World War II Database

Contributor: David Stubblebine

ww2dbaseBy the mid-1920s, the lands west of Inglewood, California that had once been part of the Rancho Sausal Redondo land grant were being used to grow barley, wheat, and lima beans. At this time, interest in aviation was growing and aviators began using these open fields as landing areas. In Sep 1927, Charles Lindburgh appeared at the Los Angeles Coliseum as part of his around-the-country tour following his trans-Atlantic flight four months earlier. Part of his remarks to the Coliseum's nearly 60,000 people were to urge communities across the country to develop proper airports, saying "If you expect to keep your city on the air map, it will be necessary to construct a municipal airport." The City of Los Angeles was already taking steps to find a location for an airport and real estate agent William Mines was trying to broker a deal to put that airport in the Rancho Sausal Redondo lima bean fields. Because of his advocacy, this field became known as Mines Field. In 1927, it was announced that Mines Field would host the 1928 National Air Races. With only a packed-earth airstrip, that air show took place in early Sep 1928 with over 100,000 attending during the nine-day exposition and Charles Lindburgh returning for the event.

ww2dbaseOn 26 Sep 1928, the City of Los Angeles signed a ten-year lease for the 640-acre Mines Field property and took possession on 1 Oct 1928. The land was a square measuring one mile on each side. It was bordered on the south by Belleview Avenue (now Imperial Highway) and San Antonio Street to the north (now Century Boulevard). To the west was Arizona Avenue (now Sepulveda Boulevard) and on the east was Redondo Boulevard (now Aviation Boulevard). Improvements included a 2,000-foot oil-and-gravel runway and construction of an 11,000 square-foot hangar. Known as Hangar No. 1, this hangar was built and occupied by the Curtiss-Wright Flying Service. Hangars No. 2 and 3 soon followed. In Aug 1929, the German airship Graf Zeppelin refueled at Mines Field on her around-the-world trip. On 7 Jun 1930, the airport was officially dedicated as the Los Angeles Municipal Airport, but was still more commonly known as Mines Field. That same year, the city's lease was renegotiated to a fifty-year term.

ww2dbaseOver the next few years, Hangars No. 4 and 5 were built so that all five sat in a row along the south side of the landing strip. The airport continued to serve the general aviation community as efforts to draw commercial airlines initially proved unsuccessful. In 1935, the North American Aviation Company built a 160,000 square-foot production facility on 17 acres at the southeast corner of the property. Northrop Aviation opened their own production facility just south of North American, but this was soon acquired by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Next to the Douglas plant was another aircraft factory operated by the Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation. The city needed funds to make improvements to the runways and in order to qualify for federal funding from the Works Progress Administration (the WPA), the city purchased the Mines Field property outright in 1937.

ww2dbaseWhen the United States entered World War II, Mines Field fell under military control. The main use by the Army and the Navy was as a hub for the air transport command. Barrack buildings, classrooms, and offices were built on the north side of the property. The larger military value of Mines Field, however, was in the manufacturing capabilities of the private aircraft factories located around the edges (only the North American factory was actually on the property). These companies stepped up their production to provide aircraft for the United States, Britain, France, Holland, Canada, China, and other Allied powers. The airport's flying schools were also in high demand. A detachment of Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters from the 4th Fighter Command was stationed at the field. The hangars and adjacent factories were wrapped in camouflage and netting, giving them a strange patchwork look from the ground and the appearance of a large dairy farm from the air. Despite the increased military presence at the airfield, the control tower continued to be staffed by civilian employees of the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

ww2dbaseBeginning in 1942, various coastal defenses, including the placement of naval gun batteries, were built along the Pacific coast just west of the airfield. Known as the El Segundo Battery, these seaside fortifications were small in size, camouflaged, and contained one or two 6-inch guns. The coastal guns operated as part of the Harbor Defenses of Los Angeles and were administered from Fort MacArthur in San Pedro. Also in 1942, the main runway was extended to 4,600 feet and the government began testing an instrument landing system that became fully operational the following year.

ww2dbaseThe aircraft factories strained to keep up with the demand for new airplanes. Initially, the North American factory produced large numbers of the AT-6 Texan trainer but would later turn out one-third of all B-25 Mitchell bombers and two-thirds of all P-51 Mustang fighters. The Douglas factory manufactured most of the SBD Dauntless dive bombers produced by the company while Interstate produced L-5 Grasshopper liaison aircraft and TDR assault drones. Between these three manufacturers, more than 21,000 military aircraft were produced for the war effort.

ww2dbaseWhen the war ended, control of the facility returned to the City of Los Angeles. The Interstate Corporation got out of the aircraft manufacturing business while the North American and Douglas plants continued producing airplanes, though in fewer numbers. In 1946, the Los Angeles Airport finally acquired contracts from the passenger airlines that were growing at that time and the facility began to expand at a rapid pace. More runways were added and then multiple terminals were built. In 1949, the airport's name was formally changed to the Los Angeles International Airport and today covers five times as much land as the original Mines Field. The square mile that had been Mines Field is now the easternmost part of the airport property and is where today's freight terminals are located. North American has since closed its plant and the buildings have been replaced. The Douglas facility south of the airport was acquired by Northrop-Grumman and is still in operation. Hangar No. 1 is the only Mines Field building from the early days that is still standing and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mines Field Interactive Map

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Mines Field Timeline