New Mexico World War II Army Airfields

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

New Mexico World War II Army Airfields
Part of World War II
Alamogordo AAF Clovis AAF Kirtland AAF Carlsbad AAF Deming AAF Fort Sumner AAF Hobbs AAF Roswell AAF Map Of New Mexico World War II Army Airfields
Type	Army Airfields
Site history
Built	1940-1944
In use	1940-present

Most of these airfields were under the command of Fourth 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

Second Air Force

• Alamogordo AAF, Alamogordo[1]

Now: Holloman Air Force Base

• Clovis AAF, Clovis

Now: Cannon Air Force Base[2]

• Kirtland Field, Albuquerque

Now: Kirtland Air Force Base

Air Technical Service Command

• Albuquerque AAF, Albuquerque (merged into Kirtland Field in 1944)

Army Air Forces Training Command

• Carlsbad AAF, Carlsbad

Now: Cavern City Air Terminal (IATA: CNM, ICAO: KCNM, FAA LID: CNM)

• Deming AAF, Deming (reassigned to Second Air Force in 1944)

Now: Deming Municipal Airport (IATA: DMN, ICAO: KDMN)

• Fort Sumner AAF, Fort Sumner

Now: Fort Sumner Municipal Airport (IATA: FSU, ICAO: KFSU)

• Hobbs AAF, Hobbs

Was: Hobbs Army Airfield (1942-1948)

Now: Hobbs Industrial Air Park

• Roswell AAF, Roswell

Was: Walker Air Force Base (1947-1967)

Now: Roswell International Air Center (RIAC) (IATA: ROW, ICAO: KROW, FAA LID: ROW)

References

1. Mueller, p. 248
2. Mueller, p. 60

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.
• 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 - New Mexico

External links

• "Keep 'Em Flying: The Story of the Hobbs Army Air Field"
• "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: New Mexico"