Black servicemen at Avon Park Army Airfield
The Army Air Forces operated within the strictly segregated U.S. military during World War II. At the Avon Park Army Airfield, which functioned primarily as a B-17 bomber crew training base, African American troops were largely assigned to combat support roles. Like other military installations in Florida, the base experienced severe housing shortages that affected both personnel and the nearby civilian communities, exacerbating the logistical and social pressures of segregation.[mfh-airfield]
A standing research question concerned a citation to an Atlanta Daily World article from 25 July 1944 identifying a Black soldier stationed at Avon Park. A historiographical audit of the source material establishes that the date 25 July 1944 was recorded in error. The Atlanta Daily World actually published a brief notice on 9 July 1944 concerning Andrew Wood, an Atlanta resident who was stationed at the Avon Park military installation.[adw-andrew-wood-1944] This finding, combined with the earlier identification of Pfc. Alexander Perry at the base (recovered during a 31 August 2026 sweep of the same newspaper), confirms the presence of individual Black servicemen assigned to the facility.
No dedicated military records detailing the specific quarters or daily relations between these servicemen and the town’s Black community have yet surfaced in the archival consensus. The base’s general administrative footprint is preserved in the National Archives’ real property disposal case files for the airfield (ca. 1946–1949).[nara-avon-park-fuds]
References
- adw-andrew-wood-1944 — Atlanta Daily World. Atlanta Daily World, 9 July 1944, notice regarding Andrew Wood. 9 July 1944. https://www.usg.edu
- mfh-airfield — Museum of Florida History. Avon Park Army Airfield, in Florida in World War II historical sites. 31 August 2026. https://museumoffloridahistory.com/explore/exhibits/permanent-exhibits/world-war-ii/historical-sites/central-listing/avon-park-army-airfield/
- nara-avon-park-fuds — War Assets Administration. Real Property Disposal Case Files, ca. 1946-1949. 1949. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/630563
Where this comes from
- Evidence
- corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
- Review
- unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
- Rights
- public-domain
Sources
- Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Daily World, 9 July 1944, notice regarding Andrew Wood (1944)
- Museum of Florida History, Avon Park Army Airfield, in Florida in World War II historical sites (2026)
- War Assets Administration, Real Property Disposal Case Files, ca. 1946-1949 (1949)
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