Watermelons as Bombs in Blythe, CA
02-19-2015
I just returned to Durango after spending two weeks in Blythe, California and Ehrenberg, Arizona. I stayed in two different RV parks (the owners prefer them to be called resorts). They were the Riviera RV Resort and the Arizona Oasis RV Resort. Both are right on the Colorado River and they cater to snowbirds in the winter, boaters in the summer and hunters during the special seasons.
One day, I was visiting the golf course in Blythe and I spotted an old hanger which was falling into disrepair. I did some research and discovered that it was part of Desert Training Center and The California/Arizona Maneuver Area in WWII. Blythe Army Air Base (AAB) was first used in May, 1942 when it was transferred to the 4th Air Force as part of the Desert Training Center. For the next six months, the Blythe AAB was the only Army airfield that gave air support to infantry and armored troops in training maneuvers. During this time, the 46th and 85the Bombardment Groups occupied the airfield and flew the Douglas A-20 Havoc, Vultee A-31 Vengeance and North American A-36 Apache aircraft to support DTC divisions. By the end of 1942, three new airfields (Thermal, Rice and Desert Center Army Airfields) were built to support the Desert Training Center desert maneuvers, and Blythe AAB wasn’t needed for the Army’s desert exercises. Blyth’s new role was changed to the training of heavy bombardment combat crews before they were deployed overseas.
In 1943, the base had over 7,500 personnel, 75 heavy bombers and 650 buildings. The 34th and 398 Heavy Bomb Groups flew the B-17 Flying Fortress and b-24 Liberator while training at Blythe AAB. Both Bomb groups were the last to occupy Blythe AAB before being deployed overseas, and the base was declared surplus in July, 1944.
After the war, the airbase was made into a civilian airport which is still in use today. Most of the buildings except for the main hanger were dismantled or torn down. (1) Click on this link to visit a website prepared by an unknown person. It has some great photos of the base. The photos are copy written . http://www.deserttrainingcenter.com/blythe.html
I learned doing this research, that there is a General Patton Memorial Museum 70 miles west of Blythe. It is in Chirico Summit, named for the folks who donated the land.
One of the locals that I met in Blythe told me that Patton used watermelons as bombs during their training. Very practical. I assume as they must have been many grown in the area.
Another bit of history is how Blythe got its name. In 1875, Thomas H. Blythe, a native of England, visited what is now Blythe, intent on finding real estate for development and settlement of an "empire" located next to the Colorado. On July 17, 1877, Blythe filed his first claim for Colorado River water on what was to become the "Blythe Intake". Blythe worked with the engineer William Calloway (known as Oliver P. Calloway in some sources, died in 1880 and George Irish until his death in April 4, 1883; Blythe's only revisit to the valley was in Fall 1882.[ Blythe's estate went into litigation between his family and other settlers. In 1904, the courts ruled Blythe's daughter Florence as the holder of the estate. (2)
Blythe had some major holdings in San Francisco that made him a wealthy man. He only visited Blythe on two occasions.
Source (1) http://www.deserttrainingcenter.com/blythe.html
(2) Wickipedia Dictionary/Blythe
About the Blogger: Victor Ray has had a love for travel and history since he was a small boy. Now he has found a way to combine the two, traveling in his motorhome with Raleigh, his pure bread Australian Shepherd. He shares his passions exploring the highways and byways in search of scenic, historic, unique and pristine places.
One day, I was visiting the golf course in Blythe and I spotted an old hanger which was falling into disrepair. I did some research and discovered that it was part of Desert Training Center and The California/Arizona Maneuver Area in WWII. Blythe Army Air Base (AAB) was first used in May, 1942 when it was transferred to the 4th Air Force as part of the Desert Training Center. For the next six months, the Blythe AAB was the only Army airfield that gave air support to infantry and armored troops in training maneuvers. During this time, the 46th and 85the Bombardment Groups occupied the airfield and flew the Douglas A-20 Havoc, Vultee A-31 Vengeance and North American A-36 Apache aircraft to support DTC divisions. By the end of 1942, three new airfields (Thermal, Rice and Desert Center Army Airfields) were built to support the Desert Training Center desert maneuvers, and Blythe AAB wasn’t needed for the Army’s desert exercises. Blyth’s new role was changed to the training of heavy bombardment combat crews before they were deployed overseas.
In 1943, the base had over 7,500 personnel, 75 heavy bombers and 650 buildings. The 34th and 398 Heavy Bomb Groups flew the B-17 Flying Fortress and b-24 Liberator while training at Blythe AAB. Both Bomb groups were the last to occupy Blythe AAB before being deployed overseas, and the base was declared surplus in July, 1944.
After the war, the airbase was made into a civilian airport which is still in use today. Most of the buildings except for the main hanger were dismantled or torn down. (1) Click on this link to visit a website prepared by an unknown person. It has some great photos of the base. The photos are copy written . http://www.deserttrainingcenter.com/blythe.html
I learned doing this research, that there is a General Patton Memorial Museum 70 miles west of Blythe. It is in Chirico Summit, named for the folks who donated the land.
One of the locals that I met in Blythe told me that Patton used watermelons as bombs during their training. Very practical. I assume as they must have been many grown in the area.
Another bit of history is how Blythe got its name. In 1875, Thomas H. Blythe, a native of England, visited what is now Blythe, intent on finding real estate for development and settlement of an "empire" located next to the Colorado. On July 17, 1877, Blythe filed his first claim for Colorado River water on what was to become the "Blythe Intake". Blythe worked with the engineer William Calloway (known as Oliver P. Calloway in some sources, died in 1880 and George Irish until his death in April 4, 1883; Blythe's only revisit to the valley was in Fall 1882.[ Blythe's estate went into litigation between his family and other settlers. In 1904, the courts ruled Blythe's daughter Florence as the holder of the estate. (2)
Blythe had some major holdings in San Francisco that made him a wealthy man. He only visited Blythe on two occasions.
Source (1) http://www.deserttrainingcenter.com/blythe.html
(2) Wickipedia Dictionary/Blythe
About the Blogger: Victor Ray has had a love for travel and history since he was a small boy. Now he has found a way to combine the two, traveling in his motorhome with Raleigh, his pure bread Australian Shepherd. He shares his passions exploring the highways and byways in search of scenic, historic, unique and pristine places.
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