When the
United States Navy purchased of land in 1942 for an auxiliary airfield, three runways were built for the use of
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point,
North Carolina. Facilities were also constructed to support two squadrons with a combined total of 45 aircraft and accommodations for 1,050 personnel.
World War II During
World War II, Bogue was used almost exclusively by the
United States Marine Corps for
VMSB dive-bomber squadron training. Equipped with the
SBD Dauntless, the first squadron,
VMSB-331, moved to Bogue from
MCAS New River in 1943 followed by the three squadrons of
Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) later that year. Specialized training facilities were established in the surrounding area to support the training of the resident dive-bombing squadrons. Dive-bombing circle targets were constructed on nearby islands, and vertical targets were built for low-level bombing practice. A maneuvering target boat was also used on the
Neuse River to practice attacks on shipping. MAG-33 transferred to
MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake,
Texas in 1944, and
MAG-93 was commissioned at Oak Grove in the same year. By that point, Marine Corps dive-bombing squadrons were transitioning to the
SB2C Helldiver. A
J2F Duck amphibian was assigned to Bogue for the rescue of downed flyers, but proved unsuitable for open-sea landings.
Post-war operation Bogue was decommissioned on 15 June 1947 and became an Outlying Field of Cherry Point. The Marines' first
Short Airfield for Tactical Support (SATS) system was installed at Bogue in 1958. It was a deployable
catapult & arresting system, intended to permit jet aircraft to operate from short expeditionary airfields.
Vietnam Era AV-8A taking off from Bogue, in 1978. The Marine Corps reopened Bogue (sometime between 1965 and 1976) as a satellite airfield for aircraft &
helicopters from MCAS New River & MCAS Cherry Point due to the
Vietnam War. As of 2003, Bogue is still actively used as a satellite airfield with one active runway, along with the painted outline of the deck of an
LHA amphibious assault ship, used for carrier landing practice. MCALF Bogue Field is the primary location for
AV-8B Harrier practice operations. It is also used by other locally based USMC aircraft. It supports about 3500 FCLPs (
Field Carrier Landing Practice) per training year. Training
squadron aircraft take priority over normal traffic while exercises take priority over all other users, including training. Bogue Field consists of a
runway constructed of aluminum panels which can be disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world in a matter of days by a specialty construction
battalion. The remains of two other runways still exist. The Airport Facility Directory includes the remark, "Runway 18 utilized for catapults only." Although Bogue Field has no aircraft permanently assigned, it serves as a training facility primarily for AV-8 Harriers from
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. However, it is also used for practice approaches by
KC-130 Hercules transports from MCAS Cherry Point,
F/A-18 Hornet fighters from
MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina and helicopters from MCAS New River, North Carolina. ==Bogue Field Committee==