FREDERICK ARMY AIRFIELD
Now home and Headquarters to the World War II Airborne Demonstration
Team, work began on the development of what was to become Frederick
Army Airfield in 1942 as the US Army Air Force began one of the most
amazing expansions in military history. Until then, Frederick was a
sleepy little town in rural Oklahoma, where wheat and cotton grew in
abundance, waiving in the gentle breeze. Who would have believed
that only 12 months later, over 1,400 acres of land would be covered
with tar, wood, steel and concrete and a fully operational training
base established.
Frederick Army Airfield was officially activated on September 23rd,
1942 when Colonel Robert B Davenport left his post as Director of
Training at the basic flying school at Enid, Oklahoma and placed in
command. By this time the wheat and cotton had been cleared away,
but the site was only a shadow of what it was to become, as only a
handful of tar paper huts cover the red Oklahoma earth.
Colonel Robert B Davenport
However, within a few months one of the newest advanced flying
schools in the Central Flying Training Center would be eked out of
that red earth and a facility that would train airmen as crew
members on Flying Fortresses, Liberators, Marauders, Mitchells and
Havocs would be developed. As the year 1942 came to an end new road
and buildings were evident everywhere and the vast runway was near
completion. January 15th, 1943 would see the first plane land at
Frederick Army Airfield.
Frederick Post Headquarters
As work was completed on many projects around the facility and
military personnel poured onto the base, in February 1943, the
Allied Engineering Company completed its work and withdrew from the
base. The base commander was delighted when on April 23rd, 1943 the
first consignment of cadets arrived to commence their final nine
weeks of training before receiving their silver wings. By this time
the base had expanded in size and the facilities that any small town
would require were on site, with more yet to come.
Base Chapel
Buildings were established where cadets would undertake their
military training in flying instruction as well as navigation,
engineering, maintenance, weather prediction, photography, radio
operation and signals. Facilities also included many support
services like hospital, guard house, quartermaster and even a
theater for those relaxation hours.
Post Theater
Every single aspect of each cadet’s care and welfare had to be
created from scratch. Be it barracks for them to sleep in, the
laundry to wash their clothes or the mess hall to feed their hungry
appetites, Frederick Army Airfield had it on site or it was in the
process of being built.
Post Mess Hall
Graduation of the first class of cadets took place on June 26th,
1943, when a proud commander saw the culmination of many months hard
work as Officers and enlisted men marked the end of this phase of
the development of this phase of the nation’s training program. A
phase in which Frederick Army Air Field was to play an important
part. So it came as no surprise to the commander when on July 18th
1943, Frederick Army Airfield held its first “Open House” and some
20,000 inquisitive civilian visitors poured through the field gates
to inspect the facility and left offering loud praise for this new
part of the nation’s defense.
Review of Cadets
So, Frederick Army Airfield would take its rightful place, alongside
more established Army Airfields, producing the type of highly
trained men that were needed on the battlefront. Its graduates would
take up that challenge thrown down by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor
and by their Axis allies in Europe and the skill of Frederick Army
Airfield would be reflected with every victory supported by its
cadets.
Today, very little remains of the original 1, 400 acre site’s
facilities and buildings, so it is very difficult to get a true
perspective of the enormity of the task that was undertaken some 65
years ago, or the sheer scope of the activities that took place
there. The World War II Airborne Demonstration Team aims to try and
create a scale model of the facility, from the original
WWII plans, to help will help maintain the history of the
site. When sufficient funds have been raised, this will form part of
the Team’s Headquarters museum alongside many other
WWII artifacts. So if you have n your possession any old
photographs of Frederick Army Airfield that you would wish to share,
have stories about the base, or wish to contribute financially or
provide an artifact donation please get in contact with us.
