Summary
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Washington for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Washington World War II Army Airfields | |
|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |
  Bellingham AAF Ephrata AAF Geiger AAF Felts Field McChord AAF Olympia AAF Paine AAF Walla Walla AAF Port Townsend AAF Boeing Field Ellensburg AAF Moses Lake AAF Spokane AAF Yakima AB Gray AAF Port Angeles AAF class=notpageimage| Map Of Washington World War II Army Airfields | |
| Type | Army Airfields |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940-1944 |
| In use | 1940--present |
Most of these airfields were under the command of Second 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.
Major airfields edit
Army Air Force Training Command
- Yakima Air Base, Yakima
- Joint use USAAF/Civil Airport
- Contract Flying School
- Now: Yakima Air Terminal (IATA: YKM, ICAO: KYKM)
Air Transport Command
- 302d Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now:
Gray Army Airfield, active Army Airfield which supports Fort Lewis.
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Air Technical Service Command
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Second Air Force
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References edit
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Pictorial Histories Pub . ISBN 1-57510-051-7
- Military Airfields in World War II - Washington airfieldsdatabase.com