The new base, another extraordinary construction effort, was assigned the mission of providing intensive training for troop carrier and glider groups and for coordinating the training with 'airborne units of infantry, artillery, paratroopers, engineers, and medical components of the Army.
The use of gliders to silently land large numbers of men near an enemy position offered promise to military strategists during World War II. Germany pioneered the use of gliders, demonstrating their effectiveness in May 1940 in an assault in Holland, and again in 1941 in the airborne and glider attack on British forces at Crete. The United States implemented its own glider program in late 1941 under the direction of North Carolina native Lewin W. Barringer, who died the following year in a plane crash, and Richard C. DuPont, who died in a 1943 accident.
However, the individual most responsible for incorporating the glider concept into the U.S. military was North Carolina native Maj. Gen. William C. Lee, who had initiated the use of airborne forces at Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall. Lee combined paratroopers and gliders in developing the airborne element of the U.S. Army, and was responsible for the construction of Laurinburg-Maxton Air Base, the largest glider base in the world. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps considered the glider concept viable as well, and in early 1942 incorporated the craft into training exercises at the Marine air station in Edenton, a program soon moved to Parris Island, South Carolina.
The Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base was activated on August 28, 1942, and housed the First Troop Carrier Command. The 4,644-acre base contained three 6,500- foot long runways that formed a triangle. The triangle’s center was 510 acres of Bermuda grass, the landing site for the gliders. In August 1943, Gen. Henry H. Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces, witnessed a night operation of gliders at the facility and heaped extensive praise on the operation. From 1942-1945, thousands trained for combat onsite, including those who took part in airborne assaults in New Guinea, Sicily, Burma, and the Normandy and Market Garden operations. In the final two years of World War II, Laurinburg-Maxton became the primary U.S. base for training glider pilots. Personnel who received training at smaller bases in Indiana, Missouri, and Texas were transferred to North Carolina for completion of their instruction. At the war’s conclusion the base was deactivated. With the advent of helicopters, the military had no further need for the glider program. From 1946-1951, Scotland Memorial Hospital was housed onsite. Today, the facility houses an industrial park and publicly owned airport.
This area was given to the towns of Laurinburg and Maxton after World War II. It is now operated by a commission appointed by the municipal governments of Laurinburg and Maxton. Its primary use is as a local airport. There is a periodic presence of the US Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights, practicing for competitions. In addition, there is occasional use by the military for other training exercises. On the airport property are several industries, one dismantles commercial jet liners for resale of parts. Other uses have include use by the NC Highway Patrol for pursuit driving instruction, Delta Force evasive driving training, and speed time trials by the East Coast Timing Association.
This waymark, a substantial granite stone with a bronze plaque, honors the brave men who manned the gliders and who flew in the gliders to fight the enemies of freedom they faced in that period of history. While words are often merely words, we hope, through the words of the plaque, that all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and those that came back to tell the story know they have earned the undying gratitude of a grateful nation.
This is a link that refers to the training at this facility during WWII, specifically prior to D-Day. (
visit link)