Withlacoochee Army Airfield and Withlacoochee Bombing & Gunnery Range, was a

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 ...

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 ...

airfield, located east of

Lacoochee, Florida Lacoochee is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2000 census. Geography Lacoochee is located at (28.463248, -82.171774). According to the United State ...

. The airfield closed in 1945 and is now abandoned.

History

The airfield was built circa 1942 as part of the Army Airfields in the

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

area, as an auxiliary to the Bushnell Army Airfield and Zephyrhills Army Airfield. Its primary mission was to support

Chemical Weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

testing in the Bushnell area and as an emergency airfield for the

Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics The Army Air Forces Tactical Center was a major command and military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It trained cadres from newly formed units in combat operations under simulated field condition ...

fighter training school at

Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlan ...

. In 1943 the

Dugway Proving Ground Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a United States Army facility established in 1942 to test biological and chemical weapons, located about southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah and south of the Utah Test and Training Range. Location Dugway Provin ...

, Utah, Mobile Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) Unit arrived at Bushnell AAF to begin experiments on both persistent and non-persistent chemical agents, setting up the Chemical Warfare Service Experimental Station. The Withlacoochee airfield was used by the CWS Unit as a landing strip for the planes used in the field trials at Withlacoochee Bombing & Gunnery Range. Several military herbicides for defoliation and crop destruction were tested at the airfield. After

ended, the airstrip was abandoned and apparently has not been used ever since. Withlachoochee AAF has been the subject of several cleanup efforts to remove remnants of chemical weapons previously tested there, under the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program. Withlacoochee Army Airfield Aerial Photograph 2013

References

{{Reflist
Abandoned Airfields: Withlacoochee Army Airfield
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Florida Transportation in Sumter County, Florida Military airbases established in 1942 Military airbases closed in 1945

History

See also

References