Bergstrom Field – WWII History

Bergstrom Field, located near Austin, Texas, was established in 1942 as a U.S. Army Air Forces training base. It was named in honor of Captain John A. E. Bergstrom, an Austin native and West Point graduate who became the first Texan killed in action following the attack on Pearl Harbor, when his aircraft was destroyed during the Japanese raid on Clark Field in the Philippines on December 8, 1941.

During the war, Bergstrom Field served primarily as a training installation for heavy bomber crews, playing a role in preparing airmen for combat operations overseas. The base’s runways and facilities were built to accommodate the large four-engine bombers of the era, and it became an important part of the Army Air Forces’ training infrastructure in the South Central United States.