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 opposin ...

, 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

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

for antisubmarine defense in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, 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 ...

and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF 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 air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...

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 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 ...

(ATC) or

Troop Carrier Command The I Troop Carrier Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, at Stout Field, Indiana, where it was disbanded in November 1945, and its resources transferred to IX Troop Carrier Com ...

operated a significant number of airfields in 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 The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.

Major Airfields

Third Air Force

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 ...

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

: 39th Army Air Force Base Unit : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Key Field Air National Guard Base *

Laurel Army Airfield Hesler-Noble Field is a public airport in Jones County, Mississippi. It is owned by Laurel Airport Authority and is three miles southwest of Laurel, Mississippi. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''ge ...

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

: 473d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron : Assigned to Air Technical Service Command, (1944-1946) : Now:

Hesler-Noble Field Hesler-Noble Field is a public airport in Jones County, Mississippi. It is owned by Laurel Airport Authority and is three miles southwest of Laurel, Mississippi. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''ge ...

Hattiesburg Army Airfield Hattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport in Forrest County, Mississippi is owned by the City of Hattiesburg and is five miles southeast of downtown. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''general avi ...

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

: 39th Army Air Force Base Unit : Assigned to Air Technical Service Command, (1942-1945) : Now: Hattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport

AAF Training Command

* Columbus Army Airfield, Columbus, Mississippi : Southeast Training Center, 1941 :

Eastern Flying Training Command Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command (EFTC) was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Army Air Forces Training Command, stationed at Maxwell Field, Alabama. It was inactivated on 15 December 1945. Hist ...

: 30th (Advanced Twin-Engine) Flying Training Wing : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Columbus Air Force Base Columbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Columbus, Mississippi. The host unit at Columbus AFB is the 14th Flying Training Wing (14 FTW), which is a part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The resident ...

: Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Columbus Auxiliary Field :: River Auxiliary Field :: Caledonia Auxiliary Field ::

Waterworks Auxiliary Field Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

Columbus Municipal Airport (Old) Columbus Municipal Airport may refer to: *Columbus Municipal Airport (Indiana) in Columbus, Indiana, United States (FAA: BAK, IATA: CLU) *Columbus Municipal Airport (New Mexico) Columbus Municipal Airport is an abandoned airport in New Mexico. ...

:: Vaughn Auxiliary Field :: Stinson Auxiliary Field :: Starkville Auxiliary Field * Greenville Army Airfield,

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. H ...

: Southeast Training Center, 1941 : Army Air Forces Pilot Training School (Basic) : 74th Army Air Force Base Unit : Assigned to Air Technical Service Command, (1945-1946) : Was: Greenville Air Force Base (1950-1965) : Contract Flying School* (1950-1953) : 3505th Pilot Training Wing (Basic, Single-Engine) (1953-1960) : Technical Training Center (1960-1965) : Now:

Mid Delta Regional Airport Greenville Mid-Delta Airport , operating as ''Mid Delta Regional Airport'' until 2011, is a public use airport in unincorporated Washington County, Mississippi, United States. It is located five nautical miles (6 mi, 9 km) northe ...

: Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Greenville Municipal Airport :: Indianola Auxiliary Field :: Walker Auxiliary Field *

Greenwood Army Airfield Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ...

, Greenwood : Eastern Flying Training Command : Army Air Forces Flying School (Basic) :

7th Basic Flying Training Group 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

: Reassigned to

(1945) : Now: Greenwood-Leflore Airport : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Paynes Auxiliary Field :: Oxberry Auxiliary Field ::

Avalon Auxiliary Field Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

:: Curger Auxiliary Field :: Tchula Auxiliary Field :: Greenwood Municipal Airport * Gulfport Army Airfield, Gulfport : Headquarters, Eastern Technical Training Command : Joint use with

(1944-1945) : Reopened as Gulfport Air Force Base (1951-1958) : Headquarters, Technical Training Air Force also Contract Flying School : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center is a United States Air Force training center, located at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, Mississippi. It is located north-northeast of Gulfport, Mississippi. Overview The Air National Guard C ...

: Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Gulfport Auxiliary Field :: Hancock County Airport * Keesler Army Airfield,

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

: Western Technical Training Command : Basic Training and Technical Training Center : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Keesler Air Force Base .* Greenville was designated as an "Air Base" by Air Training Command while operated as private contractor-operated training facilities in the 1950s.

AAF Contract Flying Schools

* Cleveland Army Airfield,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

: Eastern Flying Training Command : Contract Flying School:

Cleveland School of Aviation Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

: Now: Cleveland Municipal Airport *

Fletcher Field Fletcher Field is a public use airport in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is owned by the Coahoma County Airport Board and located seven nautical miles (13 km) northeast of the central business district of Clarksdale, ...

, Clarksdale : 2154th Air Base Unit : Contract Flying School: Clarksdale School of Aviation : Now:

: Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Clarksdale Auxiliary Field :: Ellis Auxiliary Field *

Jackson Army Air Base Hawkins Field is a joint civil-military public airport in Jackson, Mississippi. It is owned by the City of Jackson and operated by the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 call ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

: Contract Flying School: Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics : 35th Army Air Force Base Unit : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Jackson Air National Guard Base : Known sub-bases and auxiliaries :: Augustine Auxiliary Field :: Lee Auxiliary Field :: Ratiff Auxiliary Field ::

Sutherland Auxiliary Field Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caith ...

:: Forest Auxiliary Field :: Hinds County Airport :: Lime Prairie Auxiliary Field

Troop Carrier Command

* Grenada Army Airfield,

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

: 443d Air Force Base Unit : Now: Grenada Municipal Airport

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 - Mississippi

External links

{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II 01

United States World War II army airfields