Dow AAF
Airfield Identification
1927 to present
United States of America
CITY: Bangor, ME
IATA/ICAO CODES: BGR / KBGR
COORDINATES: 44°49'N / 68°50'W
OTHER NAMES: Godfrey Field (1927-1941), Godfrey AAF (1941-1942), Dow AAF (1942-1947), Dow AFB (1947-1968), Bangor International (1969-present), Bangor ANGB (1968-present)
Commando Operations
Godfrey Field opened in 1927 as a civilian airport, where Northeast Airlines began commercial operations there in 1931.
Just before World War II, the USAAC took over the base and renamed it Godfrey Army Airfield. Godfrey became an Air Service Command base, Lend-Lease aircraft were prepared and maintained before being flown across the Atlantic to England. Three hard-surfaced 7,000-foot runways were built, along with many hardstands and taxiways to allow the temporary parking of large numbers of aircraft.
By early 1942, Godfrey AAF was renamed Dow AAF and specialized in servicing four-engined bombers (B-17 and later B-24) due to be ferried via the North Atlantic air ferry route to the United Kingdom. On 5 March 1944, Dow AAF was transferred to Air Transport Command's North Atlantic Wing. In 1944, more than 8,400 aircraft passed through Dow, and another 2,150 from January to May 1945. After the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many aircraft returned to the United States via Dow.
Dow was placed in a standby status on 7 May 1946 as a satellite base of Westover Field, MA. Still, Dow remained part of ATC's North Atlantic Transport route for strategic air transportation between the United States and the United Kingdom, and ATC aircraft passed through the field occasionally. With the advent of the Cold War, Air Defense Command took over the airfield in November 1946 and transformed it into a fighter base. Strategic Air Command followed in 1952, basing fighters and eventually air refuelers at the airfield.
Dow AFB closed down in 1968 and was turned into Bangor International Airport in 1969. A small portion of the airfield remained under military control, as Bangor Air National Guard Base.
Units & operators based
1379th AAF Base Unit (Dow AAF)
Air Transport Command North Atlantic Wing / Division (March 1944 to November 1946)
Last edited: 09/08/2020