Donaldson AFB

  1942 to 25 January 1963

  United States of America

CITY: Greenville, SC

IATA/ICAO CODES: GDC / KGYH

OTHER NAMES: Greenville AAB (1942-1948), Greenville AFB (1948-1951), Donaldson AFB (1951-1963), Donaldson Center Airport (1963-present)

Greenville AAB opened in 1942 as a bomber base. During World War II, B-24 & B-25 squadrons were based there.

After the war, Greenville became a major Troop Carrier training base, and was renamed Donaldson AFB in 1951. The 443^rd Troop Carrier Wing was activated there in 1951 to train crew to troop carrier duties in the Far East. It was using Commandos which were inherited from both Air Transport Command and Troop Carrier Command. The Wing was deactivated at the end of the Korean War in 1953. It was replaced by other Troop Carrier wings using more modern aircraft types, mainly C-119s and C-124s. These were later transferred to the Military Air Transport Service, while retaining Donaldson as a base.

Donaldson AFB was closed down in January 1963, and the facilities were passed on to the city and county of Greenville which turned them into the Donaldson Center Airport.

443^rd Troop Carrier Wing (August 1951 to January 1953)

2585^th Air Force Reserve Training Center (by April 1958)