During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of
Second Air ForceSecond Air Force is an intermediate echelon numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command. It is headquartered at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.-Overview:...
or the
Army Air Forces Training CommandAir 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 ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. 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 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
Air Education and Training CommandAir 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.
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During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of
Second Air ForceSecond Air Force is an intermediate echelon numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command. It is headquartered at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.-Overview:...
or the
Army Air Forces Training CommandAir 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 ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. 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 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
Air Education and Training CommandAir 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 ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. 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 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
installations and were front-line bases during the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.
Major Airfields
Proving Ground Command
- Dugway AAF, Tooele
Tooele is a city in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 22,502 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Tooele County...
- Now: Michael Army Airfield
Michael Army Airfield is a military airport located at the Dugway Proving Ground and owned by the United States Army. It is nine miles west of the central business district of Dugway, Tooele County, Utah, United States.- Facilities :...
- Part of:
Dugway Proving GroundDugway Proving Ground is a US Army facility located approximately 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah in southern Tooele County and just north of Juab County. It encompasses 801,505 acres of the Great Salt Lake Desert and is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges...
(United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
)
Air Technical Service Command
- Hill AAF, Clearfield
Clearfield is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 25,974 at the 2000 census. The city grew drastically during the 1940s, with the formation of Hill Air Force Base, and in the 1950s with the nation-wide increase in suburb and "bedroom" community populations and has been...
- 482d Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now:
Hill Air Force BaseHill Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in northern Utah, south of the city of Ogden, adjacent to the cities of Clearfield, Roy, Sunset and Layton and is approximately 29 miles north of Salt Lake City. The base is named in honor of Major Ployer Peter Hill, who died...
- Hinckley Field, Ogden
Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 81,605 according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a convenient...
- Sub-base of Hill AAF
- Now: Ogden-Hinckley Airport
Ogden-Hinckley Airport is a public airport located three miles southwest of the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, U.S. It is billed as "Utah's Busiest Municipal Airport" and was a filming location for the 1997 film Con Air....
- Salt Lake City AAB/APT, Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. Salt Lake City has a population of 181,698 as of July 1, 2008, making it the 125th largest city in the United States...
- 6th/20th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Joint Use USAAF/Civil Airport as freight terminal
- Now: Salt Lake City International Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...
Army Air Forces Training Command
- 363d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron
- Western Technical Training Command
- (Basic Training Center, Technical Training)
Second Air Force
- Assigned to Second Air Force, 1 Oct 1943
- Operational airfield of Kearns Army Air Base (AAFTC)
- Now: South Valley Regional Airport
South Valley Regional Airport is a public airport located in West Jordan, seven miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the primary general aviation airport in the area, to offload many flights from Salt Lake City International Airport, the larger, international airport nearby which is...
- Wendover AAF, Wendover
Wendover is a city in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,537 at the 2000 census, with a 2006 estimated population of 1,632....
- 315th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Was: Wendover Air Force Base
Wendover Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Utah now known as Wendover Airport. During World War II, it was a training base for B-17 and B-24 bomber crews before being deployed to the European and Pacific Theaters. It was also the training site of the 509th Composite Group,...
(1947-1965)
- Now: Wendover Airport
Wendover Airport is a public airport located one mile southeast of the central business district of Wendover, a city in Tooele County, Utah, USA.- History :...
- axils fields: (Delle AF Aux, Knolls CAA, Low Flight Strip)
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