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 U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

for training fighter and bomber pilots and aircrews. Most of the 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 U.S. Army Air Forces Training Command (USAAFTC), present-day

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

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 ...

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 Force Training Command
Southeast Training Center/AAF Eastern Flying Training Command * Blytheville Army Air Field, 3 miles north of Blytheville : Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School (Two Engine) / Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced, Two Engine); 3 May 1942-31 May 1945 : 326th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 21 July 1942-30 April 1944 : 2111th Army Air Forces Base Unit; 1 May 1944-16 June 1945 : Became Blytheville Air Force Base / Eaker Air Force Base (1951-1992) : Now: Arkansas International Airport (1992-Present) * Newport Army Air Field, 6 miles northeast of Newport : Army Air Forces Basic Flying School/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic); 1 November 1942-30 April 1944 : 337th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 24 November 1942-30 April 1944 : Later: Marine Corps Air Facility Newport : Now: Newport Municipal Airport (M19) * Stuttgart Army Air Field, 5 miles north of Stuttgart : Army Air Forces Advanced Flying School (Two Engine)/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced, Two Engine); 20 September 1942-7 February 1945 : 426th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 20 September 1942-30 April 1944 : 2141st Army Air Forces Base Unit (AAFEFTC); 1 May 1944-7 February 1945 : 314th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Third AF); 7 February 1945-8 December 1945 : Now:

Stuttgart Municipal Airport : ''for the airport's World War II history, see Stuttgart Army Airfield (Arkansas), Stuttgart Army Airfield'' Stuttgart Municipal Airport is in Prairie County, Arkansas, Prairie County, Arkansas. It is eight miles north of Stuttgart, Arkansas, St ...

(SGT) * Walnut Ridge Army Air Field, 4 miles north of Walnut Ridge : Army Air Forces Basic Flying School/Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic); 15 August 1942-1 September 1944 : 323th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 25 August 1942-30 April 1944 : Later:

Marine Corps Air Facility Walnut Ridge : ''See Also: Walnut Ridge Air Force Station'' Marine Corps Air Facility Walnut Ridge is a former United States Army and United States Marine Corps airfield in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. After it was closed, it was turned into Walnut Ridge Regio ...

: Now:

Walnut Ridge Regional Airport Walnut Ridge Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) northeast of the central business district of Walnut Ridge, a city in Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States. According to the FAA's Na ...

(ARG) * Adams Field, 4 miles east of

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

: (Joint use USAAF/Civil Airport) : 12th Ferrying Service Detachment/12th Ferrying Service Station; 1 December 1943-31 March 1944 : 581st Army Air Forces Base Unit (12th Ferrying Service Station); 31 March 1944-20 September 1945 : Now:

Clinton National Airport Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport , also known as Adams Field, is a joint civil-military airport on the east side of Little Rock, Arkansas.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective December 30, 2021. It is operated by the Little Rock ...

* Grider Field, 5 miles east of Pine Bluff : Pine Bluff School of Aviation : 312th Flying Training Detachment : Now: Pine Bluff Regional Airport

Known Secondary Facilities

*Carlisle (26 mi. NW Stuttgart) *Cooter (10 mi. NE Blytheville) * Erwin Auxiliary Army Airfield (near Newport) *Hazen (19 mi. NNW Stuttgart) * Hope Army Air Field (3 mi. NE Hope) *Manila (13 mi. W Blytheville) *Praireville (8 mi. SE Stuttgart) *Steele (12 mi. N Blytheville) * Ridge Army Air Base (4 mi. NE Walnut Ridge)

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 . {{Authority control

01 Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the United States by state

American Theater of World War II United States World War II army airfields