(H)our History Lesson: Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia, WWII Heritage City

The 1941 postcard says “Army Bombers – America's First Line of Offense, Savannah Air Base, Savannah, GA.” It shows aviation buildings at Hunter Army Airfield.

Photo courtesy of the City of Savannah Municipal Archives

About this Lesson

This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Savannah and Chatham County, Georgia designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains readings and photos to contribute to learners’ understandings about the presence of Armed Forces in Savannah and Chatham County, by examining the role of Hunter Airfield and the work of service members and civilians there. The lesson includes background reading, excerpt of a unit yearbook, and letters written by a service member temporarily stationed there.

Objectives:

1. Describe the purpose of Hunter Field, and how it expanded and evolved over the war.
2. Identify the role of service members and civilians at Hunter Field and their contributions to Allied Forces successes.
3. Compare historical perspectives on service, particularly in primary documents such as letters, to synthesize and connect to larger wartime perspectives and themes.

Materials for Students:

1. Photos (can be displayed digitally)
2. Readings 1, 2, 3
3. Recommended: Map of Georgia and/or Savannah, with Hunter Field marked (Hunter Army Airfield is still present today)
4. Optional: Extension materials

Getting Started: Essential Question

How did Hunter Army Airfield contribute to the success of the Allied Forces?

Reading to Connect

Reading 1: Hunter Field Background

Note: Much of the information in this reading was researched from a 1945 yearbook publication, "Third Air Force Staging Wing,” by the Army and Navy Publishing Company (Baton Rouge, Louisiana). The yearbook is a part of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Collection, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, digitized by the Digital Library of Georgia. 

History of Hunter Field 

By Sarah Nestor Lane

Hunter Field was named after Major General Frank O'Driscoll Hunter in May 1940. Hunter was a native of Savannah Georgia, who was a flying ace in World War One and he became Commanding General of the First Air Force. In 1940 the field was worth $750,000 and contained 4,500-foot runways and one small civilian hangar.  The United States Army Air Force took over the field in September 1940 after negotiations between Savannah City officials and the War department. The city, in cooperation with the United States government, added 2,000 acres for expansion, and construction started on October 1, 1940. The project was valued at $3,000,000 with the construction of over 182 buildings. These buildings included 55 barracks to house 3,500 men, 18 mess halls, 20 warehouses, and 2 hangars in addition to first hangar, and more essential structures. On October 9, 1940 the base began to officially function as an Air Forces installation.  

Hunter Field’s purpose from October 1940 – February 1943 was to be a training base for light and medium bombardment groups. Over 80 different groups trained at Hunter Field, and many of these units distinguished themselves in battles around the world. Hunter Field continued to expand during this time, and by 1942, the field could accommodate over 100 aircraft and house more than 6,000 personnel. The surrounding area witnessed more construction activity, including the building of barracks and a housing project, mess halls, theaters, and a service club.  One 250-unit housing project required draining eight square miles of swamps and marshlands and constructing a new, large sewage disposal plant. 

In February 1943, Hunter Field shifted to staging. Hunter Field had an innovative Staging Maintenance System. This system revolutionized aircraft processing, drawing inspiration from assembly-line methods used in manufacturing. It ensured efficient and timely maintenance of aircraft, with a special focus on minimizing delays and maximizing effectiveness. Hunter Field also had a Combat Crew Center, established as part of this system, which streamlined the processing of crews before their missions. Here, crew members underwent medical examinations, administrative checks, briefings, and outfitting. These staging operations ensured aircraft and crew readiness for overseas missions. 

On May 27, 1943, another significant development occurred with the activation of the 762nd Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) Post Headquarters Company at Hunter Field. The company started with two officers and 15 enlisted women, and by July 1943, there were 154 women in the company. By 1945 there were about 300 enlisted women and three officers. These women played crucial roles in various capacities, contributing significantly to the field's operations and support services. Women worked in positions at Hunter Field as office clerks, hospital attendants and technicians, librarians, parachute riggers, and more.  

African American service members also served at Hunter Field; however, they served in a segregated squadron, Squadron C. The unit supported the staging work, supplies, and maintenance. The US Armed Forces were segregated until Executive Order 9981 in July 1948. 

 Service members could participate in team sports, and Hunter Field played in the Service-Defense Baseball League in Savannah. Intramural sports included baseball, basketball, boxing, track, volleyball, tennis, and bowling. The base had a swimming pool and a large recreation center by 1945. Watching movies at the base theaters was also a popular activity, along with dances hosted at the service club. 

After Victory in Europe “V-E” day, Hunter Field supported “redeployment,” which was processing returning service members and aircraft from Europe and the Mediterranean to redeploy. Planes were serviced and then flown back out to combat areas. Crew members went through medical and customs inspections, and other administrative procedures, and then flown by Troop Carrier Command to troop distribution centers for processing. 

 

 

Reading 2: Hunter Field Yearbook

Note: This excerpt is from page 19 of a 1945 yearbook publication, "Third Air Force Staging Wing,” by the Army and Navy Publishing Company (Baton Rouge, Louisiana). The yearbook is a part of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Collection, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, digitized by the Digital Library of Georgia. 

This, briefly, is the story of Hunter Field and its development from a small municipal airport surrounded by scrub pines and marshlands into a large and tremendously energetic military installation geared to a mass production system of processing combat aircraft and crews. Whether as groups squadrons, or individually, the planes and crews which have passed through this field since its inception in the fall of 1940 have seen action in every combat theater throughout the world. Few, if any, AAF installations within the continental United States and of comparable size and age are contributing more proportionately toward the attainment of final victory. Men and women of Hunter Field, both military and civilian, can look with deep feelings of pride and satisfaction upon the records they have established and surpassed. Not only do these records stand alone as ample evidence of their accomplishments, but they are underlined by the many commendations from higher headquarters directed to the personnel of the field and their commanding general. There appears every reason to believe that Hunter Field will continue to lead the way as a staging area and whatever may be its missions in the future it will accomplish then with equal thoroughness and dispatch. 

Reading 3: Corporal Edward Zahler Letters

Background: The following letters are from the Library of Congress collection: Edward Gottlieb Zahler Collection. Corporal Edward Zahler, from New York, served in the 85th Airdrome Squadron; 8th Air Force. The collection of letters was donated by his younger sister, Lillian Zahler, in 2018 to the Veterans History Project. The following letters are from his time in Savannah, Georgia. Excerpts are shown, but the full letters and transcriptions can be read in the collection. 

December 17, 1943 

Note: The movie “Women in Bondage,” was a 1943 movie by Monogram Pictures that reenacted the life of German women under the Nazi regime. Zahler describes the movie as “mostly propaganda.” Propaganda was used by the media to increase support for the war. 

Dear Lillian,  

Well, we’ve had our first snow-fall in 20 years here in Savannah.  

I was at the church party Wed. Night when it started to snow. The girls almost went crazy at the sight of it. Most of them had never seen snow before.  

Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw a picture of Silver Creek snow storm in the “Savannah Morning News.” I’ve been there. It’s a small town about 20 miles from Buffalo. You just can’t keep the towns of a good state out of even a “Rebel” paper. . . . 

We're having a big party at "Al Ramblers," just us in the "85." It's really going to be a big event. We can stay out all night. This is the third day I hadn't done a thing. I hope I don't gain any more weight. I weigh 146 1/4 now. Or was it 1/2? No, I believe I was right in the first place, 146 1/4. Well no matter (Dear reader, you can tell that this poor writer is entirely out of news. Completely devoid of knowledge.) . . . 

Did you see the comedy of two villains, hungry, and then tried to eat each other? Boy, it was good.  All at once, the picture shifted to a technicolor of a beautiful sizzling steak, surrounded by French Fried potatoes. Boy, did that look good. Then these words appeared on the screen "There will be a 3 minute pause for drooling." Then, after the Walt Disney picture was completed, these words appeared on the screen - Due to the many requests that has come into the office the last 5 minutes we will again show the steak. Gosh, it was funny. Last night, I saw the movie "The Heat's on," with Mae West. The picture was lousy. "Women in Bondage" was awful good, but mostly propaganda.  

Well, Donald [brother in service] hasn't written yet, but maybe he went over by boat. He's a darn good shot, so I don't worry when I think of him in the thick of it. 

I shall now close with due formalities. 

Before I leave, I remember that comedians on the radio now. She’s really good. I don’t hear them very often, as I’m usually at a movie, Service Club dance, or down in Savannah. We can go out every night now. 

As Ever,  

Ed  

Write soon again, huh? 

December 31, 1943 

 . . .Well, I finally saw Hunter Field from the air. It’s beautiful. I wish I could say the same from a worm’s eye view angle. Yeah, angle worm’s. We flew over the shipyards. The first time I ever saw a shipyard, but it was a rare treat seeing those Liberty ships from the air. The scenery all over was beautiful, with the many rivers emptying into the ocean and going back in for another load. You’ve probably noticed the war news films with views taken from the plane. As we flew along, the sun would glisten on the waves and lakes and follow along the streams. Just like the movies, only everything in techni-color. There was even a few marsh fires which looked as if it was just bombed. . . . 

January 7, 1944 

. . . I worked on the B-25 today, on the radial engines. Just the work I liked too, so the day went fast. I’m making $66 per month, with 6.25 for bonds taken out . . . $7 uniform, and $25 which is taken out per month and sent home. I think this last is called the “E” allotment. I have $27 a month to spend, and then have some to spare. . . . 

January 9, 1944 

. . . I heard some good news yesterday, We won't be going home until the war is over. Does that burn us guys up! It must be fun, being a big shot, sitting behind a desk and giving out orders like that. 3 years is the limit for me, you can count on that. Remember, I was once in limited service, and I can always fall back on that. 

Last Sunday night, on way to church, I saw the prettiest sight. Have you ever seen a big swarm of fireflies? It was real dark, and one bush looked like a Christmas tree. There were about 200 of those fireflies, darting here and there around that bush. 

No moon out last night. One night, the moon was so bright that the boys were playing cards and writing letters outside. It was about 10 o'clock that night too. . . . 

January 13, 1944 

 . . .I know now how true that old story is, ‘The Boy who Cried Wolf.” They tell us we are ready to leave again, and even though we quit work on the line and turned in our loop bits and flying suits, we don’t believe them. We’ve been told so many different times that we're shipping that it's getting monotonous. . . . 

January 24, 1944 

 . . . At last, I can say we are going to leave. By the time you receive this letter, I’ll be miles away from the beautiful state of Georgia. 

Thanks for the box of peanuts and candy. I was pretty hungry and so it came just in time. The fellows thought it was some of those cookies, so they flocked around. It didn't last long with them there. 

I hope you'll forgive me for writing such a short letter, but I must get back to the barracks. We're leaving some time to-morrow for destination unknown. There is a choice of one out of three, New Orleans, New York, or San Francisco. 

Bye for now. Even if I don't write regularly, please continue writing, as I’ll be on my way. 

With loads of success to a swell sister, I remain, 

As Ever,  

Ed Zahler 

By the numbers:

Beginning in December 1943, Hunter Field concentrated on staging aircraft and crews.

• In 1943, the average monthly output of planes was 200.

• In late spring of 1944, the average was 400 aircraft departing monthly.

• In June 1944, 551 airplanes were processed, which was a record, until January 1945, when 557 were processed.

• From February 1943 to May 1945, over 9,000 aircraft were processed and over 70,000 individual combat crew members passed through the Combat Crew Center at Hunter field.

Quotation to consider:

“Then they sent me finally to a base that was doing something besides teaching. That base was Savannah, Georgia, 3rd Air Force Station, where I had an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of an engine specialist . . . We had B-26, B-29, but later, B-25, B-17s, all the bombers except the B-24. We would get new airplanes from the factory, bring them up to the latest specs, assign a combat crew to them, and they would fly it and take it overseas. So, we would see them for maybe a week at the most, any one crew, and then they were gone. They just kept coming through our base.”

-Leroy F. Burgener, Corporal in the Army Air Force at Hunter Army Airfield (Credit: Interview from Veterans History Project, Library of Congress)

Women of Hunter Airfield engaged in defense work.

Photo by Harold J. Hart, 1943-1945, the Harold J. Hart Papers, 1942-1945, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Student Activities

Questions for Reading 1

1. How did the expansion at Hunter Field reflect the growing needs of the US military? How do you believe this growth affected the local community and economy?
2. What was the purpose of Hunter Field from October 1940 to February 1943, and how did it evolve over time (after February 1943)?
3. How did the 762nd WAAC company support operations at Hunter Airfield?

Questions for Reading 2 and Photos

1. What was Hunter Field originally, and how did it change over time?
2. How did the operations at Hunter Field help the Allied Forces win the war?
3. What predictions were made about the future role of Hunter Field? [Today, Hunter Army Airfield is an active installation for aviation units headquartered at Fort Stewart.]
   

Edward Zahler in uniform.

Library of Congress

Questions for Reading 3

1. Why does Zahler mention the picture of the snowstorm in Silver Creek in the "Savannah Morning News"? (December 17, 1943 )
2. How does Zahler’s description of the movies reflect the wartime context? (December 17, 1943 )
3. How does Zahler feel about the news of not going home until the war is over? (January 9, 1944)
4. How do details in Zahler’s letters about Savannah and time at Hunter Field align to information you learned in the first two readings? How would you describe Zahler’s time in Savannah based on the letters?

Lesson Closing

Using details from across the readings and photos, describe the role of Hunter Field and the work done by service members and civilians there.

• How did Hunter Army Airfield contribute to the success of the Allied Forces?

Extensions

“City of Savannah” B-17 Restoration Video by the Mighty Eighth Museum

The Mighty Eighth Museum is in Pooler, Georgia (Chatham County). The “Mighty Eighth” is the nickname for the Eighth Air Force. In January 1942 the Eighth Air Force was formed in Savannah, Georgia, when seven men were assigned from the United States Army Air Corps.

The “City of Savannah” B-17 was the 5,000th processed at Hunter Airfield. This video shows the different components of the airplane, and its restored version in the museum today.

More videos and educational programs, including virtual tours, are also offered by the museum.

Other Military Service in Chatham County

The City of Savannah Research Library and Municipal Archives has published a resource, Chatham County Military Service in World War II, that can be used to learn more about the service contributions of Chatham County, from local units and installations, to the contributions of local individuals. 

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This lesson was written by Sarah Nestor Lane, an educator and consultant with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, funded by the National Council on Public History's cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.