Scottsbluff in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Scottsbluff Army Air Field
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 1, 2021
1. Scottsbluff Army Air Field Marker
During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces operated a satellite airfield at this site. In the fall of 1942 twenty-eight farms were vacated so construction could begin. Some 600,000 cubic yards of concrete for three runways was poured in forty-five days. There were approximately 108 buildings on the grounds including barracks, mess halls, officers’ quarters, warehouses, a hanger, a camouflage instruction building, and a bombsight storage building.
The first troops arrived in early December 1942. Initially air and ground crews of B-17 and B-24 bombers of the Second Air Force based in Casper, Wyoming, received final training here. In 1944 the Scottsbluff field became a satellite of the Alliance Army Air Field and the First Troop Carrier Command, training C-47 and glider crews. Aircraft and radio maintenance personnel also trained here.
In 1947 the City of Scottsbluff bought the airfield for use as a municipal airport. Most buildings were sold and removed. Since 1970 the property has been operated by Scotts Bluff County.
Erected by North Platte Valley Historical Association and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 365.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space
this page online
Location. 41° 52.168′ N, 103° 35.599′ W. Marker is in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, in Scotts Bluff County. Marker can be reached from Airport Terminal Street, ¼ mile east of County Road 25, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located in the Western Nebraska Regional Airport lobby. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 250023 Airport Terminal St, Scottsbluff NE 69361, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Rebecca Winters (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Road to Zion (approx. 2.2 miles away); Winters (approx. 2.2 miles away); A Grand & Splendid Formation (approx. 2.2 miles away); Pascual Huerta Memorial (approx. 3½ miles away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. 3.6 miles away); a different marker also named Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scottsbluff.
Also see . . .
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 1, 2021
2. Scottsbluff Army Air Field Marker
The marker is in the Western Nebraska Regional Airport lobby.
1. History of Western Nebraska Regional Airport. Excerpt:
On September 1942, an announcement was made that Scottsbluff was selected as one of seven satellite air bases that would be located in Nebraska. Construction began at the new base in September 1942. A temporary railroad spur was occupied as early as October 1942. The airport was then built by the U.S. Army in 1943 at a cost of 5.5 million. Today, the replacement value is estimated at 125 million. Scottsbluff Army Airfield was part of a series of training bases built in Nebraska during World War II.(Submitted on January 10, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Scotts Bluff Army Air Field. Excerpt:
In 1947, the airfield was sold to the city of Scottsbluff. It became a municipal airport but was still used for military training exercises until 1950. In 1970, Scottsbluff transferred ownership to Scotts Bluff County. The airfield is now called the William B. Helig Field. Of the 108 buildings at the site, only 6 now remain. No fatal air crashes occurred involving planes originating from Scottsbluff AAF. The only fatality related to the field was an airman who intentionally jumped out of a flying plane without a parachute.(Submitted on January 10, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Western Nebraska Regional Airport (Wikipedia)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 1, 2021
3. Western Nebraska Regional Airport Terminal
The marker is located in the lobby.
The original airport opened in 1934; it had a hangar, commercial airline connections, air mail service, lighted fields, a weather bureau station, and was a pilot training facility. After the original Scottsbluff Municipal Airport closed to make way for the new airfield, the old airport later became a prisoner of war camp. The wartime airfield closed on December 31, 1945, and the War Department handed over control to the City of Scottsbluff in 1947. Buildings and structures which were not part of the transfer were sold by the U.S. Government in separate agreements and most were removed.(Submitted on January 10, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 55 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 10, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Link to when this marker was once outdoors. Indoor markers do not qualify, unless they were outdoors when they were first erected and moved indoors later. • Can you help?
