During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

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 Cor ...

(AAFTC) (A predecessor of the current-day

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Air Education and Training Command The 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 esta ...

). 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 The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.

Major airfields

Army Air Force Training Command * Yakima Air Base,

Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

: Joint use USAAF/Civil Airport : Contract Flying School : Now:

Yakima Air Terminal McAllister Field (known for the Yakima Air Terminal) is a public airport three miles south of Yakima, Washington, Yakima, in Yakima County, Washington. Owned by the City of Yakima, it is used for general aviation and commercial air service. Yak ...

Air Transport Command * Gray Field, AAF,

Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...

: 302d Army Air Force Base Unit : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Gray Army Airfield Gray Army Airfield , also known as Gray AAF, is a military airfield located within Joint Base Lewis–McChord (formerly Fort Lewis (Washington), Fort Lewis) near Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma, in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Overview ...

, active Army Airfield which supports

. Air Technical Service Command *

Boeing Field King County International Airport , commonly Boeing Field, is a public airport owned and operated by King County, Washington, King County, south of downtown Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The airport is sometimes r ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

: Aircraft delivery facility, Joint use USAAF/Civil Airport * Moses Lake AAF,

Moses Lake Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in the U.S. state of Washington. Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River. Although originally a shallow natural lake ...

: 465th Army Air Force Base Unit : Was: Moses Lake Air Force Base (1947) : Was:

Larson Air Force Base Larson Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington. After its closure in 1966, the airport facility became ...

(1948-1966) : Now:

Grant County International Airport Grant County International Airport is a public use airport located northwest of the central business district of Moses Lake in Grant County, Washington, United States. Formerly a military facility, the airport is owned by the Port of Moses ...

* Ellensburg AAF,

Ellensburg Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...

: Now: Bowers Airport
* Spokane AAF,

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

: 498th Army Air Force Base Unit : Was: Spokane Air Force Base (1947-1950) : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned ...

Second Air Force * Bellingham/Tulip AAF, Bellingham : Now:

Bellingham International Airport Bellingham International Airport is three miles (5 km) northwest of Bellingham, in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. BLI covers 2,190 acres (886 ha) of land, and is the fourth-largest commercial airport in Washington. Th ...

* Ephrata AAF, Ephrata : 355th Army Air Force Base Unit : Now:

Ephrata Municipal Airport Ephrata Municipal Airport is a public use airport located southeast of the central business district of Ephrata, a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–20 ...

* Geiger/Sunset Field AAF,

: 41st Army Air Force Base Unit : Now:

Spokane International Airport Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport in Spokane, Washington, United States, located approximately west-southwest of Downtown Spokane. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest (United States), Inland Northwest, w ...

:: Seven Mile Gunnery Range,

:: Sub-base of Geiger AAF
(7 miles NW of Spokane; may have only been a target field.) :: Felts Field,

:: Auxiliary of Geiger AAF :: Joint civil and contract AAF pilot training :: Now:

Felts Field Airport Felts Field is a public airport in the Northwestern United States, located northeast of Downtown Spokane, in Spokane County, Washington. It is owned by Spokane City-County. The airport has two parallel runways. Now used for general aviation, ...

* McChord Field AAF,

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

: 43d Army Air Force Base Unit : Was:

McChord Air Force Base McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, ...

(1947-2010) : Now: Roundel of the USAF

Joint Base Lewis-McChord A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

* Olympia AAF, Olympia : Now: Olympia Airport
* Paine Field AAF, Everett/Paine : 33d Army Air Force Base Unit : Was: Paine Air Force Base (1951-1968)
(Joint use USAF/Civil Airport) : Now: Paine Field/Snohomish County Airport * Port Angeles AAF,

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, Clallam County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 19,960 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most populous city in t ...

: Now:

William R. Fairchild International Airport William R. Fairchild International Airport is a public airport located within the city limits of Port Angeles in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is northwest of the central business district of Port Angeles, near the Strait of J ...

* Port Townsend AAF, Port Hadlock : Now:

Jefferson County International Airport Jefferson County International Airport is a public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) southwest of the central business district of Port Townsend, a town in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. It is owned by the Port o ...

* Walla Walla AAF, Walla Walla : 357th Army Air Force Base Unit : Now:

Walla Walla Regional Airport Walla Walla Regional Airport is a public airport in Walla Walla County, Washington, in the western United States. It is northeast of central business district, central Walla Walla, Washington, Walla Walla, and is owned by the Port of Walla Wall ...

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * 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 - Washington
airfieldsdatabase.com {{DEFAULTSORT:World War Ii Army Airfields 01

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...