Dodge City Army Airfield

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Aerial Photo of Dodge City AAF 9 Sep 1991.

Location of Dodge City AAF

Dodge City Army Airfield (also known as Ford County Airport) is an abandoned airfield located in Ford County, 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Dodge City, Kansas.

1 History
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

During World War II, the airfield was used as a United States Army Air Forces Second Air Force training field.

The airfield was built in 1942 to train pilots & crews of medium bombers, primarily North American B-25 Mitchells and Martin B-26 Marauders. The airfield encompassed a total of 2,560 acres (1,036 ha). The 455th Army Air Force Base Unit (455th AAFBU) was the host support unit for the airfield.

Along with the USAAF personnel, Dodge City AAF was also used to train Free French aircrews.

The USAAF is reported to have closed Dodge City AAF in 1945. At some point within 1949 the field apparently transitioned to a civilian airport, as it was listed as "Dodge City Municipal Airport (Ford County)". The airport was not attended, and the manager was listed as William Meade.

Dodge City Municipal Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1954-62, with civil air traffic now utilizing Dodge City Regional Airport. The airfield & its buildings were subsequently reused for a variety of commercial purposes.

Today, the Stanley Feed Yard occupies the site of Dodge City AAF. Most of the runways and taxiways have been removed and agricultural fields have largely replaced the airfield. There is little that is left of the administrative/technical site. A few streets survive and some derlict buildings and hangars exist.