Fairmont Army Airfield

Infobox Airport
name = Fairmont State Airfield
nativename =
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nativename-r =


image-width =
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IATA = FMZ
ICAO = KFMZ
type = Civilian
owner =
operator =
city-served =
location =
elevation-f = 1636
elevation-m = 498
coordinates =
website =
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 17/35
r1-length-f = 4,316
r1-length-m = 1,316
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = 12/30
r2-length-f = 3,011
r2-length-m = 918
r2-surface = Asphalt
stat-year =
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Fairmont Army Airfield was located in Fillmore County, approx. 2.5 miles south of Fairmont, Nebraska on Highway 81. Construction began on the airfield on 17 September 1942.

It was one of eleven United States Army Air Force training bases in Nebraska during World War II. The base was under the command of Second Air Force Headquarters, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The 1,980-acre field began as a satellite of the Topeka AAF Kansas. Early in 1943 the name was changed to Fairmont Army Air Field.

Hangers of various sizes were built to house B-24s, and B-29s. Extensive concrete runways and other structures were built. The field had barracks for nearly 6,000 officers and enlisted men. Its 350-bed hospital was the largest in Nebraska.

The airfield was utilized as a heavy bombardment training facility during World War II as bombardment groups were trained in the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and eventually in the more technologically advanced Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

Known units that trained at Fairmont were:

* 451st Bombardment Group (9 September - 16 November 1943)
Assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, Italy (B-24)
* 485th Bombardment Group (20 September 1943 - 11 March 1944)
Assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, Italy (B-24)
* 16th Bombardment Group (15 August 1944 - 7 March 1945)
Assigned to Twentieth Air Force, Guam (B-29)
* 98th Bombardment Group (6 May - 25 June 1945)
Returned from Fifteenth Air Force, Italy for deactivation (B-24)
* 489th Bombardment Group (3 July - 25 August 1945)
Returned from Eighth Air Force, England (B-24)
* 485th Bombardment Group (13 July - 23 August 1945)
Trained with B-29s, sent to Ft. Lawton, Washington.
* 504th Bombardment Group (12 March - 5 November 1945)
Assigned to Twentieth Air Force, Tinian (B-29)

The 511th Army Air Force Base Unit commanded the support elements at Ainsworth as part of Air Technical Service Command. It was assgined to the 15th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (September 1943 - March 1944), then transferred to the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing in Mar 1944 for B-29 training.

In September 1944 Lt. Col. Paul Tibbets visited Fairmont and selected the 393rd Bomb Squadron of the 504th to join the 509th Composite Group at Wendover AAF, Utah. This group dropped both atomic bombs on Japan.

The base closed on 31 December 1945 and the War Assets Administration declared the property surplus in the spring of 1946. The city of Fairmont received title to the airfield for use as a municipal airport.

Today the airfield is known as Fairmont State Airfield (FMZ), owned & operated by the State of Nebraska.

See also

* Second Air Force
* United States Army Air Force
* Nebraska World War II Army Airfields

References

* [http://armyairforces.com ArmyAirForces.Com]
* Maurer Maurer, "Air Force Combat Units Of World War II", Office of Air Force History, 1983

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Fairmont,+NE&ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=40.590753,-97.568207&spn=0.028026,0.083599&t=k&om=1 Satellite image of Fairmont AAF on Google Maps]
* [http://www.airnav.com/airport/FMZ Fairmont State Airport at www.airnav.com]
* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/fai.htm Fairmont Army Airfield website]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/ Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service "Discover Our Shared Heritage" Travel Itinerary]