George Field

Situated on the fertile land of Eastern Illinois near the Wabash River in Lawrence County, George Field was one of the most important installations of the Troop Carrier Command.

 Many troop carrier command crews were given the extensive training program necessary for successful completion of the troop carrier jobs overseas.  Through a period of concentrated and strenuous training, young pilots, newly commissioned from cadet centers, and those returned from tours of duties overseas learned all there was to know about flying the C-46, the Curtis Commando, and the C-47, the Douglas Skytrain.

Many of these men became the new double threat pilots of the Troop Carrier Command; men trained to fly not only the large twin engine transport ships but also the large gliders that played such important roles in the invasions of Normandy, the Rhine crossing, and the airborne taking of Myitkyina when the whole army was moved back of the Japanese  forward lines.

The same pilots learned the intricate and precise technique of paratroop infantry, preparing to tow gliders into Germany to be used to drop a parachute army behind the Nazi lines in Holland.  

In addition to the vital training aimed at sending combat crews to various war fronts, unexpected but urgent missions also developed for George Field personnel.  Many crews and planes took part in an operation which came to be known in army jargon as “the Christmas blitz”, moving infantrymen to their homes by plane for last furloughs before taking them to Europe to bolster the lines after the December breakthrough in the Battle of the Bulge.

 Many maneuvers, bivouacs, and training flights took place at George Field and its two satellite bases near Columbus Indiana and Sturgis Kentucky to condition troop carrier personnel for the jobs that lay ahead of them.