It's Pearl Harbor Day... Did you know that the Myrtle Beach Army Air Field operated here from 1940-47 and grew out of Myrtle Beach’s plans to expand the municipal airport from two grass landing strips? In 1940-41, the U.S. Army Air Corps trained civilian pilots for the Civil Air Service. In December 1941, just days before the Pearl Harbor attack, the Myrtle Beach Town Council agreed to give its new airport to the U.S. War Department to serve as an aerial gunnery and bombing range. The official vote occurred December 16, 1941, when Town Council sold the airport to the federal government for $3,500 and other considerations, which included runway improvements. The airport was officially renamed the Myrtle Beach Bombing Range in May 1942. Observation squadrons, an aviation squadron and a fighter squadron trained here during World War II. The Myrtle Beach Army Air Field was deactivated after the war, and the airport was returned to the City of Myrtle Beach in 1947.
