Editing March Air Reserve Base (section)

===Inter-war years===
[[File:17th PursuitGroup-March-18feb1935.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing P-26 Peashooter|Boeing P-26A Peashooters]] of the [[17th Training Group|17th Pursuit Group]], 18 February 1935. ''33–102'' sits in the foreground. These aircraft were later sent to the 1st Pursuit Squadron/Group of [[Philippine Air Force]] in 1937.]]
[[File:Marchfield-3-1932.jpg|thumb|Oblique aerial photo of March Field, taken in March 1932 looking southeast to northwest]]
[[File:First JATO assisted Flight - GPN-2000-001538.jpg|thumb|The first [[JATO]] take-off, by an [[ERCO Ercoupe]] fitted with a [[GALCIT]] booster, in 1941, performed at March Field]]

The signing of the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|armistice]] in November 1918 did not halt training at March Field. Initially March was used by several Air Service squadrons that returned from France:<ref name='history' />
* 9th Aero Squadron: 22 July&nbsp;– 2 August, 15 November&nbsp;– 11 December 1919
* 19th Aero Squadron: 1 October&nbsp;– 29 June 1921
* 23rd Aero Squadron: 1 October 1921&nbsp;– 21 March 1922

On 13 December 1919, the [[United States House of Representatives]] passed an appropriations bill for $9.6 million for the purchase of additional land at military camps "which are to be made part of the permanent military establishment." March Field was allocated $64,000 of this amount.<ref>United Press, “House Passes Bill To Buy March Field,” ''Riverside Daily Press'', Riverside, California, Saturday evening, 13 December 1919, Volume XXXIV, Number 269, p. 8.</ref>

However, by 1921, the decision had been made to phase down all activities at the base in accordance with sharply reduced military budgets. By the spring of 1923, March Field was deactivated as an active duty airfield, however, and a small caretaker unit was assigned to the facility for administrative reasons. It was used by the aerial forestry patrol. It also was used intermittently to support small military units.<ref name='history' />

March Field remained quiet for only a short time. In July 1926, Congress created the [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] and approved the Army's five-year plan which called for an expansion in pilot training and the activation of tactical units. Accordingly, funds were appropriated for the reopening of March Field in March 1927.<ref name='history' />

Colonel William C. Gardenhire, assigned to direct the refurbishment of the base, had just directed his crews to replace underpinnings of many of the previous buildings when he received word the future construction would be in [[Mission Revival Style architecture|Spanish Mission architectural design]]. In time, March Field would receive permanent structures. The rehabilitation effort was nearly complete in August 1927, when [[Millard Harmon|Major Millard F. Harmon]] reported in to take over the job of base commander and commandant of the flying school. Classes began shortly after his arrival. The 13th School Group and its 47th and 53rd School Squadrons provided primary and basic flying training for future Air Force leaders such as [[Hoyt Vandenberg]], [[Nathan F. Twining|Nathan Twining]], [[Thomas S. Power|Thomas Power]] and [[Curtis LeMay]].<ref name='history' />

As March Field began to take on the appearance of a permanent military installation, the base's basic mission changed. When [[Randolph AFB|Randolph Field]] began to function as a training site in 1931, March Field became an operational base. Before the end of the year, the 7th Bombardment Group, commanded by [[Carl Andrew Spaatz|Major Carl A. Spaatz]], brought its [[B-2 Condor|Curtiss B-2 Condor]] and [[Keystone B-3A]] bombers to the airfield. The activation of the 17th Pursuit Group and several subordinate units along with the arrival of the 1st Bombardment Wing initiated a period where March Field became associated with the Air Corps' heaviest aircraft as well as an assortment of fighters. Aircraft on March's flightline in the 1930s included [[Keystone B-4]], [[Martin B-10]]/B-12 and Douglas [[B-18 Bolo]] bombers; [[Boeing P-12]], [[P-26 Peashooter]], and Curtiss [[P-36 Hawk]] pursuit aircraft; [[Northrop A-17]]A dive bombers and [[Douglas O-38]] observation aircraft.<ref name='history' />

In the decade before World War II, March Field took on much of its current appearance and also began to gain prominence. [[Henry H. Arnold|Lieutenant Colonel Henry H. (Hap) Arnold]], base commander from 1931 to 1936, began a series of well-publicized maneuvers to gain public attention. This resulted in a visit by [[James Rolph|Governor James Rolph]] in March 1932, numerous visits by [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] celebrities including [[Bebe Daniels]], [[Wallace Beery]], [[Rochelle Hudson]] and others, and visits by famous aviators including [[Amelia Earhart]]. Articles in [[Los Angeles]] newspapers also kept March Field in the news and brought to it considerable public attention.<ref name='history' />

Beginning in April 1933, hundreds of [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (C.C.C.) recruits began arriving at March Field every day. They totaled over 7000 by July of that year. They were housed in tent camps while waiting for permanent facilities to be constructed. That summer, at the direction of [[Malin Craig]], Air Corps activities at the field were essentially placed on hold while the C.C.C. program got under way, under Hap Arnold's direct oversight.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=Murray |title=Air Power History:Hap Arnold, Man on the Go |date=Summer 1990 |publisher=Air Force Historical Foundation |pages=29–36 |jstor=26271115 |edition=Vol. 37, No. 2 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26271115 |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="FDRL">{{cite web |title=integrated camp? Civilian Conservation Corps in California, March Field District 1933 |url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/304626362265237530/ |website=Pinterest |access-date=21 February 2022 |location=Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum}}</ref>

The completion of the first phase of permanent buildings in 1934 added to the scenic quality of the base.<ref name='history' />