Millville Army Air Field: America's First Defense Airport

Millville had always been known for its glassmaking, but with the outbreak of World War II, the community's identity was primed to change forever. A private civilian airfield gave way to the creation of America's first defense airport, the training ground for the U.S. Army's Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilots. Bright and brave young men from across the country converged on Millville in the early 1940s to learn to fly and fight for freedom. Some died in training; others flew into history as heroes. While in Millville, they lived the average lives of the country's military men, playing baseball, flirting with the girls at the local USO dances, and attending Sunday night dinners with local families, creating lifelong friendships in a time when a young man's life expectancy was in the hands of America's enemies.

The Images of Aviation series celebrates the history of flight-from the early experimental, lighter-than-air craft to modern commercial, military, and private air machines. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that commemorate aviation and its impact on American industries and communities. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.