Omaha Army Airfield

Omaha Army Airfield
Name	Omaha Army Airfield
Location	Offutt Air Force Base, Bellevue, Nebraska
Country	United States
Type	Military airfield
Coordinates	41°08′N 95°55′W
Used	1942–1946
Controlledby	United States Army Air Forces
Garrison	Eighth Air Force, Twentieth Air Force

Omaha Army Airfield was a World War II-era air installation associated with Offutt Field and the Fort Omaha military complex near Omaha, Nebraska. Constructed during the mobilization following Attack on Pearl Harbor, the airfield supported strategic reconnaissance, bomber training, and ferrying operations tied to continental Fourth Interceptor Command and transcontinental routes. The facility intersected with national wartime programs involving War Shipping Administration, Air Transport Command, and aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Consolidated Aircraft.

History

The airfield was established amid the rapid expansion of United States Army Air Forces infrastructure after the United States declaration of war on Japan and the Axis powers campaign escalations. Early planning involved coordination with the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Works Progress Administration predecessor projects adapted under War Production Board priorities. Construction contracts were awarded to regional firms connected to the Midwest Aircraft Corporation supply chain, and labor forces included members of United Service Organizations and veterans transitioning from American Expeditionary Forces service. The site functioned in concert with regional hubs such as Lincoln Airfield (Nebraska), Kansas City Downtown Airport, and Sioux City Army Air Base for cross-country routing.

Facilities and Layout

The layout featured runways aligned to prevailing winds used by B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, P-47 Thunderbolt, and C-47 Skytrain types. Hangars were standardized under designs promulgated by the Army Corps of Engineers with steel truss systems similar to those at Wright Field and Randolph Field. Support structures included control towers modeled on Mitchell Field schematics, motor pools compatible with Willys MB and GMC CCKW vehicles, and fuel farms connected to pipelines influenced by Big Inch pipeline logistics. On-base barracks and mess halls followed specifications from United States War Department circulars, while ground training used ranges comparable to those at Fort Leavenworth and Camp Shelby.

Units and Operations

Throughout its active period, the airfield hosted elements from numbered air forces and constituent groups: squadrons of the Eighth Air Force rotated through for staging, while aircrews from the Twentieth Air Force used the field for ferrying operations to West Coast ferry fields en route to Pacific Theater staging areas. Personnel rosters included pilots reassigned from Training Command programs, navigators trained under Air Corps Navigation School curricula, and ground crews certified by Air Service Command. The installation supported transient flights for units like the 91st Bomb Group and 44th Bomb Group, and coordinated maintenance with contractors linked to General Motors Corporation and Curtiss-Wright.

Role in World War II

During World War II, the airfield functioned as a node in domestic air logistics, contributing to strategic and tactical preparations for campaigns in the European Theater of Operations and the Pacific Ocean Areas. It facilitated crew training prior to deployments associated with operations such as Operation Overlord and Operation Cartwheel, and processed aircraft transiting toward Alaska Route and South Pacific ferry route corridors. The field supported aerial reconnaissance missions connected to Tuskegee Airmen movements and hosted inspections tied to Army Air Forces Materiel Command procurement reviews. Interaction with civil agencies like the United Service Organizations and Red Cross provided morale and welfare services for personnel.

Postwar Use and Closure

After Victory over Japan Day and the demobilization that followed V-J Day, the airfield's operational tempo declined as units were inactivated per Win-the-War policies and Reconstruction Finance Corporation adjustments. Surplus property disposition followed Surplus Property Act guidelines, and many structures were transferred or sold to municipal authorities in Douglas County, Nebraska and private contractors. Some facilities were absorbed into Offutt Air Force Base expansions influenced by the creation of the United States Air Force in 1947, while other areas reverted to agricultural use and industrial redevelopment akin to postwar conversions at Kelly Field and Mather Field.

Legacy and Commemoration

The legacy of the airfield is preserved through regional museums and heritage organizations such as the Strategic Air and Space Museum, local historical societies in Bellevue, Nebraska and Omaha, Nebraska, and commemorative events tied to Armed Forces Day and Veterans Day. Memorial plaques and interpretive exhibits reference associated units like the Eighth Air Force and notable aircraft including the B-17 Flying Fortress. Academic works produced by scholars at University of Nebraska Omaha and archival collections at the Nebraska State Historical Society document the airfield's role in national mobilization. Remnants of runways and foundations appear in aerial imagery used by researchers from institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress collections.

Category:Former United States Army Airfields Category:World War II airfields in the United States Category:Military installations in Nebraska