page_title: Dodge City Army Air Field
section_title: Advanced Twin Engine School
hierarchical_section_title: Dodge City Army Air Field / History / Advanced Twin Engine School
caption_attribution_description: English: B-26s in winter snow, Dodge City AAF, Kansas
context_page_description: Dodge City Army Airfield, also known as Ford County Airport and Dodge City Municipal Airport, is an abandoned airfield located in Ford County, Kansas, 6 miles northwest of Dodge City.
context_section_description: Dodge City Army Airfield became one of three B-26 Marauder training bases, the others being Tarrant Army Airfield, and Laughlin Army Airfield, both in Texas.  The first planes to be used for instruction, a dozen B-26's, were delivered to Dodge City Army Air Field on 26 April 1943. On the same day, the first group of officer students, 36 in all, reported for B-26 transition training. No time was lost, for on 28 April the first training flights began.   Most of the graduates were sent overseas to Ninth and Twelfth Air Forces in England and the Mediterranean Theaters, although Tenth Air Force in the CBI also flew Marauders. 
  In addition to the regular category of officer students in training, several of the classes included Free French Air Force pilot trainees, as well as contingents of Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP's). The women pilots compared favorably with the men in all phases of the training, which was the same for both sexes. 
  During the active training period at the base, that is from 28 April 1943 to June 1945, an estimated 2,215 student officers, Free French, and WASP's received B-26 transition training. 
  The relations between the base and Dodge City were uniformly good. The limited size of the town created problems of housing for married officers and enlisted men, but this was the universal and normal wartime condition. The people of Dodge City showed themselves most co-operative in welcoming a large number of troops into their community. For example, during February 1943, various civic organizations co-operated in furnishing day rooms for the squadrons on the base. In March, the local Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs presented a minstrel show which netted about $1,200 to aid in furnishing the day rooms. 
  Friendly co-operation was by no means a one-way street. During the Boot Hill Fair and Rodeo in September 1943, the Technical Training Department exhibited various types of equipment and instructional aids in a booth on the fair grounds. Outstanding for its co-operation was the Dodge City Daily Globe, which was consistently generous with publicity releases.
caption: B-26 Marauders at Ddge City AAF in snow
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