Dodge City Army Air Field Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: KHC-121

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains various newspapers from the Dodge City Army Airfield, including newspapers written for soldiers stationed at the Airfield during World War II, including the Boot Hill Marauder, the Boot Hill Gazette, and Special Service News. The collection also contains a yearbook and photographs of the airfield, as well as documents related to the construction of the airfield.

Dates

Creation: 1943 - 1945

Biographical / Historical

On June 11, 1942, 2,560 acres were purchased for the Dodge City Army Airfield. The airfield was used to train the Army Air Force, Women Airforce Service Pilots, the Royal Air Force pilots, and the Free French pilots during World War II. The airfield was one of three training bases in the country for the B-26 Marauder. On December 7, 1942, Colonel Root activated the airfield and within a short amount of time 100 enlisted men arrived to be trained. By April 29, 1943, actual flights were being taken. 2,700 pilots were trained at Dodge City Army Airfield during World War II.