter’s, and a motor pool.. Additionally, three unnumbered structures were located in the housing area and consisted of a house, garage, and swimming pool. The Operations area contained the crash truck station, operations building, a school, a link trainer building, a shop, a bomb sight storage building, the maintenance nose hanger, and the control tower. The bomb storage area had a fenced perimeter and contained bomb storage revetments, fuse storage buildings, small arms storage and office, and a guard shelter. There were also fifteen aircraft revetments (also known as hardstands) located along the southwest, south, southeast, and northeast taxiways and thirteen revetments located around the exterior portion of the taxiways had associated fuel tanks. The two runways, formerly designated Runways number 1 (16-34) and 2 (12-30), trend nearly north-south and northwest-southeast, respectively.
From November 1943 through March 1944, the Army Air Forces’ 399th Fighter Squadron of the 369th Fighter Group was assigned to the airfield as a replacement training and air defense unit. The 399th Fighter Squadron at that time operated the Bell Aircraft Company’s P-39 “Airacobra” which mounted one 37mm cannon firing through the propeller hub; two .50-caliber machine guns in the nose; two .50-caliber machine guns in packets under the wing as well as the capability of carrying 500 pounds of bombs externally. The aircraft was of a unique design in which the engine was placed behind the pilot.
On 1 November 1944, operational control of Redding AAF was transferred from the Fourth Air Force to the Sacramento Area Command of the Army Air Forces’ Air Technical Service Command headquartered at McClellan Field in Sacramento. At that time the station’s garrison became 4191st AAFBU (Air Base). Additionally, Redding AAF was sporadically used by the Army Air Forces’ Air Transport Command as a refueling and service stop throughout the war.
With the end of the war in the Pacific, the Army Air Forces no longer needed many of its airfields and on 19 December 1945 the Division Engineer, Pacific Division, USACE reported Redding AAF as excess to the needs of the U.S. Army to the WAA. On 18 November 1946, the War Department, through the USACE, issued a license to the City of Redding of operate a civil airport on the former Redding AAF pending final disposition of the Site by the WAA.
On 4 October 1947, the U.S. Army, through the WAA, vacated the original lease with the City of Redding through an Instrument of Transfer and control of that portion of the Site that was leased was officially transferred to the city. On 6 June 1949, the WAA, quitclaimed the remainder of the Site to the City of Redding. Today, the City of Redding continues to operate the Site as Redding Municipal Airport and has embarked on a major commercial development of the Site.