During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF) established numerous airfields in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers. Most of these airfields were under the command of

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...

or the

Army Air Forces Training Command The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Corp ...

(AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine List of major commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was establis ...

). 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

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 Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was ...

: Now:

Holloman Air Force Base Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...

* Clovis AAF, Clovis : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Cannon Air Force Base Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operatio ...

Mueller, p. 60 * Kirtland Field,

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

: Now:

Kirtland Air Force Base Air Technical Service Command * Albuquerque AAF,

(merged into Kirtland Field in 1944) Army Air Forces Training Command * Carlsbad AAF, Carlsbad : Now:

Cavern City Air Terminal Cavern City Air Terminal is a public use airport in Eddy County, New Mexico, Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. It is owned by the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico, Carlsbad and located five nautical miles (6 mile, mi, 9 kilometre ...

* Deming AAF, Deming (reassigned to Second Air Force in 1944) : Now:

Deming Municipal Airport Deming Municipal Airport is two miles southeast of Deming, in Luna County, New Mexico, United States. Facilities The airport covers at an elevation of 4,314 feet (1,315 m). It has two asphalt runways: 8/26 is 6,627 by 75 feet (2,020 x 23 m) ...

* Fort Sumner AAF,

Fort Sumner Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...

: Now:

Fort Sumner Municipal Airport Fort Sumner Municipal Airport is a village owned, public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Fort Sumner, a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. It is included ...

* Hobbs AAF, Hobbs : Was: Hobbs Army Airfield (1942-1948) : Now: Hobbs Industrial Air Park * Roswell AAF, Roswell : Was:

Walker Air Force Base Walker Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Roswell, New Mexico. It was opened in 1941 as an Army Air Corps flying school and was active during Worl ...

(1947-1967) : Now:

Roswell International Air Center Roswell Air Center (Roswell International Air Center; Roswell Industrial Air Center) is an airport south of Roswell, in Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. History The airport was Roswell Army Airfield during World War II, and Walker ...

(RIAC)

References

* * Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Pictorial Histories Pub .
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 Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields is an online database detailing information and first hand memories about airports in the United States which are no longer in operation, or are rarely used. The website was started by Paul Freeman in 1999 a ...

: New Mexico" {{NMMilitary 01

United States World War II army airfields