During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) established numerous airfields in Oklahoma for training pilots and aircrews of AAF fighters and bombers or as major maintenance and supply centers.
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 other AAF commands, including Second Air Force, Air Technical Service Command (ATSC) and Air Transport Command (ATC) commanded 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.
Major Airfields
Army Air Forces Training Command Altus Army Airfield, Altus AAF Central Flying Training Command 2508th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Altus Air Force Base Chickasha Field, Chickasha AAF Central Flying Training Command 2549th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Chickasha Municipal Airport Cimarron Army Airfield, Cimmaron AAF Central Flying Training Command 2508th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport Enid Army Airfield, Enid AAF Central Flying Training Command 2518th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Vance Air Force Base Frederick Army Airfield, Frederick AAF Central Flying Training Command 2520th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Frederick Municipal Airport Hatbox Army Airfield, Muskogee AAF Central Flying Training Command 2557th Army Air Forces Base Unit Later: Hatbox Field (Closed) Miami Municipal Airport, Miami AAF Central Flying Training Command 2556th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Miami Municipal Airport Mustang Field, El Reno Central Flying Training Command 2554th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: El Reno Regional Airport Ponca City Airport, Ponca City Central Flying Training Command 323d Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment Now: Ponca City Regional Airport
Air Technical Service Command Tinker Field, Oklahoma City 4136th Army Air Force Base Unit Now: Tinker Air Force Base
Second Air Force Ardmore Army Airfield, Ardmore 222d Army Air Forces Base Unit Later: Ardmore Air Force Base Now: Ardmore Municipal Airport
Third Air Force Muskogee Army Airfield, Muskogee 349th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Davis Field Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City Joint Use USAAF/Civil Airport 348th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now Will Rogers World Airport and Will Rogers Air National Guard Base Woodward AAF Second Air Force until 1944 Sub-field of Will Rogers Field 354th Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: West Woodward Airport
Air Transport Command Tulsa Municipal Airport, Tulsa 582d Army Air Forces Base Unit Now: Tulsa International Airport and Tulsa Air National Guard Base
Note: The former Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base, now Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark, was originally Naval Air Station Clinton as acquired by the U. S. Navy in 1942. NAS Clinton was closed at the end of World War II and turned over to the City of Clinton. It was on 15 September 1954 that the USAF leased the former NAS Clinton site from the City of Clinton to be used as an Air Force Base.
References Maurer, Maurer (ed.), Air Force Combat Units of World War II , Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1961 (reprint 1983) . Military Airfields in World War II - Oklahoma