In the construction of Kindley Field and Fort Bell, Bermuda lost a unique piece of its social and topographical heritage. The island of St. David's was a world apart, having been isolated, except by water, from the main Bermudian society. Its inhabitants were an interesting amalgam of European, African, and American Indian descent and they maintained, especially in boating, many of the traditions being lost on mainland Bermuda.

For the loss of some of their lands and the displacement of many St. David's Islanders, however, Bermuda gained its first and only airfield and an increase of some 800 acres of land by landfill operations in Castle Harbour.

Rather than diminishing the visitor trade, Kindley Field assumed the additional role of civilian airfield after the war and thus tourism increased greatly. The American bases also injected a considerable amount of hard currency into the local economy, and continued to do so until closed in September 1995. Historically speaking, the Americans were the last phase of a trend begun in 1783, in which military spending fuelled and sustained the local economy. It was a fortunate act of fate for Bermuda that the Americans were able to take over this background role in 1941 at the very time the British Empire was heading for a decline from which it never recovered, necessitating the almost complete closure of its military facilities at Bermuda soon after the war.

The Naval Operating Base encompassed 221 acres on Morgan's Island, Tucker's Island and King's Point on the mainland. A further 36 acres was added by reclamation between the two islands and a causeway connected them to King's Point. Construction proceeded apace, but it was not until June 1942 that the Commandant's Office was located within the leased area, having been temporarily housed in the City of Hamilton. In July 1941, a part of the Base became the Naval Air Station with facilities eventually built for PBY and PBM flying boats, which helped in the Atlantic patrols particularly against submarines.

It was a mission from the new Naval Air Station on June 30, 1942 that "sank the third U-boat to fall victim to an American plane."

This action was recorded in James's war diary: "Obtained bearings on enemy submarine from British Y Station and plotted fix, placing submarine within four miles of actual position. 74 P-1 [a PBM of Squadron VP-74] was in that vicinity returning to the Base. Ordered her to return and attack.

"On approaching through the clouds, plane's radar picked up the submarine and an immediate attack was made. The submarine was enormously large, was full(y) surfaced, and the crew was on deck.

"One depth charge exploded under the stern, the other one landed on deck. The machine gun jammed after a few rounds fired at the submarine. The plane circled to make another attack as the submarine dived. Just before her stern disappeared, the depth-charge which had landed on deck, just abaft the conning tower, exploded. There was plenty of debris, a very large amount of oil, and a very large air bubble. The plane took a picture of it. Sent two destroyers, one from the harbour and one which was at sea."

Two weeks after James's arrival, the US Army appeared on the scene and set up temporary headquarters at the Castle Harbour Hotel for offices and billeting, as it was conveniently situated on the water opposite the new works for the Army base and airfield in the East End. These were to be built on the northern side of Castle Harbour on the islands of Long Bird, St. David's, and other smaller isles and rocks, all to be joined by landfill. In late November 1940, news broke that these islands were to be leased to the American forces and much sympathy was shown by the rest of Bermuda, particularly for the fate of the people on the most populous island, St. David's, half of which was to become part of the Army base, Fort Bell.

While there was much sorrow at the displacement, there appears to have been little dissent at the cost, which Churchill acknowledged the following spring: "I take this opportunity of telling the House of Assembly, and through them the people of the Colony, how much we appreciate the magnificent way in which they have responded to this call upon their patriotism and understanding.

"I realise the sacrifices entailed, which are so much greater in Bermuda than in the other Colonies concerned, I know, too, how cheerfully they were accepted. To the people of Bermuda has fallen the honour and privilege of making a notable contribution to the cause of justice and freedom for which our Empire stands. Their act will not be forgotten."

Work soon began on the new bases, but the US Army gave "Mr. Howard Smith at St. David's Island an opportunity to reap his lily crop, so that it was possible to unearth from a burial plot on the property the remains of five members of the Carter family, descendants of Christopher Carter, one of the three [sic, two] men left behind by Sir George Somers (in 1610) when he went away from the islands after being shipwrecked," in the Sea Venture in 1609 on the way to Jamestown, Virginia.

"Kindley Field", so called in War Department Orders on June 25, 1941, was a facility of the US Army Air Force, whereas Fort Bell was the province of the US Army ground forces. The American flag was raised on Kindley Field on the July 4, 1941. By August 8, the first runway had been laid and on November 29, 1941, the landing field was declared open for traffic. The first plane to arrive was an F2A3 from the carrier, Long Island, on December 15, while the first land-based plane was an RAF B-24 Liberator from Montreal five days later. Anti-submarine patrols by planes of the US Air Force staged out of Kindley Field began in April 1942 and ended in February 1944. Thus by December 1943, at a meeting in Bermuda, Col. Lawrence G. Fritze declared the mission of the base, now that war activity had lessened in the area, would be to "service transient aircraft between the base at the Azores and the US, to handle passengers, cargo and mail, and furnish air sea rescue when necessary" – tasks which remained part of its mandate for the next 25 years.

Col. Alden G. Strong had arrived in Bermuda in April 1941 to establish the Bermuda Base Command over Kindley Field and Fort Bell, then under construction; he was elevated to Brigadier General in September 1941.The American land force under Col. Strong on the American Legion had docked in Hamilton on April 20, 1941 with 860 men of Company G, 11th Infantry, Battery F, 52nd Coast Artillery, and Battery B, 57th Coast Artillery, with four eight-inch railway guns and four 155 mm GPF Guns.

Within hours of disembarking, Col. Strong had drawn up a joint plan with Capt. Jules James for the defence of Bermuda. The railway guns were to be placed at the extreme ends of the chain of islands, one battery on Somerset Island, the other at St.George's. The 155-mm guns covered the ground between, with a battery at Cooper's Island and another in Southampton Parish. A mobile reserve would operate from the Castle Harbour Hotel.

During the first phase of American coastal defence works at Bermuda, eight guns were put into position shortly after being off-loaded from the American Legion. The railway guns were probably taken by water to the most convenient unloading spots near Scaur Hill Fort and Fort Victoria.

The 155-mm pieces were taken by tractor to Tucker's Town (and later by water to Cooper's Island) and Turtle Hill in Southampton.

In April 1942, a second phase of American defence works commenced with the construction of concrete emplacements for two six-inch guns (of Second World War design) and an intervening magazine at Tudor Hill (or Stone Hill) on the west coast, a few miles south of Scaur Hill Fort. This was Battery Construction No. 284 and it was completed in May 1943; the guns were installed by August 15.

As organised in the "Defence Project for 1 December 1942", the personnel for the seacoast defence were the 27th Coast Artillery Battalion (HD) (Comp), augmented by the men of the two British batteries. It was under the charge of the Commanding Officer of the 27th CA Bn, headquartered at Burrow's Hill at Fort Bell, and was divided into an East Group and West Group. At the end of 1942, the former would have comprised the six guns at Fort Victoria, Cooper's Island and St. David's Battery, while the latter started with the British at Warwick Camp, followed by Turtle Hill and Scaur Hill Fort, again with six guns.

In late 1943, the four six-inch guns, one battery in each group would have come into operation, giving a grand total of 16 pieces of coast artillery under the Bermuda Base Command.

The Bermuda bases were acquired for the operation of air and naval forces for the protection of air and sea approaches to the United States in the Western Atlantic, and to provide defences to prevent the establishment of an enemy force on the Island. The mission given to the Combined Local Defence Forces, Bermuda – the Bermuda Base Command being its major part – by CINCLANT was to "give warning of the approach of hostile forces by full use of such equipment as may be provided, including 24-hour operation of aircraft warning equipment.

To achieve this mission, the groups were organised into the Combined Army Local Defence Forces (which was all US and British army units, except Defence Security personnel); the Combined Naval Local Defence Forces (all naval forces in Bermuda, with the exception of the headquarters of the Admiral, America and West Indies Station, Royal Navy), and the Royal Air Force Local Defence Forces. In the first instance, the headquarters was at the Bermuda Base Command, under which the air, coastal, land defence, and general reserve was placed. The naval force had its headquarters at the Naval Operating Base and covered defensive activities at HM Dockyard, submarine, aircraft patrol, offshore ship patrol, harbour and inshore patrols, mine-sweepers and underwater defence. The Royal Air Force division had to defend its base on Darrell's Island and provide for other RAF requirements.

The end of the Second World War ushered in a new age of airborne tourism. Kindley Field – built and paid for by the United States – provided the only means by which Bermuda could take advantage of this evolution in worldwide travel. By the same token, the making of the new North Channel from the Narrows to Grassy Bay by American forces in the war allowed entry of large cruise ships, which otherwise would have bypassed the Island.

When the United States forces finally closed their bases and left Bermuda in 1995, they also left behind a precious legacy in the form of 800 acres of land that did not exist in 1941, along with an international airport. Today's Bermuda economy, totally dependent as it is on tourists and business executives, owes its success to these US military legacies.

Dr. Edward Harris is Executive Director of Bermuda Maritime Museum and author of 'Bermuda Forts 1612-1957', the definitive military history of the Island.