Palm Beach Air Force Base
Palm Beach Air Force Base
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| Part of Military Air Transport Service | |
| Palm Beach County, near West Palm Beach, Florida | |
Palm Beach AFB in 1968
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 Palm Beach AFB
Location of Palm Beach AFB, Florida
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| Coordinates | 26°41′05.34″N 080°05′21.08″W / 26.6848167°N 80.0891889°WCoordinates: 26°41′05.34″N 080°05′21.08″W / 26.6848167°N 80.0891889°W |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-1962 |
Palm Beach Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Palm Beach County, just west of West Palm Beach, Florida. During its operational use by the military, its major mission was air transport and as a training base. It was closed in 1962.
During World War II, it was known as Morrison Field, taking its name from the civilian airport from which it originated.
In 1940 the United States Army Air Corps indicated a need for the airfield as part of the buildup of its forces after World War II began in Europe. Operating under a lease from Palm Beach County, the airport came under formal military control and on 25 November 1940 a construction program began to turn the civil airport into a military airfield. Construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper.
During the transition from airport to military airfield, the Air Corps 8th Pursuit Wing, assigned to the Third Air Force, III Interceptor Command was stationed at Palm Beach Air Base (as the facility was originally named) between 16 May-1 November 1941. The wing's 49th Pursuit Group flew Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-40 fighters from the field before being reassigned to Drew Field, near Tampa.
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