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

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

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

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

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 Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

). 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 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

Proving Ground Command * Dugway Army Air Field,

Tooele Tooele ( ) is a city in Tooele County in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 35,742 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Tooele County. Located approximately 30 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, Tooele is known for Tooele Army ...

: Now:

United States Department of the Army Seal

Michael Army Airfield Michael Army Airfield (MAAF) is a military airport located at the Dugway Proving Ground and owned by the United States Army. It is west of the proving grounds barracks at Dugway, Tooele County, Utah, United States. Overview Michael Army Airfie ...

:: Part of:

Dugway Proving Ground Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a U.S. Army facility established in 1942 to test biological and chemical weapons, located about southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, and south of the Utah Test and Training Range. Location Dugway P ...

(

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

) Air Technical Service Command * Hill Field, ClearfieldMueller, pp. 237-242 : Ogden Air Depot, 12 January 1939-3 January 1955 : 482nd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 2 January 1943-1 April 1944 : 4135th Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 April 1944-28 August 1948 : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...

: And:

Ogden Air Logistics Center The Ogden Air Logistics Complex (OO-ALC) performs programmed depot maintenance on a number of US Air Force weapon systems. Specifically it supports A-10 Thunderbolt II, B-2 Spirit, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and LGM-30G Minuteman III systems. Addi ...

:: Hinckley Field, Ogden :: Sub-base of Hill AAF :: Now: Ogden-Hinckley Airport Army Air Forces Training Command *

Kearns Army Air Base South Valley Regional Airport is a public airport located in West Jordan, southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Established as a Utah World War II army airfield, it is the primary general aviation airport in the area and is a Uta ...

: Army Air Forces Replacement Training Center/Army Air Forces Basic Training Center No.5, 1 May 1942-30 September 1943 : Army Air Forces Overseas Replacement Depot, 20 July 1942-30 April 1944 : Assigned to Second Air Force, 1 October 1943 : 363rd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, 1 October 1943-24 March 1944 : 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, southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Established as a Utah World War II army airfield, it is the primary general aviation airport in the area and is a Uta ...

* Salt Lake City AAB/APT,

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

: Joint Use USAAF/Civil Airport as freight terminal : Now:

Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-minu ...

: And:

Salt Lake City Air National Guard Base Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-minut ...

* Wendover Field,

Wendover, Utah Wendover is a city on the western edge of Tooele County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,115 at the 2020 census. Description Wendover is on the western border of Utah and is contiguous with West Wendover, Nevada. Interstate 80 runs j ...

: 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. It was the training site of the 509th Composite Group, the B- ...

(1947-1965) : Now:

Wendover Airport Wendover Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district of Wendover, city on the western edge of Tooele County, Utah, United States. Description The air ...

:: Auxiliary fields: (Delle AF Aux , Knolls CAA ,

Low Flight Strip Low Flight Strip is an abandoned military airfield located approximately west of the ghost town of Low, Utah. History This was one of the many Flight Strips which were built by the USAAF during World War II for the emergency use of military airc ...

) ::: Note: Delle was reported to have had an "asterisk" type layout, runways under 2000' in length. Aux to Wendover AAF and to Salt Lake City AAB. Later taken over by a private person and some remains can be seen. Two of the runways were paved by the new owner and can be seen still. It has been reported that occasionally aircraft have been seen there, assume private and uncharted and unlisted. No other data on this field exists. Status assumed closed. ::: Note: Knolls was a 3000x3000' all way field; clay. used by Wendover as an Aux for light aircraft (e.g.L4). Some indications that a few P-47 ops took place as well

References

* * * * 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 - Utah

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Utah World War Ii Army Airfields 01 Military history of Utah

Formerly Used Defense Sites in Utah United States World War II army airfields