South Carolina World War II Army Airfields

South Carolina World War II Army Airfields
Part of World War II
Map Of Major South Carolina World War II Army Airfields   Third Air Force     AAF Training Command   AAF Contract Flying Schools  Multiple Commands
Type	Army Airfields
Site history
Built	1940-1944
In use	1940-present

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

Most of these airfields were under the command of Third 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) and Air Transport Command (ATC) maintained a large base in Charleston.

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

Multiple Commands

• Charleston Army Airfield, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) northwest of Charleston

421st Base HQ and Air Base Squadron

Initially: Air Technical Service Command (29th Air Base Group, Distribution Point #2)

Also used by: Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (16th Antisubmarine Squadron)

Later: Transferred to: First Air Force (113th AAF Base Unit)

Later: Transferred to: Air Transport Command (593d AAF Base Unit)

Later: Charleston Air Force Base (1952-2010)

Now: Joint Base Charleston (2010-Present) (IATA: CHS, ICAO: KCHS, FAA Location identifier: CHS)

Third Air Force

• Aiken Army Airfield, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north-northeast of Aiken

Sub-base of: Morris Army Airfield, North Carolina

359th Army Air Force Base Unit

Later: Aiken Air Force Station (1955-1975)

Now: Aiken Municipal Airport (IATA: AIK, ICAO: KAIK, FAA Location identifier: AIK)

• Columbia Army Air Base, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) southwest of Columbia

309th/329th Bombardment Group, 329th AAF Base Unit

Also used by: Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command

Later: Transferred to First Air Force

129th Army Air Force Base Unit

Known sub-bases and auxiliaries

Barnwell Army Airfield

Johns Island Army Airfield

North Army Airfield

Walterboro Army Airfield

Now: Columbia Metropolitan Airport (IATA: CAE, ICAO: KCAE, FAA Location identifier: CAE)

• Greenville Army Airbase, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south of Greenville

Later: Transferred to First Air Force

Known sub-bases and auxiliaries

Coronaca Army Airfield

Anderson Auxiliary Field

Later: Donaldson Air Force Base (1947-1963)

Now: Donaldson Center Airport (IATA: GDC, ICAO: KGYH, FAA Location identifier: GYH)

• Congaree Army Airfield, 14.5 miles (23.3 km) east-southeast of Columbia

Later: Transferred to: United States Marine Corps

Now: McEntire Joint National Guard Base (IATA: MMT, ICAO: KMMT, FAA Location identifier: MMT)

• Florence Army Airfield, 2.3 miles (3.7 km) east-southeast of Florence

Later: Transferred to First Air Force

Known sub-bases and auxiliaries

Hartsville Army Airfield

Hartsville Auxiliary Field

Now: Florence Regional Airport (IATA: FLO, ICAO: KFLO, FAA Location identifier: FLO) i

• Myrtle Beach General Bombing and Gunnery Range, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west-southwest of Myrtle Beach

Later: Myrtle Beach Army Airfield

519th Army Air Force Base Unit

Later: Transferred to First Air Force

136th Army Air Force Base Unit

Known sub-bases and auxiliaries

Ocean Drive Flight Strip

Later: Myrtle Beach Air Force Base (1956-1993)

Now: Myrtle Beach International Airport (IATA: MYR, ICAO: KMYR, FAA Location identifier: MYR)

AAF Training Command

Eastern Flight Training Center

• Shaw Army Airfield, 8.4 miles (13.5 km) west-northwest of Sumter

Army Air Force Flying School (Basic)

Known sub-bases and auxiliaries

Burt Gin Auxiliary Field

Rembert Auxiliary Field

Monaghan Auxiliary Field

Sumter Municipal Airport

Now: Shaw Air Force Base (IATA: SSC, ICAO: KSSC, FAA Location identifier: SSC)

AAF Contract Flying Schools

• Greenville Municipal Airport, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Greenville

Southern Airways Contract Glider Pilot Training School (1941-1943)

Later: Transferred to: Air Technical Service Command (1943-1945)

529th Army Air Force Base Unit

Joint Civil/USAAF Use

Now: Greenville Downtown Airport (IATA: GMU, ICAO: KGMU, FAA Location identifier: GMU)

• Palmer Field, 2.8 miles (4.5 km) west of Bennettsville

Georgia Air Service, Inc & Southeastern Air Service, Inc.

Now: Marlboro County Jetport (IATA: BTN, ICAO: KBBP, FAA Location identifier: BBP)

• Hawthorne School of Aeronautics, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Orangeburg

Free French Air Force pilot training

58th Flying Training Detachment

Known sub-bases and auxiliaries

Jennings Auxiliary Field

Hagood Auxiliary Field

Kennedy Auxiliary Field

Now: Non-aviation use

• Woodward Field Airport, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northeast of Camden

(IATA: CDN, ICAO: KCDN, FAA Location identifier: CDN)

Southern Aviation School

Minor Airfields

• Chinquapin Airport, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Greenwood

Preflight cadet pilot screening

Now: Non-aviation use

• Columbia Municipal Airport, 3.1 miles (5.0 km) southeast of Columbia

Used for training of observation pilots (3d AF); supported Fort Jackson; US Navy use.

Now: Jim Hamilton – L.B. Owens Airport (IATA: CUB, ICAO: KCUB, FAA Location identifier: CUB)

• Lane Intermediate Field (CAA Site #24), 48 miles (77 km) north of Charleston

Auxiliary fighter pilot training field

Abandoned 1983

• Manning Airfield, 1.7 miles (2.7 km) south of Allendale

Undetermined usage by AAF

Abandoned, undetermined history 33°01′13″N 081°16′58″W

• Roddey Airport, 1.9 miles (3.1 km) south-southwest of Rock Hill

Likely Emergency landing airfield

Abandoned approx 1965. 34°54′02″N 081°02′33″W

• Spartanburg Memorial Airport, 2.7 miles (4.3 km) south-southwest of Spartanburg

Joint Civil/USAAF airfield; supported Army Camp Croft Infantry Replacement Training Center

Transferred to: United States Navy 1943

(IATA: SPA, ICAO: KSPA, FAA LID: SPA)

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• 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 - Souh Carolina