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Selman Army Airfield is an inactive United States Air Force base, approximately 7.7 miles east of Monroe, Louisiana. It was active during World War II as an Army Air Forces Training Command airfield. It was closed on 1 September 1945. ==History== In May 1942, Colonel Norris B. Harbold came to Monroe, Louisiana as project officer of the Army Air Forces Navigation School which was to be located at Monroe. The plans were drawn, specifications made, and blueprints approved in the six weeks that followed. The military base was built at the site of a small civil airport constructed in the 1930s named "Selman Airport", which was named after a Navy Pilot, Lieutenant Augustus J. Selman, USN, a native of Monroe, LA, died at Norfolk, Virginia, on November 28, 1921, of injuries received in an airplane crash in the line of duty. Construction of the base began on 15 June 1942 with the base being activated that day in a paper status. Selman Army Airfield was placed under the jurisdiction of the 74th Flying Training Wing, Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command (EFTC). Base Headquarters was under the jurisdiction of the 329th Base Hq and Air Base Squadron. Construction was rapid given the emergency wartime conditions and within three months the post was to be in full operation. The airfield consisted of four concrete runways 6100x150(N/S), 5500x150(NE/SW), 6100x150(E/W), 6100x150(NW/SE) taxiways with the runways laid out on an "A" layout, with one extended length main runway, and two short secondary runways connected to an extended, large aircraft parking apron capable of parking several hundred aircraft in an overlapping squares, or "star" layout with a series of taxiways. In addition to the airfield, the building of a large support base with several hundred buildings, numerous streets, a utility network, was carried out with barracks, various administrative buildings, maintenance shops and hangars. The station facility consisted of a large number of buildings based on standardized plans and architectural drawings, with the buildings designed to be the "cheapest, temporary character with structural stability only sufficient to meet the needs of the service which the structure is intended to fulfill during the period of its contemplated war use" was underway. To conserve critical materials, most facilities were constructed of wood, concrete, brick, gypsum board and concrete asbestos. Metal was sparsely used. The station was designed to be nearly self-sufficient, with not only hangars, but barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops were needed. There were libraries, social clubs for officers, and enlisted men, and stores to buy living necessities. The buildings, together with complete water, sewer, electric and gas utilities, the airfield served over 4,000 military personnel. On August 8, the first meal was served on the post in a partly completed mess hall. Forty enlisted men moved out to the post that night and a living military organization began to grow within the gates. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Selman Army Airfield」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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