Turlock Municipal Airport/Ballico Auxilliary Field

 airport, Second World War 1939-1945

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The government built a landing mat, two small buildings, fences, a steel tower, oil storage sheds, and a generator house. Currently, the site is an airport. The two buildings constructed during Department of Defense use are in use as the airport office and storage building.


The history of the former Ballico Auxiliary Field actually begins in 1940 as the U.S. Army was attempting to establish a 30,000 per year basic pilot training facility in the Merced area. During this time frame, three sites in the Merced area were being considered by War Department for this purpose -Athlone, Cuba Station and El Nido. The Cuba Station site was ultimately chosen. A lease between the City of Merced and the United States of America was entered on 16 June 1941 for initial acquisition of property for a basic flying school in Merced. Construction began on 8 July 1941. The Cuba Station site was officially dedicated on 20 September 1941 by the Adjutant General from the West Coast Air Corps Training Center at Moffett Field, California (later redesignated West Coast Army Air Forces Training Center). At that time the facility became known as the Air Corps Basic Flying School, Merced. Seven days later, on 27 September 1941,the War Department ordered the 98th Bombardment Group and its subordinate units - the 539th, 540th and 541st School Squadrons, the 90th Air Base Squadron (Special), and the 340th Material Squadron from Moffett Field to take control of the Air Corps Basic Flying School. The actual move, however, was delayed until November 1941 because of the construction delays caused by heavy rains that year. This resulted in the first aircraft being assigned to the then (original) Merced Municipal Airport as the landing field at the Air Corps Basic Flying School was still not ready for aircraft.

On 7 April 1942, Air Corps Basic Flying School was renamed the Merced Army Flying School and authorized the District Engineer to construct three auxiliary fields near Merced Army Flying School to support the flight training program. These were located at Howard Ranch, Athlone, and Planada. Air Corps Basic Flying School was renamed the Merced Army Flying School. The disapproval of the Planada site as an auxiliary field by the engineers in mid September 1942, leads to two additional auxiliary flying fields being constructed, one at Ballico, the other at Potter, and a third, in 1943, at New Merced Municipal Airport.

The West Coast Training Center activated three more school squadrons in June 1942 to help existing units meet the increased flight training requirements. In January 1943, the West Coast Training Command at Santa Ana, California, activated the 35th Flying Training Wing, and the Army Air Forces followed in March 1943 with the activation of the 301st Basic Flying Training Group at Merced in an attempt to consolidate training. In May 1943, the Merced Army Flying School became the Merced Army Air Field as part of the Western Flying Training Command. In April 1944, the Western Flying Training Command activated the 3026th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Pilot School Basic) at Merced while disbanding most of the former units. As the number of aircraft on the Merced flightline and at the auxiliary fields increased to 539 in late September 1944, the Army's demand for pilots started to wane.

On 1 July 1945, the Fourth Air Force assumed jurisdiction over Merced Field from the Western Flying Training Command. At that time, the U.S. Army declared the auxiliary field at Ballico excess to the needs of the Army and the property was listed as surplus. Accountability of the 621.76-acre Merced Auxiliary No. 2 at Ballico was assumed by the War Assets Administration (WAA) on 10 November 1946. The 621.76-acre site was given to the City of Turlock and now constitutes the Turlock Municipal Airport, Mustang Creek Watershed Sump, and adjacent agricultural land.


www.militarymuseum.org/BallicoAuxFld.html
www.corpsfuds.com/php/siteindex.php?site=J09CA0754&stat...
www.globalair.com/airport/airport.aspx?aptcode=O15
airnav.com/airport/O15