school in St Jean de Monte, France. Several dates are surrounding the history and official establishment of the installation that would become MacDill AFB. Official records report an establishment date of 24 May 1939, date construction began 6 September 1939, date of beneficial occupancy 11 March 1940, and formal dedication 16 April 1941. This last date is normally associated with the age of the base. It was renamed MacDill Field on 1 December 1939. III Bomber Command, the bombardment arm of 3d Air Force, was headquartered at MacDill Field. Initial uses After the war in Europe had broken out in September 1939, fears of Nazi U-boats attacking American merchant shipping in the Gulf of Mexico was the concern of the War Department and the Navy Department. Though the United States was at peace, Lend Lease shipments of war goods to England and the establishment of Army and Navy bases in the Caribbean Sea south of Florida brought fears of U-boat attacks on shipping in the Gulf, especially oil tankers from refineries in Texas and Louisiana. Flying operations at MacDill began in 1941 with the base's first mission being the defense of the Gulf of Mexico. Aircraft and men were housed at Drew Army Airfield until the runways at MacDill were built. Despite these obstacles, flying operations commenced on 7 February 1941. Hundreds of troops lived mostly in a mosquito-infested tent city at the field while barracks were being built. An official flag-raising ceremony was sponsored by the Tampa Elk's Lodge on 16 June 1941. Air defense of the Tampa Bay area was the mission of the 53d Pursuit Group (Interceptor), established at MacDill Field on 15 January 1941. Equipped with the Seversky P-35, the 53d flew air defense patrols until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was reassigned to VI Fighter Command at Howard Field, Canal Zone to provide air defense of the Panama Canal. The 29th Bombardment Group was moved to MacDill Field from Langley Field, Virginia, on 21 May 1940. Lieutenant Colonel Vincent J. Meloy, commander of the 29th Bombardment Group, led the first flight of aircraft to MacDill on 17 January 1941. This consisted of 14 aircraft flown from Langley Field to MacDill Field - three B-17s, two A-17s, and nine B-18s. The group flew antisubmarine patrols over the eastern Gulf waters until June 1942, when the group was transitioned into a B-24 Liberator Operational Training