Michigan World War II Army Airfields
Encyclopedia
During World War II
, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Michigan
for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of First 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.
Troop Carrier Command
First Air Force
Army Air Force Training Command
Air Transport Command
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 Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
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
Air Technical Service Command- Alpena AAF, AlpenaAlpena, MichiganAlpena is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Alpena County. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is located in the city. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census...
- 100th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: Alpena County Regional AirportAlpena County Regional Airport-Top Destinations:- External links :* , official site* from USGS The National Map...
- Kinross AAF, Kinross
- Sub-base of Alpena AAF
- Was: Kinross Air Force Base (1947-1959)
- Was: Kincheloe Air Force Base (1959-1977)
- Now: Chippewa County International AirportChippewa County International AirportChippewa County International Airport is a public use airport in Chippewa County, Michigan, United States. It is located 15 nautical miles south of the central business district of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The airport is owned by the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation...
- Raco AAF, Raco
- Sub-base of Alpena AAF
- Was: Used by Michigan National Guard and by
Kincheloe AFB as a BOMARC missile site. Closed 1972. - Now: Non-aviation use
Old runways used for automotive testing.- Grayling AAFGrayling Army AirfieldGrayling Army Airfield is a public/military use airport located one nautical mile northwest of the central business district of Grayling, in Crawford County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by United States Army...
, GraylingGrayling, MichiganGrayling is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Crawford County. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. Grayling takes its name from the Grayling fish that was once prevalent in its lakes and streams....
- Grayling AAF
- Now Active United States Army airfield, part of Camp GraylingCamp GraylingCamp Grayling, near Grayling, is located primarily in Crawford County, Michigan, and spreads over three counties. Camp Grayling is the main training facility for the Michigan National Guard and is the largest National Guard training facility in the nation....
- Tri-City AAF, SaginawSaginaw, MichiganSaginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
- Tri-City AAF, Saginaw
- Now: MBS International AirportMBS International AirportMBS International Airport is located in Freeland, Michigan, serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. It was formerly named Tri City Airport or Freeland Tri-City Airport...
Troop Carrier Command
- Kellog AAF, Battle CreekBattle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
- Troop Carrier Training
- 321st Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: W. K. Kellogg Regional Airport
First Air Force
- Selfridge AAF, Mt. Clemens
- 4th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Was Selfridge Air Force Base (1947-1971)
- Now:
Selfridge Air National Guard Base (1971-Pres)
- Oscoda AAF, OscodaOscoda, MichiganOscoda is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan located on the northern side of the Au Sable River where it enters Lake Huron. The community of Au Sable is on the other side of the river. Oscoda is in Oscoda Township in Iosco County, and not in Oscoda County, which is to the...
- 524th Army Air Force Base Unit (Reduced)
- Sub-base of Selfridge AAF
- Was: Oscoda Air Force Base (1947-1953)
- Was: Wurtsmith Air Force BaseWurtsmith Air Force BaseWurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The former base includes located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron in the Charter Township of Oscoda, bordered by Van Ettan Lake, the Au Sable State...
(1953-1993) - Now: Oscoda-Wurtsmith AirportOscoda-Wurtsmith AirportOscoda-Wurtsmith Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Oscoda, an unincorporated community in Iosco County, Michigan, United States...
Army Air Force Training Command
- Willow Run AirportWillow Run AirportWillow Run Airport is an airport located in Van Buren Charter Township and in Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation clients...
, Ypsilanti, MichiganYpsilanti, MichiganYpsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
- Eastern Technical Training Command
- 484th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: Public Airport
Also home of the Yankee Air MuseumYankee Air MuseumThe Yankee Air Museum is an aviation museum located near Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. The museum has a small fleet of flying aircraft and a collection of static display aircraft outdoors.-History:...
Air Transport Command
- Romulus AAF, DetroitDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
- 3d Ferrying Group
- 345th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Joint Use USAAF/Civil Airport
- Now: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
See also
- Naval Air Station Grosse IleNaval Air Station Grosse IleNaval Air Station Grosse Ile was a Naval air station located on the southern tip of Grosse Ile, Michigan. It operated from 1927 until late 1969, and is now a township airport. During World War II NASGI was one of the largest primary flight training stations for Naval aviators, and RAF pilots...