Colorado World War II Army Airfields

Colorado World War II Army Airfields
Part of World War II
Buckley AAF Lowry AAB Colorado Springs/Peterson AAB Leadville AAF La Junta AAF Stapleton MAP Pueblo AAB Map Of Colorado World War II Army Airfields
Type	Army Airfields
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1940-1944
In use	1940-present
Garrison information
Garrison	Second Air Force Army Air Force Training Command

Colorado World War II Army Airfields were major United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training centers for pilots and aircrews.

During World War II these Colorado 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.

The Colorado Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) has an aviation archaeology (AvAr) program^[1] that includes document research, site investigation, data gathering, and archiving of the history of these USAAF fields, as well as other abandon airfields throughout Colorado. AvAr researches, investigates, and archives the history and findings of military, commercial, and general aviation crash sites. It also includes old Lowry missile silos, and old navigational beacon.

Major Airfields

• William Smith Middle School Buckley Field Ryan Clapp,Francisco Garcia Aurora, Colorado

Assigned to 4th Technical District/AAF Western Technical Training Command

AAF Technical School (Armament #2); 1 April 1942-7 September 1946

336th Air Base Squadron / 336th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 1 April 1942-30 April 1944

3702nd AAF Base Unit; 1 May 1944-7 September 1946

Was: Naval Air Station Denver (1947-59); Buckley Air National Guard Base (1959-2000)

Now: Buckley Air Force Base

• Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado

Assigned to 4th Technical District/AAF Western Technical Training Command

Air Corps Technical School/Army Air Forces Technical School (Armament #1, Photographic #1)/Air Force Technical School; 15 October 1938-1991

21st Air Base Squadron/21st Air Base Squadron (Special); 15 October 1938-1 September 1940

22nd Air Base Squadron / 22nd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 1 September 1940-18 Jan 43

3705th AAF Base Unit / 3705th AF Base Unit; 1 May 1944-28 August 1948

Was Lowry Air Force Base (1938-1994) with Lowry Technical Training Center

Now: Part of Denver urbanized area.

Remains: Air Reserve Personnel Center and Defense Finance and Accounting Service

• Peterson Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Assigned to Third Air Force, then Second Air Force

373rd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 20 June 1942-25 March 1944

260th Army Air Forces Base Unit; 25 March 1944-2 January 1946

Now: Peterson Air Force Base

• Leadville AF Aux, Leadville

Emergency Landing Airfield

Now: no trace of facility. Completely returned to natural state.

Air Technical Service Command

• Stapleton Field/Denver MAP, Denver

Used as a maintenance / supply depot

Stapleton closed in 1995 and redeveloped as urban area.

• La Junta Army Airfield, La Junta, Colorado

Assigned to West Coast AAF Training Center/AAF Western Flying Training Command

AAF Advanced Flying School (Two Engine)/ AAF Pilot School (Advanced, Two Engine) / AAF Pilot School, (Advanced, Four Engine); 4 August 1942-30 June 1945

402nd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 12 August 1942-30 April 1944

3020th AAF Base Unit; 1 May 1944-30 June 1945

Now: La Junta Municipal Airport (IATA: LHX, ICAO: KLHX)

• Pueblo Army Airfield, Pueblo, Colorado

Assigned to Second Air Force

360th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 30 September 1942-1 April 1944

215th AAF Base Unit; 1 April 1944-March 1946

Now: Pueblo Memorial Airport (IATA: PUB, ICAO: KPUB)

See also

• Second Air Force
• United States Army Air Forces

References

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Pictorial Histories Pub . ISBN 1-57510-051-7

External links

• Freeman: Abandon Airfields of Colorado
• Colorado AvAr Site Investigations of La Junta, Las Animas, Rocky Ford and Arlington Airfields

Army Air Forces Training Command
Flying Training	Flying Schools Eastern Flying Training Command Central Flying Training Command Western Flying Training Command Specialized Schools Bombardier Contract Flying Glider Training Gunnery Navigator
Technical Training	Eastern Technical Training Command Central Technical Training Command Western Technical Training Command

USAAF Second Air Force in World War II
Airfields	Group Training Stations Heavy Bombardment Training Stations Replacement Training Stations Tactical Airfields Very Heavy Bomber Bases
Units	Commands II Air Support Command II Bomber Command II Fighter Command IV Air Support Command XX Bomber Command XXI Bomber Command XXII Bomber Command Wings 5th Bombardment 15th Bombardment Training 16th Bombardment Operational Training 17th Bombardment Training 18th Replacement 21st Bombardment 46th Bombardment Operational Training 58th Bombardment 73d Bombardment 315th Bombardment 316th Bombardment Groups Bombardment 2d Bombardment 6th Bombardment 7th Bombardment 9th Bombardment 12th Bombardment 16th Bombardment 17th Bombardment 19th Bombardment 25th Bombardment 29th Bombardment 34th Bombardment 39th Bombardment 40th Bombardment 42d Bombardment 46th Bombardment 47th Bombardment 48th Bombardment 85th Bombardment 86th Bombardment 86th Bombardment 88th Bombardment 94th Bombardment 95th Bombardment 96th Bombardment 99th Bombardment 100th Bombardment 301st Bombardment 302d Bombardment 303d Bombardment 304th Bombardment 305th Bombardment 306th Bombardment 307th Bombardment 308th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 330th Bombardment 331st Bombardment 333d Bombardment 346th Bombardment 351st Bombardment 376th Bombardment 379th Bombardment 381st Bombardment 382d Bombardment 383d Bombardment 384th Bombardment 385th Bombardment 388th Bombardment 390th Bombardment 393d Bombardment 395th Bombardment 396th Bombardment 398th Bombardment 399th Bombardment 400th Bombardment 401st Bombardment 407th Bombardment 415th Bombardment 418th Bombardment 444th Bombardment 445th Bombardment 446th Bombardment 447th Bombardment 448th Bombardment 449th Bombardment 450th Bombardment 451st Bombardment 452d Bombardment 453d Bombardment 454th Bombardment 455th Bombardment 456th Bombardment 457th Bombardment 458th Bombardment 459th Bombardment 460th Bombardment 461st Bombardment 462d Bombardment 464th Bombardment 467th Bombardment 468th Bombardment 469th Bombardment 470th Bombardment 471st Bombardment 472d Bombardment 484th Bombardment 485th Bombardment 486th Bombardment 487th Bombardment 488th Bombardment 489th Bombardment 490th Bombardment 491st Bombardment 493d Bombardment 494th Bombardment 497th Bombardment 498th Bombardment 499th Bombardment 500th Bombardment 501st Bombardment 502d Bombardment 504th Bombardment 505th Bombardment 509th Composite Fighter 20th Fighter 54th Fighter 84th Fighter 85th Fighter 507th Fighter 508th Fighter Reconnaissance 2d Reconnaissance 3d Reconnaissance 4th Reconnaissance 5th Reconnaissance 6th Reconnaissance 7th Reconnaissance 8th Reconnaissance 71st Reconnaissance 77th Reconnaissance Troop Carrier 443d Troop Carrier
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth