From shortly after the nation’s first flight through and beyond World War II, the skies over Long Island’s Hempstead Plains buzzed with activity as the men and women of Mitchel Field faced the risks and dangers of military flight.
These were new challenges and dangerous times for military aviators in the skies and their support crews on the ground. And sometimes, the danger won.
During the American Revolutionary War the facility was known as the Hempstead Plains and used as an Army enlistment center. In the War of 1812 and Mexican War, it was a training center for infantry units. During the Civil War it was the location of Camp Winfield Scott and during the Spanish–American War, the site was known as Camp Black.
It was re-established in 1918 as Mitchel Field in honor of former New York City Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, who was killed while training for the Air Service in Louisiana. It was later known as Mitchel Air Force Base.
During World War One Curtiss JN-4 Jennies became a common sight over Long Island as hundreds of aviators were trained for war. In the 1920s the Pulitzer Trophy Air Race was held at Mitchel Field.
In 1938, Mitchel was the starting point for the first nonstop transcontinental bomber flight, made by Army B-18 Bolo bombers. Mitchel Field also served as a base from which the first demonstration of long-range aerial reconnaissance was made. In May 1939, three B-17s, with Lt. Curtis LeMay navigating, flew 620 miles out to sea and intercepted the Italian ocean liner SS Rex.
In 1940 Mitchel Field was the location of the Air Defense Command, a command charged with the mission of developing the air defense for cities, vital industrial areas, continental bases, and military facilities in the United States (also known as the “Zone of the Interior”).
During World War Two Mitchel Field was a major source of supply in initial garrisoning and defense of North Atlantic air bases in Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland.
During 1943, Mitchel AAF became a staging area for Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers and their crews before being sent overseas.
Antisubmarine patrol missions along the Atlantic coast were carried out in 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command aircraft based at Mitchel.
Under the direction of the First Air Force, Mitchel Army Airfield became a command and control base for both I Fighter and I Bomber Command. In March 1946, the headquarters of Air Defense Command was established at Mitchel Army Airfield. Army Anti-Aircraft Command moved to Mitchel AFB in 1950.
Upcoming Event
Lincoln Depot Museum in Peekskill, NY, will host historian and author Paul R. Martin III, who will talk about the history of Mitchel Field and the men and women who served there.
This event, “Faces from Mitchel Field,” will be held Saturday, October 4, 2025 beginning at 2 pm at the Museum, at 10 South Water Street in Peekskill.
Illustration: A postcard showing the hangar line at Mitchel Field, Long Island, 1940s.
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