Fort Wainwright (Fairbanks, Alaska)
Fairbanks · Alaska · World War II, Cold War
History & Significance
Ladd Field was established near Fairbanks in 1940, as a Cold Weather Test Station to test military aircraft, equipment and clothing in arctic conditions. The Cold Weather Test Detachment was activated in 1940 with the mission to ensure that all military aircraft could operate in extreme cold conditions, down to -60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Between 1942 and 1945 nearly 8,000 U.S. military aircraft were transferred to Russian aircrews at Ladd Field as part of the Lend-Lease Program, and from Ladd Field the airmen flew the aircraft west across the Bering Strait for use in Russia's war with Germany on its Eastern Front. With the separation of the Air Force from the Army in 1947, Ladd Field was renamed Ladd Air Force Base (AFB).
The close proximity of the facility to the Soviet Union and its existing infrastructure from its time serving in World War II made it a natural site for future investment by the Army. Yukon Command was established at Ladd AFB as a subordinate command of U.S. Army Alaska (USARAL) at the end of the 1950s, with the express mission of providing air defense in northern Alaska.
The Air Force relinquished command of Ladd AFB on 1 January 1961 as the Army resumed control of the post once more and renamed it Fort Wainwright. Ladd Field was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) on 4 February 1985. Ladd Air Force Base was designated as Ladd Air Force Base Cold War District and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on the same day.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://armyhistory.org/fort-wainwright-alaska/
- https://www.nps.gov/places/ladd-field.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wainwright
- https://dec.alaska.gov/spar/csp/sites/fort-wainwright/
- https://home.army.mil/wainwright/history
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladd_Army_Airfield