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    Buckingham Army Air Field
    Buckingham Army Air Field
    Buckingham Army Air Field
    Ebook185 pages57 minutes

    Buckingham Army Air Field

    By Chris Wadsworth, Matt Johnson and Southwest Florida Museum of History

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    About this ebook

    For most people in Southwest Florida, the name Buckingham is just one more dot on a map--a rural area east of U.S. Interstate 75. But for a few years, it was so much more. Starting in 1942, it was the site of the Buckingham Army Air Field--home to some 16,000 men and women supporting the United States' World War II efforts. Airplanes roared in the skies over Lee County and reflected off the azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico as tens of thousands of young men trained as aerial gunners. Learning to target and bring down enemy aircraft with their guns was critical to America's success in both the European and Pacific theaters. On the ground, trucks rumbled across the mammoth base, soldiers marched in review under the hot Florida sun, and an entire town sprang up on what was once swampland. Barracks were built, along with stores, nightclubs, churches, and even a hospital with its own baby ward. Today the memories of Buckingham Army Air Field can be found hiding in plain sight, including a working airport that was once the heart of the base.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439626566
    Buckingham Army Air Field
    Author

    Chris Wadsworth

    Journalist and author Chris Wadsworth collaborates with Matt Johnson, manager and historian at the Southwest Florida Museum of History, to take readers on a trip back in time, as the proud history of Buckingham Army Air Field comes alive through vivid photographs and the stories of the soldiers and civilians who once called Buckingham home.

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      Book preview

      Buckingham Army Air Field - Chris Wadsworth

      History.

      INTRODUCTION

      The name James Everett didn’t go down in history, but a simple day on the job more than half a century ago helped set in motion events that would change the history of Fort Myers and surrounding communities in Southwest Florida.

      According to a 1942 article in the Fort Myers News-Press newspaper, Everett was the workman, a colored operator as the reporter described him, who excavated the first shovelful of earth at what would become one of the largest World War II military bases in the United States.

      The work that began in May of that year was focused on building a rim canal to help drain away sub-surface water as well as run-off from frequent rain showers. Once that was done, roads were laid out, makeshift buildings erected, and concrete runways poured; the Buckingham Army Air Field was off and running.

      With America headed into war, the demand for training bases was immense, and the army began building them at a lightning pace all over the country. Ten miles or so east of Fort Myers, the main mission at Buckingham was its Flexible Gunnery School, which trained soldiers in the dangerous skill of aerial gunnery.

      In the early years of World War II, most American fighter planes didn’t have the range needed to keep up with the army’s bombers. This would leave bombers and their crews unprotected on lengthy flights over enemy territory. That’s where aerial gunners came in. Sitting in turrets above and below the plane and at windows on the sides of the bomber, it was their job to shoot down attacking aircraft and protect the bomber so it could complete its mission.

      Besides gunnery students, Buckingham also became the primary training center for instructors at the nation’s other flexible gunnery schools. Late in the war, B-29 bomber pilots also trained at the base.

      Over its 39 months in operation, Buckingham Army Air Field was home to hundreds of buildings, miles of roadways and runways, and all the accoutrements of a small city, which included the following: a hospital, a dentist office, movie theaters, baseball fields, swimming pools, a bowling alley, and the list goes on and on. Some 16,000 military personnel and civilians worked on the base at its peak.

      Never forgetting its main objective, Buckingham saw nearly 50,000 aerial gunnery students graduate and head off to fight overseas. Advances in training were pioneered at Buckingham, and indeed, the curriculum was constantly tweaked and updated. The base was even home to an early example of virtual reality, with students firing light beam guns at enemy planes on a screen.

      Stories abound about life at Buckingham, including the constant heat, the close calls in the air, and evenings of music and dancing at clubs in Fort Myers.

      The ugliest base in the nation, as one officer called it, closed shortly after World War II ended. It was beloved by many but no longer needed in peacetime. However, the story of Buckingham Army Air Field doesn’t end there. Planes still land and take-off at a modern-day airport at the site, roads once traveled by military Jeeps are now residential streets, and to this day, spent bullets, dog tags, old coins, and other mementos of that long-ago era are still found in the area. Even more importantly, the base spurred the growth of Southwest Florida—hundreds upon hundreds of veterans from Buckingham returned here to settle down. Some came soon after the war; others retired here later in life. Many went on to become local leaders, and each brought something unique to the community.

      The goal of this modest book is to record a simple history of this remarkable facility that today is but a fleeting memory for the region’s older citizens and, unfortunately, unknown to younger generations.

      Through the valuable archival collection of photographs, military papers, and other memorabilia at the Southwest Florida Museum of History in Fort Myers, this book has been painstakingly constructed. Many more individuals and organizations contributed much-appreciated materials and information that have made their way into this work.

      When dealing with decades-old documents, many faces have been forgotten and many photographs have gone unlabeled. Nevertheless, every effort was made to be accurate and clear and to only include items from the base at Buckingham, except where otherwise noted.

      Chapters have been constructed that focus on the features of the base, the military men and women who made it their temporary home, the aircraft that carried so many aloft, and the brilliant training techniques that were all once integral parts of Lee County life. The final chapter looks at the many ways the base is still with us today.

      Despite all the interesting artifacts, the book truly centers on the sometimes thrilling, sometimes touching recollections of nearly a dozen of our nation’s veterans who served at Buckingham during World War II. They are recollections that are captured now and can never be lost, and the hope is that this book becomes a valuable and enriching window to the past.

      One

      UP FROM SWAMPLAND

      THE BASE

      In this dramatic 1944 aerial photograph of Buckingham Army Air Field, it’s easy to see the scope of the enormous base with its web of roads and buildings. They’re all nestled in the embrace of a three-sided apron and maze of runways. This was Buckingham Army Air Field at its peak. Thousands lived and worked here. Thousands more made short stops here, learning the art and science of aerial gunnery to defend America’s bombers in battle.

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