In our continuing series about airfields built in the United States during World War 2, today we turn our attention to the fine state of Alabama.  As you know by now, the war effort at home was of Herculean proportions, building training sites across this great country so as to prepare pilots and flight crews for the war abroad.  Alabama was a busy state during 1941, so let’s take a look at all they did.

• Demopolis Army Airfield; now Demopolis Municipal Airport
• Courtland Army Airfield; now Muscle Shoals Auxiliary Field
• Craig Army Airfield; now Craig Field Airport
• Gunter Army Airfield; now Gunter Annex, a non-flying USAF facility
• Maxwell Army Airfield; now Maxwell Air Force Base
• Bates Army Airfield; now Mobile Regional Airport
• Decatur Field; now Pryor Field Regional Airport
• Anniston Army Airfield; now Selma Municipal Airport
• Furniss Auxiliary Field; now Henderson Auxiliary Field
• Molette Auxiliary Field; now Craig Air Force Base

And so many more!  Imagine if you will the war effort in Alabama; now multiply this effort by forty-five other states and you will start to get a feeling for what was happening in this country while men were fighting in Europe and the Pacific.  Hundreds of thousands of men and women preparing this country for a massive build-up of personnel and construction sites.

America was a sleeping giant prior to December 7, 1941.  We were feeling secure in our liberty, but we really had not built up the military to alert status.  Once Pearl Harbor was attacked that all changed.  Take the leading industrial nation in the world and turn all efforts towards war preparation, and the sleeping giant awoke with startling quickness and purpose.  The rest, as they say, is history.

At Aces High we love this stuff.  We love the history; we love the cause and effect and seeing how the drama unfolded.  We love giving tribute to the brave men and women who prepared and fought for this country.

Maybe that explains, in part, why Aces High rules the skies among other flight sim online games.  Maybe that explains why for thirteen years, whenever someone thought about combat flight simulators, they have thought about Aces High.

If you have never played Aces High then today is as good a day as any.  Sign up for the free download, then strap on your helmet and fly the skies with the best of the best.  You won’t be disappointed.

Are you new to the world of online combat flight simulators?  Are you finding it all a bit confusing?  Well never fear.  Do you know that we have a free two-week download available for you to try?  What a great way to find out if this online game is right for you.

No cost to you at all and we don’t even ask for a credit card.  Just click on the link and start playing.  We will issue one warning though:  once you start playing Aces High you will not want to stop playing.  We just wanted to warn you.  Now, strap on your helmet, download the free trial download, and fly the skies with Aces High!

Turning our attention to the Special Events calendar we see that today, August 7^th, is an AHXARL, or Aces High XTreme Air Racing League Event.  Climb into your cockpit and race against some of the best flight sim players in the world.

Then tomorrow, on the 8^th of August, we will feature a Snapshot Special Event.  This is a great way to introduce yourself to scenario play on Aces High.

If you are new and this is sounding like Ancient Greek to you, then check out our forum where you can get all of your questions answered.

Today, Aces High takes a look at the great state of Georgia, and in particular the airfields that were constructed there during World War2.  As you well know, these airfields, which sprang up seemingly overnight after 1941, were instrumental in the war effort as training facilities for pilots and flight crews.

Without further delay, let’s take a look at a partial list of those airfields constructed in Georgia.

• Chatam Army Airfield; now Savannah Air National Guard Base
• Harris Neck Army Airfield; now Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
• Statesboro Army Airfield; now Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport
• Thomasville Army Airfield; now Thomasville Regional Airport
• Bainbridge Army Airfield; now Decatur County Industrial Air Park
• Cochran Army Airfield; now Middle Georgia Regional Airport
• Moody Army Airfield; now Army Air Force Pilot School

There are quite a few more but we can cover those at a later date.  It is interesting that of the many, many airfields constructed during World War II, nearly 95% of them are still being used today, either as an Armed Forces airfield or as a civilian airport.  The only notable exceptions are in the state of Alaska, where many of the airfields there were closed because of the difficulty of maintaining them in winter weather.  Still, many of the Alaskan airfields are used by bush pilots as they go about their daily routes.

Since so many of these airfields are still in use, the overall economic benefits are staggering.  A full seventy years after they were constructed they are still providing dollars for the economy and serving local economies.  That is an investment that keeps on giving.

So why is an online combat flight simulator gaming site concerned with all of this?  Well, Aces High has been the number one flight simulator for nearly thirteen years, a leader in the industry, and we reached that pinnacle because of our attention to detail in all things related to World War 2 combat.  The more we study the history of that war, the better we can guarantee that we will remain the leader in our industry.

Our game designers and volunteers work long hours to make sure that everything about Aces High is as detailed and accurate as possible.  You see, we like being Number One, and we intend to stay that way for a long time to come.

Try our free download and find out for yourselves what Aces High is all about.