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Madras Army Airfield (1943-1945) - A World War II U.S. Army Air Field established in 1943 near Madras, Jefferson County, Oregon. First named Madras Army Airfield after the location. It closed after the end of WWII in 1945.
WWII Madras AAF South Hanger in 2022.
WWII Madras Army Airfield Hangers in 2022.
History
In January 1943 the Army confirmed that the small Oregon town of Madras would be the site of a combat training Army Airfield. The 1940 population of Madras was just 412. The airfield was located just north of town on a high mesa that overlooked the town.
Construction of the new airfield included two OBH-2, 120' x 80' hangars for the Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress Bombers to be assigned at the base. Madras was overwhelmed by the construction activity that included hangers, runways, taxi strips, hard-stands, and the rapid influx of several hundred officers, enlisted GIs, and Army construction workers. Many newcomers had to find quarters in Madras homes and travel to the airfield by military buses.
In September 1944 the mission changed from aircrew training to aircraft maintenance. Aircrew training moved to nearby Redmond Army Airfield and bomber flight instruction ended.
In November 1945 the base was declared surplus and reverted to the control of the War Assets and the Civil Aviation Administration. A campaign by Madras and Jefferson County officials to obtain ownership and control of the base was successful and on 3 Apr 1947 Madras Army Airfield was transferred to civil authorities.
Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy.
Current Status
Now Madras Municipal Airport. The two WWII hangers still exist.
