United States Army Air Forces Modification Centers were
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
facilities at which military aircraft underwent post-production changes in order to modify or install equipment needed for specific roles or theaters of operation. The majority of newly produced combat aircraft were channeled to the modification centers immediately after leaving the production facility, and before departing to the active theaters of war. The use of modification centers avoided disruption to the production lines to incorporate continuous improvements or other changes to the aircraft design. They were the only "set of field installations" constructed for
Material Command. Modification Centers were for:
:"the tailoring job of the AAF which fills the gap between the time we decide on an alteration of a plan and the time the factory can incorporate the change into production. To modification centers, operated by contract by commercial airline companies and manufacturers, go most of our airplanes before shipment overseas. Here they are modernized with the newest equipment available. Planes also are dressed up or stripped down according to the military requirements and weather conditions of the theater for which they are destined. Modification is continued on operational aircraft by service personnel in the theaters, where many modification ideas originate."
[ (p. 129)]
Sites
During 1942, 21 modification centers were activated, "eight being operated by commercial airlines and the remainder by aircraft manufacturers. Nineteen of the centers remained in operation at the end of the year after two other centers had been closed out":
*
Atlanta, Georgia
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(Eastern Airlines)
* Atlanta, Georgia (Delta Airlines)
*
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
(Betchel, McCone, and Parsons)
*
Brownsville, Texas,
Texas
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(Pan American)
*
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
(
Curtiss Aircraft)
*
Cheyenne, Wyoming (United Air Lines)
*
Dallas Love Field in
Dallas, Texas
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(
Lockheed Aircraft)
*
Daggett, California (
Douglas Aircraft)
*
Denver, Colorado
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(
Continental Airlines)
*
Evansville, Indiana (
Republic Aviation)
*
Fairfax Field in
Kansas City, Kansas (
North American Aviation Kansas)
*
Kansas City, Missouri (Transcontinental and Western Airlines)
*
Long Beach, California
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(Douglas Aircraft)
*
Louisville, Kentucky
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(
Convair)
* Louisville, Kentucky (Curtiss Aircraft)
*
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
(
Southern Airlines)
*
Niagara Falls, New York (
Bell Aircraft, Buffalo)
*
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Douglas Aircraft)
*
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
(
Martin Aircraft)
*
St. Paul, Minnesota (
Northwest Airlines)
*
Tucson, Arizona (Convair Aircraft)
*
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
(Douglas Aircraft)
*
Vandalia, Ohio (Northwest Air Lines)
Depots, e.g., Fairfield, Ohio (FAD), did modifications but were not modification centers.
The commercial modification centers were distinct from the USAAF Air Service Command domestic depot system, which also performed modification as an addition mission function. There were four major depots in the system which expanded to about a dozen during the war. The depots had sub-depots and auxiliary locations. There were also major overseas depot and sub-depot systems which predated addition modifications to combat aircraft.
See also
*
List of United States Air Force plants
Notes
References
* AAF Historical Studies: No. 62, Modification of Army Aircraft in the United States 1939–1945; O'Toole, Virginia, G., 1947
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Army Air Force modification centers
United States Army Air Forces lists
World War II sites in the United States