Located approximately fifteen miles northeast of San Antonio, Texas, Randolph Field was established in 1930, following new provisions provided for by the Air Corps Act of 1926. Founded by Brigadier General Frank P. Lahm, Randolph Field was created in response to a demand for a larger field that would meet the training requirements in San Antonio’s rapidly growing military enlistment. The field was designed by lieutenant Harold Clark and was one of the most ambitious construction projects assumed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers since the Panama Canal, taking a total of five years to implement and build. Following the establishment of the Air Corps Primary Flying School in 1931, the field trained engineers, B-29 bomber pilots, and co-pilots. It was later replaced by the Central Instructors School in 1943, followed by the Army Air Force Pilot School two years later. In 1948, it officially became known as Randolph Air Force Base instead of Randolph Field and served as the home for the Air Training Command by 1957.
Source:
Brown, Timothy M.
A typescript of a report compiled by the Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration, the Randolph Field Guide, 1941, documents the history of the field from its founding to the beginning of World War II. The report includes a description of daily life for air cadets, typical instruction and training procedures, and a glossary of slang and jargon.
This collection is open for research use.
Randolph Field Guide, 1941, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s