Walterboro in Colleton County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Walterboro Army Air Field
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
1. Walterboro Army Air Field Marker
- Helmut Ulbricht, German POW, Walterboro Army Air Field, 1945.The Press and Standard, 1994.
Two Hundred and fifty German prisoners of war were held at WAAF during WW II, providing essential labor for local farmers and repatriation at the end of the war.
Look closely.
Buildings are rising out of forgotten foundations in the surrounding woods.
Listen closely.
There is a distant drone of fighter planes as they sweep overhead. (Picture included): The 510th Fighter Squadron was just one of the many groups for whom Walterboro was the last training stop before being sent into combat overseas. Photograph courtesy of the 510th Fighter Squadron.
You can hear voices in the wind whispering through the pines... The crisp orders of officers. The boisterous tones of pilots and mechanics. The low tones of German prisoners.
Today this is a quiet regional airport. During World War II it was a bustling air field which thousands of men passed through on their way to action overseas. For many the air field and nearby town were the last taste they would have of home. For some it would be a battleground as fraught with emotion and challenges as the
this page online
Together, their stories bring to life the incredible history of Walterboro Army Air Field.
(Lower left picture): Over five hundred black pilots faced discrimination and segregation while training at Walterboro Army Air Field between April 1944 and October 1945. Tuskegee class 44F, 1944. Photograph courtesy of Hirem E. Mann
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.
Location. 32° 54.998′ N, 80° 38.259′ W. Marker is in Walterboro, South Carolina, in Colleton County. It is on Aviation Way near Lt.Col. Hiram Mann Driveway, on the right when traveling north. Located in the Airport Park off Rt US 17A, at the Walterboro Army Airfield Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Walterboro SC 29488, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, in the Ashepoo and Combahee and Edisto Basin. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Prisoner Of War Camp and Camouflage School (here, next to this marker); The Tuskegee Airman of World War II (here, next to this marker); The Tuskegee Airmen (a few steps from this marker); Walterboro Army Airfield (a few steps from this marker); The Beacon (within shouting distance of this marker); Anderson Field / Walterboro Army Air Field
Photographed by Walterboro Army Air Field Marker
2. right picture: The 510th Fighter Squadron
Photographed by Walterboro Army Air Field Marker
3. training at Walterboro Army Air Field between April 1944 and October 1945.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
4. Walterboro Army Air Field Memorial Park
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
5. Tuskegee Airmen Monument at Walterboro Army Airfield Park
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,168 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 22, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
