A few days ago, OCC's student newspaper posted the above photograph of the old Santa Ana Army Air Base, which was located at the site of Orange Coast College from February 1942 to March 1946, when it was deactivated. (The Air Force was not created until after the war. Before that there was the "Army Air Corp.")
I figured I'd look for more pics of the base. I quickly found this: Santa Ana Army Air Base. The site briefly describes the base's history.
Historic California Posts: Santa Ana Army Air Base [1942-1958]
(Air Corps Cadet Replacement Training Center, Aviation Cadet Replacement Training Center, Costa Mesa Air National Guard Station)
[Basic training for Army Air: 1942-5?]
Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) was an air base without planes, hangers or runways. It was a huge basic training camp where newly inducted soldiers, earmarked for the Army Air Forces, were given 9 weeks of basic training and then testing to determine if they were to be pilots, bombardiers, navigators, mechanics, etc. From SAAAB, they went on to other bases for training in their specialties.
The base was dedicated in March 1942 and grew rapidly as the need for pilots and air crews sky-rocketed. Turnover was rapid so that by the end of the year 23,470 soldiers had passed through SAAAB. By the end of 1943 that number jumped to 57,895.
[Additional assignments: 1942-5]
In the Fall of 1942 SAAAB [also] became an Overseas Replacement Depot (ORD), housing Army Air Forces personnel awaiting transportation overseas.
In November of 1943 members of the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP) began training at the base, followed shortly by members of the Women's Army Corp (WAC).
[Reversing the process: 1945-6]
[Reversing the process: 1945-6]
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| View of men at a Beer Party at the Santa Ana Army Air Base. Men are all dressed in military uniform. Some have sheets of paper that they are reading. The back of the photo is inscribed: "Philip J. Jack second from right top of picture with cigarette in mouth. He was at Santa Ana Calif from May 1943 to Oct. 1945. (OC Public Libraries) |
In 1945 SAAAB became one of six Redistribution Centers in the country for airmen returning from overseas who were to be assigned state-side duty.
* * *
[Digression: Hollywood]
Being close to Hollywood and with such a large turnover of service personnel, the base attracted a lot of Hollywood celebrities who put on shows at the base.
* * *
[End game: 1945]
In late 1945 Japanese aliens from the alien internment camps being returned to Japan by the Immigrations and Naturalization Service (INS) were housed here while awaiting transportation to Japan.
SAAAB continued as a redistribution and separation center for a short time after the war.
On March 31, 1946, the base was officially deactivated.
* * *
[Brief revival, 1956:]
However, in 1956 elements of the 551st Antiaircraft Artillery Missile Battalion brought the Nike-Hercules system from Fort Bliss and temporarily installed and operated it at the old SAAAB site until their permanent installations (Site LA-88) in Chatsworth and atop Oak Mountain were completed.
* * *
[The end: 1958]
In 1958 the base was declared surplus and soon afterwards the land was divided for many uses. In the postwar years private homes, apartments, two colleges, the Costa Mesa Air National Guard Station and the Orange County Fairground shared the land. Many of the base's original buildings remained in use for years by the colleges and the fair grounds. [end]
Here are two photos from the above site:
According to Wikipedia,
In 1958 the base was declared surplus and soon afterwards the land was divided for many uses. At present the site includes the Orange County Fairgrounds, Pacific Amphitheatre and Orange Coast College. Some of the original buildings were renovated and are being used by the present owners.
In literature, the Santa Ana Army Air Base is notable as being one of the two settings -- but the only non-fictional one (the other, the fictional island of "Pianosa" in Italy) -- for the novel "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller.
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| This shows the site of the old base as it appeared in 1995 |
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| In OC, August, 1943. Died as B-17 tailgunner, 1944 |
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| Instruction at the base |
6 comments:
Anyone up for a parade?
Wow,I.really am curious of how people lived back then..
The golf picture looks like the PeeWee miniature Golf Center between the Balboa Inn and The Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, CA.
Thanks much for this!!
My dad received training at this base in 1944 and it was wonderful to get more information. He never talked about his military experiences, but he had wonderful picture of his squadron, taken at the base. Thanks.
My grandmother saved many many MANY of my dad’s WWll letters to home. Lt. Colonel Albert Mayor hometown, Greenville, Mississippi. He spoke fondly of his training time there in Santa Ana in 1943. He and his buddies loved going to Balboa Beach. He made very good grades and found a career in the Air Force. He was a Bombardier Navigator for 24 years in the Army Air Corp/Air Force. He loved his job and was the best dad ever! Anyone have any suggestions of where to donate the letters? I’m reading each one and storing them in acid free plastic covers in loose leaf notebooks. So precious! Love the small talk in the letters mentioning friends and family, and of course the family dog.
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