Pennsylvania_World_War_II_Army_Airfields

Pennsylvania World War II Army Airfields

Pennsylvania World War II Army Airfields

United States World War II army airfields


During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Pennsylvania for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.

Quick Facts Type, Site history ...

Most of these airfields were under the command of First 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.

Major Airfields

Air Technical Service Command

Now: Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport (ICAO: KVVS, FAA LID: VVS)
487th/496th Army Air Force Base Unit
Was: Olmsted Air Force Base (1947-1968)
Now: Harrisburg International Airport (IATA: MDT, ICAO: KMDT, FAA LID: MDT)

First Air Force

431st Army Air Force Base Unit (Reduced)
Now: Northeast Philadelphia Airport (IATA: PNE, ICAO: KPNE, FAA LID: PNE)
390th Army Air Force Base Unit
Now: Reading Regional Airport (IATA: RDG, ICAO: KRDG, FAA LID: RDG)

Air Transport Command

Now: Pittsburgh IAP Air Reserve Station (IATA: PIT, ICAO: KPIT, FAA LID: PIT)

Army Air Forces Training Command

Contract Primary Pilot Training
Closed, 1950 Now: non-aviation industrial site.

Other

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
  • Military Airfields in World War II - Pennsylvania

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Pennsylvania_World_War_II_Army_Airfields, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.