Leadville Army Airfield
| Leadville Army Airfield
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|---|---|
| Part of Army Air Force Training Command | |
| Lake County, near Leadville, Colorado | |
 12 October 1999 |
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| Type | Army Airfield |
| Coordinates | 39°16′59.98″N 106°19′59.98″W / 39.2833278°N 106.3333278°W |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-1944 |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Garrison | Third Air Force Second Air Force |
Leadville Army Airfield is an abandoned World War II airfield located 2 miles northwest of Leadville, Colorado.
Contents |
[edit] History
The airfield was opened as Leadville Municipal Airport sometime prior to World War II, and possibly in 1943 it was taken over by the United States Army Air Force Third Air Force and renamed Leadville Army Airfield.
The airfield was used as an auxiliary field of Peterson Army Air Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado which was a training facility for several photo reconnaissance groups, as well as the 35th Altitude Training Unit.
Later in 1943, Peterson (and Leadville) were transferred to the Second Air Force and it possibly became a sub-base for Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma. At the end of the war the airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use.
At 9,927 ft (3,026 m) above mean sea level the airfield was one of North America's highest. Aircraft performance deteriorates rapidly with altitude, and with a local population of less than 3,000 people there was little or no use for the airfield after the war ended, and it was completely dismantled by 1949.
Today there is little left of this faciity except some faintly discernible runways which are only observable from the air. Tumbleweeds and scrub have taken over the rest of the facility with little or no remains. There is a mobile home park on the southeast of the airfield which was built on the end of an old runway.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- 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.
- ArmyAirForces.com Forum: AAF Ground Commands, Stations, & Bases
