Near Stuttgart in Prairie County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Stuttgart Army Airfield

Photographed by Glenn Mosenthin, November 13, 2025

1. Stuttgart Army Airfield Marker

Inscription. The United States Army Air Forces opened Stuttgart Army Airfield (SAAF) in October 1942 for the purpose of advanced pilot and crew training in Waco CG-4A Hadrian gliders for WW2 European operations. The 2,682-acre airfield consisted of four 5,000-foot runways and facilities for 6,000 personnel. Glider training was conducted until May 1943 and graduated over 500 cadets, after which time SAAF was used to train medium bomber and transport pilots using twin-engine planes including the Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita and Cessna AT-17 Bobcat. The advanced twin-engine school continued until December 1944, then was replaced by an air-ground coordination training school. Women’s Army Corps (WAC) auxiliary cadets were also stationed at Stuttgart. The airfield contained a prisoner-of-war camp for captured German troops, many of whom were contracted by area farmers to work their land. SAAF also provided employment to many local citizens. The War Department closed the airfield in August 1946, and the property was later deeded to the City of Stuttgart. From 1959 to 1978, the Grand Prairie Grand Prix was held on the site using the airfield’s

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runways and aprons. The former SAAF is now the site of Stuttgart Municipal Airport as well as an industrial park and a National Guard Armory.

Marker Sponsored by the Grand Prairie Historical Society and Various Donors

Erected 2025 by Grand Prairie Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II.

Location. 34° 35.858′ N, 91° 34.52′ W. Marker is near Stuttgart, Arkansas, in Prairie County. It can be reached from Airport Road one mile west of U.S. 63. The marker is located at the west (runway) side of the Stuttgart Municipal Airport Terminal building. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stuttgart AR 72160, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the

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Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Camp Mitchell (approx. 5.7 miles away); Love Rest Green Grove Cemetery (approx. 6.2 miles away); Holman School (approx. 6.3 miles away); The Britsch Grocery (approx. 6.8 miles away); Rev. Adam Buerkle (approx. 6.9 miles away); Stuttgart's First Public School (approx. 6.9 miles away); Stuttgart Centennial (approx. 7 miles away); Grand Avenue United Methodist Church (approx. 7.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stuttgart.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2025. This page has been viewed 91 times since then and 42 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on December 7, 2025, by Glenn Mosenthin of Searcy, Arkansas. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.