Dodge City Army Airfield

Dodge City Army Airfield
Part of Army Air Forces Flying Training Command
Fairview Township, Ford County, near Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City Army Airfield - 9 September 1991
Type	Military airfield
Coordinates	37°47′53.01″N 100°07′00.17″W / 37.7980583°N 100.1167139°W / 37.7980583; -100.1167139
Built	1942
In use	1942-1945
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces

Dodge City AAF

Location of Dodge City Army Airfield, Kansas

Dodge City Army Airfield (also known as Ford County Airport) is an abandoned airfield located in Ford County, 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Dodge City, Kansas.

History

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces used Dodge City Army Airfield as a training airfield by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center. The airfield encompassed a total of 2,560 acres (1,036 ha). It was headquartered by the 455th Army Air Force Base Unit.

The airfield opened in early 1942 as part of the 70,000 Pilot Training Program, and originally trained Royal Air Force and Free French pilots in basic flight training. The immediate construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with four 6,500-by-150-foot (2,000 × 46 m) concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Four large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper.

In December 1942, the USAAF took over the airfield and it became the Army Air Forces Pilot School (Specialized 2-Engine, later Advanced 2-Engine), training aircrews on North American B-25 Mitchells and Martin B-26 Marauders medium bombers. In addition, Dodge City AAF was a training facility for Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs)

The USAAF closed Dodge City AAF on 31 July 1945 and the airfield was in reserve status until 1949 when it was opened as a civilian airport. The facility was listed as "Dodge City Municipal Airport (Ford County)". The airport was not attended, and the manager was listed as William Meade.

Dodge City Municipal Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1954–62, with civil air traffic now utilizing Dodge City Regional Airport. The airfield & its buildings were subsequently reused for a variety of commercial purposes.

Today, the Stanley Feed Yard occupies the site of the former Dodge City AAF. Most of the runways and taxiways have been removed and agricultural fields have largely replaced the airfield. There is little that is left of the administrative/technical site. A few streets survive and some derelict buildings and hangars exist.

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  PLM hangar

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  B-26s in snow

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  B-26 Formation Flying

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  B-26 on ramp

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  Headquarters building

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  Maintenance hangar

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  Mechanics working

See also

	United States Air Force portal
	Military of the United States portal
	World War II portal

• Kansas World War II Army Airfields

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
• Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN: B000NYX3PC
• Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Dodge City Army Airfield / Ford County Airport, Dodge City, KS

External links

Media related to Dodge City Army Airfield at Wikimedia Commons