Nebraska World War II Army Airfields

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World War II USAAF Airfields in Nebraska.

During World War II, Nebraska was a major United States Army Air Force (USAAF) training center for pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers. Nebraska was a favored because it has excellent, year-round flying conditions. The sparsely populated land made ideal locations for gunnery, bombing, and training ranges.

Along with the existing Fort Crook/Offutt Army Airfield, the USAAF established eleven airfields (AAF), under the command of Second Air Force, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado between 1942 and 1945. These were:

Ainsworth AAF (Now Ainsworth Regional Airport (ANW))
Alliance AAF (Now Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA))
Bruning AAF (Closed)
Fairmont AAF (Now Fairmont State Airfield (FMZ))
Grand Island AAF (Now Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI))
Harvard AAF (Now Harvard State Airport (08K))
Kearney AAF (Now Kearney Municipal Airport (EAR))
Lincoln AAF (Now Lincoln Airport (LNK))
McCook AAF (Closed)
Scribner AAF (Now Scribner State Airport (SCB))
Scottsbluff AAF (Now Western Nebraska Regional Airport (BFF))

The training that was given to the airmen stationed at these airfields gave them the skills and knowledge that enabled them to enter combat in all theaters of warfare, and enabled the Allies to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

The majority of these airfields were located in rural farmland, near small farming towns. The effect of stationing thousands of airmen brought the reality of war to rural and small town Nebraska. In addition to providing training for servicemen, the air bases provided jobs for many civilians. Civilians were employed in maintenance, repair, and secretarial work.

Today, Offutt Air Force Base is an active USAF faciliity and Lincoln Airport hosts the Nebraska Air National Guard. The remainder of these airfields have long been closed and turned back into farmland or used as small rural airports. The memories of them still remain in the small towns which are very proud of the part they played in wartime.