Casper in Natrona County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Casper Army Air Base 1942-1944;

Casper Army Air Field 1944-1945

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, Oct 2024

1. Casper Army Air Base 1942-1944; Marker

Inscription. The U.S. entrance into World War II mandated a vast expansion of the Army Air Force. Casper was selected as a location for one of the new air fields necessary to train the combat aircrews that would operate the B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 "Liberator" heavy bombers. Construction began in May 1942. and the first airplane landed on the new Casper runway on August 15, 1942. The 331st Bombardment Group trained B-17 crews between September 1942 and April 1943. Beginning in April, the base's training transitioned entirely to B-24 crews. In March 1944. the 211th Army Air Force Base Unit took over the training regimen. During its operation, Army Air Field (AAF) trained approximately 1.600 heavy bomber crews (at least 16,000 airmen) for combat on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis. Airmen at Casper included the famous pilot Chuck Yeager, who trained on the P-39 Airacobra fighter. Famous visitors included U.S. Army Air Force commanding officer General Hap Arnold and entertainer Bob Hope. The base graduated its last training class on February 23, 1945 and was transferred to Natrona County on November 6. 1949. Casper AAF

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employed nearly 1,000 civilian employees during World War II, and the construction and operation of the base lifted Casper out of the Great Depression. Following the war, numerous Casper AAF officers and enlisted men remained in the area and became prominent community leaders and businessmen in the city of Casper and County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1942.

Location. 42° 53.431′ N, 106° 27.836′ W. Marker is in Casper, Wyoming, in Natrona County. It is on Airport Parkway near U.S. 20, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8500 Airport Parkway, Casper WY 82604, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wyoming’s Westward Expansion Trails Region.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Emigrant Gap Historical Site

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(approx. 5 miles away); The Town of Mills (approx. 5½ miles away); Oregon Trail (approx. 5½ miles away); The “Mormon” Ferry (approx. 5½ miles away); Guinard Bridge (approx. 5.9 miles away); Site of Old Platte Bridge (approx. 5.9 miles away); The Upper Crossing (approx. 5.9 miles away); The Road to Zion (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Casper.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 105 times since then and 68 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on November 15, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.