World War II Bases

World War II Bases There were numerous WWII bases in the United States, many of which are long gone. The United States had a large number of bases during WWII.

Many of them are long gone. This page will be an ongoing project as there are numerous ones out there. This page will basically have maps and photos of how the bases looked during the WWII era.

Memphis ASF Depot, TN.This Army Service Forces Depot was established in 1941 and had a life span of 56 years before the ...
06/07/2026

Memphis ASF Depot, TN.

This Army Service Forces Depot was established in 1941 and had a life span of 56 years before the Army vacated in 1997. Usually when bases are retained or reobtained for the Korean War, there's often a significant expansion of acreage. Occasionally, base land is yielded to make room to expand a highway, or an utilities right of way. However, throughout its entire history MASFD has always occupied 642 acres!

The base was divided into two parts separated by a road. First, there's the main base where virtually all of buildings can be found and it occupied 573 acres. Then, there's "Dunn Field" consisting of 69 acres just north but adjacent to the main depot.

Now a name like Dunn Field can sound like an aviation field. After all, just down the road there was once a Park Field in Millington that was operational during World War One. It subsequently became Memphis Naval Air Station.

However, after checking tons of military and civilian airport lists from the 1930s and 1940s, it appears that Dunn Field was never a field; at least not an aviation one. Its purpose was primarily for open space storage for bauxite, fluorspar, and waste disposal.

It looks like over time, the depot didn't change a lot. While it was open it had 110 buildings which were part of the 126 acres of covered space. Then, there was 5,354 sq. ft. of igloo space along with 3,117,927 sq. ft. of warehouse space. During WWII, German and Italian POWs worked in the warehouses. Finally, the depot had 28 miles of roads and 26 miles of RR tracks.

In 1945 $, it cost the Army $15,380,822 for land and construction. In 2026 $ that would be worth $284,562,297.

This place was visited in May 2020 and looks like it's mostly intact; sans some warehouses on the west side. Depots are typically the best preserved of former military facilities. For one, they're made of permanent construction. Next, the military retained a high percentage of them up through Cold War One. Finally, they are turnkey for relatively quick civilian reuse purposes.

Long Beach NH, CA.(It's located at 5901 E. 7th Avenue.)It was first constructed in 1941 to support the Navy yard at Term...
05/30/2026

Long Beach NH, CA.

(It's located at 5901 E. 7th Avenue.)

It was first constructed in 1941 to support the Navy yard at Terminal Island. At first there was capacity for 300 beds. But, the census on VJ Day indicated there were 2,281 patients.

This hospital of permanent construction occupied 100 acres. In 1941 $, it cost the Navy $1,600,000,000 to initially build. (This doesn't count future improvements and expansion.) In 2026 $ that would be worth $36,247,075.

Fortunately, this hospital with its historical art deco architecture has survived. But that's because indifferent civilians didn't get their hands on it; most especially in the L-B-C where they don't care about his-tor-y!

The Long Beach Naval Station and Shipyard which closed in the late 90s were totally bulldozed to make way for a port where we can import even more CCCP or Cheap Crappy Co**ie Products.

Then, there were some WWII era buildings the Army used which were on the south side of the Long Beach Airport, which got razed in the mid 2000s.

Last, but not least was the second Long Beach Naval Hospital which replaced the original one. It was built in the 1960s, and was located on 7500 Carson Avenue. There's no trace of it, as it's now a shopping center where one can pay 10% sales tax. (Nearby Orange County charges 8%.)

Fortunately, this former Naval Hospital has been put to good use, and serves thousands of veterans.

(My late father spent his last days here in the spinal care unit. They couldn't cure him of ALS. But the staff here was caring and compassionate.)

Fort McPherson; Atlanta, GA.Version World War 2.0Fort McPherson was originally created as a permanent post, located 4 mi...
05/27/2026

Fort McPherson; Atlanta, GA.

Version World War 2.0

Fort McPherson was originally created as a permanent post, located 4 miles southeast of Atlanta. It was named in honor of Maj. Gen. James Birdseye McPherson, U. S. V. (Brig. Gen. U. S. A.), who was killed in action before Atlanta, 1864.

The original reservation was established in 1867, then abandoned in 1881. But it came back to life when it was acquired by purchase, 1885-86. It saw action during WWI, WWII, and Cold War One. It had a 126 year life span lasting from 1885-2011! (No humans ever live that long.)

While WWII was happening FM occupied 371 acres. But at closing time in 2011, it had 487 acres. A reuse document indicates that in the 80s, about 100 acres was released to create a MARTA (light rail) station. So at its peak Fort Mac had close to 600 acres.

In 1945 $, it cost $3,374,164 to create additional capacity with temporary 700 series mobilization buildings, to the already existing permanent structures. In 2026 $ that would be worth $62,425,783.

Then, a 2008 DOD document indicates that FM had a plant replacement value of $417,000,000. In 2026 $ that would be worth $644,994,914. (For bases that closed before 2008, it's much harder to find their value. 2008 is the earliest document that could be found for the Cold War One era.)

During the first four BRAC rounds from 1988-1995, bases in Georgia went unscathed. It probably didn't hurt to have the Speaker of the House (Newt Gingrich), and the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee (Sam Nunn) representing the Peach State.

But, during the 2005 round, three relatively small bases in Georgia made the list; Fort McPherson, Fort Gillem, and Athens Naval Supply Corps School (it was created after WWII.).

Fort McPherson basically feels like a golf course with a military base attached to it. After all, the GC occupied 200/487 acres. Thus, accounting for 41% of the entire base.

Despise that, it will not be reused and the redevelopment plans are for it be erased so that Atlanta can cram in more housing to an already dense city.

Way more often than not, golf courses see civilian reuse. (Other exceptions besides FM off the top of my head, include Memphis NAS, TN, and El Toro MCAS, CA.)

Finally, this place was visited in October 2017. Very few WWII era buildings other than a chapel have survived. The original parade grounds with the officer housing is still intact. But, satellite photos indicate it's being overwhelmed by vegetation.

Atlanta, please don't let this historical gem sit idle and go to waste. It looks like only the Tyler Perry Studios and the V.A. clinic have been the primary reuse so far.

Fort McPherson; Atlanta, GA.Version World War 1.0Version World War 2.0 is in the pipeline; stay tuned.
05/27/2026

Fort McPherson; Atlanta, GA.

Version World War 1.0

Version World War 2.0 is in the pipeline; stay tuned.

Williams Field, AZ.It was originally known as Higley Field, and established in 1941. It was subsequently renamed William...
05/17/2026

Williams Field, AZ.

It was originally known as Higley Field, and established in 1941. It was subsequently renamed Williams Field and eventually Williams Air Force Base. This base was named after Arizona native 1st. Lt. Charles Hinton Williams who perished in a plane crash over Hawaii in 1927.

WF was one of the largest pilot training schools around during WWII and during the Air Force era having trained about 25% of the jet pilots. It was also the first base to offer such training.

During WWII, Williams occupied 1,583 owned acres and another 2,610 acres for a grand total of 4,193 acres. In 1945 $ it cost Uncle Sam $11,067,222 for land and construction. In 2026 $ that would be worth $204,755,904. (This doesn't include any improvements made by the USAF over time.) At closure in 1993, WAFB occupied 4,042 acres.

The majority of bases out there were closed for good by 1946, if not sooner. Some of them were in hibernation and brought back to life for the Korean War, only to be closed again. But not Williams as it had an uninterrupted continuous existence for 52 years before closing in 1993.

Because of the perfect flying weather, Williams was ideal for training. That would have been a good reason alone to retain it. But at the same time, the Phoenix area is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Perhaps, encroachment and crowded air space doomed Williams. Also, at the time, the Air Force must have felt that Luke and Gila Bend would be sufficient for their training needs.

This particular base reuse is definitely one of the better success stories out there. Both Arizona State University and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport rank amongst the largest universities, and airports respectively within the United States!

Williams was able to act as a reliever site for both ASU and PHX by taking advantage of preexisting facilities that our federal taxes already paid for.

Unfortunately, this can not often be said for some other rapidly growing places that rip out barracks and runways and replace it with cookie cutter housing, and strip malls which quite frankly can be built just about anywhere.

Perhaps, this top 100 airport should be renamed after the late Pat Tillman who played football locally for the Arizona State Sundevils and for the Arizona Cardinals. He answered the call on 09/11, and gave up a lucrative NFL contract to become an Army Ranger. Unfortunately, he perished from friendly fire in Afghanistan. How about Williams-Tillman Gateway Airport?

This place was first visited in 2004 and again in 2022. A few WWII era buildings have survived along with a good number of Cold War One buildings.

Quillayute NAAS, WA. The existing grass strip in Forks lacked room for expansion. This property was first acquired in 19...
05/15/2026

Quillayute NAAS, WA.

The existing grass strip in Forks lacked room for expansion. This property was first acquired in 1941 by the Army. But they needed permission from the Navy to build it, with the stipulation the Navy could use it.

This was one of 84 former Army airfields that were released to the Navy during WWII. But due to a delay in payments for the property, this place didn't become an Naval air auxiliary station until 1944; just one year before WWII ended.

This facility was really difficult to build due to lots of rain, mud, and isolation. In addition, there was a lack of sufficient electricity. QNAAS had to rely on some rustic generators during its formative years.

The airfield had a 6,000 ft. runway, plus another two runways of 5,200 feet each were placed on 1,203 acres. There are some land costs listed with the Army, but no costs for improvements made by the Navy.

There was also bombing practice right off La Push at "some island" according to a book; most likely James Island.

Before the Navy showed up, the City of Forks didn't have a cockroach problem. Someone saw a dairy shipment intended for the base crawling with cockroaches. The Navy seemed to accept them as part of life. But these invasive species must have been transported from the Southeastern part of the country.

While the base was active, pilots would sometimes buzz Forks High School. It was their way of saying hi to the local girls they were dating. The school was quite relieved when the war ended and the Navy sailed away for good in 1946.

Quillayute was the closest military airport to the coast in Washington. Plus it was the northwestern most one in the continental U.S.

Of all the continental states with a coastline, Washington seems to be the most sparsely populated besides Louisiana. This is probably due to the region averaging 200 rainy days a year, along with an average annual precipitation of 100 inches! As a result the Navy rarely used this field due to poor flying weather.

While there's very little remaining WWII history remaining here. this area would be worthy of a trip as it is near Olympic National Park along with plenty of natural scenery. In fact, nearby Forks draws tons of visitors each year due to the movie "Twilight" being filmed here.

The North American Rockwell NR-349 was a proposed high-speed interceptor concept developed during the late 1960s and ear...
05/07/2026

The North American Rockwell NR-349 was a proposed high-speed interceptor concept developed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Based on the airframe of the North American A-5 Vigilante, the aircraft was designed as an advanced “Improved Manned Interceptor” capable of extreme speed and long-range engagement. Powered by three J79 turbojet engines, the NR-349 was planned to carry up to six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, giving it formidable beyond-visual-range combat capability.

Camp Grant, IL.Version World War 2.0CG was originally founded as one of the 16 National Army cantonments during the firs...
05/02/2026

Camp Grant, IL.

Version World War 2.0

CG was originally founded as one of the 16 National Army cantonments during the first world war (out of eleven) that would train young men for battle. It was located 4 miles south of Rockford, in Winnebago County, and named in honor of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, U. S. A., Commander-in-Chief, U. S. A., 1864-69, and POTUS #17, 1869-77.

While Camp Grant was retained after World War One, a lot of the buildings were razed after the Great War; only for the place to be totally rebuilt again for WWII, and then torn down again. (Your tax dollars at work.)

In between wars one and two, it serves as a Civilian Conservation Camp. These places were created all over the country during the Depression to build infrastructure, and put young men to work with a little spending money, plus room and board; not much different from military life. But, without the risk of war.

Also, during WWII, Camp Grant served a much smaller role, and was not even in the top 50 of training camps in terms of size. Quite a contrast from WWI, where it was one of the largest facilities!

During the second world war it served as an induction center, hosted some German POWs, and was a medical training center. That's quite the contrast from being an absolutely massive infantry training center just a little over 20 years earlier.

In 1919 $, the construction costs were about $14,000,000. In 2026 $ that would be worth $267,224,393. In contrast, much less was spent during WWII to rebuild it. In 1945 $, it cost Uncle Sam $10,003,656. In 2026 $ that would be worth $183,518,737, or about 2/3 the cost of WWI.

During WW One the size of the cantonment site proper was 1600 acres; entire reservation, 5,665 acres; including shooting ranges. But, during WW Two it was only 3,338 acres.

Many of the former WW1 National Army cantonment sites have also seen plenty of post WW2 use; some of which are still active today, and have advanced in rank to achieve permanent fort status. But, there was no Fort Grant or Fort Ellis for Illinois.

As a matter of fact, other than Fort Sheridan, there were not any post WWII forts in the Land of Lincoln. Finally, FS was on the list for the very first BRAC round of 1988, and closed in the 1990s.

Today the former site for Camp Grant is the airport for Rockford. That's ironic, because its usually growing cities infested with NIMBYs that gobble up airports, and make them disappear. In fact, Camp Grant would have been large enough to be in the top five Illinois cities at the time. But instead, an airport displaced this former Army city.

However, there was an occasional plane that few in and out of the parade grounds during WWI; well before any runways were ever added. But, there were no aero squadrons attached here, so the flights would have been inconsistent, and not a regular thing.

While there are no surviving WWI buildings, a few WWII buildings do remain east of the airport. As of yet, it is unknown if Camp Grant will be reclaimed and used for World War Eleven, or where the buildings will be located.

Camp Grant, IL.Version World War 1.0Coming soon Version World War 2.0(As for World War Eleven, we'll just have to wait a...
05/02/2026

Camp Grant, IL.

Version World War 1.0

Coming soon Version World War 2.0

(As for World War Eleven, we'll just have to wait and see.)

Ardmore AAF, OK.This former base had two distinct lives and eras. From 1942-1946 it served as an airfield for the Army A...
04/29/2026

Ardmore AAF, OK.

This former base had two distinct lives and eras. From 1942-1946 it served as an airfield for the Army Air Corps. But sometime after closure virtually all the WWII era buildings were removed.

Then, as the Korean War was in full swing, the Air Force created in 1947, set up shop here from 1953-1958. Just like the Army virtually all its buildings got wiped out as well.

The Ardmorians offered additional land to the Air Force for free, if they would simply take off their coats, and stay for a while. But the USAF was finicky at the time about their bases, and declined to stay for whatever reasons, and flew away for good in 1958.

During WWII, AAAF occupied 1,064 owned acres and another 1,433 leased acres for a grand total of 2,497 acres. In 1945 $, it cost Uncle Sam $10,771,302 for land and construction. In 2026 $ that would be worth $197,601,330. (Costs for subsequent Air Force construction and land acquisition are unknown.)

Of all states, The Sooner State seems to have the highest ratio of former WWII airfields, both Army and Navy that have seen some amount of post WWII use; including use by reserve and guard forces. The only former airbases (that were not civilian contractor schools) that saw no post WWII military use were Frederick AAF, Shawnee NAS, and Woodward AAF.

Also, Oklahoma has been bullet proof during the post Cold War One BRAC rounds and didn't lose anything more than a reserve center.

Finally, Ardmore was visited in January 2021. But, there's virtually no evidence it was ever a WWII facility and a minimal amount during the Air Force era. However, there are memorials near the entrance of the airport.

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