Ardmore Air Force Base Ardmore Air Force Base is an inactive United States Air Force base , approximately 11 miles northeast of Ardmore , Oklahoma . It was active during World War II as a heavy bomber training airfield and during the early years of the Cold War as a troop carrier base . It was closed on 31 March 1959 . History . In 1940 , Ardmore ' s Chamber of Commerce , like many US cities , was interested in securing a defense - oriented entity to boost the economy of the area as part of the United States ' s buildup of its military forces on the eve of World War II . Citizens of Ardmore approved a $ 100 , 000 bond issue in early 1942 to purchase 1 , 416 acres of land north of Gene Autry , Oklahoma . The US Government contributed 650 acres that it owned in the area to complete the 2 , 066 acres used for the base . The acreage was leased for one dollar to the War Department for the duration of the war plus six months . The initial plans were that the base would serve as an Army Air Corps glider training facility . The Arbuckle Mountains located to the north and east of the base would have been ideal for creating updrafts and down drafts . Construction began on the airfield which consisted of four runways 7200x150 ( N / S ) - bituminous ; 7282x150 ( NE / SW ) , 7200x150 ( E / W ) , 7200x150 ( NW / SE ) ; concrete . In addition , the building of a large support base with more than 300 buildings , numerous streets , a utility network , was carried out with barracks , various administrative buildings , maintenance shops and hangars . The station facility consisted of a large number of buildings based on standardized plans and architectural drawings , with the buildings designed to be the " cheapest , temporary character with structural stability only sufficient to meet the needs of the service which the structure is intended to fulfill during the period of its contemplated war use " was underway . To conserve critical materials , most facilities were constructed of wood , concrete , brick , gypsum board and concrete asbestos . Metal was sparsely used . The station was designed to be nearly self - sufficient , with not only hangars , but barracks , warehouses , hospitals , dental clinics , dining halls , and maintenance shops were needed . There were libraries , social clubs for officers , and enlisted men , and stores to buy living necessities . Over 250 buildings , together with complete water , sewer , electric and gas utilities , the airfield served over 4 , 000 military personnel . World War II . Glider training . Far from being completed , Ardmore Army Airfield was officially activated on 2 August 1942 . Jurisdiction of the facility was assigned to the I Troop Carrier Command . The first group of soldiers to arrive was on 21 November 1942 , when the 418th Air Base Glider Squadron arrived from Stout Army Air Field , Indiana . This contingency consisted of 262 enlisted men , 13 officers assigned , plus 30 enlisted men and four officers attached . In the following weeks and into early 1943 , approximately 200 glider pilots were assigned to the field along with 15 liaison aircraft ( Aeronca L - 3 C and Taylorcraft L - 2 A Grasshopper ) for use in training . At the time of the glider pilots arrival , individually or in small groups , only four base officers were qualified as pilots . A Waco CG - 4A glider was brought to the field from the Ford manufacturing plant near Detroit , Michigan but reports indicate it saw limited use while at the base . Glider pilot training never materialized at Ardmore on a large scale or for very long . The glider pilots , most of whom had civilian licenses or had been in military flight training , usually trained in the first phase of glider instruction with light aircraft that could glide for long distances with reduced power or with engines turned off . Advanced phases included the use of " two - place " sail planes and the large CG - 4A glider . On 15 April 1943 , a little over four months after arrival , the glider phase ended when the 418th was transferred to Bowman Field , Kentucky . Medium Bomber training . Jurisdiction of Ardmore AAF was transferred to III Bomber Command on 12 April 1943 . Under Third Air Force , the mission of the base was to become a Martin B - 26 Marauder crew training base . In June , Ardmore AAF was assigned as a sub - base to Will Rogers Field , Oklahoma . The 394th Bombardment Group was moved from MacDill Field , Florida to Ardmore on 12 July 1943 , along with its 584th , 585th , 586th and 587th Bombardment Squadrons . The 394th performed Phase Two crew training while at Ardmore . This involved local and distant training flights with simulated missions allowing all crew members to practice and improve their skills . Classroom instruction was also part of the program . At this time , no gunnery or bombing ranges were associated with the Ardmore field . It is reported that the 394th used a bombing range located in the Great Salt Plains area of northern Oklahoma as did other training units . The outlines of a German battleship , the Scharnhorst , and an oil refinery were used as simulated targets . The group trained at the airfield for just over a month until 19 August , when it moved for further trainign at Kellogg Field , Michigan . Heavy Bomber training . With the departure of the 394th to Michigan , on 20 August 1943 jurisdiction of Ardmore AAF was transferred to II Bomber Command , Second Air Force . In September 1943 , the 46th Bombardment Operational Training Wing , arrived from Dalhart Army Airfield , Texas . Shortly after the arrival of the 46th BOTW , the 395th Bombardment Group was moved to Ardmore from Ephrata Army Air Base , Washington . The 395th ' s mission was to be a combat aircrew replacement unit for B - 17 Flying Fortress aircrews . The group consisted of the 588th , 589th 590th and 591st Bombardment Squadron . Ardmore Army Air Field became a receiving facility for new pilots , navigators , gunners , bombardiers , radio operators and flight engineers as they completed their specialty training elsewhere . While serving here , they were conformed through a 24 - hour , grueling schedule into highly proficient B - 17 combat crews . This was accomplished through a rigorous training program in the classroom and sky . The combat crews were only at the base for five months or less , usually three , before shipping overseas . Reports indicate that combat crew training was coordinated to allow trained crews to finish their three - month training on a five - week graduation schedule . Orders supplied by a former waist gunner stationed at Ardmore , included 55 B - 17 crews , transported by rail from the base to Grand Island , Nebraska . Most of the B - 17 crews went directly from the Ardmore field to Grand Island , then to European commands to contribute significantly to ending the war . On March 25 , 1944 , the 395th designation was changed to the 222nd Combat Crew Training School by Second Air Force , General Order No . 35 . The 395th was inactivated , April 1 , 1944 . It was replaced by the 418th Army Air Force Base Unit , the squadrons being re - designated as " Squadron A " , " Squadron B " , " Squadron C " and " Squadron D " A WAC contingency of one was assigned to the base , June 5 , 1944 . Other WACs from Oglethorpe , Georgia and Colorado Springs arrived June 23 and June 28 . They performed various duties on the base including control tower operation . According to newspaper accounts , the Ardmore base was selected in September 1942 as one of nine southwestern camps to train WAACs . Later , the Corps of Engineers , Denison , Texas , under command of Colonel W . W . Wanamaker , approved a $ 50 , 000 to $ 100 , 000 building fund for WAAC quarters . Contract for the WAAC barracks was let to Builder ' s Construction Company , Oklahoma City , April 17 , 1943 , for an amount under $ 50 , 000 . Unknown as to whether this unit was part of the original plans for training WAACs . Women ' s Army Auxiliary Corps became the Women ' s Army Corps in 1944 granting them the same benefits as soldiers . Another group of young women who played an important part in WWII and probably brought aircraft to AAAFld on occasion were the WASP , Women Airforce Service Pilots With the mission of Second Air Force becoming B - 29 Superfortress Training , jurisdiction of Ardmore AAF was transferred to III Bomber Command , Third Air Force on 16 June 1945 . III Bomber Command re - designated the 418th AAFBU with the 332nd Combat Crew Training School . Wartime closure . The end of the war in Europe , however placed Ardmore AAF out of a job , as the primary combat organization for B - 17s was Eighth Air Force and to a lesser extent , Fifteenth Air Force in the European Theater . Training of bomber crews ended at the base , as the B - 29 was the strategic bomber in the Pacific Theater , and the B - 24 Liberator was used in the CBI and to a lesser extend in the Pacific where the B - 17 was withdrawn in 1943 . German war prisoners were confined on the base beginning June 1 , 1945 through November 1 , 1945 . They did various trades and industrial jobs around the base and were helpful in closing the base at the end of the war . With the end of the war in the Pacific , officer students at Ardmore were asked if they wanted to remain in the postwar Air Forces . Those who elected to remain were reassigned to other bases . Trainee flexible gunners were reassigned to other bases or separated . The base was closed October 31 , 1945 . In 1946 the government declared the base surplus property , issuing a use permit to the City of Ardmore . The War Assets Administration issued a quit claim deed in 1948 to the City of Ardmore which included the land , 2085 . 28 acres , and all thereon . It was reported that the facility was valued at $ 35 , 000 , 000 . A binding recapture clause stipulated it could be activated again by the government in case of military need . Following the closing of the base , American Airlines used the base as a pilot and stewardess training center . It also served as a testing center for Chance - Vought Aircraft . Cold War . As a result of the Korean War and the expansion of the United States Air Force after the outbreak of the Cold War , the World War II Ardmore Army Airfield was reactivated by the United States Air Force in 1953 . The base had deteriorated badly over its eight idle years and a major renovation project was required to return it to acceptable standards . The base was renamed Ardmore Air Force Base and was reactivated on 1 September 1953 . Ardmore AFB was placed under the jurisdiction of Eighteenth Air Force , Tactical Air Command . Its mission was to support TAC ' s expanding troop carrier transport mission performing tactical airlift training . The new 463d Troop Carrier Wing was assigned to the reactivated base upon its activation , its 463d Troop Carrier Group being a re - designation of the World War II Fifteenth Air Force 463d Bombardment Group . The majority of the 463rd personnel were formerly with the 516th Troop Carrier Wing stationed at Memphis Municipal Airport , Tennessee . The first personnel from the 463rd arrived in Ardmore in July – August with official activation . The 463d Troop Carrier Groups wartime bombardment squadrons were re - designated as the 772d , 773d , 774th and 775th Troop Carrier Squadrons . Each squadron was equipped with sixteen Fairchild C - 119 Flying Boxcar medium transport ; with a few World War II Curtiss C - 46 Commando es assigned to the Wing Base Flight for utility duties . In addition to supporting tactical airlift training , the wing airlifted , airdropped , and landed Army airborne troops and cargo to support tactical operations , special missions , and Army and Air Force joint airborne exercises , worldwide . The 16th Troop Carrier Squadron was assigned to the group on 14 November 1954 as a training squadron , It received the Chase YC - 122 Avitruc light transport in early 1955 . Based on the Chase YCG - 14 glider of World War II , but powered by reciprocating engines , nine of these aircraft assigned . Although they performed well in evaluation , the USAF no longer saw a need for a small transport aircraft and cancelled the project , the squadron being inactivated on July 8 , 1955 . The aircraft served on in utility roles assigned to the Wing Base Flight until 1957 . On 8 July 1955 the 309h Troop Carrier Group ( Assault , Fixed Wing ) was attached to the 463d TCW , being re - activated by TAC . A former Air Force Reserve unit which was activated and liquidated of assets at the beginning of the Korean War in February 1951 . The group ' s 376th , 377th and 378th Troop Carrier Squadrons received the first Fairchild C - 123 Provider medium transports ordered by the USAF . The squadron provided tactical airlift to Army troops , their equipment , and supplies for assault landings . The 309th was reassigned to NATO , being deployed to the USAFE Dreux - Louvilliers Air Base , France on 2 June 1956 , introducing the C - 123 to Europe . A second assault group , the 419th Troop Carrier Group ( Assault , Fixed Wing ) was attached to the 463d TCW , on 9 July 1956 , also being re - activated by TAC . Like the 309th the 419th was also a former Air Force Reserve unit that activated and liquidated of assets at the beginning of the Korean War . Its 339th , 340th and 341st Troop Carrier Squadrons were also equipped with the C - 123 and performed a similar mission to the 309th TCG , airlifted , airdropped , and airlanded troops and cargo to support tactical operations , special missions , and U . S . Army and joint airborne exercises , worldwide . The 419th , however , did not deploy to NATO due to budget reductions in USAFE , as well as no suitable bases to deploy to . It was inactivated on 11 December 1957 , its aircraft being reassigned to other TAC units . Aircraft from the 463d are thought to have been involved in early development and testing ( 1955 ) of the " snatch " maneuver used later in the highly secret " Corona Project . " In 1956 the wing received forty - eight new C - 130A Hercules medium transports , and replaced its C - 119s . The first C - 130A delivered to the USAF , December 7 , 1956 , the " City of Ardmore " , landed at Ardmore on December 9 , 1956 . With the advent of the C - 130 the wing was assigned to the TAC Composite Air Strike Force , commonly known as a CASF , which was centered around troop carrier C - 130s supplemented by Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) C - 124 Globemaster transports to deliver support personnel and cargo for TAC fighter / bombers to overseas destinations at a moment ' s notice . On 1 September 1957 , six Tactical Air Command bases , including Ardmore , were transferred to Ninth Air Force when the Eighteenth Air Force was inactivated s part of an Air Force reorganization . The 463d Troop Carrier Wing was re - designated as the 838th Air Division ( Troop Carrier ) but only until December 1957 when it reverted to the former designation of 463d Troop Carrier Wing ( Medium ) when the 419th TCG was inactivated . Beginning with the deployment of a CASF to Turkey in 1958 in response to a military coup in Lebanon , 463d TCW C - 130s were involved in a series of deployments to both sides of the globe . Immediately after the Lebanon Crisis , the 463d deployed a CASF to the Taiwan in August 1958 in response to troubles in the Formosa Straits . Overseas rotations became a regular part of troop carrier life as TAC maintained TDY units in Europe supporting the USAFE 322d Air Division and in the Far East supporting the PACAF 315th Air Division , both of which had their own C - 130 squadrons . Closure . Original Air Force plans were for Tactical Air Command to have two troop carrier wings of C - 130 Hercules , the 314th and 463rd , both of which began converting to the new turboprop transport in early 1957 , with the 463rd receiving its first airplanes in mid - December of the preceding year . The two wings consolidated at Sewart AFB , Tennessee when the 463rd ' s base at Ardmore , Oklahoma was placed on the closing list due to budget reductions in the FY 1959 Defense Budget . The base closing announcement was made in late May 1958 that the base would close by January 1959 . The last squadron of the 463d left in early January and was moved to Sewart Air Force Base , Tennessee Ardmore Today . The official closing of Ardmore Air Force Base occurred on 31 March 1959 returning the facility to the City of Ardmore for the second time in 1959 . The release came without the recapture clause but with a stipulation that it would be used as Ardmore ' s Municipal Airport and be maintained in perpetuity for airport purposes . The Ardmore Industrial Airpark , owned by the City of Ardmore , is presently leased to the Ardmore Development Authority . Although all of the wartime and USAF runways and taxiways exist , only the north / south 14 / 35 remains open and in use . Several large parking aprons , also from its Cold War service remain . Several World War II hangars remain along with a large USAF hangar built in the 1960s . The base is largely obliterated by a large manufacturing firm which built a large facility , including shipping and receiving with over 100 over the road trailers on the facility . Isolated wartime / USAF roads remain and a few military buildings can still be found . The 463d Troop Carrier Wing ' s first Lockheed C - 130A , the " City of Ardmore " ( AF Ser . No . 55 - 023 ) eventually flew missions in Europe , Africa , Japan , Okinawa and South Vietnam . It was retired October 9 , 1989 , and is now on static display at the Dyess Air Force Base Linear Air Park in Abilene , Texas . In December 2002 , a memorial stone was erected in the Remembrance Memorial Park , near the entrance of Ardmore Industrial Airpark . The monument identifies and honors those airmen from Ardmore AFB who died in training accidents during World War II and the Cold War . It was officially dedicated Memorial Day , 2003 .