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    Adak Airfield Alaska United States

11th AF 1942


77th BS November 1942

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USN c1944
Location
Lat 51° 52' 41N 176° 38' 46W  Adak Airfield is located at an elevation of 18' above sea on Adak Island in the Aleutian Island Chain (Aleutian Islands) in Alaska in the United States.

Construction
After the August 30, 1942 landing on Adak Island, the U.S. Army immediately began building Adak Airfield to launch air attacks against the Japanese forces occupying Attu and Kiska. On September 10, 1942 the first plane to land on the new runway was piloted by Col. Eareckson. On September 12, 1942 the runway was officially completed.

American units based at Adak Airfield
28th CG, 77th BS (B-25, B-26) Elmendorf arrives Oct 3, 1942–July 22, 1943 dep Attu ret Sept 11, 1943 Amchitka
28th CG, 30th BG (B-24) September 13, 1942–November 15, 1942 departs Umnak
28th CG, 21st BS (B-24) September 13, 1942–November 15, 1942 departs Umnak
28th CG, 36th BS (B-24) Amchitka arrives June 1, 1942–August 4, 1943 departs Amchitka
28th CG, 44th BG, 404th BS (B-24) Umnak September 13, 1942
28th CG, 30th BS (B-25) ? November 15, 1942 Umnak
18th FG, 343rd FS (P-40) ? December 6, 1942
57th FS (P-39)
54th FG, 42nd FS (P-39) Kodiak September 8-10, 1942 - ?
343rd FG, HQ ? - July 25, 1943 Amchitka
343rd FG, 11th FS (P-38 / P-40) ? - March 23, 1944 detachment to Amchitka returns July 20, 1945

Wartime History
On September 30, 1942 force landed was B-24D Liberator 41-1092 afterwards, the bomber was used as a air traffic control tower. On October 1, 1942 a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft observed the American forces on Adak. The next two days, Japanese bombing missions targeted Adak Airfield but did not cause any damage.

Japanese missions against Adak
October 1-3, 1942

Jerry Craft adds:
"Adak, pilots flew west on Adak's range signal, until they intersected with Amchitka's range signal.  Where this occurred was a point knows as the "Tanaga Intersection," and was somewhere close to Tanaga Island.  Also, I was on Adak, during the summer and autumn of 1947. One was the crash of a P-61 Black Widow and the other was the disappearance of the base's Air-Sea Rescue B-17, only minutes after taking off from Adak on runway 50."

Postwar

Adak remained in use as part of Alaskan Air Command

Postwar U.S. Air Force (USAF) units at Adak
449th FS (P-61) reactivated September 1, 1947–March 28, 1949 departs Ladd

Today
Still in use today as a small airport known as Adak Airport with two runways. The first oriented 23/05 measuring 7,790' x 200' surfaced with asphalt. The second oriented 36/18 measuring 7,605' x 200' surfaced with asphalt. Airport codes: FAA: ADK IATA: ADK.

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Last Updated
April 19, 2021

 

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