South Carolina World War II Army Airfields
Encyclopedia
During World War II
, the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) established numerous airfields in South Carolina
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) 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
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
Eastern Flying Training Command
Multiple Commands
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 South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
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 (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
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
Third/First Air Force- Aiken Army Airfield, Aiken, South CarolinaAiken, South CarolinaAiken is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South...
- III Tactical Air Command (3d AF)
- 359th Army Air Force Base Unit (1st AF)
- Sub-base of Morris Army AirfieldCharlotte/Douglas International AirportCharlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
- Barnwell Army AirfieldBarnwell Regional AirportBarnwell Regional Airport is a public airport located 1 mile northwest of Barnwell, South Carolina. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.-History:...
, BarnwellBarnwell, South CarolinaBarnwell is a city in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 5,035 at the 2000 census...
- 44th Station Compliment Squadron (3d AF)
- Sub-base of Columbia AAB
- Columbia Army Air BaseColumbia Metropolitan AirportColumbia Metropolitan Airport is the main airport for Columbia, South Carolina. The airport lies five miles southwest of Columbia's central business district, in Lexington County.-Airlines and destinations:...
, CayceCayce, South CarolinaCayce is a city in Lexington and Richland counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. The population was 12,150 at the 2000 census...
- 309th/329th Bombardment Group, 329th AAF Base Unit (3d AF)
- 129th Army Air Force Base Unit (1st AF)
- Congaree Army Airfield, EastoverEastover, South CarolinaEastover is a town in Richland County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 830 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Eastover is located at ....
- 424th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Sub-base of Columbia AAB
- Now:
McEntire Joint National Guard Base
- Coronaca Army AirfieldGreenwood County AirportGreenwood County Airport is a public airport located 3 miles north of Greenwood, South Carolina. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.-History:...
, GreenwoodGreenwood, South CarolinaGreenwood is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 22,071 at the 2000 census and had slightly increased to 22,710 according to a 2009 estimate.-Geography:...
- 50th Station Compliment Squadron (3d AF)
- Sub-base of Greenville AAB
- Greenville Army BaseDonaldson Air Force BaseDonaldson Air Force Base is a closed facility of the United States Air Force. Currently known as Donaldson Center, the former Air Force Base is located south of Greenville, South Carolina....
, GreenvilleGreenville, South Carolina-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
- 342d Army Air Force Base Unit (3d AF)
- Was: Donaldson Air Force BaseDonaldson Air Force BaseDonaldson Air Force Base is a closed facility of the United States Air Force. Currently known as Donaldson Center, the former Air Force Base is located south of Greenville, South Carolina....
(1947-1963)
- Florence Army AirfieldFlorence Regional Airport-History:The airport began with the purchase of of land in 1928. During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force used the airport as a training base and added...
, FlorenceFlorence, South Carolina-Municipal government and politics:The City of Florence has a council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected every four years, with no term limits...
- 4334th Army Air Forces Base Unit (3d AF)
- 127th Army Air Forces Base Unit (1st AF)
- Hartsville Army AirfieldDarlington County JetportDarlington County Jetport is a public airport located 9 miles north of Darlington, South Carolina. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.-History:...
, DarlingtonDarlington, South CarolinaDarlington is a city in and the county seat of Darlington County, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a center for tobacco farming. The population was 6,720 at the 2000 census and is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- 82d Station Compliment Squadron (3d AF)
- Auxiliary of Florence AAF
- Myrtle Beach General Bombing and Gunnery Range/Army Airfield, Myrtle BeachMyrtle Beach, South CarolinaMyrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
- 519th Army Air Force Base Unit (3d AF)
- 136th Army Air Force Base Unit (1st AF)
- Was: Myrtle Beach Air Force BaseMyrtle Beach Air Force BaseMyrtle Beach Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force facility, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was established in 1940 as a World War II training base and was also used for coastal patrols during the war...
(1956-1993)
- North Army Airfield, NorthNorth, South CarolinaNorth is a town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 813 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North is located at ....
- 74th Station Compliment Squadron (3d AF)
- Satellite of Columbia Army Air Base
- Now: North Air Force Auxiliary Field
- Auxiliary of Charleston Air Force BaseCharleston Air Force BaseJoint Base Charleston is a United States military facility located in North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 628th Air Base Wing, Air Mobility Command...
- Walterboro Army AirfieldLowcountry Regional AirportLowcountry Regional Airport is a public airport located 2 miles northeast of Walterboro, South Carolina. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.-History:The airport was opened in October 1937...
, WalterboroWalterboro, South CarolinaWalterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,153 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Colleton County.-History:...
- 305th Air Base Group (3d AF)
- 536th Army Air Force Base Unit (1st AF)
- Sub-base of Columbia Army Air Base
Army Air Forces Training Command
Eastern Flying Training Command
- Orangeburg Municipal AirportOrangeburg Municipal AirportOrangeburg Municipal Airport is a public airport located 2 miles south of Orangeburg, South Carolina. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.-History:...
, OrangeburgOrangeburg, South CarolinaOrangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city is also the fifth oldest city in the state of South Carolina. The city population was 12,765 at the 2000 census, within a Greater Orangeburg...
- Hawthorne School of Aeronautics
- 58th Flying Training Detachment (Contract Pilot School)
- Shaw Army Airfield, SumterSumter, South Carolina-Demographics:, there were 59,180 people, 34,717 households, and 4,049 families living in the city. The population density was 4,469.5 people per square mile . There were 416,032 housing units at an average density of 603.0 per square mile...
- Southeast Training Center, 1941
- Army Air Force Flying School (Basic)
- Now: Shaw Air Force BaseShaw Air Force BaseShaw Air Force Base is a United States Military facility located approximately west-northwest of Sumter, South Carolina. It is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command...
- Woodward FieldWoodward Field (airport)Woodward Field is a county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Camden, a city in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. It is also known as the Kershaw County Airport...
, CamdenCamden, South CarolinaCamden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
- Southern Aviation School
- 64th Flying Training Detachment (Contract Pilot School)
Multiple Commands
- Charleston Army Airfield, CharlestonCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
- 421st Base HQ and Air Base Squadron (3d AF)
- 16th Antisubmarine Squadron (AAF Antisubmarine Command)
- 29th Air Base Group, Distribution Point #2 (Air Technical Service Command)
- 113th AAF Base Unit (1st AF)
- 593d AAF Base Unit (Air Transport Command)
- Now: Charleston Air Force BaseCharleston Air Force BaseJoint Base Charleston is a United States military facility located in North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 628th Air Base Wing, Air Mobility Command...
- Johns Island Army AirfieldCharleston Executive AirportCharleston Executive Airport is a public use airport located in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is approximately six nautical miles southwest of the central business district of the city. It is owned by the Charleston County Aviation Authority...
, Johns IslandJohns Island, South CarolinaJohns Island, also spelled John's Island, is the largest island in the U.S. State of South Carolina. It is one of the many Sea Islands along the coast of South Carolina.-Background:...
- Sub-Base of Columbia Army Air Base, later Charleston Army Airfield
- Auxiliary landing airfield
- Greenville Municipal AirportGreenville Downtown AirportGreenville Downtown Airport is a public airport located three miles east of the central business district of Greenville, a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States...
, GreenvilleGreenville, South Carolina-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
- Southern Airways Contract Glider Pilot Training School (AAF Training Command) (1941-1943)
- 529th Army Air Force Base Unit (Air Technical Service Command) (1943-1945)
- Joint use USAAF/Civil Airport