How did Kansas play a part in World War 2?

Answer 1

In March 1935 when the War Department established the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF) a new role was assumed for the air branch of the United States Army. The coming war in Europe looming closer and seeming to be certain made President Franklin D. Roosevelt ask Congress to increase Americas air power in January 1939. Quickly Americas air forces grow from a small ill-equipped force to the world-class force it became by the end of WWII. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the expansion of airbases in KS quickly took hold. The flat plains make KS ideal for accommodating the large aircraft and the training of operators. There were 18 airbases in KS during WWII. Two were Naval air stations (NAS) and 16 were Army airfields (AAF). Several hundred auxiliary fields were also planned, they ranged from sod landing strips to concrete fields or asphalt fields with housing facilities. The bases that were primarily used were scattered across the state's central and southern plains. The airfields employed thousands of military and civilian workers. At the peak of enrollment, during World War II , more than 2.4 million men and women served the United States Army Air Forces. All the bases were completed in 18 months or less. Most base buildings were not meant for long-term use and were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials such at tar paper and plywood on a concrete base. Some of the hangars were constructed of bricks and concrete with and steel frames. With the end of WWII, the military decommissioned many Kansas bases and then sold them or deeded them to nearby cities for use as municipal airports. Today several continue to operate as industrial parks and small airfields. (Kansas State Historical Society web page)1

I think the airbases in Kansas were crucial in training pilots of large bombers and greatly helped the war effort. The airbases combined with the food being grown and the production of aircraft made Kansas a very important state for insuring that the troops had food to eat and aircraft to fight the axis powers. I grew up fairly near Waller and have heard stories about the airbase that was there in WWII. My favorite story was that a German spy parachuted from a plane and landed in a field near the Walker Airbase once during the war and was caught by a farmer