The Sioux City Army Air Base was constructed in 1942 so that World War II bomber crews could train there for combat overseas. It was built nearly seven miles south of downtown Sioux City on 2,500 acres of land east of the already established Sioux City Airport which is now known as Sioux Gateway Airport.
July/Aug 2022 (Volume 14, Issue 4)
By Arvid Huisman
Within days of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States had declared war on Japan and on Germany and within weeks defense training facilities were being planned for locations on the home front.
Sioux City was among the cities Uncle Sam wanted to utilize. With a population of more than 82,000 people, Sioux City would become home to a U.S. Army Air Forces training base in 1942.
Under the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the federal government had been beefing up America’s defense organization during the decade preceding World War II. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent proclamation of war ignited an even more intense effort.
Gen. Hap Arnold became chief of the U.S. Army Air Corps and in 1941 was made commanding general of the newly renamed U.S. Army Air Forces, a predecessor to the U.S. Air Force.
In January 1942, with the U.S. engaged in war on two fronts, Arnold established four general principles for the selection of sites for new construction. These included conservation of funds, materials and national effort; efficiency of operation; maximum use of available facilities; and elimination of non-essentials.
It was under these principles that Sioux City, one of four Midwestern cities, was selected for a new tactical airfield. The others were Columbus, Ohio; Smyrna, Tenn.; and Topeka, Kan.
One observer commented that a contributing factor to the Sioux City site was the fact that Iowa’s terrain was similar to that of central Europe.
Construction of the Sioux City Army Air Base began in March 1942 and was completed in July that year.
Built at the Sioux City Airport, now Sioux Gateway Airport, the facility was constructed to specialize in advance-training.
The new base was initially manned by the Army Air Force’s 445th Bomb Group from Salt Lake City, Utah. Traveling by troop train from Utah, the men arrived in Sioux City on July 7, 1942.
The Sioux City base was the last stop for the men before fully engaging in the war. Most of the crews were sent to either the 8th Air Force for the European Theatre of Operations or the 15th Air Force which was part of the Mediterranean Theatre.
TO READ THE ENTIRE STORY AND OTHER FASCINATING STORIES ABOUT IOWA HISTORY, subscribe to Iowa History Journal.