Colorado World War II Army Airfields
Encyclopedia
Colorado World War II Army Airfields were major United States Army Air Force (USAAF) training centers for pilots and aircrews.
During World War II
these Colorado
airfields were under the command of Third Air Force
or the Army Air Forces Training Command
(AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day United States Air Force
Air Education and Training Command
). 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
installations and were front-line bases during the Cold War
. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.
The Colorado Aviation Historical Society
(CAHS) has an aviation archaeology
(AvAr) program that includes document research, site investigation, data gathering, and archiving of the history of these USAAF fields, as well as other abandon airfields throughout Colorado. AvAr researches, investigates, and archives the history and findings of military, commercial, and general aviation crash sites. It also includes old Lowry missile silos, and old navigational beacon.
Air Technical Service Command
Second Air Force
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...
these Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
airfields were under the command of Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
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.
The Colorado Aviation Historical Society
Colorado Aviation Historical Society
The Colorado Aviation Historical Society is located in Denver, Colorado and founded in 1966. CAHS home is at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum...
(CAHS) has an aviation archaeology
Aviation archaeology
Aviation archaeology is a recognized sub-discipline within archaeology and underwater archaeology as a whole. It is an activity practiced by both enthusiasts and academics in pursuit of finding, documenting, recovering, and preserving sites important in aviation history...
(AvAr) program that includes document research, site investigation, data gathering, and archiving of the history of these USAAF fields, as well as other abandon airfields throughout Colorado. AvAr researches, investigates, and archives the history and findings of military, commercial, and general aviation crash sites. It also includes old Lowry missile silos, and old navigational beacon.
Major Airfields
Army Air Forces Flying Training Command (1942)- Buckley Field AAF, AuroraAurora, ColoradoCity of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
- Western Technical Training Command
- 336th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now:
Buckley Air Force BaseBuckley Air Force BaseBuckley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado, that was established by the U.S. Army in 1943. The base was named in honor of the World War I Army pilot 1LT John Harold Buckley.-Overview:...
- Lowry AFB, DenverDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
- Lowry AFB, Denver
- Western Technical Training Command
- 22d Army Air Force Base Unit
- Was Lowry Air Force BaseLowry Air Force BaseLowry Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the cities of Aurora and Denver, Colorado. Its primary mission throughout its existence was Air Force technical training and was heavily involved with the training of United States Army Air Forces bomber crews during World...
(1938-1994) with Lowry Technical Training Center - Now: Part of Denver urbanized area.
- Remains: Air Reserve Personnel CenterAir Reserve Personnel CenterThe Air Reserve Personnel Center manages personnel records for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve and it is located at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado....
and Defense Finance and Accounting ServiceDefense Finance and Accounting ServiceThe Defense Finance and Accounting Service is an agency of the United States Department of Defense that provides finance and accounting services for the civil and military members of the Department. Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, it was activated on Jan. 18, 1991...
- Colorado Springs/Peterson Field, AAF Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
- Colorado Springs/Peterson Field, AAF Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Western Technical Training Command
- 373d Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: Peterson Air Force BasePeterson Air Force BasePeterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...
- Leadville AF AuxLeadville Army AirfieldLeadville Army Airfield is an abandoned World War II airfield located 2 miles northwest of Leadville, Colorado.- History :The airfield was opened as Leadville Municipal Airport sometime prior to World War II, and possibly in 1943 it was taken over by the United States Army Air Force Third Air Force...
, LeadvilleLeadville, ColoradoLeadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
- Leadville AF Aux
- Emergency Landing Airfield
- Now: no trace of facility. Completely returned to natural state.
Air Technical Service Command
- Stapleton Field/Denver MAPStapleton International AirportStapleton International Airport was Denver, Colorado's primary airport from 1929 to 1995. At different times it served as a hub for TWA, People Express, Frontier Airlines and Western Airlines as well as a hub for Continental Airlines and United Airlines at the time of its closure.In 1995 Stapleton...
, DenverDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
- Used as a maintenance / supply depot
- Stapleton closed in 1995 and redeveloped as urban area.
Second Air Force
- La Junta AAF, La JuntaLa Junta, ColoradoThe City of La Junta is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,568 at the U.S. Census 2000. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado east of Pueblo.-History:During...
- 402d Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: La Junta Municipal AirportLa Junta Municipal AirportLa Junta Municipal Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles north of the central business district of La Junta, in Otero County, Colorado, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of La Junta.Although most U.S...
- Pueblo AAF, ColoradoPueblo, ColoradoPueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
- Pueblo AAF, Colorado
- 360th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: Pueblo Memorial AirportPueblo Memorial AirportPueblo Memorial Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located five miles east of the central business district of Pueblo, a city in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline. The Pueblo Airport is a popular...
Known auxiliary facilities
- Arlington Auxiliary Army Air Field #4 (3 mi east of ArlingtonArlington, ColoradoArlington is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Kiowa County, Colorado, United States. The ZIP Code of the Arlington Post Office is 81021.-History:The town of Arlington was established by the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1887...
)
- Used as an auxiliary field of La Junta AAF.
- Las Animas Auxiliary Army Air Field #2 (19 mi northeast of La Junta)
- Used as an auxiliary field of La Junta AAF.
- Rocky Ford Auxiliary Army Air Field #1 (14 miles norhwest of La Junta)
- Used as an auxiliary field of La Junta AAF.
See also
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
- United States Army Air Force