Mitchel Field continued to grow after World War I and be tween 1929 and 1932 a major new construction program was undertaken. New brick barracks, officers clubs, housing, warehouses, and operations buildings were constructed, as well as eight massive steel and concrete hangars. Much of this construction remains in place today. Between the wars Mitchel was the Armies premier air corps base, somewhat of a military Country Club atmosphere with fine housing, clubs, pools, polo fields and tree-lined streets.
It became home to several observation, fighter and bombardment groups and it hosted the 1920 and 1925 National Air Races. The 1920 Pulitzer Race saw Major C. S. Mosely set a new speed record of 156 mph, while in 1925 Lt. Cyrus Bettis set another world speed record of 249 mph in a Long Island built Curtiss Racer. In 1922, the Army laid out its first air route, a model airway, from Mitchel field to McCook Field, Ohio. In 1938, Mitchel was the starting point for the first nonstop transcontinental bomber flight, made by Army B-18s. Mitchel Field also served as a base from which the first demonstration of long-range aerial reconnaissance was made. In May 1939, three B-17s led by Lt. Curtiss Lemay flew 750 miles out to sea and intercepted the Italian ocean liner Rex. This was a striking example of the range, mobility and accuracy of modern aviation at the time. |
Photo above courtesy: Ken Stoltzfus Collection, www.john2031.com |
World War II: In 1940 Mitchel Field was the location of the Air Defense Command, the main point of air defense for New York City, equipped with two squadrons of P-40 fighters. The command was charged with the mission of developing the air defense for cities, vital industrial areas, continental bases, and military facilities in the United States (also known as the "Zone of the Interior").
Later, it was headquarters for the First Air Force, and given the responsibility for air defense planning and organization along the eastern seaboard Under its supervision an aircraft patrol system along the coast for observing shipping was placed into operation. During 1943, Mitchel AAF became a staging area for Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers and their crews before being sent overseas. Mitchel Field was a major source of supply in initial garrisoning and defense of North Atlantic air bases in Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland. From the airfield the planning for the air defense of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland was conducted. Antisubmarine patrol missions along the Atlantic coast were carried out in 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command aircraft based at Mitchel. Under the direction of the First Air Force, Mitchel Army Airfield became a command and control base for both I Fighter and I Bomber Command. Tactical fighter groups and squadrons were formed at Mitchel to be trained at AAF Training Command bases (mostly in the east and southeast) before being deployed to the various overseas wartime theaters. Additionally, thousands of Army Air Force personnel were processed through the base for overseas combat duty. With the end of World War II, returning GIs were processed for separation at Mitchel. |