During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.

Most of these airfields were under the command of Fourth Air Force

Fourth Air Force

The Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....

 or the Army Air Forces Training Command

Air Training Command

Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...

 (AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 Air Education and Training Command

Air Education and Training Command

Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....

). However the other USAAF support commands (Air Technical Service Command (ATSC); Air Transport Command (ATC) or Troop Carrier Command) commanded a significant number of airfields in a support roles.

It is still possible to find remnants of these wartime airfields. Many were converted into municipal airports, some were returned to agriculture and several were retained as United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 installations and were front-line bases during the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.

Major Airfields

Army Air Forces Training Command

• Douglas Army Airfield, 8 miles (12.9 km) north-northwest of Douglas
  Douglas, Arizona
  Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...
  
  

Western Flight Training Center

461st Army Air Force Base Unit

Now: Douglas Municipal Airport

Douglas Municipal Airport (Arizona)

Douglas Municipal Airport is a public airport located two miles east of the central business district of Douglas, a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The airport is owned by the city of Douglas...

Hereford Army Airfield

Hereford Army Airfield

Hereford Army Airfield is an abandoned military airfield located about west-southwest of Hereford, Arizona.-Military use:The airfield was was acquired by the War Department in August 1942 for use as an auxiliary air field for Douglas Army Airfield, Arizona. A total of were acquired by the War...

, 2 miles west-southwest of Hereford

Hereford, Arizona

Hereford is an unincorporated community in Cochise County along the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is south of Sierra Vista and is a part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas micropolitan area...

Auxiliary of Douglas Army Airfield

Now: Airfield closed and abandoned

• Falcon Field Army Airfield
  Falcon Field (Arizona)
  Falcon Field is a public airport located five miles northeast of the central business district of Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011, it is categorized as a reliever airport.Although most U.S...
  
  , Mesa
  Mesa, Arizona
  According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
  
  

Western Flight Training Center

Now: Falcon Field Airport 

• Kingman Army Airfield, 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Kingman
  Kingman, Arizona
  Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...
  
  

Western Flight Training Center

460th Army Air Force Base Unit

Now: Kingman Airport and Industrial Park 

Yucca Army Airfield

Yucca Army Airfield

Yucca Army Airfield is a former military airfield located about west of Yucca, in Mohave County, Arizona. It is on the east side of Interstate 40, south of Kingman. It is presently used as a testing facility by Chrysler LLC.- Military use:...

, 1 mile west of Yucca

Yucca, Arizona

Yucca is an unincorporated community in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Located along Interstate 40, it lies southwest of Kingman, just east of the southern section of the Black Mountains and west of the Hualapai and McCracken Mountains in the Sacramento Valley. Yucca has a ZIP Code of...

Sub-base of Kingman Army Airfield

Now: Ford Motor Co-AZ Proving Grd Airport (P17)

• Luke Army Airfield, Glendale
  Glendale, Arizona
  Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
  
  

West Coast Training Center, 1941

Western Flight Training Center

66th Army Air Force Base Unit

Now: Luke Air Force Base

Luke Air Force Base

Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located seven miles west of the central business district of Glendale, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is also about west of Phoenix, Arizona....

Ajo Army Airfield, 5 miles north of Ajo

Ajo, Arizona

Ajo is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,705 at the 2000 census. Ajo is located on State Route 85 just from the Mexican border. It is the closest community to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument....

Sub-base of Luke Army Airfield

472d Army Air Force Base Unit

Now: Eric Marcus Municipal Airport

Eric Marcus Municipal Airport

Eric Marcus Municipal Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is located five nautical miles north of the central business district of Ajo and is about southwest of Phoenix...

 (P01)

Gila Bend Army Airfield, 3 miles southeast of Gila Bend

Gila Bend, Arizona

Gila Bend , founded in 1872, is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The town is named for an approximately 90-degree bend in the Gila River, which is close to but not precisely at the community's current location...

Sub-base of Luke Army Airfield

492d Army Air Force Base Unit

Now: Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field

Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field

Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field is a United States Air Force auxiliary airfield used as an emergency landing facility by Luke Air Force Base aircraft and units from other nearby bases using the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range complex...

• Marana Army Airfield, 7 miles (11.3 km) northwest of Marana
  Marana, Arizona
  Marana is a town in Pima County, Arizona, located northwest of Tucson, with a small portion in Pinal County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 34,961...
  
  

Western Flight Training Center

Now: Pinal Airpark

Pinal Airpark

Pinal Airpark is a county-owned, public-use airport located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Marana, in Pinal County, Arizona, United States....

 

• Ryan Field, Tucson
  Tucson, Arizona
  Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
  
  

Contract Flight Training

Today: Ryan Field Airport

Ryan Field Airport

Ryan Airfield , also known as Ryan Field Airport, is a public airport located 10 miles southwest of the central business district of Tucson, a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States...

 

Army Air Forces Training Command

• Thunderbird Field No 1
  Thunderbird Field
  Thunderbird Field was a military airfield in Glendale, Arizona, used for contract primary flight training of Allied pilots during World War II. Created in part by actor James Stewart, the field became part of the United States Army Air Forces training establishment just prior to American entry...
  
  , Glendale
  Glendale, Arizona
  Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
  
  

Contract Flight Training

Now: Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management is a private business school whose main campus is located in Glendale, Arizona. Founded in 1946 by retired U.S...

 (Non flying facility)

• Thunderbird Field No 2, Scottsdale
  Scottsdale, Arizona
  Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
  
  

Contract Flight Training

Now: Scottsdale Airport

Scottsdale Airport

Scottsdale Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located nine miles north of the central business district of Scottsdale, a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Although most U.S...

 

• Williams Army Airfield, 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Chandler
  Chandler, Arizona
  -Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
  
  

West Coast Training Center, 1942

Western Flight Training Center

389th Army Air Force Base Unit

Was Williams Air Force Base

Williams Air Force Base

Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in Mesa, and about southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993...

 (1947-1993)

Now: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport , formerly Williams Gateway Airport and Williams Air Force Base , is a commercial airport located in the southeastern area of the city of Mesa, Arizona, and southeast of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The airport is owned and operated by the...

 

• Yuma Army Airfield, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Yuma
  Yuma, Arizona
  Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
  
  

Western Flight Training Center

403d Army Air Force Base Unit

Was: Vincent Air Force Base (1951-1959)

Now: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma or MCAS Yuma is a United States Marine Corps air station which is the home to multiple squadrons of AV-8B Harrier IIs of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 and Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 , an air combat adversary...

.

Dateland Army Airfield

Dateland Army Airfield

Dateland Air Force Auxiliary Field is an abandoned military airfield located 40 miles east of Yuma, Arizona. It's last known military use was in 1957-World War II:...

, 40 miles East of Yuma

Yuma, Arizona

Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....

Sub-base of Yuma Army Airfield

Now: Airfield closed and abandoned.

Air Transport Command

• Coolidge Army Airfield, 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Coolidge
  Coolidge, Arizona
  Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 8,154.Arizona Highway 87 and Arizona Highway 287 pass through the town. Coolidge is 56 miles southeast of Phoenix, and 69 miles northwest of Tucson. It is 21 miles...
  
  

Now: Coolidge Municipal Airport

Coolidge Municipal Airport

Coolidge Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located five miles southeast of the central business district of Coolidge, a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States.-Facilities and aircraft:...

 

• Winslow Municipal Airport, Winslow
  Winslow, Arizona
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.1 people per square mile . There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile...
  
  

Now: Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport

Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport

Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Winslow, a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, which...

 

Fourth Air Force

• Davis-Monthan Field Army Airfield, Tucson
  Tucson, Arizona
  Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
  
  

32d Army Air Force Base Unit

Now: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....

.

Air Technical Service Command

• Tucson Army Airfield, Tucson
  Tucson, Arizona
  Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
  
  

Joint Use USAAF/Civil Airport

Now: Tucson International Airport

Tucson International Airport

Tucson International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located six miles south of the central business district of Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and is the second largest and busiest airport in Arizona, after Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.- Overview...

 and Tucson Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

 Base, home to the 162d Fighter Wing

162d Fighter Wing

The 162d Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit located at Tucson International Airport, near Tucson, Arizona.-Mission:The Air National Guard in Tucson is home to F-16 training for the U.S...

, Arizona Air National Guard

Arizona Air National Guard

The Arizona Air National Guard is the branch of the United States Air National Guard operating within the state of Arizona. It was founded by Barry Goldwater, and was integrated two years before President Truman's military integration order.-Units:...

Known Secondary Facilities

• Forrest Auxiliary Airfield #2 (6 mi (9.7 km) west-northwest of Douglas)
• Gila Bend Auxiliary Airfield #1 (15 mi (24.1 km) southwest of Gila Bend)
• Gila Bend Auxiliary Airfield #2 (18 mi (29 km) south-southwest of Gila Bend)
• Gila Bend Auxiliary Airfield #3 (8 mi (12.9 km) west-southwest of Gila Bend)
• Ernest Love Field
  Ernest A. Love Field
  Prescott Municipal Airport, Ernest A. Love Field is a city-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles north of the central business district of the City of Prescott, in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States...
  
   (8 mi (12.9 km) north-northeast of Prescott
  Prescott, Arizona
  Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
  
  )
• Laguna Army Airfield
  Laguna Army Airfield
  Laguna Army Airfield is a military airport located at Yuma Proving Ground, 12 nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Yuma, a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States.- Facilities :...
  
   (6 mi (9.7 km) northeast of the Laguna Diversion Dam
  Laguna Diversion Dam
  The Laguna Diversion Dam is an rock-fill diversion dam on the Colorado River. It is located 13 miles northeast of Winterhaven, CA–Yuma, AZ on Imperial County route S24...
  
  )
• McNeal Auxiliary Airfield #1 (Douglas)
• Safford Field
  Safford Regional Airport
  Safford Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles east of the central business district of Safford, a city in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, which...
  
   (6 mi (9.7 km) east-northeast of Safford
  Safford, Arizona
  - History :Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer...
  
  )
• Sahuarita Field (2 mi (3.2 km) east of Sahuarita
  Sahuarita, Arizona
  Sahuarita is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Sahuarita is located south of the Tohono O'odham Nation and abuts the north end of Green Valley, 15 miles south of Tucson...
  
  )
• Sky Harbor Airport
  Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
  Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States...
  
   (2 mi (3.2 km) east of Phoenix
  Phoenix, Arizona
  Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
  
  )
• Tucson Memorial Airport (6 mi (9.7 km) south of Tucson)
• Winslow Municipal Airport (2 mi (3.2 km) southwest of Winslow)

External links

• Arizona in World War II