Malden Army Airfield

This photograph of an unidentified airman was taken at the former Malden Army Airfield in Malden, Missouri in March 1945. Construction of the airfield began in 1942 as an installation of the Eastern Flying Training Command and the first class of aviation cadets entered training in April 1943. The base is reputed to have had a military population of 3,000 at one time; however, it was declared excess and deactivated in 1948 after the need for training fields diminished with the war's end.

The airfield was reactivated in 1951 as Malden Air Base with the 3305th Training Squadron assigned to the base the same year. Anderson Air Activities, an Air Force contractor, helped oversee the flight training to prepare aviators to serve in the Korean War. The 3305th was deactivated in 1960 and the base was closed. The former military airfield was turned over to the City of Malden and the property has since transitioned to an industrial park and regional airport.

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