Kearns Army Air Base

{{Short description|U. S. Army Air Base}} {{Use American English|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox airport | name = Kearns Army Air Base | nativename-a = | nativename-r = | image = Kearns Army Air Base uploaded by Seth P Washburne for the Thirsty 13th.jpg | image-width = 250 | caption = Army Barracks, looking E-NE }}

'''Kearns Army Air Base ''' was a U.S. Army Air Base {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. It served in many roles. Despite being referred to as air base, it had no runways and no airplanes could land near there. It was not associated with Salt Lake City Municipal Airport No. 2 (now South Valley Regional Airport), which bordered Kearns to the south, which was a small general aviation airport.

At right is an Area Map of Kearns dated 6/25/43 when it was a technical training center. On the west side is a railroad spur to the base. There are six E-W roads, which from N to S are Avenues F to A, at 4715 S, 4865, 5015 (150 between these three, 200 between the next), 5215. 5415 and 5615 S. The N-S roads, E to W, are 1st Street at 4020 W (next to now 4015) to 9th Street at 4820 W (100 between each of these).

thumb|A Kearns Army Air Base Street Map

==History== On 10 February 1942, the United States district engineer (Colonel E. G. Thomas) recommended a "5,450-acre dry farming area in Kearns" for an inland Army training site.{{r|Alexander}} For one of "the eight new technical training installations rushed into operation" during 1942–3, a Kearns, Utah "plot of 1,405 acres was purchased".{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|110}} The '''Kearns Center''' military unit was activated (designated) 1 May 1942,{{r|AETChistory}} and "a contract for a theater of operations cantonment was let" on 16 June 1942.{{r|Futrell}} "Basic Training Center No. 5" began operations on 17 July<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-aug-03-1943-p-9/|title=Salt Lake Tribune Newspaper Archives, Aug 3, 1943, p. 9|date=August 3, 1943|website=NewspaperArchive.com}}</ref> and opened on 20 July{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|110}} under Training Command.{{r|Alexander}} A "Denver and Rio Grande Western" spur was built to the installation's railroad station, and by 21 August all barracks were complete.{{r|Alexander}} "Upon completion of their basic training most of the pre-aviation cadets [were] sent to one of the many college operated [flight schools] under the supervision of the Army Air {{sic|Corp."}}.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth256042/m1/1/zoom/ | title=The Portal to Texas | website=texashistory.unt.edu}}</ref> The 510th Training Group and 3 technical school squadrons (1032d, 1033d, and 1034th) were assigned to Kearns on 10 September 1942,{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} and Kearns' commander—Colonel Leo F. Post—arrived by September 12.{{r|Alexander}} Construction was completed in October 1942{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|110}} and Kearns' "basic military training and technical training" continued until 30 Sep 43.{{r|AETChistory}}

Nine B-24 Liberator bombardment groups were at Kearns, but arrived and left by train as there was no airfield. --459th, 460th, 455th, 456th, 465th, 466th, 467th, 458th and from Gowen Field, 461st<ref>[http://www.461st.org/History/461st%20History/PDFs/jul-sep43.pdf Development & organization of the 461st bomb group during July, August and September 1943] "In accordance with an Immediate Action Letter from Hqs of the Second Air Force September 4, 1943,(12) the Adjutant at Gowen Field issued Par. No. 11 of Special Orders No. 251 on September 8, 1943. This Par. Read as follows: "The following named O and EM 461st Bomb Gp this sta are hereby reld fr atchd to the 29th Bomb Gp and WP by rail on 10 Sept 1943 for temp change of sta to AAB Kearns Utah, RUAT CO thereat on Saturday, 11 Sept 1943 for dy and further asgmt."<sup>(13)</sup> ... On Sept. 29th the C.O. of Kearns, Col. Converse R. Lewis, reviewed his troops in farewell to his command at Kearns. The morning of the following day the Air Echelon of the 461st moved from the Salt Lake City AAB to Kearns. At noon all personnel of the Group boarded a troop train and left for Wendover Field, Utah.<sup>(19)</sup></ref>—formed 31 August-17 October 1943. The base transferred to Second Air Force on 1 October 1943,{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} and the bomb groups all were reassigned by the end of 1943 (e.g., the 461st to Wendover Field).<ref name=Maurer>Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.</ref>{{Verify source|date=October 2013}} In January 1944, Kearns AAF began performing personnel replacement training, rather than group training. In April, ground echelon training for B-24 support personnel was ended.<ref>{{Full citation needed|date=October 2013}} {{Air Force Historical Research Agency}} </ref>

===Camp Kearns=== In April 1944, "Camp Kearns" was returned to the Western Technical Training Command when the WTTC's Fort Logan in Colorado transferred to the Air Service Command<ref name=DP1944>{{Cite news |date=14 April 1944 |title=Ft. Logan to be Convalescent Center Starting at Midnight |url=http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/homefront/homefront.news.dp.19440414 |format=transcription at PlainsHumanities.unl.edu |newspaper=Denver Post |accessdate=2013-02-11 |quote=Fort Logan…army air service command will take over the post from the army air forces western technical command, which has operated it since 1 March 1941, as a clerical school. Under the air service command, Fort Logan will become a center for the training of convalescent air force service men returning from overseas. … the western technical training command will take back Camp Kearns.}}</ref>—then on 1 July 1944 Camp Kearns transferred to AAF Personnel Distribution Command.{{r|AETChistory}}

===Army Air Base Kearns=== Redesignated '''Army Air Base, Kearns''' on 1 October 1944 when transferred to the Second Air Force, command of the base transferred from Converse R. Lewis to<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 28, 1943 |title=Kearns Gets New Head |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19430928&id=aKlSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=m38DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3947,2800234 |format=Google news archive |newspaper=The Deseret News |accessdate=2013-10-25 |quote=With the transfer comes the change in the name of the facility, from Basic Training Center No. 5 to Army Air Base, Kearns.}}</ref> Colonel Walter F. Siegmund.<ref>"Colonel Walter F. Siegmund, A. C, Commanding Officer Army Air Base Kearns, Utah," inside title "Encamped at Kearns," ca. 1944 (cited by Alexander)</ref>

Both the "Overseas Replacement Depot, Kearns, Utah"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/military-legal-resources/?q=|title=Military Legal Resources | The Library of Congress|website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref> and "Salt Lake City Army Air Field...under command jurisdiction of Kearns ORD" transferred to Strategic Air Command on 21 March 1946.{{r|SAChs61}} Kearns ORD & SLC AAFld (along with North Carolina's Greensboro ORD & the Greensboro-High Point Army Airfield) transferred to AAFTC on 30 April{{r|SAChs61}} and Kearns finally transferred to Air Defense Command (31 July).{{r|AETChistory}} The base (including Kearns AAF) was inactivated on 15 August 1946 and transferred to the War Assets Administration for disposal.{{Citation needed|date=October 2013}} The War Assets Administration declared Kearns surplus on 24 January 1947, and the high bid by Standard Surplus was opened in July 1948 for the {{Convert|1200|acre|abbr=on}} installation with only 100 remaining buildings.{{r|Alexander}} A "Camp Kearns Memorial" was emplaced at the Arlo D. James Kearns Veterans Memorial Park (later moved to {{Coord|40|38.849||N|112|00.354||W|notes=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMBB35_Camp_Kearns_Kearns_UT_USA|title=Camp Kearns - Kearns, UT, USA - Military Installations on Waymarking.com|website=www.waymarking.com}}</ref> }}.)

A theater for "colored personnel" became part of Kearns Junior High School. A base chapel is now part of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. The base train station is a day-care center. A cannon that had stood next to the headquarters' flagpole now decorates the corner of 40th West and 54th South.<ref name=Davidson />

The World War I-era cannon and flagpole from the old Camp Kearns military base have been relocated to the Kearns township recreation center, 5670 S. Cougar Lane (4800 West). They are now part of the new Kearns Veterans Memorial Plaza, dedicated Nov. 10, 2012.

<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=55178744&itype=cmsid|title=Kearns to dedicate new veterans memorial|first1=Pamela | last1=Manson·|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|2|refs=

<ref name=AETChistory>{{Cite report |last=Manning |first=Thomas A. |year=2005 |orig-date=1990s for ''1943-1993'' version |title=History of Air Education and Training Command: 1942-2002 |url=http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061109-022.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823150035/http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061109-022.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 23, 2011 |volume=A-090203-089 |publisher=Office of History and Research |asin=B000NYX3PC |accessdate=2013-09-13}}</ref>

<ref name=Alexander>{{Cite journal |date=Spring 1966 |volume=34 |number=2 |title=Brief Histories of Three Federal Military Installations in Utah: Kearns Army Air Base, Hurricane Mesa, and Green River Test Complex |url=http://utah.ptfs.com/Data/Library2/publications/rm000475.pdf |publisher=Utah State Historical Society |journal=Utah Historical Quarterly |accessdate=2013-09-12 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184532/http://utah.ptfs.com/Data/Library2/publications/rm000475.pdf |archivedate=2013-10-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name=Davidson>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Lee |date=July 20, 2008 |title=Camp Kearns: Documents offer new glimpse into life at dismantled WWII base |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700244487/Camp-Kearns-Documents-offer-new-glimpse-into-life-at-dismantled-WWII-base.html?pg=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194524/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700244487/Camp-Kearns-Documents-offer-new-glimpse-into-life-at-dismantled-WWII-base.html?pg=all |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |newspaper=Deseret News |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref>

<ref name=Futrell>{{Cite report |last=Futrell |first=Robert F. |publisher=Air Historical Office | date=July 1947 |title=Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939-1945 |volume=ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2) |page=110 |quote=At Kearns, Utah (just outside Salt Lake City), a plot of 1,495 acres was purchased, a contract for a theater of operations cantonment was let on 16 June, and Basic Training Center No. 5, was opened 20 July, although construction was not completed until October 1942.}}</ref>

<ref name=SAChs61>{{Cite report |date=n.d. |title=History of Strategic Air Command: Chapter III Operations and Training |url=http://www.alternatewars.com/WW3/WW3_Documents/USAF/SAC_Historic_Study_61_Partial.htm |format=partial transcript at AlternateWars.com |volume=Historical Study No. 61 |publisher=Historical Division, SAC Office of Information |accessdate=2013-09-27 |archive-date=2013-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002120320/http://www.alternatewars.com/WW3/WW3_Documents/USAF/SAC_Historic_Study_61_Partial.htm |url-status=dead }} Declassified 11 October 1991.</ref>

}}

Category:1943 establishments in Utah Category:Airports established in 1943 Category:Airports in Utah Category:Transportation in Salt Lake County, Utah Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Utah Category:Buildings and structures in West Jordan, Utah