page_title: Williams Air Force Base
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Williams Air Force Base / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Williams Field Postcard
context_page_description: Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in Maricopa County, Arizona east of Chandler, and about 30 miles southeast of Phoenix. It is a designated Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contaminants.
  It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Force, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993. Williams was the leading pilot training facility of the USAF, supplying 25% of all pilots.
  Since its closure, the base has largely been annexed by the city of Mesa, Arizona. It was converted into the civilian Williams Gateway Airport, later renamed Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. In recent years, the land has emerged as an educational and industrial campus anchored by Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus and Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
context_section_description: During March 1941, some citizens of Mesa, Arizona were actively working on obtaining an Air Corps facility located near their city. One of the sites seriously considered for the new airfield was on the Gila River Indian Reservation located near Chandler, Arizona. At the time, the land on which Williams would eventually be built was vacant and not used for agriculture due to a lack of irrigation. It had no homes or farms and was essentially desert with a few Indian ruins scattered on it.   On their own initiative, the city of Mesa began to acquire rights to the property that was divided among 33 different owners. Agreements were made for a railroad spur line, along with the appropriate electric, water, telephone and gas services.
  The hard work paid off with the announcement in June 1941 that the War Department had approved the site for an Army Air Corps base. Construction of the new base started on 16 July 1941 with the groundbreaking ceremony attended by Mesa, Arizona mayor, George Nicholas Goodman and Arizona governor, Sidney P. Osborn who both attended the groundbreaking of Falcon Field that morning. Initial construction was completed in December, making the base operational.
  As of 10 December, the airfield had no name and a debate ensued on what to call the new base. It was initially named Mesa Military Airport. the name was changed October 1941 to  Higley Field, the base being in the proximity of the town of Higley, Arizona. In February 1942, the growing military airfield's name was changed to Williams Field in honor of Arizona native 1st Lt Charles Linton Williams (1898–1927). Lieutenant Williams died on 6 July 1927 when his Boeing PW-9A pursuit aircraft crashed near Fort DeRussy, Hawaii.
  As a flying school, numerous runways and auxiliary airfields were constructed. The main airfield consisted of three concrete 6,000 ft (1,800 m) runways aligned NE/SW, ENE/WSW and NE/SW. A blacktop landing area 5,500 ft × 1,430 ft (1,680 m × 440 m) was aligned E/W to the south of the main field and a 4,100 ft × 1,350 ft (1,250 m × 410 m) blacktop landing area was aligned E/W to the south of the main field.  
  Known auxiliary airfields were:
  Gilbert Field (Aux #1) 33°23′14″N 111°40′26″W
  Redeveloped in the 1970s. Today housing development S of US 60 in Gilbert, Arizona.
  Rittenhouse Field (Aux #2) 33°15′29″N 111°31′03″W
  Today: Rittenhouse Army Heliport (FAA LID: AZ38) used by Arizona National Guard, adjacent to suburbs of Gilbert, Arizona
  Casa Grande Field (Aux #3) 32°57′18″N 111°45′58″W
  Today: Casa Grande Municipal Airport (ICAO: KCGZ, FAA LID: CGZ) in Casa Grande, Arizona.
  Goodyear Field (Aux #4) 33°14′36″N 111°54′47″W
  Today: Gila River Memorial Airport (FAA LID: 34AZ) southwest of Chandler, Arizona.
  Williams Auxiliary Army Airfield #5 33°14′36″N 111°54′57″W
  Build 1942. Today Gila River Memorial Airport (FAA LID: 34AZ)
  Coolidge AAF 32°56′09″N 111°25′36″W
  Was auxiliary until 1944, turned over to Air Transport Command in May 1944. Today: Coolidge Municipal Airport (FAA LID: P08).
  Cutter Field 33°21′11″N 110°40′03″W
  Was emergency landing field. Today: San Carlos Apache Airport (ICAO: P18) near Cutter, Arizona.
  Ajo AAF  32°27′10″N 112°51′41″W
  Transferred from Luke AAF, June 1943. Part of the Gila Bend Gunnery Range. Today: Eric Marcus Municipal Airport (FAA LID: P01)
  Gila Bend AAFAF (ICAO: KGXF) 32°53′15″N 112°43′12″W
  Transferred from Luke AAF, June 1943. Part of the Gila Bend Gunnery Range
  Gila Bend #6/Williams AAF #4: 32°43′11″N 112°51′14″W
  Gila Bend #6/Williams AAF #5: 32°49′05″N 112°54′54″W
  Gila Bend #6/Williams AAF #6: 32°53′05″N 112°48′59″W
caption: Postcard from Williams Field showing aircraft and cadets standing in formation
exif: {}