A Brief History of the Walnut Ridge Army Airfield |
By Dr. H. E. Williams |
In late May, or early June of 1942, while driving
to Walnut Ridge, from Pocahontas, I saw the first indication that the area was going to
have an Army Airfield. It would be engaged in training pilots for the United States effort
in World War II. A crew of surveyors was taking measurements along Coon Creek drainage
canal, about two miles north of the city of Walnut Ridge, on the east side of Federal
Highway 67. |
Soon the news media reported the fact that the
airport would be built at this location to give basic pilot training in the Vultee B-13
plane, the second stage in training of pilots who would then transfer to advanced
training, leading to the final stage for flying bombers, fighters or transport aircraft. |
It was reported to the public that approximately
1,800 acres would be taken for the airport, in the Mount Zion community, three-fourths of
a mile east of Highway 67. (Editor's Note: The Government ultimately purchased 3096.22
acres for the facility.) |
At once, work began on clearing the area of homes
and other improvements. Home owners were given a short period of time to remove their
buildings off the ground. Failure to do so in the time allowed, resulted in the Army
Engineers wrecking or burning remaining structures. |
Owners were paid an average of $110.00 per acre for
their land, with promise that they would have the privilege of buying it back from the
government at that price after the end of the war. |
In a few weeks the general contractor,
said to be from Nashville, Tennessee, arrived and began construction of streets, runways
and buildings, to house an operation of over 4,00 military and civilian personnel. |
Three 5,000 foot runways, in the shape of an "
A " , were constructed with an average thickness of nine inches. An apron area for
parking aircraft on the many acres, adjoined the runways. Concrete for the runways and
apron was said to have been adequate to pave a standard highway for over fifty-two miles.
Streets were constructed of gravel and surfaced with asphalt. |
Hundreds of construction people swarmed upon the
region, coming from all over the nation. Housing facilities were soon filled and prices
for lodging went sky high. Houses which had been renting for $15.00 to $35.00 per month
were being rented form $100.00 to $150.00 per month. Even single bedrooms were being
rented in private homes for $80.00 per month and up. |
Streets and alleys were laid out for the facility
and gravel haulers began bringing gravel form Crowlyes Ridge gravel beds. The runways were
laid out in a shape of a capital " A ". Concrete construction began to lay the
concrete for the paving of the runways and aprons. |
A water and sewer system was constructed large
enough for a community of 5,000 people. |
Buildings were arranged for different military
personnel, according to their groupings such as officers and cadet pilots, Each group had
their own dining room, barracks etc. Other military personnel such as military police,
WACs, etc. had their areas in different parts of the facility. |
By 1943, apartments were constructed of tile to be
used for officers families on the north side of Fulbright Avenue, and on the south side
for non-commissioned military personnel. |
Four huge hangers were constructed on the concrete
apron, connected the with runways. Link trainer buildings were built near the flight line
for use by pilot trainees in learning to fly "under the hood" on instruments
when visual flight conditions were impossible. |
A hospital was constructed to take care of a
community of 3,000 people or more. |
The chapel was constructed near the center of the
facility to provide a place for the ministry of the chaplains. Captain Harry Smith of
Georgia, was the first chaplain. |
Numerous other buildings for specific uses were
also constructed. Most of them were intended for temporary use only. The walls were
covered outside with tar paper or asbestos board, which indicated they were to be used for
a few years at best. |
One of the buildings, a home for the commanding
officer, resulted in a special investigation by the War Department. It was being
constructed on the northwest corner of the facility, of cut stone; under the claim that it
was to be a guest house for military dignitaries who might visit the airport. Walter
Winchel, nationally recognized radio newsman, found out about the building being
constructed as a permanent structure on a temporary airport, and made it a special item in
his weekly Sunday night network news report. The Truman Senate Committee on Government
Waste in the Military, began an investigation and the Army Air Force instructed the
commandant to stop using appropriated funds in the building, when it was about
three-fourths completed. |
The building was a large " U " shaped
building containing over 4,000 square feet, with steam heating and attic fans for cooling.
After funds were cut off, the commandant had to complete the building by " hook or
crook ". It was rumored that he sent cadet trainees to work on the building rather
than permitting them to pay for their violations of military rules by lying in the "
brigg ". Also much of the needed material that went into finishing the building
came from the demolition of the Pocahontas Civilian Conservation Corps camp which was
located at Five Mile Spring west of Pocahontas on Highway 90. |
The total complement of military personnel at the
Walnut Ridge Army Airfield was said to average 3,000 individuals. The civilian workers and
civil service personnel complement averaged around 2,000. |
A railroad spur was built from the Frisco Railway,
running from Hoxie to Poplar Bluff, to the airport southwest corner of the facility. The
name if the railway stop inside the operation was named Walport. |
The first commandant for the military operation was
Colonel Guillett, from Louisiana. He was an officer in the Louisiana Air National Guard. |
The Army Air Force trained several complements of
cadets all of whom went on to take advance training in heavier aircraft. Some took twin
engine training while others went into single aircraft to become fighter pilots. Those who
took twin engine training became bomber or transport pilots. |
The Army Air Force use of the airport ended in 1944
and it was traded to the Marine Corps for a field in New York state and it became the
Walnut Ridge Marine Air Facility. The Marines used the field to train one " wing
" of fighter pilots. The plane they used was known as the Gull-Wing-Corsair, a fast
and heavy fighter plane. That " wing " was shipped out to the Pacific Theater to
finish the war against the Japanese during the last months of the war. |
At the end of the World War II, in August of 1945,
the airport was designated as a salvage depot for surplus aircraft from all over the
world. Over 10,000 planes were flown to the field, said to be the largest number of
aircraft ever assembled in one place on the face of the earth. Many of them were
" war weary " planes that had seen rough treatment in the war
effort. Hundreds of huge bombers, transports, trainers, and many other types soon arrived
in late 1945 and early 1946. They were parked all over the airport, until they covered the
entire 1,800 acres of land. Hundreds of fighter planes were placed on nose end, in order
to provide more room for others. The entire complement of B-32 bombers were flown here
from the factory to be salvaged. There were only 73 of these planes made and 67 were
brought here. It was said that the B-32 was intended to be the plane to carry the atomic
bombs, but it was to have had a flaw in the design which resulted in it being unused. They
were beautiful new planes of great size, even larger than the famous B-29 bomber. |
The War Assets Administration took over the job of
disposing of the huge inventory of aircraft. About half of them were sold for military and
civilian use all over the world. Several friendly nations put them into use for military
operations. Thousands were purchased for civilian use, especially the transports. Slick
Airways of Texas, bought eight Model F Curtis Transport C-46 planes here and began the
first civilian freight service by air in the United States. |
Mr. Reynolds, inventor of the ball-point pen,
bought a B-26 twin-engine bomber here and made a trip around the world in record time in
it. His pilot, Odom, flew the same plane around the world solo. Within two weeks after his
return from that flight, Odom came here to secure parts for the B-26, and I met him at the
hanger where he got what he needed. Bill Odom was killed in the Akron air races. |
The aircraft that did not readily fit into the
military and civilian needs of the world, were consigned to be melted into large ingots of
aluminum and sold to processors to make needed civilian products such as aluminum roofing. |
The melting operation was done by Texas Railway
Equipment Company, a subsidiary of the world-wide contractor, Brown & Roots Company of
Houston, Texas. It was reported that they melted over 5,000 aircraft after the removed
components from the planes which were merchantable. This operation took approximately two
years. |
There were several executive aircraft on the field
identified with famous military personnel. I recall that the planes used by Admiral Halsey
and General McArthur were flown here. The military personnel who flew them in stripped the
interiors of things they could use as souvenirs, as soon as the planes were landed,
leaving them in a very destitute condition. |
During the last of the war a stockade was erected
in the southwest area of the field for German war prisoners. Few local people ever
realized the were here. It was reported that only 300 were kept in the stockade. |
In the fall of 1945, the field was declared surplus and the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation took it over for protection of the incoming aircraft
and prepare for disposal of the facility. By the spring of 1946 the disposal duty fell to
the newly formed Surplus Property Administration. |
The United States Congress passed a bill which was
designed to make such facilities available to the cities nearby to preserve the runways
etc., for civil aviation. They gave first priority to the local city, in each case,
provided they could submit a proposal that passed the terms of disposal as set forth in
the regulations of the War Assets Administration. I reported the provisions to Bob
Surridge, mayor of Walnut Ridge. Since the city had the first priority on acquiring the
property, the board of trustees of Southern Baptist College, through me, submitted a
request for a waiver in favor for 122 acres on the west side of the airport, to be used
for the operation of the college. The institution already had secured a " right of
entry " for 157 apartment units and six other buildings south of the main entrance.
The Walnut Ridge City Council granted the request for a waiver in favor of the college in
early May of 1946. Soon after this meeting of the City Council, Mayor Surridge resigned
and Mr. E. K. Riddick was selected as mayor. I went to him with a form giving the college
the waiver and he asked that I take the leadership role in acquiring the major part of the
airport for the city, since I would also be involved in securing a deed to the part needed
by the college. |
I was happy to take this responsibility and
prepared every form and letter incidental to interest of the City of Walnut Ridge and Mr.
Riddick signed. I made several trips to Washington in interest of the college and the
city. The college paid all of the expenses and we never billed the city for anything.
Deeds were issued to both the city and the college in 1947. |
The City of Walnut Ridge appointed an Airport
Commission, composed of Irvin Spikes, a member of the City Council, Marlin Wilcoxson, a
Walnut Ridge businessman and aviation enthusiast, and me, Dr. H. E. Williams, president of
Southern Baptist College, (now Williams Baptist College) to care for the airport. The
college took the responsibility of business transactions, collecting funds and accounting
for them.The college made no charge for the responsibility, which continued until the
middle of 1952. |
Since I had performed all of the efforts to secure
both the Walnut Ridge Airport, as well as the Pocahontas Auxiliary Airfield, for the two
cities I felt that I had rendered the area a significant service. I realized that neither
city would likely have ever been able to build such facilities on their own. Mayor Newt
Pratt of Pocahontas, had asked that I take the initiative for Pocahontas as I also was
doing to help Walnut Ridge. |
It is my opinion that these two airfields have
truly become " swords beaten into plowshares ". No other World War II facility
in the region has been turned to better civilian use. Both facilities have become
industrial parks where thousands are employed. Also both have made education centers where
two institutions are engaged in major education activities. They are Williams Baptist
College, and outstanding Liberal Arts Senior College and Black River Technical College. |
Dr. H. E. Williams, President-emeritus, Williams Baptist College, Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
8 August 1997
|
Printed by permission - Mrs. Beatrice ( H. E. ) Williams - 12 January 1999
|
