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load of 37,000 pounds. Runways and apron (500 x 4,750 feet) were constructed with a ten-inch gravel base placed in layers on a six-inch compacted earth subbase, and surfaced with one and one-half-inch asphalt cement; the service strip (80 feet wide) was a six-inch concrete slab, thickened to nine inches at the expansion and construction joints. three taxiways, 50 feet wide, completed the runway system. Fronting on the field, three squadron hangars, 120 by 80 feet, were built.
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during that interval an average of just over 86 crews and 76 aircraft were processed each month. With some slight diminution this rate was maintained until the end of World War II. On the whole most of the crews involved left
Herington with their own aircraft. Some of the others traveled by train to the ports of embarkation. The remainder, along with some few aircraft, were transported to ports of embarkation by the
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the entire field. That move in effect consolidated three units which existed there: the
Processing Headquarters itself; the 503d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; and the 406th Sub-Depot, jurisdiction over which the Second Air Force but recently had taken over from the Air Service Command. Two months later, the whole was organized as the 274th Army Air Forces Base Unit.
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men by 1 March 1943 and to 103 officers and 1,768 enlisted men at the end of the following June. The first contingent of WACs, consisting of one officer and ten enlisted women, arrived one year later. The peak in the strength of the permanent party military personnel was reached in August 1944, with totals of 113 officers and 2,123 enlisted men and women.
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The first combat crews and aircraft arrived at
Herington for processing during the latter part of June 1943; and the program immediately got under way. Spread out over a period of approximately five days, the schedule involved the performance of the following functions on all such crews and aircraft
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The installation then was placed on an inactive status, and a declaration of surplus was prepared. On 18 October 1946 the War
Department listed the field as surplus to its needs. After disposal had been made of all remaining property and a final audit had been made, jurisdiction over Herington Army
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On 17 February following, the 6th Heavy
Bombardment Processing Headquarters was activated at Herington. The dominant role played by the processing function is indicated by the fact that in January 1944 the commanding officer of the 6th Heavy Bombardment Processing Headquarters, assumed command over
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This processing of heavy bombardment crews and equipment, sometimes called staging and also preparation for overseas movements, proved to be the principal function of
Herington Army Airfield. A preliminary step leading to the development of the program there was the assignment on 25 January 1943 of
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Most of the station area is unused with many concrete foundations of the former wartime station buildings evident. A few wartime buildings appear to be standing, although they are in a severe state of disrepair. The station area has some light industrial companies and some wartime streets are
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In the ensuing weeks, a Base Signal Office was created, a Base
Operations Section organized, a Finance Department set up, and a Base Chemical Service inaugurated. Commencing with only one officer on 1 November 1942, the number of military personnel on the field grew to 12 officers and 145 enlisted
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Construction work of a general nature relative to the site chosen for the army air field near
Herington, included a water storage and distribution system; a sewage collection and disposal plant; an electric distribution system; two gasoline storage and distribution systems; 128,000 square yards of
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The airport maintains a small portion of the N/S runway along with a small portion of the parking apron for aircraft use. Otherwise the remainder of the wartime airfield is abandoned. The NW/SE and SW/NE runways have been reduced to a single lane concrete road, with cattle feeding yards to the
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Construction of
Herington Army Air Field, accomplished by contract under supervision of the Air Service Command, commenced in September 1942, and continued over a period of 14 months. Three runways were built with a dimension of 150 x 6750 feet, with a gross load capacity of 74,000 pounds, wheel
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assumed jurisdiction of
Herington AAF from the Second Air Force. On 18 July following Herington Army Airfield and the entire 21st Bombardment Wing were placed under the direct supervision of Headquarters, Continental Air Forces. In September 1945 Herington became an installation of the I Staging
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By working around the clock during rush periods, the 274th AAF Base Unit at Herington was able to process an average of nine combat crews a day. Normally, however, the rate of processing was much more moderate. Figures for the year ending 30 June 1944 may be regarded as typical. They reveal that
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east and west sides of the road. About half of the N/S runway is abandoned along with the majority of the large aircraft parking apron and associated taxiways. Two of the wartime hangars remain in use, one as part of an open storage yard, the other in a non-aviation use.
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in California. There was no further change in the status of Herington, however, until its inactivation on 14 November 1945. Thereafter jurisdiction over it formally passed from the Continental Air Forces to the Oklahoma City Air Service Technical Command.
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Excess buildings and demilitarized equipment were sold or transferred to other bases. Some were torn down and sales were held for scrap lumber of torn down buildings, fence posts, barbed wire and other items which no longer had a useful need.
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paved roads and streets; 14,000 square yards of paved walks; and a swimming pool. The station contained about 100 buildings, electric transmission lines, and all the other things one could expect to find in a town of 2,500 people.
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On 1 November 1942, however, Maj. Harold Painter, who was slated to become the first commanding officer, arrived to take over the field. On 26 January 1943, Major Painter formally assumed command of
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was charged with the responsibility of the final processing of heavy bombardment crews and equipment just prior to their leaving for overseas assignments. To carry out that program the wing utilized
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and appointed an adjutant, a provost marshal, a post engineer, a quartermaster(Capt. Arthur J. Sand), and a medical officer. On the same day also the following units were activated:
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eventually turned the air base over to local government officials. Since then the installation has been operated by the city of Herington as its municipal airport.
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Command, with the change in the name of the 21st Wing to that designation. Soon thereafter Headquarters I Staging Command was moved from Topeka Army Airfield to
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464:
Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
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staging field. That meant, of course, the processing of very heavy bombardment crews and aircraft just prior to their departure for overseas assignments.
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crews and aircraft being assigned there for processing. During the months of June, July, and August 1944, however, it was converted into a
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installation which was situated some 70 miles to the northeast and which served as the headquarters for the
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who assumed jurisdiction over the field on 19 March 1947, pending disposition.
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For the first 11 months of the active program, Herington was primarily a
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The assignment of crews and aircraft to scheduled overseas projects
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were both stationed at Herington Air Base for a period of time.
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Arranging the schedule for departure to the port of embarkation.
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the 47th, the 48th, the 49th, and the 50th Airdrome Squadrons.
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The former wartime airfield can be reached travelling east on
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Kansas
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Herington Army Air Field was located eight miles from
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2006 USGS photo of the former Herington Army Airfield
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468:AFHRA History of Herington Army Airfield, Kansas
295:The issue of certain critical items of equipment
282:which were temporarily assigned to the field:
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258:, and three satellite fields (Herington AAF,
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231:503d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron
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52:Herington Army Airfield - 1943 layout plan
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359:Airfield was transferred to the Army's
643:46th Bombardment Operational Training
623:16th Bombardment Operational Training
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459:Air Force Historical Research Agency
292:A clothing and equipment inspection
438:Kansas World War II Army Airfields
310:Briefings on routes to be traveled
179:. It is currently the city-owned
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1448:1947 disestablishments in Kansas
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453: This article incorporates
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289:A physical fitness examination
1:
1438:1942 establishments in Kansas
1335:United States Army Air Forces
174:United States Army Air Forces
1453:Airports established in 1942
304:Communications instructions
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321:staging field, with a few
246:Deployment staging mission
237:399th Army Air Forces Band
181:Herington Regional Airport
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628:17th Bombardment Training
618:15th Bombardment Training
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393:War Assets Administration
301:A prisoner of war lecture
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45:
35:
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403:evident in photography.
31:Part of Second Air Force
365:Seventh Service Command
225:Herington Army Airfield
166:Herington Army Airfield
19:Herington Army Airfield
582:IV Air Support Command
567:II Air Support Command
455:public domain material
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347:Continental Air Forces
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335:Air Transport Command
252:21st Bombardment Wing
234:1161st Guard Squadron
205:21st Bombardment Wing
111:38.69472°N 96.80806°W
352:Merced Army Airfield
323:B-17 Flying Fortress
256:Topeka Army Airfield
197:Topeka Army Airfield
172:staging base of the
1314:443nd Troop Carrier
1298:77th Reconnaissance
1293:71st Reconnaissance
597:XXII Bomber Command
116:38.69472; -96.80806
106: /
1288:8th Reconnaissance
1283:7th Reconnaissance
1278:6th Reconnaissance
1273:5th Reconnaissance
1268:4th Reconnaissance
1263:3rd Reconnaissance
1258:2nd Reconnaissance
921:388th Bombardment
592:XXI Bomber Command
577:II Fighter Command
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327:B-29 Superfortress
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1196:505th Bombardment
1191:504th Bombardment
1186:502nd Bombardment
1181:501st Bombardment
1176:500th Bombardment
1171:499th Bombardment
1166:498th Bombardment
1161:497th Bombardment
1156:494th Bombardment
1151:493rd Bombardment
1146:491st Bombardment
1141:490th Bombardment
1136:489th Bombardment
1131:488th Bombardment
1126:487th Bombardment
1121:486th Bombardment
1116:485th Bombardment
1111:484th Bombardment
1106:472nd Bombardment
1101:471st Bombardment
1096:470th Bombardment
1091:469th Bombardment
1086:468th Bombardment
1081:467th Bombardment
1076:464th Bombardment
1071:462nd Bombardment
1066:461st Bombardment
1061:460th Bombardment
1056:459th Bombardment
1051:458th Bombardment
1046:457th Bombardment
1041:456th Bombardment
1036:455th Bombardment
1031:454th Bombardment
1026:453rd Bombardment
1021:452nd Bombardment
1016:451st Bombardment
1011:450th Bombardment
1006:449th Bombardment
1001:448th Bombardment
996:447th Bombardment
991:446th Bombardment
986:445th Bombardment
981:444th Bombardment
976:418th Bombardment
971:415th Bombardment
966:407th Bombardment
961:401st Bombardment
956:400th Bombardment
951:399th Bombardment
946:398th Bombardment
941:396th Bombardment
936:395th Bombardment
931:393rd Bombardment
926:390th Bombardment
916:385th Bombardment
911:384th Bombardment
906:383rd Bombardment
901:382nd Bombardment
896:381st Bombardment
891:379th Bombardment
886:376th Bombardment
881:351st Bombardment
876:346th Bombardment
871:333rd Bombardment
866:331st Bombardment
861:330th Bombardment
856:312th Bombardment
851:308th Bombardment
846:307th Bombardment
841:306th Bombardment
836:305th Bombardment
831:304th Bombardment
826:303rd Bombardment
821:302nd Bombardment
816:301st Bombardment
811:100th Bombardment
663:316th Bombardment
658:315th Bombardment
587:XX Bomber Command
572:II Bomber Command
361:District Engineer
345:In May 1945, the
193:Herington, Kansas
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39:Herington, Kansas
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806:99th Bombardment
801:96th Bombardment
796:95th Bombardment
791:94th Bombardment
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781:86th Bombardment
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761:47th Bombardment
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721:19th Bombardment
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633:18th Replacement
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422:John H. Eastwood
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266:) in Kansas and
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37:Located near
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1232:85th Fighter
1227:84th Fighter
1222:54th Fighter
1217:20th Fighter
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143:Site history
679:Bombardment
426:Emil Kapaun
260:Bruning AAF
156:In use
114: /
101:096°48′29″W
89:Coordinates
1432:Categories
1407:Fourteenth
1402:Thirteenth
444:References
120: (
98:38°41′41″N
1417:Twentieth
1412:Fifteenth
535:Airfields
528:Airfields
419:Chaplains
159:1942-1947
1392:Eleventh
560:Commands
432:See also
268:Nebraska
1397:Twelfth
1372:Seventh
1210:Fighter
187:History
1377:Eighth
1357:Fourth
1347:Second
672:Groups
262:, and
168:was a
1387:Tenth
1382:Ninth
1367:Sixth
1362:Fifth
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1342:First
606:Wings
553:Units
514:USAAF
219:Units
148:Built
424:and
391:The
250:The
199:, a
151:1942
135:Type
519:in
367:at
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501:e
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