Cuddeback Air to Ground Gunnery Range

USA / California / Johannesburg /
The perimeter fence in the early 1980's is the border of this outline. I remember driving completely around the perimeter fence in the early 1980's picking up spent 20mm brass shell casings. No one from the Gunnery Range ever came out to make contact.
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"In the 1960s-70s, the "Cuddeback Air to Ground Gunnery Range" was operated by personnel from George AFB, who would be flown up to Cuddeback for a week at a time in Huey helicopters. Bob Alvis reported that "I was at Cuddeback for a few years in the 1970's. The air field was not advised [for landing] due to the mission statement. Bombing & strafing by the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing & various combat squadrons pretty much chewed it up, but on a regular basis O-2s from Ontario AF Reserve would come up and do Forward Air Control type operations, marking targets for the Thuds & F-4s. A few times the O-2s would land but that's about it. The base during my time had two scoring towers, a motor pool barn, a small chow hall, and a small ops section. Base of our operations was George AFB."
www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_Mojave.htm
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   35°17'26"N   117°23'59"W

Comments

  • I was at Cuddeback gunnery range in the early 60's, transported from George AFB to the range by H-19 Helicopter. My buddie and I was in Operations Sq. which maintain to base Helicopters,and other small aircraft. We would volunteer for the range ever chance we could get. Last time there was Oct. 1962. On weekends we would take a Jeep, with 2 jerry cans of extra gas and explore the desert, saw some interested sights, north and east of the range, several times, we got lost in the desert, but with some luck, we headed west, and some how got back to camp. I would think a lot of people are in the area now,back then you would not see any one, in the back country, except every once in a while, we could run on to a gold miner. Ron Dyer Air Force
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