During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF) established numerous airfields in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

for antisubmarine defense in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

and for training pilots and aircrews of AAF fighters and bombers. Most of these airfields were under the command of

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in ...

or the

Army Air Forces Training Command The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Corp ...

(AAFTC) (a predecessor of the current-day

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine List of major commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was establis ...

). 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

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

Third Air Force

* Demopolis Army Air Field, west-southwest of

Demopolis Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the time of the 2020 United States census, down from 7,483 at the 2010 census. The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and T ...

: Detachment, 39th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron : Auxiliary of

Key Field Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airp ...

, Mississippi : Now: Demopolis Municipal Airport * Camp Sibert Army Air Field, west-southwest of Gadsden : Support of The Chemical Warfare Service,

Camp Sibert Camp Sibert was a U.S. Army chemical weapons training facility in Etowah County, Alabama, and St. Clair County, Alabama, during the World War II era. Covering 32,000 acres, it was acquired by the Army in 1942. The site has been redeveloped, includi ...

: Now: Northeast Alabama Regional Airport

AAF Training Command

AAF Eastern Flying Training Command * Courtland Army Air Field, southwest of Courtland : Army Air Forces Basic Flying School/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic)/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Special, 4-Engine), 14 December 1942-30 June 1945 : 446th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron 19 December 1942-30 April 1944 : 2115th Army Air Force Base Unit 1 May 1944-1 November 1945 : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Danville Auxiliary Field :: Trinity Auxiliary Field :: Bay Auxiliary Field :: Leighton Auxiliary Field :: Muscle Shoals Auxiliary Field : Now: Courtland Airport *

Craig Field Craig Field (born 12 December 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. Field played for South Sydney Rabbitohs, South Sydney, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Balmain Tigers and Wests Tigers. His primary position was at . ...

, southeast of

Selma Selma may refer to: Places *Selma, Algeria *Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada *Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons United States: *Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches *Selma, Arkansas *Selma, Cali ...

: Air Corps Advanced Flying School (Single Engine)/Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School (Single Engine)/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced, Single Engine) 16 December 1940-15 December 1945 : 57th Air Base Squadron/57th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron 16 December 1940-30 April 1944 : 2138th Army Air Force Base Unit (Pilot School, Advanced, Single Engine) 1 May 1944-15 December 1945 :

Free French Air Force The Free French Air Forces (french: Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free Fre ...

pilot training : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Anniston Army Air Field :: Selma Auxiliary Field (Selfield) :: Furniss Auxiliary Field :: Henderson Auxiliary Field :: Mollette Auxiliary Field :: Autaugaville Auxiliary Field : Later:

Craig Air Force Base Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Alabama, was a U.S. Air Force undergraduate pilot training (UPT) installation that closed in 1977. Today the facility is a civilian airport known as Craig Field Airport and Industrial Complex (ICAO: KSEM; FAA: ...

(1947-1977) : Now: Craig Field Airport *

Gunter Field Gunter Annex is a United States Air Force installation located in the North-northeast suburbs of Montgomery, Alabama. The base is named after former Montgomery mayor William Adams Gunter. Until 1992 it was known as Gunter Air Force Base or Gu ...

, northeast of Montgomery : Air Corps Basic Flying School/Army Air Forces Basic Flying School/ Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic), 8 August 1940-10 September 1945 : 58th Air Base Squadron/58th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 3 October 1940-30 April 1944 : 2131st Army Air Forces Base Unit (Pilot School, Basic) 1 May 1944-13 December 1945 : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: McLemore Auxiliary Field :: Elmore Auxiliary Field :: Mount Meigs Auxiliary Field :: Taylor Field :: Dannelly Auxiliary Field ::: Now: Roundel of the USAF

Montgomery Air National Guard Base Montgomery Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Alabama Air National Guard 187th Fighter Wing. History The base has previously been known as Gunter Army Airfield Auxiliary #6 and is still sometimes known as Dannelly Field. The roots ...

and

Montgomery Regional Airport Montgomery Regional Airport (Dannelly Field) is a civil-military airport seven miles southwest of Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. Owned by the Montgomery Airport Authority, it is used for general aviation and military aviation, and sees tw ...

:: Deatsville Auxiliary Field : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Gunter Annex (Non-flying USAF facility) *

Maxwell Field Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

, west of Montgomery : Air Corps Tactical School, 15 July 1931-13 May 1942 : Hq, Southeast Air Corps Training Center/Hq, Southeast Army Air Forces Training Center/Hq, Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command, 1 September 1940-1 June 1946 : Air Corps Replacement Center (Pilot)/Air Corps Replacement Training Center (Aircrew)/Army Air Forces Pre-flight School (Pilot), 21 February 1941-1 December 1944 : 14th Air Base Squadron/14th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 1 September 1940-30 April 1944 : 2132nd Army Air Forces Base Unit, 1 May 1944-15 December 1945 : Headquarters, Air University : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Passmore Auxiliary Field :: Troy Auxiliary Field :: Autaugaville Auxiliary Field : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Maxwell Air Force Base * Napier Field, northwest of Dothan : Air Corps Advanced Flying School (Single Engine)/Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School (Single Engine)/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced, Single Engine), 30 November 1941-19 October 1945 : 73d Air Base Squadron/73rd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 30 November 1941-30 April 1944 : 2116th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Pilot School, Advanced, Single Engine), 1 May 1944-January 1946 : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Ozark Army Air Field :::: Now: Roundel of the USAF

Cairns Army Airfield Cairns Army Airfield is a military airport forming a part of Fort Rucker, in Dale County, Alabama, USA, and is owned by the United States Army. The airfield is south of the town of Daleville, which sits between it and the main post. History ...

:: Wiksburg Auxiliary Field :: Dothan Auxiliary Field :: Headland Auxiliary Field :: Goldberg Auxiliary Field :: Hyman Auxiliary Field : Now:

Dothan Regional Airport Dothan Regional Airport is a public airport in Dale County, Alabama, United States, seven miles northwest of Dothan, a city mostly in Houston County. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''primary co ...

* Tuskegee Army Air Field, northwest of Tuskegee : Army Air Forces Flying School (Basic-Advanced)/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic-Advanced), July 1942-14 April 1946 : Base Detachment/318th Air Base Squadron/318 Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 10 November 1941-30 April 1944 : 2143rd Army Air Forces Base Unit (Pilot School, Basic-Advanced), 1 May 1944-14 April 1946 : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Griel Auxiliary Field :: Shorter Auxiliary Field : Note: See Moton Field for

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, commemorates the contributions of African-American airmen in World War II. Moton Field was the site of primary flight training for the pioneering pilots known as the Tusk ...

: Now: Sharpe Field

Contract Flying Schools

Bates Field Mobile Regional Airport is a public/military airport west of Mobile, in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The airport is owned and operated by the Mobile Airport Authority, a self-funded entity that receives no local tax dollars. The Na ...

, west of

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

: Contract Pilot School, Glider, 6 July 1942-15 February 1943 : 533rd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 25 May 1943-1 April 1944 : 4120th Army Air Forces Base Unit, 1 April 1944-2 April 1945 : Under Contract to: Waterman Airlines : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: St Elmo Auxiliary Field : Later: Sub-Base of Brookley Field (ATC) : Now:

Mobile Regional Airport Mobile Regional Airport is a public/military airport west of Mobile, in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The airport is owned and operated by the Mobile Airport Authority, a self-funded entity that receives no local tax dollars. The N ...

and :

Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile * Decatur Field, northwest of Decatur : Operated by 65th AAF Flying Training Detachment (Primary) : Under Contract to:

Southern Airways Southern Airways was a regional airline (known at the time as a "local-service air carrier" as designated by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) in the United States, from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979, when it merged with ...

: Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Harris Station Auxiliary Field :: Anderson Auxiliary Field :: Beaver Dam Auxiliary Field :: Poole Auxiliary Field :: Tanner Auxiliary Field : Now:

Pryor Field Regional Airport Pryor Field Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business district of Decatur and south of Athens, in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. It is owned by Decatur/Athens Airport Auth ...

Roberts Field Airport Redmond Municipal Airport (Roberts Field) is in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is owned and operated by the city of Redmond, Oregon. It is the main commercial airport in Central Oregon, with nonstop scheduled passenger airline f ...

, west of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

: Contract Glider Training : Later: Auxiliary of Birmingham Army Air Field (ATC) : Now: Industrial site * Hargrove Van de Graaft Airport, northwest of

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

: Operated by 51st AAF Flying Training Detachment (Primary) : Under Contract to: Alabama Institute of Aeronautics : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Albright Auxiliary Field :: Foster Auxiliary Field :: Knauer Auxiliary Field :: Moody Auxiliary Field :: Rice Auxiliary Field : Now: Tuscaloosa Regional Airport * Moton Field, northwest of Tuskegee : Operated by 66th AAF Flying Training Detachment (Primary) : Under contract to Tuskegee Institute : Known sub-bases and Auxiliaries :: Calabee Flight Strip :: Hardaway Auxiliary Field :: Kennedy Auxiliary Field : Now:

: Now:

Moton Field Municipal Airport Moton Field Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles (3.5 mi, 5.6 km) north of the central business district of Tuskegee, a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. The airport is owned by the City ...

Air Technical Service Command

* Birmingham Army Air Field, northeast of

: 310th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 27 May 1942-17 April 1944 : 4139th Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 May 1945-unknown date : Joint USAAF/Civil Use : Also used by

and

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

: Now:

Birmingham Air National Guard Base * Brookley Field, south of

. : Mobile Air Depot Control Area/Mobile Air Service Command/Mobile Air Technical Service Command/Mobile Air Materiel Area, 1 February 1943-30 June 1968 : 480th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 1 January 1943-1 April 1944 : 4119th Army Air Force Base Unit/4119th Air Force Base Unit, 1 April 1944-28 August 1948 : Also used by

: Was:

Brookley Air Force Base : ''For the civil use of Brookley AFB after 1969, see: Mobile Downtown Airport'' Brookley Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Mobile, Alabama. After it closed in 1969, it became what is now known as the Mobile Aero ...

(1948-1969) : Now:

Mobile Downtown Airport Mobile International Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) south of the central business district of Mobile, a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The airport is a principal component of the Mobi ...

Minor Airfields

* Fort McClellan Army Air Field, north-northeast of Anniston : US Army Support : Now: Abandoned * Huntsville Arsenal Army Air Field, southwest of Huntsville : US Army Support : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Redstone Army Airfield Redstone Army Airfield or Redstone AAF is a military airport located at Redstone Arsenal, six miles (10 km) southwest of the city of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States. The airfield was originally constructed for munitions te ...

Chilton CAA Intermediate Field Chilton may refer to: People ;Surname * Chilton (surname) ;Given name * Chilton Allan (1786-1858), American lawyer and politician * Chilton C. Baker (1874-1967), American politician * Charles Chilton Moore * Chilton Price * Joseph Chilton P ...

, northeast of Clanton : Undetermined USAAF Use : Now: Chilton County Airport * Thomas C. Russell Field, south-southwest of

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

: Undetermined USAAF Use * Weedon Field, north-northeast of Eufaula : Undetermined USAAF Use

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Pictorial Histories Pub .
Military Airfields in World War II - Alabama

External links

{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II 01 World War II Army Airfields World War II Army Airfields World War II Army Airfields United States World War II army airfields Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the United States by state