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NASA/CR-1999-208921

Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917-1963
Erik Carlson

February 1999


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NASA/CR-1999-208921

Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917-1963
Erik Carlson NASA Johnson Space Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058-4406

February 1999


Acknowledgments

The research and writing of this project was made possible by a 1998 ASEE/NASA Summer Faculty Fellowship at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Special thanks to William A. Larsen at JSC for the opportunity to write about the past at a facility where they create the future. Thanks to Luanne Jorewicz for editing this article. Thanks to Technical Sargeant Charles Hill, base historian at Ellington Field, for access to the history files. Thomas Hail's bibliographical work on Ellington Field was vital to my research. Al Stepchinski at Ellington Field provided help. The staffs of the libraries at JSC, the University of Houston system, Rice University, the Houston Public Library, and the Moore Memorial Public Library provided valuable assistance. Sherry Adams at the Houston Chronicle allowed me to use the Chronicle's newspaper files. Betty Coats at the Hocutt-Ellington Library in Clayton, North Carolina, and Gary A. LaValley of the United States Naval Academy Library sent me materials on Lt. Eric L. Ellington.

Available from:

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information 7121 Standard Hanover, MD 21076-1320

National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161

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Contents
Page Introduction ............................................................................................................... The Origins of U.S. Army Aviation .......................................................................... U.S. Army Aviation in Texas .................................................................................... Biography of Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington ..................................................................... Biography of Lt. Hugh M. Kelly ............................................................................... 1 1 3 5 9

North Island, San Diego, California ......................................................................... 10 Investigation of the Crash ................................................................................. 12 Ellington Field ........................................................................................................... 14 Ellington Field and the U.S. Army National Guard, 1923-1928 ............................. 17 Ellington Field and the Second World War, 1940-1945 .......................................... 24
th The 111 Observation Squadron in the Second World War ................................... 30

Ellington Field in the Cold War Era ......................................................................... 35 The 111th Fighter Squadron and the Korean War, 1950-1952 .................................. 40 The 111th Fighter Squadron, 1952-1963 ..................................................................... 42 Ellington Air Force Base, 1957-1962 ......................................................................... 44 Ellington Air Force Base and NASA, 1961-1963 ...................................................... 48 Epilogue ..................................................................................................................... 50

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Acronyms
CONAC MSC NASA ROTC STG UFO USAAC USAAF USAF Continental Air Command Manned Spacecraft Center National Aeronautics and Space Administration Reserve Officer Training Corps Space Task Group unidentified flying object U.S. Army Air Corps U.S. Army Air Force U.S. Air Force

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Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917-1962
Introduction
Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, has a unique heritage that mirrors the
th co ur se o f 20 century American military history. For 81 years, Ellington Field

se rved the Unit ed States Army and Air Force throug h time s of wa r, co ld wa r, and peace. Ov er the past 8 decades the air field has functioned in v a r iety of operational roles: as an active duty base, an Air Force Reserve base, and an Air National Guard base. Overall, Ellington Field's economic, political, and techno logica l impact on the development of so ut h Te xas ca nnot be under e stimated. While most militar y facilities built in 1917 to tr ain pilots for combat in the First World War have long since disappeared, Ellington Field r e mains activ e as a pr iv ate field that ser v e s the militar y, commer cial, and gener a l aviation needs of Ho uston.

The Origins of U.S. Army Aviation
On December 17, 1903, Or v ille and Wilbur Wr ight usher e d the wor ld into the er a of power e d flight. Though the Wr ight br other s' flight had initiated a techno logica l revolution, sk eptica l ne ws editors bur ied sk etchy reports of the flig ht in t he back s o f mo st newspaper s. The Wr ig ht s, ho wev e r , r e alized t heir new machine had distinct militar y applications. Pr odded by Fr ench r e quests to pur chase the air cr a ft, Or v ille and Wilbur Wr ight began the long pr ocess of co nv incing the U.S. government of the me rits of their invent ion.
1

The Wr ig ht s co nt act e d t he War Depar t ment wit h news o f a successful po wer e d flig ht , but it was met wit h a deg r ee o f sk ept icism, r e flect ing contempor a r y disbelief in the possibility of tr ue power e d flight. Ev entually the Wrights sent a proposal to the U.S. Army. Army officers on the Board of Ordnance and Fortification reviewed the proposal but reje ct ed it be ca use they
1Charles D. Chandler and Frank P. Lahm, How Our Army Grew Wings (New York: The Ronald Company Press, 1943), 146-147.

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misunderstood the military potential of the airplane and were reluctant to accept ne w techno logy.
2

Distur bed with the militar y's dismissal of the Wr ights' pr oposal, sev e r a l influent ial member s o f t he Aer o Club o f Amer ica cir cumv ent e d t he depar t ment al roadblock and co nt acted Pr esident Theodore Roosevelt. The Pr esident me t with Aer o Club member s who conv inced him of the air plane's militar y application. Roosev elt instr ucted S e cr etar y of War William Howar d Taft to r eev aluate the Wr ights' machine. Immediately Taft or der e d the Boar d of Or dnance and Fortification to reinvest igate the issue. The War De partme nt invited Wilbur Wright to speak before the Board. After the hearings, the Board of Ordnance and Fortification reluct antly reco mme nded that the U.S. Army purcha se the Wright s' aircraft .
3

Despit e it s co nser v a t iv e r e spo nse t o t he air plane, t he War Depar t ment had not been oblivious to other advances in aerona ut ical science . At the turn of the century, the U.S. Army had been involved in the experimental use of hot air balloons fo r obse rvation, and sponso red a se ries of ill-fa ted attempts by Dr . Samuel P. Langley to achieve powered flight. In 1907 the U.S. Army established the Aerona ut ical Division4 within the Signal Corps to ha ndle all aviation activities. Aeronaut ical Division officials wa nt ed to purcha se outright the Wright air cr aft, but gov er nment r e gulations would not allow pr ocur ement of militar y equipment without competitiv e bidding. To facilitate the bidding pr ocess, the Aeronautical Division outlined the basic requirements for an army aircraft: a crew of two, top speed of 40 miles per hour, and easily disassembled and transported on army trucks.
5

2Ibid, 148. 3Ibid, 149. 4In July 1914 the Aeronautical Division was renamed Aeronautical Section. By 1918 the Aeronautical Section was reorganized into the U.S. Army Air Service. In 1926 Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Army Air Corps. By June of 1941 the Army Air Corps became the U.S. Army Air Force. 5Ibid, 145.

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O f t he 41 co mpanies t hat submit t e d bids, o nly t hr ee businesses fit t he parame ter of the Signal Corps' requirements. Out of these three the Wright 's bid was the highest. Beca use government rules required the army to acce pt the lowe st bidder , the Wr ights wer e not awar ded a contr a ct. S ince the r e maining two bids we re within the Aeronaut ical Division's budget, the Army acce pted both proposals. Unfo rtunately one of the co mpanies wa s unable to deliver the product. With mo nies fr om a special government fund, the Signal Corps wa s able to acce pt the Wr ight's initial bid.
6

On February 10, 1908, the Wright Brothers signed a contract with the U.S. Army for the construction and delivery of one Wright Flyer. Throughout 1908 and 1909, flight tests on the Wright Flyer were conducted on the parade grounds at Fort Myer, Virginia. For the first time in history, the American public obse rved a demonstr ation of power e d flight. Jour nalists, politicians, and cur iosity seeker s watched in amazement as the Wrights flew their aircraft. In 1909, the new pr esident, William Howar d Taft, witnessed the Wr ight flight tr ials. By 1909 the news of a "flying machine" tr av eled thr o ughout the United S t ates and the wor ld.
7

U.S. Army Aviation in Texas
In 1911 Mexico erupted in a violent political and social revolution. Porfirio Diaz, the long-time Mexican dictator, was forced to flee Mexico. By 1913 problems were so severe in Mexico that some U.S. officials feared that the Mexican revolution might overflow into the United States. To prevent any problems, Pr esident Taft ordered the U.S. Army to patrol the U.S.-M exico bo rder.
8

In February 1913, the U.S. 2 nd Infa nt ry Division wa s ordered to Te xas. Te xas City, Texas, was selected for div isional headquar ter s because of its moder n r ailr oads, war e houses, and deep-water por t facilities. On Febr uar y 27, 1913, the
6Ibid, 149-150. 7Ibid, 150, 152-154. 8For an overview of the Mexican Revolution see Thomas Bailey's A Diplomatic History of the American People, 554-562.

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fir st elements of infantr y , ar tiller y , and signal cor ps units left militar y installation throug ho ut the United States to rendezvous in so ut h Te xas. By March, the last elements of the division we re enca mped at both Te xas City and Ga lveston Island, Texas. To pr ov ide obser v a tion capabilities for gr ound tr oops, the signal cor ps detachme nt br ought pilots and aircraft fr om army aviation schools in August a, Georgia, and College Park, Maryland.
9

When Signal Corps officials decided to br ing an aviation unit to Te xas, they made a significant organizationa l change. Beca use the aviators might be involved in combat, army officials decided that the aeronautical detachment would not operate as an aviation school, but rather as a combat squadron. For the first time in Amer ican militar y histor y, an air squadr on was for med on the coastal plains of so ut h Tex a s. On March 5, 1913, the new unit was designated the 1st Pr ov isional Aer o S quadr on (the wor d "pr ov isional" was later dr opped fr om the unit's designation). The 1st Aero Squadron was commanded by Captain A.C. Cowan and consisted of two companies, comprising 9 aircraft and 51 personnel. Among the 1 st Aero Squadron's officers were Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington and Lt. Hugh M. Kelly.
10

Flight conditions in south Texas wer e not ideal for the oper ation of Wr ight C Flyers. For optimal performance, Wright Flyers needed low wind co nditions. Gusty winds ne ar Te xas City often presented problems fo r the pilots of the 1st Aero Squadron. Though not much space wa s ne ce ssa ry to take off or land a Wr ight Flyer in 1913, pilots found their air field sur r o unded on thr ee sides by r o ws of tent s and lines of high wires st rung ne ar the field. Beca use of cr owded conditions at the Texas City camp, landings and takeoffs became hazardous for ar my av iator s. Despite pr oblems, the 1st Aero Squa dr on flew se veral reco rdbr eaking cr oss-co untry flight s fr om Te xas City to Ho uston and San Antonio.
9Souvenir of the Encampment of U.S. Troops Fourth and Sixth Brigades Second Division at Texas, City, Texas, 1913, Rosenburg Library, Galveston, Texas. 10Juliette A. Hennessy, The United States Army Air Arm: April 1861 to April 1917 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1985), 74.

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During their time in so ut h Te xas, the unit also flew ma ny obse rvation and
nd mapping missions for the U.S . 2 Infa nt ry Division.

11

Though ar my av iator s gained v a luable flight exper ience in Texas, the
st v ar iable wind conditions and mechanical pr oblems plagued the 1 Aero

S quadr o n's air cr a ft t hr o ug ho ut t heir st ay at Tex a s Cit y . By June, because t he Mexican cr isis had tempor ar ily subsided, the War Depar t ment tr ansfer r e d the 1 st Aero Squadron to San Diego, California, where the Signal Corps planne d to establish a unified av iation school. While Captain Cowan mov e d most of the squadr on west, Lt. Roy C. Kir t land and Lt. Lor e n H. Call r e mained in Texas City. Flights at Texas City continued but wer e limited in time and dur a tion. In June 1913, Lt. Call was killed in an air cr ash. By Nov e mber all flight oper ations in Texas were suspended. The roar of airplane engines would not be heard again in so ut h Te xas until the United States' entrance into the First World War.
12

Biography of Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington
John Ellington, the first Ellington to arrive in British North America, landed in the thriving colony of Virginia in 1712 to help conduct a land survey of Prince George's County Virginia (the first reference to the name Ellington in English history was found in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book).
13

John

Ellington's son, Jesse, moved from Virginia to North Carolina, where his greatgrandson John F. Ellington later served as the mayor of Clayton, North Carolina, and as a congressman in the state legislature.
14

John Ellington's great-great-grandson Jesse Thompson Ellington fought as a
st 1 Lieutenant in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Like his father, Jesse

was inter e sted in law and politics; later in life, he also became a member of the
11Ibid, 74-76. 12Ibid, 76-79. 13Ellingtons, undated, Eric L. Ellington File, Ellington-Hocutt. Library, Clayton, North Carolina. 14Ibid.

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North Carolina State Legislature, and he served as the sheriff of Johnston County, North Carolina, for 20 years.
15

After the Civ il War ended, Jesse' s seco nd mar r iag eto S a llie Williams fr om Vir g iniapr oduced thr ee childr en, one of them a boy who later became a pioneer in military aviation. On May 15, 1889 in Clayton, North Carolina, Sallie Ellington gave birth to a son, Eric Lamar Ellington. As a young boy, Eric attended a Baptist chur ch and gr aduated fr om S mithfield gr ade school. Bor n dur ing the Age of Imperialism, Eric L. Ellington had a keen interest in military and naval history. During the Spanish-American War, Eric and his brothers, Douglas and Kenneth, followed United S t ates inv o lv ement in the war by r e ading local newspaper s. His family remembered, "When the Spanish-American War broke out, he was a lad of nine years, but fo llowe d the progress of the American ca mpaigns with a degree of patriotism and intelligence that amazed us." Naval battles that took place in exotic place s such as Havana Ha rbor and Manila Bay particularly intrigue d Eric who, along with his br other s, designed scale model ships and fought imaginar y naval engageme nt s on the be droom floors.
16

At the age of 16, Eric Lamar Ellington was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. On July 8, 1905, Ellington arrived at Annapolis, Maryland, to matriculate into the prestigious na val office r school, where Naval Academy officials allowe d him to enroll despite his diminut ive st atur e (Eric stood only 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed only 100 pounds).
17

During a routine physical in the spring of 1906, Naval Academy physicians disqualified Ellington because of "arrested development" and "poor physique," but he r e ceiv ed a r e pr iev e when U.S . Nav a l Academy officials waiv ed his medical disqualification because of his young age. Ellington gained weight over the next
15Ibid. 16Ibid; Clayton Chronicle, October 11, 1917. 17Eric L. Ellington, Midshipman personnel jacket, Special Collections and Archives Division, Nimitz Library, United States Naval Academy.

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three years, but always remained slight in stature.

18

The only photographic

images of Eric Lamar Ellington at the Naval Academy are found in the yearbook the Lucky Bag. The 1908 Lucky Bag portrait of Eric L. Ellington is quite revealing. The photograph shows a young ma n with a defiant sco wl. De spite the st ern look, Ellington did not escape the barbs of the editors as they joked that he was "the only living beanstalk" at the Naval Academy. Cadet Ellington excelled in the classr oom, and his academic per sistence paid off when he passed all his cour ses with high marks. On June 5, 1909 Eric Lamar Ellington graduated seventh in a class of 230 students.
19

In July 1909, Eric L. Ellington was assigned for midshipman training duty aboard the U.S.S. California, an armored cruiser built in 1904 at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco as a part of the United States' attempt to co nstruct a mo de rn st eel navy. The U.S.S. California 20 had 18 guns and displaced ov er 13,680 tons. After the ship was commissioned, it was assigned to the Second Division out of Puget Sound, Washington.
21

During the U.S.S. California's first tour of duty, the vesse l visited various ports along the West Coast of the United States fo r public relations purposes. The ship also par t icipated in fleet exer cises off the S a moan Islands and the West Coast of Sout h America. During the ne xt year, the U.S.S. California operated along the Western United States. In December 1911, the armored cruiser was reassigned to t he Hawaiian Islands.
22

While aboard the U.S.S. California, Midshipman Eric L. Ellington learned the v ar ious skills necessar y to become a junior nav a l officer : deck watch, ship
18Ibid. 19Lucky Bag, 1909; Eric L. Ellington, Midshipman personnel jacket, Special Collections and Archives Division, Nimitz Library, United States Naval Academy. 20 In September 1914, the U.S. Navy renamed the ship U.S.S. San Diego. A battleship, Number 40, which was under construction in California, was eventually named for the state. 21U.S.S. California, Ships Records, Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C. 22Ibid.

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navigation, signal operations, and administrative duties. In Ellington's first fitness report, he rece ived performa nce rating s rang ing fr om good to exce llent . Captain H.T. Mayo of the California wrote that, though Ellington was an intelligent young man, he lacked the self-confidence necessary to become a good o fficer .
23

After his first rating period, however, Ellington began to gain poise and

dev e lop leader ship skills; the next fitness r e por t r e cor ds his per sonal transformation. Ellington's ratings shifted from mainly good to excellent marks. Mayo now remarked that Ellington was a "zealous, gracious, and promising" young officer. In Ellington's final fitness report aboard the California, Captain Mayo reco mme nded him fo r promotion to ensign.
24

In 1911, Ellington decided to transfer from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Army. Some contemporary newspaper accounts claimed that Ellington suffered from chr o nic seasick ness, which wo uld easily ex plain his desir e fo r a t r ansfer . Tho ug h this is plausible, his official fitness r e por t s fr om the U.S . S Califor nia always indicated "excellent" health, and nev e r mentioned motion sickness. One local researcher, Rosie Ferrell, argued that Ellington's interest in aeronautical science co mpelled him to switch to the U.S. Army .
25

On November 11, 1911, Ellington was honorably discharged from the Navy and simultane ously acce pted a co mmission into the U.S. Army . After his transfer,
rd Ellington was assigned to the United States 3 Cavalry at Fort Sam Ho uston.

While at Fort Sam Ho uston he requested reassignme nt to the fledgling aeronautical service. Ellington reported to the U.S. Army aviation school at College Park, Maryland, for flight training. He was also stationed at the Palm

23Eric L. Ellington, Midshipman personnel jacket, Special Collections and Archives Division, Nimitz Library, United States Naval Academy. 24Ibid. 25Eric L. Ellington, Midshipman personnel jacket, Special Collections and Archives Division, Nimitz Library, United States Naval Academy; The Clayton News, November 7, 1979; San Diego Union, November 25, 1913.

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Beach, Florida, aviation school. Eventually Ellington was assigned to the 1 st Aero Squadron at Te xas City, Te xas, and at San Diego, California.
26

Biography: Lt. Hugh M. Kelly
Hugh Mar sh Kelly was bor n in Mar ch 1881 in Louisv ille, Kentucky. Kelly was the son of Colonel R.M. Kelly, a Unionist who joined the U.S . Ar my dur ing the Civ il War . After the war , Colonel Kelly was a distinguished lawyer in Louisv ille and the editor for the Louisv ille Car r ier Jour nal. Kelly tr ained as a jo ur nalist and became a successful newspaper man. K e lly enjo y e d wr it ing fo r bo t h scholar ly and popular audiences, and his commentar ies on politics and militar y affair s wer e widely so ug ht aft e r by t he mainst r e am pr ess. K e lly was also an accomplished artist and illustrator, whose sketches and cartoons were often published in r e gional newspaper s.
27

At the turn of the 20 th century, Kelly joined the U.S. Army. He served in the Philippine Islands dur ing the Filipino Insur r e ction, wher e his ar tistic skills wer e put to use as a mapmaker. His ability to draw accurate maps of the mountains and jung les of Luzon disting uished him among his peers. After his tour of duty in the Philippines, Lt. Kelly became commandant and a well-liked pr ofessor of militar y science at S t ate Kentucky Univ er sity 28 in Louisv ille, Kentucky.
29

When problems in Mexico arose, Lt. Kelly wa s reassigned to the U.S. 26 Infantry Regiment. When Kelly arrived at the headquarters of the U.S. 26
th

th

Infant ry he wa s ordered to aerona ut ical duty. Many of Kelly's fr iends and relatives spoke of his desire to be co me a pilot be ca use of his interest in

26Army and Navy Journal, November 29, 1913. 27Louisville Carrier Journal, November 25, 1913. 28Later renamed the University of Kentucky. 29Louisville Carrier Journal, November 25, 1913.

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engineering. Lt. Kelly se rved with the 1 st Aero Squadron at Texas City, Texas, and San Diego, California.
30

North Island, San Diego, California
In Januar y 1911, Glenn Cur t iss, pioneer aer o nautical designer and pilot, leased sev e r a l acr e s of land on Nor t h Island in S a n Diego Bay to test his hydroplanes for the U.S. Navy. In 1912, Curtiss invited the U.S. Army to share North Island. Altruism wa s not his ma in motivating fa ctor, but rather the chance to show to U.S. Army office rs his ne w developments in airframe and engine design. On Nor t h Island, Cur t iss built a small equipment shed and used a lar g e canvass tent as an aircraft hanger. His employees either camped out on the island or lived in nearby San Diego.
31

In December 1912, Lt. H. Geiger arrived at North Island to officially establish the first unified U.S. Army Signal Corps aviation school. Army pe r so nne l se t up camp in the no rthe ast co rner of the island. During the ne xt six mo nt hs, Signal Corps aircraft and pe rsonne l arrived fr om various Army aviation schools thr o ughout the nation. S o ldier s r e mov e d br ush and small scr ub tr ees to clear space for runways. With low wind conditions, North Island was ideal for flying both Curtiss and Wright aircraft.
32

On Monday, November 24, 1913, Lt. Eric Ellington and Lt. Hugh Kelly prepared their Wright C Flyer fo r an early mo rning flight . The purpose of the mission wa s to give Lt. Kelly mo re flight time in this aircraft type. Kelly sa t in the student pilot's seat, while Ellington was next to him in the instructor's position. With dual controls in the Wright Flyer, Lt. Ellington could take over the aircraft at any time .
33

30Army and Navy Journal, November 29, 1913. 31Eleretta Sudsbury, Jackrabbits to Jets: The History of North Island, San Diego, California (San Diego: Halland and Ojena, 1992), 27-29. 32Ibid, 27-29. 33San Diego Union, November 25, 1913; San Diego Union, November 27, 1913.

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Army me chanics pushed the Wright Flyer into position on the grass runway. Kelly started the 60-horse-power engine, then Lt. Ellington waved his hand signaling to the me chanics to release the plane . The Wright C Flyer incr ease d speed and took off into the early mo rning light . With Lt. Kelly at the controls, the plane climbed to around 300 feet and leveled off. After one flight ar ound the field, Kelly tur ned the plane ar ound and began a "v olplane" maneuv er . As the Wr ight Flyer descended to ar ound 200 feet, one of the pilots r e star ted the engine . The lift caused by the sudden rest arting of the engine put the Wright Flyer into a st eep dive.
34

Both Lt. Kelly and Lt. Ellington struggled for control of the plane, but the aircraft co nt inue d to lose altitude. On the ground, pilots and me chanics wa tche d in hor r o r as the av iator s fought to r e gain lev e l flight. The angle of descent car r ied the Wright Flyer away fr om obse rvers on the ground and toward Po int Loma. As the plane we nt out of view, spectators on the ground wa tche d as Lt. Kelly br aced himself fo r impact .
35

Many onlookers believed that the fall was not high enough to kill the pilots and expected to find the cr ew aliv e at the cr ash site. As soldier s appr oached, it became appar e nt that no one had sur v iv e d the impact. The engine had br oken loose from its mountings and crushed both Ellington and Kelly. The impact had been so v iolent that Lt. Kelly's body was par t ially embedded into the sand. Gr ound cr ews extracted the pilots fr om the ma ng led plane and ca rried their bo dies to the Curtiss ca mp. Later that day the co rpse s we re transported across San Diego Bay to Jo hnson, Conne ll, and Saum Mortuary.
36

In 1913, the U.S. Army had little experience in determining the probable cause of an air crash. After the accident Captain A.C. Cowan and other Army pilots sift ed throug h the tattered and br oken remnants of the Wright Flyer.
34Ibid. 35Ibid. 36Ibid.

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Captain Cowan could not find any evidence of structural or mechanical failure in the wr eckage. After the br ief examination, Cowan or der e d the plane bur ned. In 1913 it was customar y when a pilot was killed in a cr ash to destr oy the air cr a ft. Capt ain Co wan was also co ncer ned t hat if t he wr eck a g e wer e st o r ed at t he camp, it wo uld have ne gative psycho logica l co nseque nces on the other pilots.
37

News of the deaths of Ellington and Kelly quickly circulated at the Army Aviation School and throughout San Diego. Lt. Ellington was a well-liked and r e spected ar my officer and pilot. He was consider e d the "ace" of 1st Aer o Squadron and an outstanding flight inst ructor. Many st unne d citizens of San Diego could not help but remember Ellington's last flight from the previous Friday when he flew for over 40 minutes at an altitude of 3500 feet over San Diego.
38

Inv estig atio n o f the Crash Because the accident involved fa talities, the San Diego Dist rict Attorne y's Office required a formal inquiry into the events at North Island. In a strange jurisdictional twist, the city of San Diego co nducted an invest igation of the U.S. government. Assist ant Dist rict Attorne y Ge ne ral De mpst er McKee co nducted a co rone r's inquest two days after the cr ash.
39

In per haps the fir st cr iticism of Amer ican militar y av iation, well-known pilot and stuntman Lincoln Beachey claimed that the S ignal Cor ps' fleet was illmaintained. Beachey testified that after a two-week stay at the North Island Army Aviation School, he wa s st unne d to learn that army pilots ha d to train in obso lete air cr aft. Beachey ended his caustic attack of U.S . militar y av iation policy by suggesting that until the Aer o nautical Div ision was pr oper ly funded, it was better fo r the government to abandon the attempt to fo rm air squa drons. Beache y
37Ibid. 38Ibid. 39 San Diego Union, November 26, 1913.

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blamed the cause of the rece nt cr ash on the dual propeller sy st em fo und on the Wright C airplane design. He claimed that when the engine was restarted in flight , the dual propellers cr eated too much lift, ca using the plane to pitch violently downward.
40

McKee ca lled Corporal Arthur E. Mix, chief me chanic of the Army Aviation School at North Island, be fo re the inquest. Mix wa s reluct ant to cr iticize the U.S. Army but , under McKee's direct examination, Mix fina lly admitted that flying Wr ig ht C F ly e r s was beco ming a dang er o us jo b. The nex t wit ness befo r e t he jur y was Lt. T. F. Dodd, an Ar my pilot at Nor t h Island. Lt. Dodd counter e d Beachey's claim about the inst ability of the Wright Flyers. Do dd claime d that he ha d rest arted the engine in flight many time s without incident .
41

Finally, San Diego

County cor o ner S . W. Bell concluded that the av iator s died fr om being cr ushed by the falling plane. The fiv e -member jur y concluded that ther e was no negligence in the deaths of Ellington or Kelly.
42

Captain Cowa n wa s called to Washington, D. C. to file an official report on the crash, and to escort the remains of Kelly and Ellington back to their homes in Louisville, Kentucky, and Clayton, North Carolina, for burial. Captain Cowan left San Diego on November 26, 1913, for the East Coast.
43

On December 2, 1913, Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington was laid to rest next to his father in a late afternoon funeral at the Clayton City Cemetery in a ce remo ny co nduct e d by Rev e r e nd Jo hn E. Whit e and at t e nded by family member s, townspeople, Captain Cowan, and a classmate from the U.S. Naval Academy. Ellington's service was conducted with full military honors. Near the end of the

40Ibid. 41Ibid. 42Coroner's Inquest Report, November 26, 1913, Office of the Medical Examiners, County of San Diego. 43San Diego Union, November 26, 1913.

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ser v ice, an honor guar d fr om near by For t Caswell fir e d sev e r a l v o lleys and played taps in ho no r of the aviator.
44

Ellington Field, 1917-1920
In August 1914, Europe erupted into a war that soon engulfed the entire co nt inent. By the ne xt year a vast sy st em of trenches st retche d across France . Though trench warfare was characterized by a static defensive struggle, the airplane was used during the conflict as an offensive weapon. In 1917, the United S t ates enter e d the war . The United S t ates needed hundr e ds of pilots to fulfill its commitment to the Allies. To meet this demand for pilots, the War Depar t ment built numer o us pilo t t r aining bases t hr o ug ho ut t he nat io n.
45

In 1917, the U.S. government purchased 1,280 acres of land from Dr. R. W. Knox and the Wright Land Company 25 miles south of Houston near Genoa, Texas. War Department officials selected the Houston area because of the weat her co ndit io ns necessar y fo r flig ht t r aining . S o o n aft e r co nst r uct io n beg a n, the Secretary of War announced that the new base would be named after Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington, an army aviator who was killed four years earlier at North Island Ar my Av iation S chool in Califor nia.
46

The Amer ican Constr uction Company, awar ded a contr a ct to build the airfield, began construction in September 1917. At one point during construction of the air field, civ ilian wor k er s went on str ike. To av oid delays caused by labor pr oblems, U.S . soldier s fr om near by Camp Logan wer e br ought in to continue wor k on the air field. The labor disputes wer e settled and the str iking wor k er s returned to wo rk. Dr aft mules we re used to pull equipment to clear and smooth the ear t h to lay concr e te foundations. Within two months, most of the buildings on the base wer e completed. Dozens of wooden buildings ser v e d as headquar ter s,
44Clayton News, December 3, 1913. 45For an excellent overview of the First World War see James L. Stokesbury's A Short History of World War I. 46Houston Chronicle, September 30, 1917; "Historical Background Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas, Airports-Ellington File, Texas Room, Houston Public Library.

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maint e nance, and o fficer s' quar ter s. Enlisted men had to biv o uac in tents. F inally , t a ll pr air ie g r ass near t he hang er s was clear e d o f o bst acles and mo wed short fo r runways.
47

In November, the 120th Aero Squa dron wa s transferred fr om Kelly Field to Ho uston. Only a fe w U.S. Army Air Service aircraft arrived with the squadr on. Most of the Cur t iss JN-4 Jennys wer e shipped in wooden cr ates by r a ilcar . In December, the first planes from Ellington Field flew over Houston for a benefit for the American Red Cross. A flight of ten JN-4 s took off fr om grass runways and fo llowe d the interurban tracks st retching no rth fr om Ge no a to Ho uston. Throng s of men, women, and childr en watched in amazement as the JN-4s flew ov er head. The roar of the aircraft wa s almo st drowne d out by the wa il of sirens and fa ctory whistles as the planes passed ov er . As the planes cir cled the city, they dr opped paper flyers fo r the American Red Cross. Next, the fo rmation flew to Camp Logan and then turned so ut h toward Ga lveston Island. The entire flight took about an ho ur .
48

The base was finished by December, but Ellington Field had a chronic shortage of trained personnel. With only 220 men stationed at the airfield, Army officials needed men with a variety of skills, such as painters, draftsmen, cooks, motorcy cle drivers, me chanics, and acco untant s. Pe rsonne l problems we re so grave that the War Department allowed officials at Ellington to use the "direct enlistment" of men to fill the r a nks; this allowed a local man to enlist in the U.S . Army but report directly to Ellington Field.
49

During the First World War, Ellington Field served as a base for advanced flight training for the United States Army Air Service. In 1917, flight training occurred in two phases: primary and advanced. Pr imary training took eight weeks and consisted of pilots lear ning basic flight skills under dual and solo
47Ellington 1918, 1-5. 48Houston Chronicle, December 3, 1917. 49Ibid.

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instruction. Flight cadets were then transferred to another base for advanced training. At advanced training bases cadets learned flying techniques that made them proficient pilots. Advanced training took up to six weeks of classr oom and flight instr uction. Pilot tr aining included pr actice on bombing and gunner y ranges. In 1918, Ellington Field's gunnery and bombing ranges were at a small peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Mexico just off San Leon, Te xas.
50

Because of the lack of militar y pilots in 1917, the U.S . Ar my Air S e r v ice r e lied on civ ilian pilots to help tr ain cadets. Civ ilian pilots often had mor e flight experience than military aviators. During the war, Ellington Field had seven civ ilian instr uctor s: W.F. S ulliv an, H.B. Cr ewdson, E.W. Clev eland, G.K. Hood, W.A. Pack, O.W. Hoover, and E.H. Lee. Upon graduation, a flight cadet would be chr istened a militar y av iator . After gr aduation, an av iator was shipped to Eur o pe fo r mo r e t r aining and assig nment t o a co mbat squadr o n.
51

For the first months of operation, Ellington Field had no pilot fatalities. Within the year, however, this record changed for the worse. By August 1918, Ellington Field recorded the most pilot fatalities of the 18 U.S. Army Air Service training bases in the United States. By 1918, however, Ellington Field was also known throughout the nation as an airfield of "firsts." Ellington had the first camp newspaper, the first gunnery and bombing ranges, the first "canteen girls," and t he fir st aer ial ambulance in Amer ican milit ar y hist o r y .
52

By January 1919, the future operational status of Ellington Field was unknown. Many local officials speculated that the U.S. government wo uld keep Ellington Field open because of the outstanding combat record established by Ellington-trained pilots in Europe. Locals also pointed to the optimal weather conditions in south Texas area for flight training. In 1920, Ellington Field was

50Alfred Goldberg, A History of the United States Air Force (New York: Arno Press, 1958), 18-21; "Historical Background Ellington Air Force Base," Houston, Texas, Airports-Ellington File, Texas Room, Houston Public Library. 51Ellington 1918, 29-33. 52Houston Chronicle, December 31, 1918; Houston Chronicle, May 6, 1918; Ellington 1918, 29-33.

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deactivated as an active duty airfield, however, and a small caretaker unit was assigned to the facility fo r administ rative reasons. In the fut ur e the only flight activity at Ellington Field would be Army pilots flying from Kelly Field practicing touch and go landings.
53

With the r e tur n to a peacetime economy, militar y

training facilities such as Ellington Field were deemed unnecessary.

Ellington Field and the U.S. Army Na tiona l Guard, 1923-1928
Though the U.S. Army National Gua rd ca n trace its lineage ba ck to the Amer ican Rev o lution, the moder n National Guar d is a r e cent dev e lopment. The direct ance st ry of the mo dern National Gua rd wa s the 19th centur y state militia, which augmented the regular Army. After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Ar my began to r eev aluate the r o le of the militia. The militia's per for mance in the Spanish-American War was mixed. Because of poor training and lack of equipment, many militia outfits did not far e well in combat.
54

Another problem fo r the U.S. Army wa s the militia's uncoor dinated natur e . The str e ngth lev e l of indiv idual militia units was not unifor m. This lack of knowledge hindered the proper deployment of troops. By the turn of the ne w centur y, the U.S . militar y was swept with a wav e of r e for m. Refor mer s called for the establishment of a well-tr ained and -equipped r e ser v e to augment the r e gular Army in times of national emergencies. In 1903, Congress passed the Dick Act to r e place the state militias with a new National Guar d system. The Dick Act required each st ate or regional groups of st ates to fo rm National Gua rd units with prescr ibed levels of co mba t-traine d troops.
55

After the passage of the Dick Act, Texas militia units combined to for m the U.S. 36 th Infantry Division, which the War Department federalized on July 18, 1917. The division actually consisted of men from both Texas and Oklahoma.
53"Historical Background Ellington Air Force Base," Airports-Ellington Field File, Texas Room, Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas. 54National Guard of the State of Texas, 1940 (Baton Rouge: Army and Navy Publishing Company, 1940), 33-34. 55Ibid, 34.

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After arriving in France in August , the National Gua rdsmen be gan to train fo r co mbat. While training , the division wa s attached to the French Fourth Army . The U.S. 36 th Division fo ug ht with distinction in the vicinity of the Somme River. When the war was over, the division wa s deactivated and it returned to the United States.
56

Combat during the First World War had a dramatic effect on the U.S. Army. On the Eur o pean battlefield, Amer ican soldier s wer e exposed to new militar y techno logy. Advancements in we aponry such as chemical wa rfare, tank s, and air cr aft alter e d the v iews of some Amer ican militar y planner s. The exper ience also had an impact on the way the militar y v iewed the National Guar d system. Though the National Gua rd was suppose d to establish a pool of we ll-traine d div isions, these units often needed additional tr aining befor e being intr oduced to co mbat . Because of these pr oblems, many militar y leader s pushed for the reorganization of the National Guard system. In 1920, Congress passed the Reor ganization Act to allocate additional funds to the U.S . National Guar d for training and equipment. Throughout the early 1920s, the newly reorganized National Guar d began adding av iation squadr ons to their infantr y div isions.
57

The unofficial lineage of U.S. National Guard aviation can be traced back to New York. In 1908, the New York National Guard had several Signal Corps office rs interest ed in aerona ut ics who establishe d an aviation squa dron. After three years of experime nt ing with ba lloons and ha nd-built aircraft , the squa dron receiv ed it s first aircraft fr om the Curtiss Aircraft Company.
58

National Gua rd aviation units rece ived little or no fina ncial assist ance fr om state or feder a l coffer s. In most cases, indiv idual member s pr ov ided their own

56Ibid, 37. 57Charles Joseph Gross, Prelude to the Total Force: The Air National Guard, 1943-1969 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1985), 1. 58Ibid, 1.

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aircraft and funds for maintenance. When the United States entered the First World War, the War De partme nt decided not to activate any of the National Guard air unit s. All U.S. Army Air Service aviators during the Europe an co nflict came fr o m r e g ular Ar my air squadr o ns.
59

The Reorganization Act of 1920 was the genesis of the first officially sponsor e d National Guar d av iation units. When the militar y r e or ganized the National Gua rd, the U.S. Army Air Service pushed fo r the fo rmatio n of air unit s within all National Guar d div isions. Gener a l William "Billy" Mitchell was the man behind the campaign. The War Department reluctantly agreed with General Mitchell's assessment. In 1923, the U.S. Army authorized National Guard infantry divisions to fo rm obse rvation sq ua drons. Within nine years all 19 National Gua rd div isions had av iation units.
60

In May 1923, the War Department had ordered the small caretaker force at Ellington Field to dismantle all remaining structures and to sell them as surplus. Orders to abandon Ellington Field were abruptly halted, however, when the War De partme nt authorized the Te xas National Gua rd to establish an aviation
th squadr o n. Gener a l Jo hn A. Hulen, co mmander o f t he U.S . 36 Div isio n,

announced the formation of the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron. Ge ne ral Hulen assured the citizens of Ho uston that the ne w air squa dron wa s not a daredevil outfit. Hulen believed that the reactivation of Ellington Field as a reserve base would pr ov ide Houston an air field and r e kindle public inter e st in militar y aviation. With the ne ws of the fo rmation of the Air Squa dron, one Ho uston Chronicle reporter christened the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron "Houston's Own, " thus be ginning a long relationship be tween Ho uston and the National Gua rd.
61

M ajo r Ber nar d Law was r e spo nsible fo r t he new 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron loca ting in Ho uston. Comp etition fo r the site of the sq ua dron's he adquarters wa s
59Ibid, 1-2. 60Ibid, 1-2. 61Houston Chronicle, May 15, 1923.

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fierce . Many cities throug ho ut Te xas, including Da llas and San Antonio, vied to be the ho me ba se fo r the fledgling aviation unit. The co mbina tion of Majo r Law's persistence, his aviation experience, and Ellington Field's aeronautical history led to the Te xas National Gua rd se lect ing Ho uston.
62

The 111th Observation Squadron was officially activated on June 29, 1923, in the Houston Light Ar mor y building. The S quadr on was or ganized to pr ov ide mapping, photography, and reconnaissance support for the U.S. 36 th Infa ntry Div isio n. M a jo r Law was t a pped as co mmander o f t he 111th Obse rvation Squa dron. He recr ui ted me n wi th both aviation and co mba t experience fr om the Houston area to join the squadron. In 1923, the unit had an authorized strength of 130 officers and enlisted personnel. While the 111th Squadron awaited the arrival of air cr aft, the Guar dsmen dr illed in the Houston Municipal Auditor ium.
63

At Ellington Field, the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron used se veral of the remaining structures and hangers from the war for weekend training. The buildings, howev e r , had to be r e fitted with new electr ical, water , and telephone lines. Soon Ellington Field was alive with activity, though the renovation process
th co uld not co mpare to the original ba se co nstruction. The 111 Obse rvation

S quadr on r e ceiv ed sur plus Cur t iss JN-6Hs and DH-4 De Hav ilands fr om Kelly Field. The unit was also given surplus uniforms, shoes, and ha ts fr om Fort Sam Houston. Once aircraft were stationed at Ellington, Major Law hired several mechanics to work full-time at Ellington Field.
64

In December 1923, the 111th Obser v a tion S quadr on par t icipated in its fir st training exercise. Aircraft from Ellington Field joined U.S. Army M3s and SE-5s fr om Kelly and Brooks Fields fo r bo mbing and gunne ry practice . Gunne ry practice took place about five miles off Ga lveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico . Aircraft towed giant 12-foot-by -3 -foot targets while the JN-6 H and DH-4 fighters
62Ibid. 63Ibid. 64Houston Post, May 16, 1923; Houston Chronicle, May 15, 1923; Houston Chronicle, September 3, 1923.

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attacked the moving targets. In January 1924, the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron flew its first cr oss-co untry flight s. During this exercise ma ny of the first-time pilots r e ceiv ed enough flight time to qualify for solo and dual r a tings.
65

Though the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron ha d storage and ma intena nce facilities at Ellington Field, the squadron did not have a true headquarters building. Major Law r e quested funds fr om Texas and the U.S . National Guar d, but unfor t unately monies wer e not av ailable for new buildings. Law, howev e r , was able co nv ince sev e r a l lo cal Ho ust o n businessmen t o do nat e space in a downtown office building. In 1924, the 111th Obser v a tion S quadr on headquar ter s was r e located to the Gas Company Building in downtown Houston.
66

The ne w do wntown he adquarters se rved a variety of role s fo r the 111 Obse rvation Squa dron: a ce nt ral meeting point, administ rative office s, and

th

t r aining classr o o ms. The new o ffices wer e ado r ned wit h mement o s fr o m t he war and aer o nautical memor a bilia. An administr a tiv e building was also impor t ant on foul weather days. When rain showers turned dirt runways at Ellington Field to mud, the squadron needed a place to conduct weekend training.
67

The use of downtown facilities, howev e r , highlighted the two major inadequacies of Ellington Field: deteriorating facilities and the great distance of
th the field fr om Ho uston. Many of the office rs in the 111 Obse rvation Squa dron

be lieved that the Squa dron and Ho uston needed a mo dern airport loca ted ne ar the city. Major Law was a pr ime mov e r behind the push to build a new air por t. As the president of the Ho uston chapter of the National Aerona ut ics Asso ciation, Law was co nv ince d that the co nstruction of a municipal airport wo uld be ne fit Ho uston's economy. Law also wa nt ed the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron to ha ve new tr aining facilities located closer to most member s of the squadr on.
65 Houston Chronicle, December 6, 1923. 66 Houston Chronicle, January 27, 1924. 67Ibid. 68 Houston Chronicle, September 3, 1924. 68

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Though the possibility of a new municipal air field endanger ed the existence of Ellington Field, rumors circulated throughout the Texas National Guard that the War De partme nt wa nt ed to transfer the aviation schools at Kelly and Brooks Fields to Houston. During the early 1920s, neighborhoods near Brooks and Kelly Fields began to encr oach on the militar y installations. Many in the War De partme nt be lieved that the safe ty and efficiency of these training fields we re co mpromise d by these demographics shifts. The transfer of U.S. Army aviation schools to Ellington Field, however, remained only a rumor.
69

In 1925 General Mitchell conducted a "flying tour" of all National Guard Obse rvation Squa drons throug ho ut the United States. On a return trip fr om the West Coast, General Mitchell came to south Texas for an inspection of Ellington Field. As Mitchell's transport flew near Ellington Field, he was met by a fo rmation of Curtiss JN-6 s. Mitche ll also wa tche d the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron practice aerial gunne ry. Once on the ground , Mitche ll co mme nt ed that the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron wa s one of the be st units in the na tion. Mitche ll spoke to enthusiastic crowds at Ellington Field confirming his belief that a strong Air Force was vital to na tional defe nse. He co mme nt ed that "the old ce nt ers of bo undaries hav e been abolished since the air plane 's use..." and also stressed the importance of the dev e lopment of nonsubsidized civ il av iation.
70

The fir st fat a lit ies fo r t he 111th Obse rvation Squa dron occurred when Captain Emil Wagner and Lieutenant. L.T. McLaughlin wer e killed in a fr eak accident. While putting his Cur t iss JN-6 into a steep div e, the left wing of their aircraft co llapsed. Pilots flying in other aircraft and spectators on the ground wat ched in ho r r o r as t he plane t umbled and t hen st r uck t he g r o und. M ir a culo usly both men sur v iv e d the cr ash, but both later died in a Houston hospital.
71

69 Houston Chronicle, November 21, 1926. 70Houston Post, July 23, 1925; Houston Post 24, 1925. 71Houston Chronicle, December 10, 1923.

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The S q uadr on lost one of its best pilots when Captain John S . Ansley crashed at Ellington Field during a routine training flight. Captain Ansley was practicing the dang erous mane uv er of reco vering fr om a tailspin. Ansley be gan t he maneuv er at an insufficient alt it ude and was unable t o r e co v e r fr o m t he t ailspin. Capt ain Ansley 's JN-6 slammed int o a pile o f st ack e d lumber and he died later fr om injur ies sustained in the collision.
72

Throughout 1924, the 111th Obser v a tion S quadr on par t icipated in v a r ious tr aining exer cises. The S q uadr on flew to La Gr ange, Texas, to par t icipate in a dr ill with the U.S. 36th Infantry Division. Pilots from the 111 th S quadr on dr opped smoke bombs fr om tr eetop lev e l, adding r e alism to the combat simulation. In July, the Squa dron traine d with the entire division on Ga lveston Island. At the Galveston mane uv ers, U.S. Army aviators fr om Kelly and Brooks Fields taug ht the Nat io nal Guar d pilo t s new fly ing t e chniques. Dur ing t he summer ex er cises 14 aircraft flew over 50,000 miles. Training was so intense that the 111th S quadr o n's Cur t iss JN-6s wer e lit er ally wo r n o ut . U . S . A r my inspect o r s fr o m Kelly Field grounded the sq uadron be ca use the aircraft we re deemed unsa fe fo r fly ing . Field. In 1924, ca ttle in Genoa, Texas, we re inflicted with an outbreak of foot and mo ut h disease. Har r is Co unt y o fficials fear ed t hat t he disease wo uld spr e ad so they quarantined the southern portion of the county, and flights out of Ellington Field were temporarily suspended. During the quarantine period, men of the 111 Obser v ation S q uadr on dr illed at the Houston Municipal Auditor ium.
74
th

73

The aircraft we re eventually repla ce d with ne we r aircraft fr om Kelly

By 1926, Houston was in the process of planning a modern municipal airfield so that Houston would remain a center of commerce and trade in south Texas. Riv a l cities S a n Antonio and Dallas had alr e ady constr ucted civ il air fields.
72Houston Chronicle, February 24, 1924; Houston Chronicle, February 25, 1924. 73Houston Chronicle, May 4, 1924; Houston Chronicle, May 27, 1924; Houston Chronicle, July 20, 1924. 74Houston Chronicle, September 27, 1924; Houston Chronicle, September 28, 1924; October 2, 1924.

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Ev en smaller cities such as Waco, Texas, wer e contemplating building an air por t. By 1927 an air por t was under constr uction near the Gar den Villa ar ea on Ho uston's Te lephone Road. The co mpleted fa cility wa s na me d the Ho uston Municipal Airport.
75

The enticement of new aviation facilities was too much for the Texas National Guard. By 1927 the facilities at Ellington Field were obsolete. Neither the Te xas National Gua rd no r the War De partme nt ha d the funds to reno vate Ellington Field, so the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron signed a long -t erm lease with the Houston Municipal Air por t and mov e d into new facilities in the southwester n corner of the airfield. New buildings included five cottages built for full-time air cr aft mechanics and their families and two steel hanger s complete with stor age and locker r ooms.
76

The Texas National Guar d pur chased the abandoned r e maining usable structures at Ellington Field. The U.S. 36 th Div ision bought buildings that once housed the library, hospital, and bachelors' quarters. Engineers disassembled the wooden buildings and tr anspor ted them to the new Texas National Guar d headquarters in Palacios, Texas. By 1928, Ellington Field was a sea of tall prairie grass. In Febr ua ry, a fire engulfed the entire airfield. Though the Ho uston Fire Depar t ment r e spo nded t o t he blaze, t he r e maining st r uct ur es wer e co nsumed. A ll that remained fr om the fire we re co ncrete fo undations and a me tal wa ter tower. Throughout the next 12 years, the War Department leased out the vacant land to lo cal ranche rs fo r past ur e.
77

Ellington Field and the Second World War, 1940-1945
On September 1, 1939, World War II began in Europe when German militar y for ces attacked Poland. S oon Eur o pe was env e loped in the most costly
75 Houston Chronicle, December 12, 1927; Houston Post, August 6, 1927. 76Ibid. 77Houston Post, August 14, 1927; Houston Post, August 14, 1927; Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1940.

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war in human history. War had already begun on the Asian continent in 1931 when Japan inv a ded Manchur ia. With Japan's seizur e of the Mar co Polo Br idge on the Chinese mainland in 1937, Japan and China were fighting a full-scale war. By 1940, expansionistic policies of Germany, Italy, and Japan had plunged most of the globe into war . That same year , the United S t ates, though still a neutr a l co untry, be gan a na tional defe nse plan.
78

National defense adv o cates outlined a plan that included the expansion of the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps through a peacetime draft, dev e lopment of new weapons systems, constr uction of new militar y bases, and a Lend-Lease program. Germany's successful use of aircraft to defeat Poland and Fr ance highlighted av iation's potential as a militar y weapon. This r e cognition led Congress to authorize an unprecedented expansion of the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC). Congress authorized the construction of 50,000 aircraft by the end of 1941 and t he same number o f air cr a ft annually unt il t he end o f t he war in Eur o pe. American aircraft manufacturers, however, were unprepared for the task. The USAAC proposed a more realistic program of 18,000 aircraft per year.
79

Expansion of the USAAC fleet cr eated a great need fo r traine d pilots, navigators, and bo mba rdiers to fly and operate the ne w aircraft . In Washington, D.C., Repr esent a t iv e Alber t Tho mas (D-Tex ) fr o m Ho ust o n pushed fo r t he resurrection of Ellington Field. Construction of a new base in the Houston area made se nse fo r se veral reasons. First, flying co nditions in the Ho uston area we re perfect fo r pilot training . Seco nd, the co nstruction of a ba se in so ut h Te xas wa s necessary to protect U.S oil refineries in the area. By the 1940s, Texas' oil refine ries produced mo st of the petroleum products in the United States. War Depar t ment officials believ e d that these facilities wer e v ulner able to enemy attack fr om the Gulf of Mexico . Fina lly the site ma de se nse be ca use the U.S. government

78For an good overview of the origins of the Second World War see James L. Stokesbury's A Short History of World War II. 79Goldberg, 43-45, 47-48.

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still owned the old air field site which was now r e adably accessible by highway and r ail sy st ems.
80

In June 1940,the Tellepson Construction Company of Houston, Texas, was awarded the co nt ract fo r the co nstruction of the ne w airfield's infrastructure and 160 buildings. Dur ing the fir st phase of constr uction, Tellepson hir e d ov er 200 men t o wo r k o n t he sit e . Desig n o f t he new base was in st ar k co nt r a st t o t he facility that was built dur ing the Fir st Wor ld War . The new facility was considerably larger than the old base and required concrete runways to accommodate the heav ier and lar g er militar y air cr a ft.
81

Te llepson Construction Company first rebuilt the ba sic infr astructure of electr ic, phone, sewer , and water lines. Engineer s consider e d using the old water tower , but the system's fr esh water supply would be inadequate. Establishing a telephone communication system at Ellington would require over 140 miles of wire. The government eventually br ought in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate the construction process. Soon 1,500 men worked day and night to complete the air field.
82

From an engineering aspect , the co nstruction of the runways and apron system was a monumental task. Architects designed a plan for an apron and six runways. Construction workers poured over 3,470,332 cubic feet of concrete into an 8-inch-thick slab. In 1940, Ellington Field could boast it had the largest whole piece of cement in the United S t ates. Fiv e contr o l tower s dir ected air cr a ft fr om the aprons to runways and monitored incoming aircraft. Two 42,000-square-foot steel hanger s wer e built to stor e air cr a ft and handle all maintenance oper ations. The hang er s, ho wev e r , co uld no t st o r e all t he air cr a ft , so a st eel t ie-do wn sy st em was inst alled wit hin t he co ncr e t e apr o n. Dur ing t he war y e ar s, mo st air cr a ft wer e par k ed in the open air . The constr uction cr ews built 11 wooden buildings for
80Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1940. 81Houston Chronicle, June 6, 1940. 82Houston Chronicle, January 18, 1941.

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headquarters, quartermaster, maintenance, public affairs, and security divisions, 5 mess halls, and 74 barracks for living quarters. The two-story barracks held 67 men. Ellington Field's premier medical facilities (13 buildings) formed the most moder n medical complex in south Texas. Ar my doctor s had the latest in diagnostic equipment, an operating room, a 250-bed hospital, and a dental clinic. Several Ho uston area wo me n' s garden clubs under the coordination of the Te xas Gar den Clubs Good-Will Committee planted flowers, shrubs, and trees on the base.
83

On November 23, 1940, personnel from the 276th Quartermaster Company arrived in Ho uston to coordinate the opening of the ba se . Soon office rs and enlisted per sonnel of 65th Base Gr oup arrived to fo rmally take over the field. Ev entually the 69 th, 70th, 71st, 72nd , 74th, 75th, and 76th School Squa dr ons we re transferred to Ellington Field to conduct flight training. In December, Lt. Colonel Walter H. Reid took co mmand of the USAAC Advanced Flying School. Reid wa s a combat veteran from the First World War and, during the 1920s, a former commander of the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron.
84

In June 1941, AT-6s arrived in Houston from the North American Aviation plant in Gr and Pr airie, Te xas. Due to delays in the co nstruction of the runways, the ne w training aircraft we re diverted to Ho uston Municipal Airport. The AT-6 s we re temporarily stored in the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron's ha ng er. Once the runways were ready, U.S. Army pilots ferried the AT-6s on a brief cross-town flight. The AT-6s were augmented by advanced training aircraft, AT-10s and AT-11s, and eventually over 350 training aircraft were stationed at Ellington Field to provide the USAAC two-phase (prima ry and advanced) pilot training . Once pilots acquired flying proficiency, they rece ived either a fighter or bo mbe r assig nment .
85

83Houston Chronicle, April 16, 1941; Houston Chronicle, May 18, 1941; Houston Post, May 4, 1941; Houston Press, August 22, 1941. 84Houston Press, May 29, 1941. 85Houston Chronicle, June 18, 1941.

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During the Second World War, Ellington Field was the site for advanced flight tr aining for bomber pilots. Initial plans called for the tr aining of 2,800 bomber pilots per year at Ellington Field or about ten percent of the total number o f pilo t s t r ained t hr o ug ho ut t he Unit ed S t at es. Beg inning at fiv e -week intervals, classes of 274 cadets entered the 10-week course. Cadets moved from the AT-6 to the more complex twin-engine AT-10 or AT-11. At that level, cadets wer e t aug ht ho w t o fly t he lar g er mult i-eng ine air cr a ft . Aft e r successful co mpletion of the advanced training co ur se , gradua tes we re transferred to different airfields for more training in actual bombers. Eventually the USAAC Advanced Flying School was transferred to Black land Field in Waco, Te xas.
86

Ellington Field was also a site for the USAAC Bombardier School, also known as "the Bombardment Academy of the Air." At Ellington Field, officials planned to train 4,480 bombardier cadets per year. Bombardier cadets spent most of their time dur ing the 10-week cour se in the classr oom lear ning the skills ne ce ssary to accurately drop bo mbs on enemy targets. Ha nds-on training fo r the bo mbardier ca dets took place over the Gulf of Mexico . In AT-10s or AT-11s, bombar dier students pr acticed bombing sev e r a l small islands in Matagor da Bay or small target boats anchored in the bay. The Bombardier School remained at Ellington Field until 1942.
87

In 1943 Ellington Field became the site for advanced navigator training. The U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF, renamed from the United States Army Air Corps in 1941) transferred the Navigator School from Mather Field in California to Ho uston. The USAAF Navigator School co nsisted of a rigorous 18-week co ur se consisting of instr uction in celestial nav igation and dead r e ckoning. To complete the course, cadets were required to have 100 hours in navigating both local and long-r ange flights.
88

86Houston Chronicle, October 29, 1941; Houston Chronicle, March 18, 1945. 87Houston Press, January 12, 1942. 88Houston Chronicle, March 18, 1945.

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By 1944 the Navigator School used instructors with combat experience to teach classe s. Ve teran na vigators fr om every theater of operations lect ur ed cadets at Ellington Field. These lectures were invaluable to cadets because the veteran na vigators gave their st udents insights into na vigating under co mba t conditions and life overseas. From 1941 to 1945 the Navigator School graduated 4,000 USAAF navigators that were assigned to every theater of operations during the Second World War.
89

When Ellington Field was completed, nothing was left from the original airfield. Soon after Ellington reopened, however, several enlisted men made an interesting discovery. The mess bell from the old Ellington Field, affectionately known as "Oscar," was moved to Kelly Field in 1920 when the base was deactiv ated. Unfor t unately, enlisted men at Kelly Field would not r e tur n the bell without a mo ne tary ince nt ive. After pooling their mo ne y, a small group of enlisted men and officers purchased the mess bell and returned it to Ellington Field.
90

Col. Reid wanted to link the new airfield with the Ellington Field of the past, so he commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington to hang in the Headquar ter s Building. Reid chose Mr s. E. Richar dson Cher r y , a wellknown local artist (and his mother-in-law), to paint Lt. Ellington. Mrs. Richardson used an old photograph of the young aviator st anding in fr ont of his Wright C Flyer at Nor t h Island. The finished painting was hung in the display window of the S akowitz Br other s depar t ment stor e until Reid had the painting placed in a pr ominent ar ea of the just-completed Headquar ter s Building.
91

In 1942 John Hunter Ellington of Greensboro, North Carolina, was assigned to Ellington Field for advanced flight training. After his arrival in Houston, Cadet Ellington was struck by the fact that the Houston airfield bore his last name. After
89Ibid. 90Houston Chronicle, April 25, 1941. 91Houston Press, May 28, 1941.

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several friends remarked on the similarity, Ellington stopped by the Public Affairs Office to invest igate the history of the field. When the Public Affa irs Office r told him that the field was named for a deceased army aviator from North Carolina, Ellington wondered if he was related to the long-dead pilot. Cadet Ellington wrote his cousin Lura Ellington in North Carolina, who replied that John was indeed a distant cousin of Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington.
92

The 111th Observation Squadron in the Second World War
In 1933 the War Department authorized a livery for the 111th Obse rvation S quadr on. Lt. Ear l S howalter designed a distinctiv e insignia, "the Ace in the Hole": A lar g e lone star r e flected the squadr on's Texas her itage, while the color s white and black represented two items esse nt ial to the Te xas economy cotton and oil. An ace in the hole signified the squadr on's ability to always win in battle.
th During the 1930s, the 111 Obse rvation Squa dron co nt inue d to fly out of Ho uston

Municipal Airport. With a mo ve to a ne w airfield, the USAAC gave the sq ua dron ne w O-2 aircraft , which the sq ua dron flew until they we re replace d with the newer O-38s three years later. When war broke out in Europe in the late 1930s, the 111th Squadron was issued more advanced O-47s and O-43s for reconnaissance missio ns.
93

In response to the European war and the United States' new nat io nal defense program, on November 25, 1940, the War Department federalized the Texas National Guard. By January 1941, the entire U.S. 36 th Infa nt ry Division (Texas) and the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron ha d transferred fr om Ho uston to Camp Bowie in Brownwood, Te xas. For the me n of the Ace in the Ho le squa dron, the mo ve to Brownwood was the first of 15 stops over the ne xt 21 mo nt hs.
94

92Untitled, Public Relations Office, Ellington Field, 1942, Airports-Ellington Field File, Texas Room, Houston Public Library, Houston, Tx. 93111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron File, Archives, History Office, Texas Air Texas Guard, Ellington Field, Houston, Tx. 94From Jennies to Jets: The Story of the 111th Squadron 1923-1973, 46-47.

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The 111th Obser v a tion S q uadr on par t icipated in combined war games with
th th the U.S. 36 Division and the U.S. 45 Infantry Division (Oklahoma) in Abilene,

Tex as. Dur ing t his dr ill O -47s and O -43s dr o pped dummy bo mbs, sack s o f flo ur , o n "enemy " unit s t o simulat e bo mbing r uns. I t was t he fir st t ime fo r t hese National Guard Divisions to fight in simulated wa rfare. Lack of equipment and improvised we apons reflected the poor st ate of the pre-Pe arl Ha rbor American militar y.
95

In August 1941, the 111 th Squadron and the U.S. 36th Infa nt ry Division par t icipated in the Louisiana Maneuv er s, the fir st peacetime war games between two field armies in American history. Simulated co mba t took place in east ern Tex as and west er n Lo uisiana. Tex a s Nat io nal Guar dsmen wer e assig ned t o t he
rd rd U.S. 3 Ar my , co mmanded by Gener a l Walt e r K r ueg e r . The 3 A r my was t he

defensiv e for ce code-named "Red," while Lt. Gener a l Benjamin Lear commanded the U.S. 2 nd Ar my's "Blue" aggr essor for ce.
96

While the infa nt ry slogged its wa y

throug h the region's piney woodlands, the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron flew r e co nnaissance missio ns fo r t he R e d fo r ce. The Blue fo r ce was v ict o r io us in t his first phase of the Lo uisiana Mane uv ers. Several mo nt hs la ter, ho we ver, the Te xas National Guar d par t icipated in another lar g e-scale tr aining dr ill in S o uth Carolina, and the Te xans we re on the victorious side. After the Sout h Carolina Mane uv ers, the entire division returned to Te xas.
97

On December 7, 1941, Japanese Naval Air Force air units attacked U.S. militar y installations thr o ughout the Hawaiian Islands. By the end of the week, the United States was involved in a two-ocean war with Japan, Germany, and Italy. Fear ing that oil-r e fining facilities in Texas wer e v ulner able to enemy attack, the War Department sent the U.S. 36th Division on a se ries of training stops

95Ibid, 51. 96Ibid, 51; Carlo D'este, Patton: A Genius For War (New York: Harper Collins, 1995), 395-396. 97From Jennies to Jets: The Story of the 111th Squadron 1923-1973, 51.

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throug ho ut the nation and assigned the 111th O bser v a t io n S quadr o n t o submar ine patrol duty in the Gulf of Mexico .
98

By 1941, the 111 th Squa dr on flew a variety of reco nna issa nce aircraft : O -47s, O -43s, and O -52s. Ant i-submar ine dut y was o nly t e mpo r ar y , and so o n t he squadron transferred to an airfield in Augusta, Georgia. In Georgia the
th 111 S quadr o n r e ceiv ed A-20s and P-43s. Dur ing t he st ay , pilo t s accumulat ed

flight time in their new aircraft. The next assignment for 111 th Obse rvation S quadr on was a familiar one, to pr ov ide coastal defense and long-r ange patr ols of the Caribbean Ocean.
99

By spring 1942, the officers and enlisted personnel of 111th Obse rvation Squa dron we re reassi gned to Fort Dix, New Je rsey, but left the fleet of aircraft in Ge orgia. At Fort Di x, the Squa dron be gan the arduous administ rative process ne ce ssa ry fo r deployment overse as. In October, the Te xans fina lly sa iled fr om New York City to Gr eat Britain on the fa me d ocean liner, the Queen Mary. After disembarking in Gur ock, Scotland, the 111 th Obse rvation Squa dron mo ved by railroad to Ipswich, England, and then by truck to Wattisham Station, a Royal Air Force Base , 15 miles fr om the town of Ipswich.
100

Officer s and enlisted per sonnel r e ceiv ed lectur es on sur v iv ing bombing r aids, r ules on blackouts, and how to decipher English cur r e ncy but, unfor t unately for the disappointed Texans, no new aircraft. Three weeks later, the 111
th

Obse rvation Squa dron wa s transported ba ck to Gur ock where they bo arded the Letitia, a Cana dian ca rgo vesse l. After a week anchored at the port, the Letitia st eame d out of Gur ock under a veil of se cr ecy.
101

98Ibid, 51. 99Ibid, 51. 100"The 111th Squadron History," 4-5, 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron File, Archives, History Office, Texas Air Texas Guard, Ellington Field, Houston, Tx. 101Ibid, 5.

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From Scottish waters, the Letitia traveled so ut h into the Atlant ic Ocean. Tensio n amo ng t he cr ew and passeng er s r o se when t he ship passed t hr o ug h t he Straits of Gibr altar into the Mediterrane an Sea, slowly entering a co mba t zone . The Letitia dropped anchor a mile off the co ast of Algeria. Operation To rch the Allied inv a sion of Nor t h Afr ica wa s about to co mme nce.
102

Throughout the evening of November 8, 1942, Royal Navy ships bo mbarded the Algerian co ast with na val gunfire. The ne xt mo rning, me n fr om the 111th Observation Squadron were landed at Arzew, Algeria. The Texans er ected tents and uncr ated supplies and equipment at the makeshift air field; be fo re the arrival of their aircraft , the me n of the 111 th Squa dron ha d little else to do. On November 24, 1942, the Ace in the Hole Squadron finally received its first aircraft: A-20 Havocs.
103

In December 1942, the 111th Obse rvation Squa dron mo ved to a ne w airfield at Oujda, French Morocco , where they co mbine d with another squa dron to fo rm the 68th Observation Group. While stationed in Morocco, the 111th Squa dr on received P-39 Aircobras. In French Morocco, the Texans flew their A-20s and P-39s and pr acticed aer ial gunner y , but did not r e ceiv e any combat assignments. In March, the 111 th Squadron received P-51 Mustangs, and two months later was mov e d to Nouv ian, Alger ia, wher e the US AAF changed the unit's designation
th fr om an obse rvation to a reco nna issa nce squa dron. The 111 R e co nnaissance

S quadr o n's fir st co mbat assig nment co nsist e d o f ant i-submar ine missio ns o ff t he North African coast but, otherwise, the 111 th S quadr o n fo ug ht bo r e do m and co ld dese rt wint ers mo re often than the Ge rmans.
104

By t he summer o f 1943, Allied fo r ces had capt ur ed No r t h Afr ica fr o m t he Ger man Ar my . Alt ho ug h Ger mans sur r e nder ed in lar g e number s, many o f t he v aunted Ger man Afr ica Kor ps eluded captur e and escaped to S icily. In July, the
102Ibid, 6. 103Ibid, 7-8. 104Ibid, 9-10.

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Allies launched the inv a sion of S icily. The 111 th R e co nnaissance S quadr o n transferred to Gela. Unfortunately, in the first week of battle, many 111
th

Squadron aircraft were damaged in a German air attack. While stationed in Sicily, the squadron sa w little co mba t.
105

In S e ptember 1943, the Allies inv a ded continental Italy. At S a ler no, fighting
th on the ground wa s fierce . The 111 S quadr on camped near S a ler no and liv ed

under the co nstant threat of Ge rman air attack . During the tortuous drive throug h the mo untainous Italian peninsula, the 111th S quadr on pr ov ided v a luable reconnaissance information and close air support for the American army at Salerno, Anzio, and on the drive north to Rome. On June 4, 1944, American forces captur ed Rome . Two days later, the Italian ca mpaign wa s overshadowed by the along-awaited invasion of Europe D-Day .
106

During the invasion of Normandy in June, the 111 th R e co nnaissance Squadron awaited their ne xt co mba t assignme nt on the island of Corsica. As the Allied Ar mies attempted to br eak out of the hedger ows of nor t her n Fr ance, another invasion of Europe was launched in southern France. Though not as well known as Nor mandy, Oper ation Anv il pr ov ided a v ital div er sion for the D-Day inv asion. Oper ation Anv il and the subsequent dr iv e into Ger many would pr ov e to be the 111 th S quadron's most important assignment of the war.
107

In August 1944, the 111 th Reco nna issa nce Squa dr on arrived in France . Operating from airfields near Lyons, France, the 111th S quadr o n flew it s fir st missio ns in suppo r t o f t he U . S . 7th Army. In October, the 111 th Squa dr on wa s
st th transferred to the 1 Tactical Air Force, and renamed the 111 Tactical

Reconnaissance Squadron, flying out of airfields at Azelot, France. As the U.S. 7 th Army advanced across southern France, fighting became more intense, and the 111th S quadr on continued to supply gr ound tr oops with r e connaissance
105Ibid, 11. 106Ibid, 11-12. 107Ibid, 13.

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infor mation and close air suppor t .

108

While conducting short- and long-range

th r e co nnaissance missio ns, t he 111 Squa dron flew two P-51 Must angs per mission.

Pairs of P-51 Mustangs from the 111th Squadron flew ahead of advancing infantry units to observe and report on German Army movements. The 111th Squa dr on's planes often attacked Ger man supply lines, conv oys of tr ucks or r a ilr oad car s. These missio ns wer e ex t r emely dang er o us because t he planes wer e co nst a nt ly expose d to enemy ground fire while flying at extremely low altitudes.
109

In May 1945, Ger man militar y leader ship sur r e nder ed to the Allied ar mies
th converging on Germany. During combat in Europe, the 111 Squa dr on wo n

sev e r al unit citations and awar ds for its r o le in defeating the Ger man Ar my. By October the 111 th Tact ical R e co nnaissance S quadr o n was deact iv a t e d and r o t a t e d back to the United States.
110

Ellington Field in the Cold War Era
When the 111th Squadron returned to Houston in 1946 the unit found itself without a ho me . During the wa r, Ho uston Municipal Airport officials ha d
th subleased all the 111 S q uadr on's hanger s to Pioneer Air lines. To complicate

matters further, Pioneer Airlines had then subleased half the hangar to Chicago and S o ut her n Air lines. The co nt r a ct ual co nfusio n was g e ner a t e d by t he Ho ust o n Municipal Air por t's desper ate need for flight oper ations facilities caused by the r apid expansion of civ il av iation dur ing the war and initial post-war per iod. Air por t officials also did not know when the U.S . militar y would deactiv a te the Te xas National Gua rd. Ultimately, city leaders expect ed the 111 th Squa dron to r e locate to a militar y installation after the war r a ther than a civ ilian air por t.
111

108Ibid, 14. 109Ibid, 15. 110Ibid, 16. 111Houston Chronicle, June 20, 1946.

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In August 1946, the USAAF authorized the 111th Squa dron to temporarily operate out of Ellington Field. By the next month, War Department officials decided to permanently close all regular USAAF activities at Ellington. A USAAF caretaker unit, ho we ver, wa s assigned to the field fo r administ rative duties. For a short time, the Texas National Guard was Ellington Field's only tenant. Operational status of the field was altered again when the War Department selected Ellington Field as a site for Reserve flight operations.
112

Just mo nt hs after the surrender of Ja pan, the USAAF be lieved that the aggr egate war t ime exper ience of ar my pilots should not be allowed to diminish during peacetime. War Department officials wanted to maintain a pool of combattest ed pilots in the event of a na tional emergency. Throug h a Rese rve sy st em, pilots would be able to pr eser v e their flying skills with tr aining once a month. The US AAF decided to utilize air fields near lar g e metr opolitan ar eas to maximum population potential. Reservists from surrounding areas would meet at Ellington Field on selected weekends to fulfill their militar y commitments. To help funnel Reser v ists into Houston, the militar y used a C-47 tr anspor t air cr a ft to shuttle Reservists from as far away as Beaumont and College Station, Texas.
113

In 1947, Houston officials discussed the possibility of leasing or pur chasing Ellington Field from the government. City managers believed the field could be used as a second airport. The USAAF offered Ellington Field to Houston for a dollar a year r e nt plus all maintenance costs. Houston officials wer e tempted by the proposition, ho we ver, rent al fees fr om the U.S. National Gua rd and the U.S. Air Force Rese rve we re not enough to co ver the annual ma intena nce expenditur es, and declined.
114

In 1947, Congress passed the National Security Act, establishing an independent U.S . Air For ce (US A F) and cr eating a Depar t ment of Defense, which
112Houston Chronicle, August 13, 1946. 113Houston Chronicle, September 22, 1946; Houston Chronicle, May 18, 1947. 114Houston Chronicle, February 21, 1947; Houston Chronicle, March 3, 1947.

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ho used the Army , Navy, and Air Force . The cr eation of an independent Air Force r e flected the v ital r o le militar y av iation played in the v ictor y ov er Ger many and Japan, and its significance to national secur ity in the post-war wor ld.
115

In 1946, the war t ime-spawned Gr and Alliance between the United S t ates, Gr eat Br itain, and the S o v iet Union unr a v e led into a Cold War . Ideological and economic differences between the United States and the Soviet Union put these superpowers at odds throughout the globe. By 1948, the United States had broken with a militar y policy dating back to the 19th centur y calling for only a small peacetime militar y. To counter what Amer ican officials per ceiv e d as S o v iet militar y expansion thr o ughout the wor ld, the United S t ates would build and maintain a lar g e militar y for ce. On July 28, 1948, Stuart Symmington, Secr etary of the Air Force , announce d that the USAF wo uld reactivate dozens of airfields throug ho ut the na tion, including 12 within Texas. Ellington Field was one of the bases selected to be reopened for active duty. The field was renamed Ellington Air Force Base. Air Force officials be gan to evaluate the co st s of reopening the fa cility. De spite the part-time utilization of the base by National Guard and Reserve units, two years of relative inactivity ha d taken its toll.
116

By the late 1940s, militar y air cr a ft had gr own in size and oper ational weight. Lar g er and heav ier air cr a ft r e quir ed mor e r unway space and additional hanger area for storage and maintenance. Runways needed resealing, repainting, and resurfacing with a ne w translucent ma terial to improve night landing capabilities. Administr a tiv e buildings, bar r a cks, and hanger s r e quir ed extensiv e renovation. Reactivating Ellington was a daunting and expensive task.
117

115Walter J. Boyne, Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force, 1947-1997 (New York: St.Martin's Press, 1997), 36-37. 116Houston Chronicle, July 28, 1948. 117Houston Chronicle, July 27, 1948.

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In March 1949, the USAF opened a Radar-Navigator School at Ellington Air For ce Base. The 48-week cour se pr ov ided intensiv e classr oom and in-air instr uction. Cadets tr ained in TB-25 and T-29 "flying classr ooms" to giv e them hands-on experience . Navigator ca dets we re taug ht dead reckoning and ce lest ial navigation. To assist in the training of na vigator st udents, the Air Force inst alled a microwave navigation system at Ellington. Microwave navigation made night and fo ul-weat her fly ing safer .
118

To help teach celestial navigation, a resident of Houston, Dr. Armand N. Spitz, designed and built a planetarium at Ellington. The observatory, which had a 40-st udent ca pacity, stood 50 feet high and wa s topped by a dome of aluminum. From the auditorium seats, students could observe star formations from any geographica l position on the earth and during any se ason of the year. This unique facility provided radar-navigator ca dets with realistic ce lest ial na vigation training found nowhere else in the United States.
119

With the reactivation of Ellington as an active Air Force base, USAF personnel required all available administrative and operational space. Ellington officials requested that the Texas National Guard move its flight operations back to Ho uston Municipal Airport. Te xas Air National Gua rd officials, ho we ver, we re in a tough situation because their hanger s at the municipal air por t wer e still sublet to Pioneer Airlines. Ho uston Municipal Airport officials we re co ncerne d that the r e tur n of a militar y squadr on to a civ ilian air field pr esented safety r isks, but feder al officials fr om the Civ il Aer o nautics Administr a tion explained that National Guar d and Air For ce Reser v e units oper ated at 52 civ ilian air por ts throughout the nation, trying to abate the airport officials' fears. During 1949, city officials, air line executiv es, and National Guar d r e pr esentativ e s discussed the

118Houston Chronicle, June 23, 1948; Houston Chronicle, March 25, 1949; Houston Chronicle, August 17, 1949. 119Houston Chronicle, April 10, 1951.

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impasse. The Texas National Guard, however, remained at Ellington Air Force Base until the squadr on was feder a lized dur ing the Kor ean War .
120

In 1951 the Midwestern portion of the United States was inundated by floods. Floodwa ters rose to reco rd levels in Kansas and fa rms and livestock we re stranded by the deluge. To assist in disaster relief, the U.S. government authorized the use of USAF and Air National Gua rd units in the loca tion and r e scue o f flo o d v ict ims.
121

At Ellington Air Force Base, the USAF Reserve's 5 th Air Rescue Squadron was o r der e d t o assist lo cal and st at e aut ho r it ies in t he sear ch and r e scue missio ns. The 5th Air Rescue Squadron flew in SA-16 Amphibious aircraft to Kansas to help wit h t he sear ch and r e scue o per at io n. O nce t he v ict ims wer e lo cat e d, S A -16 cr ews dr opped food and supplies to isolated far m families. In ser ious cases, amphibious planes dr opped life r a fts and small power e d boats to help gr ound units r e scue v ict ims.
122

During a training mission in Arizona in November 1954, the crew of a T-29 from Ellington was killed in a fiery crash after clipping power lines near the Tucso n Municipal Airport. The T-29 ha d just refue led at the airport and took off for a return flight to Ellington Air Force Base. Within minutes, the pilot radioed the co nt rol tower with an emergency me ssa ge. The pilot told Tucso n air traffic controllers that the T-29 had mechanical problems, and he needed immediate instr uctions for an emer gency landing. As the plane descended on final appr oach, it plung ed into a perime ter fe nce just yards fr om the end of the runway.
123

Houston did not escape the unidentified flying object (UFO) hyster ia of the 1950s. One night in 1955, residents living near Ellington were startled by what

120Houston Chronicle, March 23, 1949. 121Houston Chronicle, July 18, 1951. 122Ibid. 123Houston Chronicle, November 19, 1954.

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they believ e d was a UFO. A loud, br ight unidentified flying object made a low pass over ne ighborhoods ne ar the ba se . Curious resident s overwhelme d the telephone switchboards at both Ellington and the Houston Police Department. The UFO, ho we ver, turned out to be two gear-down T-29s flying abreast ma king a landing appr oach after a late-night tr aining mission.
124

The 111th Fighter Squadron and the Korean War, 1950-1952
O n June 24, 1950, No r t h K o r ean T-34 t a nk s r umbled acr o ss t he 38th Par a llel into S o uth Kor ea. Nor t h Kor ean Ar my units quickly defeated the ill-equipped and -t rained Republic of Korea Army troops. In Washington, D. C., Pr esident Har r y S . Tr uman decided t o defend S o ut h K o r ea fr o m co mmunist ag g r essio n. Tr uman or der e d US AF units stationed in Japan to fly close air suppor t missions fo r the retreating Republic of Korea fo rces.
125

Unfo rtunately USAF air support wa s not enough to ha lt the North Korean Army . Tr uma n then ordered U.S. ground fo rces to the defe nse of Sout h Korea. The U.S. 24 th Infa nt ry Division wa s airlifted into Sout h Korea. Unable to stop the better -equipped Nor t h Kor ean for ces, another entir e div ision was air lifted to Korea to check the advance. De spite the co mmitment of two American infa nt ry divisions, North Korean fo rces drove U.S. and Sout h Korean ground units to the outskirts of the city of Pusan. This so ut he astern portion of the Korean peninsula be came known as the Pusa n perime ter.
126

In September 1950, United Nations forces under the leadership of the Amer ican Gener a l Douglas MacAr t hur launched a two-pr onged counter o ffensiv e. U.S. fo rces landed to the rear of the North Korean Army troops at the se aport town of Inchon and United Nations fo rces initiated a simultane ous br eakout of the

124Houston Chronicle, March 14, 1955. 125Clay Blair, The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950-1953 (New York: Anchor Books, 1987), 65. 126Ibid, 94-95.

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Pusan Pe rime ter. Soon American-led United Nations fo rces be gan a drive no rth to expel the North Korean Army and reca ptur e Sout h Korean territory.
127

While United Nations units fo ug ht to reco ver Sout h Korea, the rece nt ly
th redesignated 111 Fighter Squa dron

128

participated in training exercise s at Brooks

Air Force Base in San Antonio. The 111th Squa dron flew their F-51 Must angs dur ing a t wo -week summer camp as r umo r s cir culat ed t hat t he S quadr o n wo uld be federalized. By October the 111 th Fighter S quadr on was mobilized to activ e duty. Once activated, the Squa dron wa s mo ved to Lang ley Air Force Base in Vir g inia for additional tr aining. In Mar ch 1951, the 111 th S quadr on r e ceiv ed its first jet aircraft, the F-84E. During an 8-month period, members of the Squadron r e ceiv ed jet , maint e nance, and weapo ns inst r uct io n at v a r io us U S A F inst allat io ns throughout the eastern United States.
129

In July 1951, the men of the 111 th Fighter Squa dron bo arded a troop train bo und fo r California and then flew fr om Tr avis Air Force Base to Tokyo, Ja pan. The 111th Fighter Squa dron took one fina l plane flight to Fukuoka Airfield, Ja pan, wher e the Ace in the Hole S q uadr on r e placed fellow Texans fr om the 27th Fighter Bombe r Wing out of Aust in, Te xas.
130

Thr o ug ho ut t he summer o f 1951, t he 111th Fighter Squa dron flew fr om Ja pan to Korea to co nduct close air support missions fo r the advancing U.S. 8 th Army. On occasion, the 111 th Squadron flew long-range escort missions for USAF B-29s flying st rategic bo mbing st rikes deep within North Korea. During co mba t, the pilots of the 111th Fighter Squadron fo ug ht North Korean Mig-15s high above an

127Ibid, 273, 280. 128With the creation of the U.S. Air Force in 1947, all U.S. National Guard aviation units were transferred to the newly formed U.S. Air National Guard. 129From Jennies to Jets: The Story of the 111th Squadron 1923-1973, 124. 130Ibid, 125-126. 130Ibid, 128.

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area of Korea known as "Mig Alley." In October the Squa dron be ca me the first U.S. Air National Gua rd unit to shoot down a North Korean Mig 15.
131

On September 20, 1951, the 111th Fighter Squa dron mo ved to Ta gue, Sout h
th Korea. The airfield in South Korea was designated K-2, and the 111 Squa dr on

joined another U.S. Air National Guard unit from Arkansas to form the 136

th

Fighter-Bombe r Wing . Flying co nditions in Sout h Korea we re fa r diffe rent fr om those in Japan. The 111th Squa dron flew mo re missions out of K-2, and me n in the squadron had little time fo r relaxation. F-84 fighters took off fr om st eel ma tte runways to co nduct close air support and interdiction missions. By October, the 111th Fighter Squadron had flown over 5,000 missions while bombing enemy ar tiller y positions, r a ilr oads, and supply depots. Despite the daily danger , the Guardsmen from Texas and Arkansas set a safety record for 130 days of accidentfree flight operations.
132

In May the USAF rotated the 111 th Fighter Squa dron ba ck to the United States. When the 111th Fighter S q uadr on ar r iv e d back in the United S t ates, facility space at both Ellington Air Force Base and Houston Municipal Airport was
th unavailable. The 111 Fighter Squa dron wa s fo rced to temporarily reloca te to a

small airfield at La Porte, Texas. By July, the 111 th Squa dron returned to its original ho me at the Ho uston Municipal Airport.133

The 111th Fighter Squadron, 1952-1963
For the 111 th Fighter Squadron, the years after the Korean War we re ma rked by transition. In January 1953, the Squadron was redesignated a Fighter-Bomber
th S quadr o n. Dur ing t he summer , t he 111 Fighter -Bomber S quadr on par t icipated in

its first post -Korean War training ma ne uv ers. For two weeks, pilots traine d at

131Ibid, 128. 132Ibid, 146, 160. 133Ibid, 146, 160.

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Tr avis Air Force Base , Ge orgia, along with other Te xas Air National Gua rd squadr ons fr om S a n Antonio and Dallas.
134

In 1955, the 111 th Squa dron wa s reverted to a Fighter-Interceptor Unit and
th received F-80s from the USAF. With jet capability, the 111 Squa dr on wa s

charged with the air defense of the Texas Gulf Coast. In November 1956, the 111 Squadron was permanently transferred fr om the Ho uston Municipal Airport to Ellington Air Force Base. Homecoming at Ellington included the dedication of a new U.S. Air National Guard hangar at the active duty base.
135

th

The Air National Gua rd pilots' transition to je t aircraft dema nded a high lev e l of flying skill. In 1957, the U.S . Air National Guar d established a Jet Instrument School at Ellington Air Force Base. The school served as a jet pilot training fa cility fo r all Air National Gua rd pilots. Over the ne xt two years, the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron rece ived F-86 all-we athe r je t fighters. With the acquisition of all-weather fighter aircraft, the 111 th S quadr o n was assig ned a 24-hour air defense role. Under the command of the Aerospace Defense
th Command, pilots fr om the 111 Squa dron protect ed the Te xas Gulf Coast fr om

enemy attack. In 1960, the 111th Squadron received F-102s, which were long-range, supersonic interceptors arme d with air-to-air missiles.
136

During an alert mission in 1961, tragedy struck the 111 th Squadron. Late one night, two F-102s were scrambled to intercept an unidentified aircraft closing in on the Texas Gulf Coast. For unexplained reasons, one F-102 caught on fire and cr ashed into a r ice field near Alv in, Texas, killing the pilot. The accident was the 111 th Squadron's first fa tality since the Korean War.
137

134Ibid, 161. 135Ibid, 168. 136Ibid, 168; Houston Post, July 19, 1960. 137Houston Chronicle, January 13, 1961.

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Ellington Air Force Base, 1957-1962
In 1957, the T-29 fleet at the Radar-Navigator School encountered me chanical problems. Air Force inspectors grounded the entire T-29 fleet until the pr oblems wer e solv ed. Ev entually the maintenance depar t ment discov e r e d faulty valv e spring s in the engine s of se veral T-29s. After the spring values we re r e placed in all the T-29s, the US AF per mitted the tr aining air cr a ft back into ser v ice.
138

In 1957, the U.S. Navy opened a Naval Air Reserve Center at Ellington Air F o r ce Base. Nav a l av iat o r s flew Gr umman S -2 amphibio us air cr a ft o n ant isubmar ine missio ns o v er t he Gulf o f M e x ico . The U.S . Nav y 's ant i-submar ine capability, co mbine d with the Te xas Air National Gua rd's interceptor ready alert ability, establishe d a fo rmidable defe nse ne twork fo r the we st ern ha lf of the Gulf Coast. By 1958, however, the U.S. Naval Reserve Center at Ellington Air Force Base was fo rced to close due to budgetary co nsiderations. In January 1958, the USAF replaced the 446th Troop Carrier Wing's C-45s with new C-119s. The new tr anspor ts had gr eater r a nge and air lift capability than the smaller C-45s. One of the mor e bizar r e incidents inv o lv ing this Air For ce Rese rve unit took place during a long-range training mission. A lone C-119 took off from Ellington Air Force Base bound for Miami, Florida. During the flight over the Gulf of Mexico , the pilot lost the use of all na vigational inst rume nt s and r adio equipment. The plane continued to follow its flight plan, but when the C-119 began its descent into Miami, the city was nowhere in view. Frantically the pilot be gan to circle the area to find Miami. Fina lly, as daylight fa ded, the cr ew spotted an airfield. Low on fuel, the pilot flew toward the airfield.
139

When the C-119 landed and rolled to a stop, it was immediately surrounded by tr ucks and jeeps. S o ldier s jumped out of the v e hicles and pointed their

138Houston Post, July 23, 1956; Houston Post, October 17, 1957; Houston Post, June 25, 1957. 139Houston Post, January 10, 1959; Houston Post, November 30, 1959.

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weapons at the C-119, shouting in Spanish. The C-119 had not landed in south Florida, but on the island of Cuba ! After a br ief but intense st andoff with the Cuban Army, the C-119 crew was taken to a barracks at the airport where they were served a meal and spent the night. Early the next morning the C-119 was refue led and the Rese rvist s flew no rth to Miami to co mplete their mission a day late.
140

In 1958 a special visitor arrived at Ellington Air Force Base. Since the opening of Ellington Air Force Base 40 years earlier, Air Force officials had never received a visit from a member of Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington's immediate family. Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt, the sister of Eric Lamar Ellington, while in Houston for a meeting of the Sout he rn Baptist Conv ention, decided to use the opportunity to se e the fe deral fa cility na me d after he r br other.
141

Upon arriving at the main gate, Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt was awestruck at the base's size. Colonel Howard Bronsen, commander of Ellington, took Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt on a complete tour of the base. After her tour of the building complex, Col. Bronsen took Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt onto the tarmac where all flight operations we re co nducted. Looking at a row of C-119 "Flying Boxcars, " Col. Bronson told Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt that her brother's entire Wright C Flyer could easily fit under the C-119's wingspan.
142

At the end of the tour, Col. Bronson showed Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt the por t r ait of her younger br other in the Headquar ter s Building. The juxtaposition of the aged sister against the portrait of her younger brother was a startling contrast. Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt, however, was unimpressed with the portrait. She co mplained that it "was not a very good likeness, " and even offe red to se nd another picture for a new painting. When Mrs. Ellington-Hocutt left, she stopped

140 Houston Post, November 30, 1959. 141Clayton Observer, May 23, 1958. 142Ibid.

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by the Ellington Air Force Base sign and snatched a clump of grass and dirt as a reme mbr ance of he r lo ng overdue visit.
143

In 1959, the city of Houston began to consider the possibility of the construction of a second civil airport. By the late 1950s, Houston had outgrown the operational capacity of Ho uston Municipal Airport. The air space around south Houston could not handle all the air traffic from both Ellington and Ho uston Municipal Airport. Loca l real estate developers took a cue fr om the city's co ncern and purchase d a large tract of land no rth of Ho uston. Real estate entrepreneurs offered to sell the land to the city for $1,990,000. Houston officials, however, turned down the land deal. It would be more than a decade before Houston would build another commer cial air por t.
144

In 1959 Ellington Air Force Base expanded in a different way. The Civil Air Patr ol mov e d its national headquar ter s fr om Bolling Air For ce Base in Washington, D.C. to Houston. As a civilian auxiliary to the USAF, the Civil Air Patrol promoted aviation to young Americans and he lped to se arch fo r lost civ ilian or militar y air cr a ft. Besides ser v ing as Civ il Air Patr ol Headquar ter s, Ellington Air Force Base functioned as the location for summer courses for Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Throughout the late 1950s, colleges and universities from 22 states sent ROTC cadet officers to Ellington Air Force Base fo r the co mpletion of their ca det office r training requirements.
145

In 1959, Ellington Air Force Base was transferred from the Air Training Command to the Continental Air Command (CONAC). Over 10,000 RadarNavigator st udents we nt throug h training classe s during the 10 years that Ellington Air Force Base had served as the main Radar-Navigator School in the United States. Under CONAC, Ellington Air Force Base shifted from an active duty base to an Air Force Rese rve fa cility. With the transition to a Rese rve st atus,
143Ibid. 144Houston Chronicle, June 23, 1959. 145 Houston Post June 25, 1959; Houston Post, March 20, 1958.

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t he number o f per so nal dr o pped fr o m 5,000 t o ar o und 200. A US AF ho usek eeping unit remained at the base fo r administ rative purposes, but all regula r Air Force flying squadrons were transferred to other bases. From 1959 on, Air National Guard and USAF Reserve units conducted all flight operations at Ellington Air F o r ce Base.
146

After Ellington's transfer to CONAC, Air Force Reserve activities played a larger role. In 1959, the 446 th Troop Carrier Wing hosted an "air rodeo." This ev ent was held t o det e r mine which U S A F R e ser v e car g o squadr o n was t he mo st accurate in the nation. Competition took place in the skies above Ellington and on the blacktop tarmac be low. Forty aircrews fr om 14 air ca rgo wing s represented 12 states in the unusual contest. During the event, aircrews dropped 260-pound bundles from C-119s flying high above the base and attempted to hit designated targets on the ground. Ellington's own 446 th Troop Carrier Wing won the first annual co mpet it io n.
147

In 1961, the USAF Reserve's 446 th Tr oop Car r ier Wing par t icipated in a winter training mission in Canada. During one of the flights, a C-119 crashed into the Canadian hinterland. The cause of the accident was a faulty brake mechanism that overheated, resulting in a fire and an explosion in the landing gear well. As the C-119 spun out of control, several crew members parachuted to safety, but most of the cr ew was tr apped inside the bur ning plane. Those cr ew member s who par achuted fr om the plane wer e widely disper sed ov er the r ugged Canadian terrain. Search and rescue teams spotted mo st of the downed cr ew, but se veral members of the C-119 crew spent several cold days in the Canadian winter before r e scue.
148

146Houston Post, March 9, 1959. 147 Houston Post, November 23, 1959. 148Houston Post, November 24, 1961; Houston Post, November 25, 1961; Houston Post, November 26, 1961; Houston Post, November 29, 1961.

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In October 1961, Ellington Air Force Base hosted an open house and air show. The theme of the open house was the past, present and future of aviation in so ut h Te xas. This theme tied perfectly into the rece nt anno unce me nt of the relocation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Task Gr o up (S TG) fr o m Lang ley , Vir g inia t o Ho ust o n. Air cr a ft o n display r a ng ed from Wright C Flyers, that flew when Lt. Eric L. Ellington was stationed at Texas City five decades before, to F-102 fighters. Flight demonstrations by both the US AF Thunder bir ds and the United S t ates Nav y Blue Angels wer e the highlights of the air show. Ironically, the mo st popular exhibit on the ground wa s not an aircraft, but an unmanned rocket. More spectators examined a Thor missile at the open ho use than any other st atic display, fo reshadowing Ho uston's shift fr om economic reliance fr om aerona ut ics to astronautics.
149

Ellington Air Force Base and NASA, 1961-1963
In 1958 Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act which established the civ ilian space agency, NAS A . Many officials in the new agency wanted NAS A to focus on the dev e lopment of unmanned launched v e hicles for the deliv er y of militar y payloads and satellites. Howev e r , ther e was a faction within NAS A that believ e d in the dev e lopment of a manned space pr ogr am. By 1960, NASA was committed to the idea of manned spaceflights. The next year, Pr esident John F. Kennedy publicly linked a manned tr ip to the moon with Cold War politics. Now a na tional priority, the race to the Moon wa s on.
150

In 1961, NASA established the STG to plan and conduct the manned space program. STG officials envisioned an entire co mplex devoted to the training of astr onauts. Existing facilities at Langley Air For ce Base, howev e r , wer e unsuitable for a "space base." In June, NASA conducted a nationwide survey of potential sites fo r the location of the ne w astronaut training co mplex. NASA officials

149Houston Post, October 26, 1961; Houston Post, October 28, 1961; Houston Post, November 1, 1961. 150Henry C. Dethloff, Suddenly, Tomorrow Came: A History of the Johnson Space Center (Washington D.C.: NASA, 1993), 13-15, 28-30.

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arrived in so ut h Te xas to survey the entire Ho uston area, including a tour of the flight operation facilities at Ellington Air Force Base. On an operational level, the city of Ho uston me t all of NASA's ba sic infr astructure requirements. It wa s a metropolitan area with deep-water ports, an Air Force base, and quality universities.
151

Besides economic infr astructure, the city of Ho uston ha d the mo st important requirement of all political connections. U.S . Repr esentativ e Alber t Thomas (D-Te x) lobbied Cong ress to se lect Ho uston fo r the site of the ne w "Space Base." Vice Pr esident Lyndon Baines Johnson, a str o ng suppor t er of the civ ilian space program, back ed the se lect ion of Ho uston. With the political clout of Representative Ho uston and Vice Pr esident Jo hnson, Ho uston wa s assured of the STG's preference.
152

In September 1961, the STG announced its decision to move from Langley, Virginia, to Ho uston, Te xas, and rena me d itse lf the Manne d Spacecraft Center (M S C ). Adv a nce t e ams fr o m Lang ley left fo r Ho ust o n t o beg in t he immense jo b o f relocation of personne l and the co nstruction of the ne w fa cility. Ho uston city officials r o lled out the r e d car pet for the employees and families of the Manned S pacecr aft Center . The Gulfgate S hopping Center pr ov ided MS C adv a nce teams wit h fr ee o ffice space. The Ho ust o n Chamber o f Co mmer ce pr o v ided info r mat io n on housing, schools, and r e cr eational facilities for families r e locating to south Tex as.
153

While the MS C site was under constr uction, unoccupied buildings and barracks at Ellington Air Force Base were used by the growing number of people mov ing fr om Vir g inia for administr a tiv e offices. S o me of the buildings, howev e r , wer e in a state of disr e pair and had to be r e nov a ted. Insect infestation, dr yr ot,

151Houston Post, June 12, 1961; Houston Post, June 15, 1961. 152 Dethloff, 35-40. 153 Ibid, 46.

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and lack of air conditioning wer e some of the maintenance pr oblems MS C staff had to cope with while r e fur bishing the older str uctur es.
154

From the onse t of the MSC's reloca tion to the Ho uston area, NASA officials had always envisioned Ellington Air Force Base in a key role for the space program. Ellington's flight facilities were essential for astronaut flight training. In 1962, MSC established an independent Aircraft Operations Division to conduct all astr onaut flight tr aining. Walter Williams, MS C Deputy Dir e ctor , selected Jo se ph Algranti to oversee the ne w Aircraft Operations Division.
155

As Chief of Aircraft Operations Division, Algranti had a complex, daunting task: to manage all astronaut flight training operations, aircraft maintenance, and safe ty and quality assurance cr iteria. Throug ho ut the first years of MSC, Algranti's team provided astronauts with T-38s for flight training missions. Mercur y, Ge mini, and Apollo astronauts logged thousa nds of ho ur s in T-38s to maintain their flying skills. As the home for all astronaut flight training, Ellington Air Force Base played a vital role in the succe ss of the U.S. space program.
156

Epilogue
By 1967, Ellington Air Force Base was the site of the Apollo lunar landing training program and yet continued its role as the site for USAF Reserve and Texas Air National Guard flight operations. In 1976, Ellington Air Force Base was o fficially deact iv a t e d. A ll A ir F o r ce R e ser v e air squadr o ns wer e t r ansfer r e d t o other US AF facilities. Texas Air National Guar d flight oper ations, howev e r , continue to this day. From 1976 to 1984, a USAF caretaker unit oversaw the maintenance of the base. In 1984 the city of Houston purchased Ellington Air Force Base to use as a third civil airport. Renamed Ellington Field, the airfield still ser v e s t o day as a cr o ssr o a d fo r all aspect s o f av iat io n in so ut h Tex a s.
154Ibid, 46-47. 155Joseph S. Algranti, "Aircraft Operations at MSC," 1-4, Interview by Robert Merrifield 28 March 1968. Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, transcript, LBJ Space Center Scientific and Technical Information Center, Houston, Tx. 156Ibid, 2-5.

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REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE

Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to W ashington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), W ashington, DC 20503.

1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave Blank) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

2. REPORT DATE

3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED

February 1999 Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917-1962

Contractor Report
5. FUNDING NUMBERS

6. AUTHOR(S)

Erik Carlson*

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)

8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBERS

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)

-

10. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC 20546-0001
11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

CR-1999-208921

*Contractor for Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

Available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) 7121 Standard Hanover, MD 21076-1320
13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

This document details the chronological history of an air field in Southeast Texas that currently serves as an adjunct to NASA Johnson Space Center as well as a civilian/military air field. The field was built early in the 20th century, soon after airplane flight became a recognized factor in American military applications, was central to a wide variety of military uses throughout this century, and remains viable for such purposes in addition to serving a vital role in NASA's training of astronauts.

14. SUBJECT TERMS

15. NUMBER OF PAGES

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airports, air defense, military aircraft, aircraft design, aircraft pilots, airport planning, armed forces (United States)
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT

57
20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT

Unclassified
Standard Form 298 (Rev Feb 89) (MS W ord Mar 97) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 298-102

Unclassified

Unclassified
NSN 7540-01-280-5500

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