Oklahoma World War II Army Airfields
Encyclopedia
During World War II
, the United States Army Air Forces
(AAF) established numerous airfields in Oklahoma
for training pilots and aircrews of AAF fighters and bombers or as major maintenance and supply centers.
Most of these 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 other AAF commands, including Second Air Force
, Air Technical Service Command (ATSC) and Air Transport Command
(ATC) commanded 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.
Air Technical Service Command
Second Air Force
Third Air Force
Air Transport Command
Note: Clinton-Sherman AFB, originally Clinton Naval Air Station, was acquired by the U. S. Navy
in 1942. It was on 15 September 1954, that the USAF leased the site from the City of Clinton to be used as an Air Force Base.
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 Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
(AAF) established numerous airfields in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
for training pilots and aircrews of AAF fighters and bombers or as major maintenance and supply centers.
Most of these 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 other AAF commands, including Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The 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....
, Air Technical Service Command (ATSC) and Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
(ATC) commanded 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- Altus Army Airfield, AltusAltus, OklahomaAltus is a city in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County....
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2508th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now:
Altus Air Force BaseAltus Air Force BaseAltus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-northeast of Altus, Oklahoma.The host unit at Altus AFB is the 97th Air Mobility Wing , assigned to the Nineteenth Air Force of the Air Education and Training Command...
- Chickasha Field, ChickashaChickasha, OklahomaChickasha is a city in and the county seat, business and employment center of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,850 at the 2000 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and hosts an annual Festival of Light celebration located at...
- Chickasha Field, Chickasha
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2549th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Cimmaron Field, Cimmaron
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2508th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Enid Army Airfield, EnidEnid, OklahomaEnid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
- Enid Army Airfield, Enid
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2518th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: Vance Air Force BaseVance Air Force BaseVance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 6 km south of downtown Enid, Oklahoma, and within its city limits, about north northwest of Oklahoma City...
- Frederick Army Airfield, FrederickFrederick, OklahomaFrederick is a city in Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tillman County. This is an agriculture based community primarily with wheat, cotton, and cattle....
- Frederick Army Airfield, Frederick
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2520th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: Frederick Municipal AirportFrederick Municipal Airport (Oklahoma)Frederick Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Frederick, a city in Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States...
- Hatbox Field, MuskogeeMuskogee, OklahomaMuskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
- Hatbox Field, Muskogee
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2557th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Miami Municipal Airport, MiamiMiami, OklahomaMiami is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. As of 2009, the population estimate was 12,910. It is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is named after the Miami tribe...
- Miami Municipal Airport, Miami
- AAF Central Flying Training Command
- 2556th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: Miami Municipal AirportMiami Municipal AirportMiami Municipal Airport is a public airport located within city limits approximately north-northwest of central Miami, Oklahoma. It provides general aviation service.-History:The airport was opened during December 1937...
- Mustang Field, El RenoEl Reno, OklahomaEl Reno is a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States, in the central part of the state. A part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area, El Reno is west of downtown Oklahoma City...
- Mustang Field, El Reno
- Central Flying Training Command
- 2554th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: El Reno Regional AirportEl Reno Regional AirportEl Reno Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles southwest of the central business district of El Reno, a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is categorized as...
- Ponca City Airport, Ponca CityPonca City, OklahomaPonca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
- Ponca City Airport, Ponca City
- Central Flying Training Command
- 323d Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment
- Now: Ponca City Regional AirportPonca City Regional AirportPonca City Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Ponca City, in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation...
Air Technical Service Command
- Tinker Field, Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
- 4136th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: Tinker Air Force BaseTinker Air Force BaseTinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
Second Air Force
- Ardmore Army Airfield, ArdmoreArdmore, OklahomaArdmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...
- 222d Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: Ardmore Municipal AirportArdmore Municipal AirportArdmore Municipal Airport , also known as Ardmore Industrial Airpark, is a general aviation airport located 10 miles northeast of the central business district of Ardmore, cities in Carter County, Oklahoma, United States....
Third Air Force
- Muskogee Army Airfield, MuskogeeMuskogee, OklahomaMuskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
- 349th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Was: Davis FieldDavis FieldDavis Field may refer to:* Davis Field , an airport in Folkston, Georgia, United States * Davis Field , an airport in Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States...
(Now Closed)- Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
- Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City
- Joint Use USAAF/Civil Airport
- 348th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now Will Rogers World AirportWill Rogers World AirportWill Rogers World Airport , also known as Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is located in southwestern Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 6 miles from downtown and is the principal commercial airport of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area...
- Woodward AAF
- 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....
until 1944 - Sub-field of Will Rogers Field
- 354th Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: West Woodward AirportWest Woodward AirportWest Woodward Airport is a general aviation airport, located west of the City of Woodward, Oklahoma downtown business district....
Air Transport Command
- Tulsa Municipal Airport, TulsaTulsa, OklahomaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
- 582d Army Air Forces Base Unit
- Now: Tulsa International AirportTulsa International AirportTulsa International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located five miles northeast of downtown Tulsa, a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was originally named Tulsa Municipal Airport, when the city acquired it in 1929...
Note: Clinton-Sherman AFB, originally Clinton Naval Air Station, was acquired by the U. S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1942. It was on 15 September 1954, that the USAF leased the site from the City of Clinton to be used as an Air Force Base.