Nevada World War II Army airfields

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Nevada for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.

Nevada World War II Army Airfields
Part of World War II
Las Vegas AAF
Indian Springs APT
Reno AAB
Tonopah AAB
Map Of Nevada World War II Army Airfields
TypeArmy Airfields
Site history
Built1940-1944
In use1940-present

Most of these airfields were under the command of Fourth 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 (such as Derby Field, near Lovelock), some were returned to agriculture or simply abandoned to decay and return to desert, 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

Army Air Forces Training Command
Western Flight Training Command

AAC Gunnery School, 1941
AAF West Coast Training Center
70th Army Air Force Base Unit
Now: Nellis Air Force Base
Indian Springs Airport, Indian Springs
Sub-base of Las Vegas AAF
Was: Indian Springs Air Force Base (1951-1961)
Was: Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field (1961-2005)
Now: Creech Air Force Base (2005-Present)

Air Technical Service Command

Part of Sacramento Air Service Command
381st Army Air Force Base Unit
Later Stead Air Force Base (Air Training Command base, closed 1966)
Now: Reno Stead Airport (FAA LID: 4SD)

Fourth Air Force

413th Army Air Force Base Unit
Now: Tonopah Airport (IATA: TPH, ICAO: KTPH)
John J Pogchampus Airfield

Map of airfields
WWII Nevada military sites included Army Airfields (red) such as Las Vegas AAF (airplane symbol) and Army/Navy ranges (black)[1] such as Aerial Gunnery Range No. 4,[2] Pyramid Torpedo Dropping Range, and the Lovelock Aerial Gunnery Range (yellow indicates Indian Springs auxiliary fields).

References
  1. Archive Search Report: Dixie Valley Bombing Target No. 21 (Report). World War II Navy pilots at Fallon AAS also used ranges at Black Rock, Sahwave, Lovelock Gunnery Range, Pyramid Lake (torpedo bombing range) and Bravo 19 in the Blow Sand Mountains
  2. "List of [FUDS] Sites…". CorpsFUDS.org. Archived from the original (sorted database query list) on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  • 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 - Nevada


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