Mississippi World War II Army Airfields
Encyclopedia
During World War II
, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Mississippi
for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico
and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of Third Air Force
or the Army Air Forces Training Command
(AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day United States Air Force
Air Education and Training Command
). However the other USAAF support commands (Air Technical Service Command (ATSC); Air Transport Command
(ATC) or Troop Carrier Command operated 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
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.
Army Air Forces Training Command
Third Air Force
Troop Carrier Command
.* Greenville was designated as an "Air Base" by Air Training Command
while operated as private contractor-operated training facilities in the 1950s.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
or the Army Air Forces Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
(AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
). However the other USAAF support commands (Air Technical Service Command (ATSC); Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
(ATC) or Troop Carrier Command operated 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
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
installations and were front-line bases during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.
Major Airfields
Army Air Forces Training Command- Columbus Army AirfieldColumbus Air Force BaseColumbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately north of Columbus, Mississippi.The host unit at Columbus is the 14th Flying Training Wing assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. The 14 FTW's mission is to provide specialized...
, Columbus, MississippiColumbus, MississippiColumbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
- Southeast Training Center, 1941
- Eastern Flying Training Command
- 30th (Advanced Twin-Engine) Flying Training Wing
- Now:
Columbus Air Force BaseColumbus Air Force BaseColumbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately north of Columbus, Mississippi.The host unit at Columbus is the 14th Flying Training Wing assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. The 14 FTW's mission is to provide specialized...
- Fletcher Army AirfieldFletcher FieldFletcher Field is a county-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Clarksdale, a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States...
, ClarksdaleClarksdale, MississippiClarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....
- 2154th Air Base Unit
- Contract Flying School: Clarksdale School of Aviation
- Now: Fletcher FieldFletcher FieldFletcher Field is a county-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Clarksdale, a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States...
- Greenwood Army Airfield, GreenwoodGreenwood, MississippiGreenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
- Eastern Flying Training Command
- Army Air Forces Flying School (Basic)
- 7th Basic Flying Training Group
- Reassigned to Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
(1945) - Now: Greenwood-Leflore AirportGreenwood-Leflore AirportGreenwood-Leflore Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles east of the central business district of Greenwood, the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. The airport is owned by the City of Greenwood and Leflore County, but is actually located within located...
- Greenville Army Airfield, Greenville, MississippiGreenville, MississippiGreenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...
- 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 BaseGreenville Air Force Base (Mississippi)Greenville Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Greenville, Mississippi. It was closed in the 1960s and redeveloped into Mid-Delta Regional Airport.- History :...
(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 AirportMid Delta Regional AirportMid-Delta Regional Airport is a public-use airport owned by the city of Greenville, Mississippi and located in unincorporated Washington County, Mississippi. It is five nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Greenville...
- Gulfport Army Airfield, GulfportGulfport, MississippiGulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
- Headquarters, Eastern Technical Training Command
- Joint use with Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
(1944-1945) - Reopened as Gulfport Air Force Base (1951-1958)
- Headquarters, Technical Training Air Force also Contract Flying School
- Now: Gulfport-Biloxi International AirportGulfport-Biloxi International Airport-Hurricane Katrina:The airport was closed for repairs following severe damage by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. On September 8, 2005, the airport reopened for commercial flights on Northwest Airlines to Memphis and other airlines quickly followed suit. On February 1, 2006, Gulfport-Biloxi...
- Also MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
Base
Army Air Forces Training Command
- Jackson Army Air Base, JacksonJackson, MississippiJackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
- Contract Flying School: Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics
- 35th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Assigned to Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
(1944-1945) - Now: Hawkins FieldHawkins Field (airport)Hawkins Field is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Jackson, a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States.-Facilities and aircraft:...
- Also MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
Base
- Keesler Army Airfield, Biloxi
- Western Technical Training Command
- Basic Training and Technical Training Center
- Now: Keesler Air Force BaseKeesler Air Force BaseKeesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
- Cleveland Army Airfield, ClevelandCleveland, MississippiCleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 census.Cleveland has a fairly large commercial economy, with numerous restaurants, stores, and services along U.S. Highway 61...
- Eastern Flying Training Command
- Contract Flying School: Cleveland School of Aviation
- Now: Cleveland Municipal AirportCleveland Municipal Airport (Mississippi)Cleveland Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline...
Third Air Force
- Key FieldKey fieldA key field is a field or set of fields of a database table which together form a unique identifier for a database record . The aggregate of these fields is usually referred to simply as "the key". Key fields also define searches...
, MeridianMeridian, MississippiMeridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
- 39th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Now: Meridian Regional AirportMeridian Regional AirportMeridian Regional Airport is a public airport located on Key Field, a joint civil-military airfield located southwest of the city of Meridian in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. It is owned by Meridian Airport Authority....
- Also MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
Base
- Laurel Army Airfield, LaurelLaurel, MississippiLaurel is a city located in Jones County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,393 although a significant population increase has been reported following Hurricane Katrina. Located in southeast Mississippi, southeast of...
- 473d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron
- Assigned to Air Technical Service Command, (1944-1946)
- Now: Hesler-Noble FieldHesler-Noble FieldHesler-Noble Field is a public use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Laurel, a city in Jones County, Mississippi, United States. It is owned by Laurel Airport Authority...
- Hattiesburg Army Airfield, HattiesburgHattiesburg, MississippiHattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
- 39th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Assigned to Air Technical Service Command, (1942-1945)
- Now: Hattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal AirportHattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal AirportHattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Hattiesburg, a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled...
Troop Carrier Command
- Grenada Army Airfield, GrenadaGrenada, MississippiGrenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County.-History:...
- 443d Air Force Base Unit (I TCC)
- Now: Grenada Municipal AirportGrenada Municipal AirportGrenada Municipal Airport is a city-owned public use airport located three nautical miles north of the central business district of Grenada, a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline...
.* Greenville was designated as an "Air Base" by Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
while operated as private contractor-operated training facilities in the 1950s.