View source for Wilbur Wright Field

{{Short description|WWI era military airfield in Ohio, U.S.}}
{{redirect|Wright Field}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name            = Wilbur Wright Field
| partof          = 
| location        = [[Riverside, Ohio]]
| image           = Wright Field 1920.JPG
| image_size      = 300px
| caption         = Wilbur Wright Field, {{circa|1920}}
| pushpin_map     = Ohio
| pushpin_label   = Wilbur Wright Field
| pushpin_mark    = Airplane_silhouette.svg
| pushpin_mapsize = 300
| coordinates     = {{Coord|39|46|46|N|84|6|16|W|name=Wilbur Wright Field|display=inline,title}}
| type            = Pilot training airfield
| code            = 
| height          = 
| ownership       = 
| controlledby    = [[Air Service, United States Army]]<br>[[United States Army Air Forces]]
| condition       = [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]
| built           = 
| builder         = 
| used            = 1917–1951
| materials       = 
| demolished      = 
| battles         = [[World War I]]<br>[[World War II]]
| events          = 
| past_commanders = 
| garrison        = Training Section, Air Service
| occupants       = 
}}
[[File:Douglas O-46.jpg|thumb|This [[Douglas O-46]] bears the Spearhead insignia of Wilbur Wright Field (1931-1942) on its fuselage.]]
'''Wilbur Wright Field''' was a [[military installation]] and an [[airfield]] used as a [[World War I]] [[List of Training Section Air Service airfields|pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility]], and under different designations, conducted [[United States Army Air Corps]] and [[United States Army Air Forces|Air Forces]] flight testing.  Located near [[Riverside, Ohio]], the site is officially "Area B" of [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]{{Citation needed|reason=Most other claims are that only a portion of Wilbur Wright Field remains as part of "Area B".|date=September 2013}} and includes the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] built on the airfield.

==History==

===World War I===
Wilbur Wright Field was established in 1917<ref>William R. Evinger: ''Directory of Military Bases in the U.S.'', Oryx Press, Phoenix, Ariz., 1991, p. 147.</ref>  for [[World War I]] on {{Convert|2075|acre|abbr=on}} of land adjacent to the [[Mad River (Ohio)|Mad River]] which included the 1910 [[Wright Brothers]]' [[Huffman Prairie Flying Field]] and that was leased to the Army by the Miami Conservancy District.{{r|"WPAFB"}}  Logistics support to Wilbur Wright Field was by the adjacent [[Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot]] established in January 1918{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|7}} and which also supplied three{{Specify|date=September 2012}} other Midwest Signal Corps aviation schools.{{r|"WPAFB"}}  A Signal Corps Aviation School began in June 1917 for providing combat pilots to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in France, and the field housed an aviation mechanic's school and an armorer's school.<ref name="WPAFB">[https://archive.today/20130409222248/http://www.wpafb.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=6234 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base history]</ref>  On 19 June 1918, Lt. [[Frank Stuart Patterson]] at the airfield was testing machine gun/propeller synchronization when a tie rod failure broke the wings off his [[Airco DH.4]]M<!--, ''AS-32098'', --> while diving from {{Convert|15000|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web  |url=http://contrails.iit.edu/history/Huffman/H-part05.pdf  |title=Part V: Wright Field 1927-1948  |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606035554/http://contrails.iit.edu/history/Huffman/H-part05.pdf  |archive-date=2011-06-06  }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2021}}  Also in 1918, [[McCook Field]] near Dayton between Keowee Street and the [[Great Miami River]] began using space and mechanics at Wilbur Wright Field.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}  Following World War I, the training school{{Which|reason=pilot, mechanic, armorer, or other school?|date=September 2013}} at Wilbur Wright Field was discontinued.<ref name="WPAFB"/>

Training units assigned to Wilbur Wright Field<ref name="oob">Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 3, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint)</ref>
* 42d Aero Squadron, August 1917
: Redesignated Squadron "I"; October 1918-February 1919
* 44th Aero Squadron, August 1917
: Redesignated Squadron "K"; October 1918
: Redesignated Squadron "P"; November 1918-April 1919
* 231st Aero Squadron (II), April 1918
: Redesignated Squadron "A", July–December 1918; Assigned to Armorers' School
* 246th Aero Squadron (II), May 1918
: Redesignated Squadron "L", October 1918-February 1919
* 342d Aero Squadron, August 1918
: Redesignated Squadron "M" October 1918
: Redesignated Squadron "Q" November 1918-April 1919
* 507th Aero Squadron, July 1918-April 1919
* 512th Aero Squadron (Supply), July 1918-April 1919
* 669th Aero Squadron (Supply), May 1918-April 1919
* 678th Aero Squadron (Supply), February 1918-April 1919
* 851st Aero Squadron, March 1918
: Re-designated Squadron "B" July 1918-April 1919

Combat units trained at Wilbur Wright Field<ref name="oob"/>
* [[12th Aero Squadron]], July–November 1917; deployed to [[American Expeditionary Forces]] (AEF)
* [[13th Aero Squadron]], July–November 1917; deployed to AEF
* [[20th Aero Squadron]], July–November 1917; deployed to AEF
* [[43d Aero Squadron]], August–December 1917; transferred to [[Ellington Field, Texas]]
* [[47th Aero Squadron]], August 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* [[149th Aero Squadron]], August 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* 159th Aero Squadron, December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* 162d Aero Squadron, December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* [[163d Aero Squadron]], December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* [[166th Aero Squadron]], December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* 172d Aero Squadron, December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF

Service units trained at Wilbur Wright Field<ref name="oob"/>
* 19th Aero Squadron, July–November 1917; Deployed to American Expeditionary Forces
* 151st Aero Squadron, December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* 211th Aero Squadron, December 1917-February 1918; deployed to AEF
* 255th Aero Squadron, March–June 1918; deployed to AEF
* 256th Aero Squadron; March–June 1918; deployed to AEF
* 257th Aero Squadron; March–June 1918; deployed to AEF
* 258th Aero Squadron; March–June 1918; deployed to AEF
* 259th Aero Squadron; March–July 1918; deployed to AEF
* 260th Aero Squadron; March–July 1918; deployed to AEF
* 265th Aero Squadron; March–July 1918; deployed to AEF
* 287th Aero Squadron, May–July 1918; transferred to [[Chanute Field]], Illinois
* 288th Aero Squadron, May–July 1918; transferred to Chanute Field, Illinois
* 827th Aero Squadron (Repair), February–March 1918; deployed to AEF

{{space}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:"Making ready", U.S. Aviation Field, Fairfield, O., June 9th, 1917 LCCN2007664355.tif|Construction in progress at Wilbur Wright Field (June 9, 1917)
</gallery>
===Interwar years===
The 1923 records for speed, distance, and endurance were set by an April 16 [[Fokker T-2]] flight from Wilbur Wright Field, which used a {{Convert|50|km|abbr=on}} course around the water tower, the McCook Field water tower, and a pylon placed at [[New Carlisle, Ohio|New Carlisle]].<ref>ASNL [Air Service News Letter], Feb 20, 1923, pp 7-8. (Maurer Ch. XI citation 31, p. 181)</ref>  In June 1923, an Air Service [[TC-1 airship]] "was wrecked in a storm at Wilbur Wright Field"<ref>Citation 34 (Cited by Maurer's Training chapter, p. 63)</ref> and by 1924, the field had "an interlock system" radio beacon using Morse code [[command guidance]] (dash-dot "N" for port, dot-dash "A" for starboard) illuminating instrument board lights.{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|155}}  The [[Field Service Section]] at Wilbur Wright Field merged with McCook's [[Engineering Division]] to form the [[Materiel Division]] on 15 October 1926 ("moved to Wright Field when McCook Field closed in 1927").{{r|Benson}}  The [[Army Air Service|Air Service's]] "control station for the model airway"—which scheduled military flights of the [[Airways Section]]—moved to Wilbur Wright Field from McCook Field in the late 1920s (originally "at [[Bolling Field]] until 1925").{{r|Maurer}}

===Redesignations===
The Fairfield Air Depot formed when the leased area of Wilbur Wright Field and the Army-owned land of the [[Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot]] merged soon after World War I.{{Specify|At what time between 1918 and 1924?|date=September 2013}}  For an aerial war game of 1929, "Fairfield" was the headquarters of the Blue air force; a Blue "airdrome north of Dayton at Troy" was strafed on May 16 ("a raid on the airdrome at Fairfield" was later expected)<!-- 2 Blue planes collided on May 17-->, "Dayton" was the May 21 takeoff site for a [[<!--1st Lt.-->Odas Moon|round-trip bomber attack on New York]], and "target areas at Fairfield" were used for live bombing on May 25.{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|242–5}}  A [[Benjamin D. Foulois|provisional division was "assembled at Dayton"]] on May 16, 1931, for maneuvers in which "Maj. [[Henry H. Arnold]], division G-4 (Supply), had stocks at Pittsburgh; Cleveland; Buffalo; Middletown, Pennsylvania; Aberdeen, Maryland; and Bolling Field to service units as they flew eastward."{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|236}}  The depot remained active until 1946.<ref name="WPAFB"/>

=== Wright Field ===<!-- Other articles link here. -->
In 1924, the city of Dayton purchased {{convert|4500|acre|ha|0}}, the portion of Fairfield Air Depot leased in 1917 for Wilbur Wright Field, along with an additional {{convert|750|acre|ha}} in [[Montgomery County, Ohio|Montgomery County]] to the southwest (now part of [[Riverside, Ohio|Riverside]]). The combined area{{Clarify|reason=Were just the two areas purchased by the community the ones which were the "combined area" designated Wright Field, or was the depot land already owned by the Army also part of the total area named "Wright Field"?|date=September 2013}} was named Wright Field to honor both Wright Brothers.{{Quotation needed|reason=Who, e.g., at the dedication, said it was named for both Wright Brothers and not just for Wilbur Wright, as was the preceding airfield?date=September 2013|date=September 2013}} A new installation with permanent brick facilities was constructed to replace McCook Field and was dedicated on October 12, 1927. The transfer of 4,500 tons of engineering material, office equipment and other assets at McCook Field to Wright Field began on March 25, 1927, and was 85% complete by June 1 after moving 1,859 truckloads.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}  "The Engineering School shut down for the school year 1927-28 at Wright Field,{{r|Maurer}} which had the [[Army Air Corps Museum]] in Building 12.<ref>{{Cite web |work=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields |title=Southwest Ohio Fairfield Air Depot / Wright Field |quote=Building 12 (which originally served as the Army Air Corps Museum) is on the left. |url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/OH/Airfields_OH_SW.htm#wright |publisher=Airfields-Freeman.com |access-date=2013-09-19}}</ref>

By November 1930, "the laboratory at Wright Field" had planes fitted as flying laboratories<ref>{{Cite journal |date=November–December 1930 |title=title tbd |journal=Signal Corps Bulletin |pages=5–11}}  (Cited by Maurer p. 558)</ref> (e.g., [[Douglas XB-19|B-19 "flying laboratory"]] with "8-foot tires"),{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|139}} and the equipment of the [[Mitchel Field|1929 Full Flight Laboratory]] (closed out{{Where|date=September 2013}} by the [[Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics]], which had established the principle of safe fog flying) was moved to Wright Field by the end of 1931.  [[Materiel Division]]’s Fog Flying Unit under First Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger used the equipment for blind landings.{{r|Maurer}}

===Patterson Field===
[[Patterson Field]], named for [[Frank Stuart Patterson]], was designated on 6 July 1931 as the area{{Specify|reason=acreage?|date=September 2013}} of Wright Field east of [[Huffman Dam]] (including Fairfield Air Depot, Huffman Prairie, and Wright Field's airfield).  Patterson Field became the location of the Materiel Division of the Air Corps{{Citation needed|reason=Benson says the "Chief of Materiel Division" was in Washington, DC.|date=September 2013}} and a key logistics center, and in 1935,  quarters were built at Patterson Field,{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|350}} which in 1939 still "was without runways...heavier aircraft met difficulty in landing in inclement weather."{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|7}}  Wright Field retained the land west of the Huffman Dam and became the [[research and development]] center of the Air Corps.<ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2013}}{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}</ref>

===Prewar events===
Engineering and flight activities of the two installations after the designation of Patterson Field included numerous aviation achievements and failures prior to the [[bombing of Pearl Harbor]]:{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left; width: auto;"
|-
! Date
! Field
! Event
|-
| 1932 May
| Patterson
| Blind landings at Patterson Field were conducted by the Fog Flying Unit using a variation of [[Jimmy Doolittle|Doolitte's]] landing system from [[Mitchel Field]].{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|278}}
|-
| 1933-01
| Wright
| Both metal, two-place, low-wing monoplanes from [[Consolidated Aircraft]] ([[Y lP-25]] for pursuit, [[XA-11]] for attack) crashed during tests.{{r|Maurer}}
|-
| 1933-05
| Patterson
| The Blue air force flew a simulated attack on [[Fort Knox]] representing "a rail and supply center" (the Red force's 1st Pursuit Group "maintained surveillance of Patterson Field" and relayed bombers' take off via a transport plane circling near Cincinnati.).{{r|Maurer}}{{rp|414}}
|-
| 1933-07
| Wright
| The Materiel Division 1st course on the Mark XV [[Norden bombsight]]  instructed "a few officers in care, maintenance, and operation" (2nd class finished September 1, 1934.){{r|Maurer}}
|-
| 1935-08-28
| Wright
| "Automatic radio navigation equipment comprising [[Sperry automatic pilot]] mechanically linked to standard [[radio compass]]" tested by [[Equipment Branch]].{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|354}}
|-
| {{nowrap|1935-10-30}}
| Wright
| The "Flying Fortress" prototype "[[Boeing 299]] crashed during testing [after] no one had unlocked the rudder and elevator controls", killing the [[Flying Division]] chief and Boeing test pilot.{{r|Maurer}}
|-
| 1935-12-31
| {{Specify|reason=The AAF handbook does not identify the location.|date=September 2013}}
| "Device insuring automatic fuel transfer in airplanes with reserve fuel tanks developed by Air Corps [[Materiel Division]]."{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|354}}
|-
| 1936 fall
| Wright
| [[Douglas Aircraft]] "delivered the first [[Douglas B-18 Bolo|B-18]] to Wright Field".{{r|Maurer}}
|-
| 1936-12
| Wright
| The [[XB-15]], "largest bombardment plane to date, from [[Boeing]] Plant at [[Seattle]]" arrived for testing.{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|354}}
|-
| 1937-05-20
| Patterson
| The [[10th Transport Group]] with Maj. Hugh A. Bivins commander (the group was headquartered as a Regular Army group.)<ref>"Ltr, Brig Gcn Augustine W. Robins, Ch, Materiel Div, to CAC, Apr 13, 1937, in AFHRC 145.91 - 136; Maurer, Combat Units, pp 52-53" (Cited by Maurer p. 368)</ref> was activated as the Air Corps' "operational transport unit" with [[Bellanca Aircruiser|C-27s]] and [[Douglas DC-2|C-33s]]<!--USAAC article-->
|-
| 1937-09-01
| Patterson
| The [[Air Corps Weather School]] began—20 of 25 in the first class graduated January 28.<ref>"ACNLs, Jun 1, 1938, pp 1-2, Oct 1, 1938, pp 3-4; Aircraft Record Card, 36-349, in AFHRC." (Cited by Maurer p. 397)</ref>
|-
| 1939-04-20
| Patterson
| "Air Corps school for [[autogiro]] training and maintenance opens".{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|354}}
|-
| 1939-05
| Wright
| "First 4-blade [[Variable-pitch propeller (aeronautics)|controllable-pitch propeller]] known to be built in U. S. is installed on a [[Curtiss P-36 Hawk|P-36A]]".{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|355}}
|-
| 1939-07-30
| Wright
| World record (payload): "Maj. C. V. Haynes and Capt. W. D. Old fly Army Boeing B-15 to 8200 ft. with...15½ tons".{{r|Arnold}}{{rp|355}}
|-
| 1940-06
| Wright
| Construction began at Wright Field for World War II ($48,817,078 through September 1945), "the most extensive of all AAF command facilities."{{r|Futrell}}{{rp|140}}  
|-
| 1941-06
| Wright
| Dayton's Price Brothers Company began constructing 2 concrete [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|USACE]] runways: NW-SE next to the flight line and E-W along the southern edge of the property (completed February 1942). A SW-NE runway was completed in 1944.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Walker, Lois F.  |author2=Wickam, Shelby Z. |name-list-style=amp |title= From Huffman Prairie to the Moon: A History of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base | publisher= Office of History, 2750th Air Base Wing, WPAFB| isbn= 0-16-002204-5 | year=1986| pages=476}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=September 2013}}
|-
| 1941-06-21
| Patterson
| [[Air Corps Ferrying Command]] opened an "installation point" at Patterson Field (moved to [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Romulus, Michigan]] by August).<ref>"The Origins of the Ferrying Div., ATC, May 1941 to Dec. 1941, v. 1, pp. 81-89; ltr., Col. F. M. Kennedy, Chief, D&G Div., to TAG, sub.: Lease of Wayne County Airport, Michigan, 11 June 1941, in AAG 601.53." (Futrell Ch. IV citation 245, pp.  144, 236)</ref>
|-
| 1941-10-17<!--{{r|Arnold}} {{r|Benson}} & {{r|Mueller}}-->
| Patterson
| [[Air Service Command]] established under the [[Materiel Division]], OCAC, from the "Air Corps Provisional Maintenance Comd" formed on March 15, 1941 (renamed [[Air Corps Maintenance Command]] April 29,{{r|Arnold}}<!--p. 15--> elevated from provisional status on 30 June).  ASC was removed from the Material Div on 11 December; "stored, overhauled, and repaired AAF aircraft and equipment" in World War II; and developed a network of base facilities [including] 11 [[air depot]]s.<ref>"Hist. AAF MC, 1926 thru 1941, v. 1, pp. 51-53 in AFSHO 200.1, v. 1. (cited by Futrell p. 140)</ref>  (moved to Washington DC on December 15, but returned to Patterson Field on December 15, 1942.){{r|Benson}}
|-
|}<!--

===World War II===
Early in 1941, anticipating the testing of the [[Douglas XB-19|Douglas B-19]] heavy bomber, the decision was made to install two concrete runways at Wright Field (Northwest-Southeast next to the flight line, and East-West along the southern edge of the property). The [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] was assigned the project, with the Price Brothers Company of Dayton named the prime contractor. Construction began in June 1941 and was completed by the middle of February 1942. During construction, intelligence reports indicated that the German Luftwaffe was experimenting with inclined runways, and construction of an inclined runway with a 10% grade was added to the Wright Field project, more or less perpendicular to the NW-SE runway. Completed shortly after the standard runways, it became a familiar sight to Dayton residents. A triangular arrangement of runways was completed in 1944 with the addition of a SW-NE runway connecting the other two, on which the present [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] is located.   -->

===AAF and USAF base===
The [[Army Air Forces Technical Base]] was formed on December 15, 1945, when Wright Field, Patterson Field, [[Dayton International Airport|Dayton Army Air Field]] in [[Vandalia, Ohio|Vandalia]] and [[Clinton County Air Force Base|Clinton County AAF]] in [[Wilmington, Ohio|Wilmington]] merged.  After the USAF was created, the base was renamed '''Air Force Technical Base''' in December 1947 and [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]] in January 1948..  The former Wright Field became Area B of the combined installation, the southern portion of Patterson Field became Area A, and the northern portion of Patterson Field, including the jet runway built in 1946–47, Area C.<!--

In 1951, congestion at the base forced all local flying activities to be limited to the Wright Field (Area B) flight line, which in February 1958 was closed to all jet aircraft. Even so, the next year Area B still experienced 44,699 takeoffs and landings, or 24% of the air activity at WPAFB. Finally, noise and congested airspace forced all military aircraft operations at Area B to cease in 1963.  General aviation activities, typically of single-engine civilian aircraft, continued until the early 1970s. The flight line has been temporarily opened since 1971 on a case-by-case basis to accommodate the final flights/arrivals/landings of aircraft destined for the collection of the Air Force Museum, now the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The museum opened its present location in 1971 in the triangular runway area of the base and has since expanded, and maintains an annex in a hangar on Wright Field proper.-->

==References==
{{Reflist |refs=

<ref name=Arnold>{{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Henry H.--Foreword |author-link=Henry H. Arnold |date=June 1944 |version=Special Edition for AAF Organizations |orig-year=May 1944 |title=AAF: The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces |location=New York |publisher=Pocket Books |quote='''Army Air Forces Board'''--The Army Air Forces Board is the AAF laboratory group for tactical research and experimentation.  The board utilizes the personnel and facilities of the AAF Tactical Center and the Proving Ground Command to conduct tests which precede its decisions and recommendations. … The Air Service Command has 11 air depots as well as a number of special depots and stations.<!--p. 14--> … AAF ENGINEERING SCHOOL--3 months' course.  At Wright Field, Ohio, the Materiel Command gives a course in aeronautical engineering for pilots with degrees. … AIR SERVICE COMMAND--Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio; Maj. Gen. [[W. H. Frank]].<!--p. 15--> … AIR SERVICE COMMAND (ASC) is the stockroom and garage of the AAF.  Operating within the continental U.S., it receives all our aircraft and aircraft equipment and supplies… ASC is organized into 11 subordinate area air service commands, each operating in a designated area of the U. S. … AIR FORCE AIR SERVICE COMMANDS perform within the theaters of operations [the] supply and maintenance functions similar to those of the ASC within the continental U. S.<!--p. 180--> … Near the center of each of 11 continental Air Service Command areas is an air depot.  An air depot is a large wholesale house and warehouse, normally stocked with 2 months' supply of the types of property required in its area. In addition it performs heavy aircraft maintenance work.<!--p. 180--> … Near the major ports of embarkation, the [[Air Service Command]] operates in-transit depots, which carry small stocks of AAF technical supplies<!--p. 189-->…}}</ref>

<ref name=Benson>{{Cite report |last=Benson |first=Lawrence R. |year=2007 |title=Acquisition Management in the United States Air Force and its Predecessors |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a433213.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221412/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a433213.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |publisher=Air Force History and Museums Program |access-date=2013-09-05 |quote=To manage logistics functions, the Air Corps Maintenance Command was formed on 29 April 1941 at Patterson Field, located adjacent to Wright Field. This command, originally built from the Materiel Division's [[Field Service Section]], was replaced on 17 October 1941 by the Air Service Command. In December 1941 it came directly under General Arnold. For exactly one year, until 15 December 1942, the command's headquarters were located in Washington, D.C., but thereafter returned to Patterson Field. ...the AAF made two changes on 16 March 1942. It redesignated the growing office of the Chief of the Materiel Division in Washington as the Materiel Command, while redesignating subordinate elements at Wright Field as the Materiel Center. On 1 April 1943 Headquarters Materiel Command moved back to Wright Field to be near the headquarters of the Air Service Command, but it left behind the former commander and much of his staff as the Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Materiel, Maintenance, and Distribution.}}</ref>

<ref name=Futrell>{{Cite report |last=Futrell |first=Robert F.  |publisher=Air Historical Office |date=July 1947 |title=Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939-1945 |volume=ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2)	|quote=The headquarters and the experimental activities of the Material Division, OCAC, were located at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, a new field which had been occupied in 1927.<sup>22</sup>}} (p. 7)	</ref>

<ref name=Maurer>{{Cite report |last=Maurer |first=Maurer |title=Aviation in the US Army, 1919-1939 |isbn=0-912799-38-2 |quote=On July 17, 1926,…the Air Corps got two new brigadier generals [promoted from lieutenant colonel, including] William E. Gillmore to be Chief of the Materiel Division to be created at Dayton, Ohio. … Major Schroeder and Lieutenant Macready’s altitude work had a direct bearing on air power for it led to superchargers, oxygen systems, and other equipment … The [[Boeing 299]] crashed during testing at Wright Field on October 30, 1935. Aboard were Tower and four men from the Materiel Division-Maj. Ployer P. Hill, Chief of the Flying Branch, pilot; 1st Lt. Donald L. Putt, copilot; John B. Cutting, engineer; and Mark H. Koogler, mechanic. Taking off, the plane climbed steeply to 300 feet, stalled, crashed, and caught fire. Tower and Hill died. Investigation disclosed that no one had unlocked the rudder and elevator controls.}}</ref>

}}

{{Wright aircraft|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Ohio]]
[[Category:World War I airfields in the United States]]
[[Category:World War I sites in the United States]]
[[Category:Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1917]]
[[Category:1917 establishments in Ohio]]