Hello,

  After visiting the abandoned site recently, I am trying to find any
info on the former Hawes AAF Airfield, which then gave way to the
Hawes Radio Relay Facility.  There is a concrete reinforced bunker
that was self contained with air filtration, generators etc.  I did
find this info below:

http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/CA_Mojave/Airfields_CA_Mojave.htm

Any help would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Greetings!  I located the following information on the Hawes Radio
Relay Annex concerning environmental action:
 
"Site 41, Hawes Site (not part of an OU; included in a basewide
study). The Hawes Radio Relay Annex site is located in San Bernardino
County, about 19 miles west of Barstow.  It consists of approximately
643 acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and permitted
to the Air Force. Soil contamination resulted from leakage of POL
underground storage tanks. Two 50,000-gallon diesel underground
storage tanks and the surrounding soil were removed and disposed of in
December '95. Proposed for No Further Action."

I then searched Victorville AAF to find more history of who was at the
base and located:

"THE 482nd BOMB GROUP
"Activated 20 August 1943 at Alconbury. Original personnel specially
selected crews from VIII BC plus a few key men who had been involved
with 329BS Gee experiments. Ground crews formed from the disbanded
479th Anti-Sub. Group. Initial experiments under auspices of 92BG,
which also provided personnel. Unit had a three-fold mission: combat
operations; to develop technique and test radar devices; train
pathfinder crews. As lead aircraft, 482BG B-17s and B-24s usually flew
missions from stations of other groups, and some key personnel of host
group flying in the PFF aircraft. Unit ceased regular operations late
in March but continued to undertake special operations, notably D-Day
when 18 crews were provided to lead bomb groups.  Transferred
Composite Command Feb. 1944 when emphasis shifted to training radar
operators. Initially with RAF instructors, and courses begun on 21
February 1944.  Training and experimentation remained its chief role
for the remainder of war. From August 1944 to April 1945, and
conducted 202 radar scope and 'pickling' sorties over hostile
territory without loss: 45 tons bombs....The group re-established at
Victorville AAF, Ca. on the 5 July 1945, but inactivated on the 1
September 1945."

I also discovered a site history from a government document titled
RESTORATION INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMFORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITES
(FUDS):

"4.SITE HISTORY: Victorville Army Air Field (AAF) acquired 640 acres
for use as Victorville PBR #6 with the onset of WWII. In May 1943, 320
acres were transferred from the U.S. Department of the Interior to the
War Department through Public Land Order 125.  Two hundred forty acres
were obtained by fee acquisition in a Declaration of Taking from Ted
Butzin and Berto Olsen. The other 80 acres were leased from William
and Hertha Young.  PBR #6 was one of 23 PBRs and 2 demolition bombing
targets Victorville Army Air Field (AAF) acquired for bombardier cadet
training during WWII. PBR #6 was used to support this training from
about April of 1942 until April of 1945. The military improvements on
the site consisted of frame butts and appurtenances, fences and gates,
and a bombing target. The target was composed of asphalt strips five
feet wide configured as three concentric circles with radii of 100,
200, and 300 feet.  In addition, there were two strips of asphalt
which transected the concentric circles at right angles to each other.
The only DOD improvements still on the site are the weathered remains
of the asphalt bombing target and a pile of white quartz rock which
marks the target center. The only ordnance known to have been used was
100 lb sand filled practice bombs with a black powder spotting charge.
 In March 1946, accountability for 240 acres was assumed by the War
Assets Administration. In February 1949, the site was declared
dedudded and certified to be free and clear of explosives or
explosives objects reasonably possible to detect by visual inspection.
The transfer of 320 acres became official in February 1952 through
Public Land Order 807. In February 1948,the other 80 leased acres were
returned to the lessor."
 
I also located where the airfield was renamed in honor of a fallen
General:
Brigadier General George is killed in an aircraft accident near Darwin
on 29 Apr 42. Victorville AFB, California is renamed George AFB on 2
Jun 50 in his memory.

In a family genealogy, I located a reference to Victorville as well:
"742. Harold Lowell HARPER was born on 21 Feb 1912 in Wray, Irwin Co.,
GA. Died on 18 Jul 1969 in V.A. Hosp., Iowa City, Johnson Co., IA.
Buried on 21 Jul 1969 in Bardolph Cem., Bardolph, McDonough Co., IL.
Graduated in 1928 in Graduated 8th grade, Ambrose, Irwin Co., GA. He
married Bette Marylea PORTER on 5 May 1946 in Base Chapel, Victorville
A.F.B., Victorville , Bernadino Co., CA."

There was a reference to Victorville where a gentleman posted on a
message board.  The message is titled "Victorville Army Air Field,
Bombardier Training School, Class 43-13, 1943".  You may be able to
contact him to learn more about the base or for a copy of the
graduation class booklet he mentions in the post:

"I was looking through some of my father's materials (First Lieut.
Chester Pietrzak, 8th AF, 388th, 563rd Squ.B-17,"Jamaica Ginger")and
found the Victorville Army Air Field Bombardier Training School
Graduation class booklet. Plenty of pictures of most of the bombardier
cadets from Class 43-13. Any graduates or family members who want
additional information - Please e-mail me and I'll send you what I
can."

I also discovered a movie that was filmed there:

Last Flight of Noah's Ark 
1980 *v 
Warbirds- Elliot Gould; Disney movie about old B-29 that crashes on a
Pacific Island and is made into a raft. Filmed in Hawaii and at
Victorville Airport, California. Flying B-29A/ P2B-1S was Fertile
Mertile (N91329).

On the search where I found the movie, there were numerous posting
that appeared to be from message boards concerning people stationed
there and flight reunions.  You may want to peruse those links and
contact some of the pilots formerly stationed there during WWII.

I hope this information proves of assistance in your quest and should
you need clarification, please ask.


SEARCH TERMS and LINKS:

Hawes Radio Relay  [Google search]
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Hawes+Radio+Relay

Description of IRP sites [site 41]
http://www.afrc.af.mil/March/environment/sitedescription.html


Victorville AAF  [Google search] (mentioned in the link you provided)
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Victorville+AAF

482 BG 8 AF  [Flight Jacket] 
http://www.flightjacket.com/34page_482bg.asp

RESTORATION INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMFORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITES
(FUDS) [entire document concerns Victorville AFB]
VIEW AS HTML: http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:6hHmNHbelcwC:www.hnd.usace.army.mil/oew/factshts/factshts/victor6.pdf+Victorville+AAF&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
VIEW AS PDF: http://www.hnd.usace.army.mil/oew/factshts/
factshts/victor6.pdf

Mighty Eighth Air Force Message Board [Victorville message post]
http://www.com-web.com/wwwboard/messages/11539.html


"Victorville AFB"  [Google search]
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Victorville+AFB%22

December 1941  [renamed to george AFB]
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/60th/today/12-41.html

Harper 7  [genealogy]
http://members.tripod.com/eworthington/harper7.htm


Victorville AAF history
://www.google.com/search?q=Victorville+AAF+history&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

Military Aviation Movie List
http://www.coastcomp.com/av/fltline2/avmovie.htm

---

Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 05 Sep 2002 09:47 PDT

Greetings again and PS: As I reviewed my answer after posting, I
searched
"Victorville Army Air Field Bombardier Training School" and found more
links you may want to follow:

Victorville Army Air Field Bombardier Training School  [Google search]
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Victorville+Army+Air+Field+Bombardier+Training+School

---

Request for Answer Clarification by batmast-ga on 09 Sep 2002 13:12 PDT

Hello,

  Thank you for your research.  First of all, I have a question about
the research service itself.  I am under the impression that you have
access to data and or search engines that are unavailable to the
general public.  Is that true?  If so, I would like to try to get a
little more specific results if I may, for my initial $25; I'm really
looking for specific data / pictures on the Hawes Radio Facility
itself (that was built on the abandoned Hawes airfield).  I've taken
current pictures of the abandoned facility and would like to see or
read what it was like when it was operating.
  If, however, my above assumption is wrong and you don't have access
to any data that I don't have access to myself, then I guess I'd like
to ask for a refund if possible.  Thank you.

---

Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 09 Sep 2002 15:10 PDT

Greetings again!  I reviewed the Google Answers statements and I saw
nothing stating the service guaranteed that researchers had any access
to private web sites.  Google Answers researchers have access to all
public Internet sites just as all users of the Internet.

One of the purposes of Google Answers is to save the customer time by
researching Internet resources for them.  In your question, you asked
for information adding that "Any help would be appreciated" so I chose
to spend about three hours answering your query.  I hope you are
pleased with the results of my work and with the information I
provided.  I believe if you personally contact some of the people on
the message boards I provided, you will probably receive additional
information concerning Hawes and its Victorville location.

The discussion of a refund would be between you and the Google Answers
team so I would urge you to contact them with those questions.  Google
Answers researchers do not have control over the percentage we receive
for our work.

Thank you for your time.