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to the optimal weather conditions in the North Texas area for flight training. Cadets in flight training on 11 November 1918 were allowed to complete their training, however no new cadets were assigned to the base. Also the separate training squadrons were consolidated into a single Flying School detachment, as many of the personnel assigned were being demobilized. Finally, flight training activities ceased on
November 8, 1919.
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Call Field had forty-six buildings, which included twelve hangars that housed four to eight planes each, a hospital, and six barracks that held 175 men each. In May 1918 four additional hangars and a row of lofts to hold carrier pigeons were built. It covered over 700 acres and could accommodate up
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With the sudden end of World War I in
November 1918, the future operational status of Call Field was unknown. Many local officials speculated that the U.S. government would keep the field open because of the outstanding combat record established by Call-trained pilots in Europe. Locals also pointed
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of
Wichita Falls organized an effort to attract the army to the city. In June 1917, the Department of War sent a cadre of officers to the Wichita Falls, Texas, area to survey sites for an aviation school. The group decided on a location about 5 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. By 17 August 1917,
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In 1920 Ernest Hall, a former instructor at Call Field, operated a flying school at the facility. The
Wichita Polo Club briefly used a portion of the land for its polo field. In 1937 the Wichita Falls Junior Chamber of Commerce and American Legion erected a small marker near the gates of the old
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During its operation 3,000 officers, cadets, and enlisted men were stationed at Call Field, and 500 officers received their wings there. Two squadrons left the training facility for overseas duty. Thirty-four men lost their lives during training exercises, the smallest number of fatalities of any
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In
November, when 85 percent of the work was completed, Maj. J. B. Brooks arrived to inspect the facilities. On 10 November he was named commander. On 29 November the 163d Aero Squadron, equipped with six Curtiss JN-4 Jenny trainers arrived from Kelly Field, and the field had 600 pilots by late
503:
Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 2, Center of
Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint), Zone of the Interior, Territorial Departments, Tactical Divisions organized in 1918. Posts, Camps and
413:
In
December 1919 Call Field was deactivated as an active duty airfield, however, and a small caretaker unit was assigned to the facility. The War Department had ordered the small caretaker force to dismantle all remaining structures and to sell them as surplus.
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Call Field served as a base for advanced observer training. It offered a five-week course for observers and a four-week course for pilots. Its student capacity was 300. It also operated a
Reserve Military Aviator's Concentration School with one squadron.
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to 1,000 personnel. Dozens of wooden buildings served as headquarters, maintenance, and officers’ quarters. Enlisted men had to bivouac in tents. In May 1918 four additional hangars and a row of lofts to hold carrier pigeons were built.
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National
Archives of the United States: Records of the Training and Operations Group (Air Service) and the Training and Operations Division (Air Corps) Records of the Army Air Forces (AAF), (Record Group 18) 1903–64 (bulk
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December. Most of the JN-4 Jennys to be used for flight training, however, were shipped in wooden crates by railcar. On 15 January 1918 the army gave final approval of Call Field.
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field in memory of the thirty-four men who were killed during training. For a number of years the site was the scene of memorial services by the Call Field
Veterans Association.
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Top half of the cover of The Call Field Stabilizer Vol.1 No.7, November 15, 1918. Published monthly by the U.S. Aviation School at Call Field, Wichita Falls, TX.
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In April 1917 after the United States' entry into World War I, the Army announced its intention of establishing a series of camps to train prospective pilots.
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Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 3, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint)
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who reported for aeronautical duty at College Park, Maryland on 19 October 1912. In the winter of 1912–1913, he and Lieutenant E. L. Ellington were sent to
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to extend tracks to the proposed site of the camp. On 27 August construction began of the training field began.
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260:, Florida, in charge of the Signal Corps Aviation Station. From Palm Beach, Lieutenant Call was ordered to
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Flying School Detachment (Consolidation of Squadrons A-E), November 1918 – November 1919
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Today, the name is perpetuated by a street in Wichita Falls named Call Field Road.
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Howard C. Wahlen, Squadron B, of Raymond, WA at Call Field, Wichita Falls, TX 1918.
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Kell and others successfully raised $ 35,000 and had a commitment from the
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established in 1918 after the United States entry into World War I.
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A Field of Standard J-1's at Call Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, 1918
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Location of U.S. Aviation Fields, The New York Times, 21 July 1918
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military airfield, located 4.6 miles (7.4 km) southwest of
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Post Headquarters, Call Field, November 1917 – October 1919
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74th Aero Squadron, March–August 1918; Transferred to
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73d Aero Squadron (II), March–July 1918; Deployed to
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236:, Texas. It operated as a training field for the
336:Re-designated as Squadron "C", July–November 1918
326:Re-designated as Squadron "B", July–November 1918
316:Re-designated as Squadron "A", July–November 1918
436:United States Army World War I Flight Training
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242:one of thirty-two Air Service training camps
27:World War I airfield in Texas, United States
240:between 1917 until 1919. The airfield was
542:World War I airfields in the United States
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304:Training units assigned to Call Field:
547:Military installations closed in 1920
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381:Service units trained at Call Field:
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457:Air Force Historical Research Agency
279:Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad
331:198th Aero Squadron, December 1917
311:164th Aero Squadron, November 1917
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321:192d Aero Squadron, December 1917
451: This article incorporates
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372:, Texas, September–November 1918
358:, Texas, September–November 1918
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140:Pilot/Observer training airfield
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160:Air Service, United States Army
238:United States Army Air Service
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387:American Expeditionary Forces
219:Training Section, Air Service
254:1st Lieutenant Loren H. Call
169:Redeveloped into urban area
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252:Call Field was named for
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453:public domain material
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113:33.87167°N 98.55500°W
211:Garrison information
118:33.87167; -98.55500
108: /
18:198th Aero Squadron
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150:Controlled by
526:Call Field, Texas
401:training center.
368:Transferred from
354:Transferred from
262:Texas City, Texas
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16:(Redirected from
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394:Hazelhurst Field
370:Carruthers Field
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363:Squadron "E"
356:Barron Field
349:Squadron "D"
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228:is a former
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195:Battles/wars
174:Site history
268:World War I
230:World War I
205:World War I
187:In use
116: /
91:Coordinates
536:Categories
442:References
396:, New York
274:Frank Kell
258:Palm Beach
226:Call Field
124:Call Field
122: (
103:98°33′18″W
100:33°52′18″N
79:Call Field
33:Call Field
504:Stations.
418:Civil use
190:1918–1921
166:Condition
493:1917–47)
430:See also
389:, France
216:Garrison
42:, Texas
405:Closure
248:History
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179:Built
182:1918
137:Type
538::
509:^
474:^
126:)
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
