McCook Army Airfield was activated on 1 April 1943. It is located nine miles (14 km) northwest of McCook, a city in Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States and is southwest of North Platte, Nebraska. It was constructed in 1943 . The site is bordered on all sides by level farm ground. History McCook AAF was one of eleven United States Army Air Forces training bases in Nebraska during World War II. The base included three 150 by concrete runways, five hangars, and barracks for 5,000 men. It operated with three divisions: Base Services (hospital, chapel, theater, band, gymnasium, fire station, post office, photo lab, library, and military police); Maintenance and Supply (air service groups, post engineers, machine shop, warehouses); and Training (celestial navigation, gunnery and bombing, communications, radar, and aircraft maintenance). Approximately 110 buildings and structures were constructed. The airfield was activated on 1 April 1943, under the command of Second Air Force Headquarters, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The host unit at the airfield was the 520th Operational Training Unit as part of Air Technical Service Command. The 520th was assigned to the 16th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (August 1943 - March 1944), then transferred to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing in March 1944 for B-29 training. McCook provided final training of heavy bomber crews for the B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Boeing B-29 Super Fortress. Some 15,000 servicemen and 500 civilians were stationed at McCook. Bomber crew members received final proficiency training at the field before deployment in North Africa, Europe, and Pacific Theater of Operations. Among the bomb groups trained at McCook were elements of the 8th, 15th, and 20th Air Forces. These bomb groups saw combat in the European, Mediterranean, and Pacific Theaters. The following USAAF Groups were stationed at McCook: 454th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (July - October 1943) 736th, 737th, 738th and 739th Bombardment Squadrons Deployed to Fifteenth Air Force in Italy (B-24 Liberator) 486th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (September - November 1943) 832nd, 833rd, 834th and 835th Bombardment Squadrons Deployed to Eighth Air Force in England (B-24 Liberator) 465th Bombardment Group (Heavy) (October 1943 - February 1944) 780th, 781st, 782nd and 783rd Bombardment Squadrons Deployed to Fifteenth Air Force in Italy (B-24 Liberator) 493d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (November 1943 - January 1944) 860th, 861st, 862nd and 863rd Bombardment Squadrons Deployed to Eighth Air Force in England (B-17 Flying Fortress) 9th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy)