Operation desert softball: How Sharjah's US base helped the Second World War effort

A former air station in Sharjah played a crucial role during the Second World War – bringing a slice of American culture to the desert.

It is a little-known chapter of history but a US presence there from 1944 to 1945 allowed the Allies to ramp up resupply efforts as the war turned east.

American troops built a home at the desert outpost – playing games, celebrating Christmas and even venturing to the souq.

The episode in the emirate's history was in the spotlight on Wednesday at Sharjah Art Foundation’s new photographic gallery in Al Manakh, near where the base was once located.

Those attending gathered to hear about a new book called The US Army Air Force in Sharjah in the Second World War by Dr Athol Yates, associate professor of international and civil security at Khalifa University, and Khalid Al Shehhi, a PhD candidate at the University of Sharjah.

Volunteers helped in the research and colourisation of some of the photographs in the book, which also involved detailed research in US archives.

The book explores why the station was established, its significance for the Allied war machine and what every day life was like for American troops noting they even managed to established a softball league while there.

It is a tale of wartime intrigue, geopolitical competition and the base’s role in helping to bring an end to the devastating global war.

Supporting the war effort

“The region was part of a huge global network the Allies had set up to fight the Germans and Japanese,” Dr Yates told the gathering.

“And Sharjah plays an important role in this. It allowed a huge amount of aircraft, personnel and material [to be sent] to fight.”

The base was operated by “US Army Air Forces” and built within the existing RAF station as the British wanted to protect their interests. Personnel from the US and UK shared the control tower and runways but the US had its own quarters.

US personnel supported the movement of aircraft between the Middle East and Asia and provided radio navigation, communication and weather forecasts to transiting aircraft. Even if planes did not land, a navigational beacon guided them safely on the path.

US forces had already been using the base for transit but, by 1944, had built a permanent presence as the German defeat became inevitable and attention turned to Japan. Up to 200 Allied aircraft were landing in Sharjah every month in 1944.

The threat was real. Axis submarines operated in the Gulf of Oman, Germany and Japan had eyes on the region’s oil resources while the Italians even conducted an air raid on Bahrain in 1940.

Intelligence agents also operated in the region.

“There was a great deal of worry about the threat,” said Dr Yates.

Strong US presence

More than 100 US servicemen were based there at its peak and the book contains a series of striking and rarely seen archive photographs showing how they lived.

Images show US personnel playing field games, enjoying the Victory in Europe celebrations and posing in front of an amphibious vehicle which they named the “Sharja Mermaid”.

A film projector arrived in 1944 allowing a regular schedule of movies at the base's cinema and, later that year, the Americans installed air conditioning, while the British had to make do with ceiling fans.

Despite a stormy and wet December, the men also enjoyed Christmas in 1944 with trees, a variety show, religious services and a festive dinner.

While they were largely restricted to the air station, they managed to occasionally venture out to local souqs and Dubai Creek. It was a difficult time in the region owing to the decline of the pearl trade and restrictions brought on by the war.

After the German surrender in May, there was an expectation the war would continue to 1946, until the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.

“They [US personnel] wanted to go home but there was no [immediate] plan,” said Dr Yates. “They can’t just close one station. They had to eat British food, dried biscuits and tinned beef.” The Americans amused at these types of food being served by waiters, he added.

The Americans eventually left in November 1945 and the US radio mast was dismantled the following July.

The wider RAF base closed in 1971 but some of the buildings, including the hangar and control tower, are now part of Al Mahatta Museum, dedicated to Sharjah’s aviation history.

It is believed there are no physical traces of the US presence left. But the legacy lives on and it adds to the increasingly rich picture of life in the region during the war.

“People are aware of the British presence in Sharjah during the Second World War,” said Dr Yates. “But other dimensions of Second World War history in Sharjah have been uncovered in past few years.

“Sharjah is not this backwater or colonial outpost. This place played an important role.

“Maybe there was not a big battle but it provided that logistics component essential to win wars. You don’t win wars with men and guns, you win wars with logistics to support them.”