Lawson Army Airfield

Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning)
IATA: LSF ICAO: KLSF FAA LID: LSF
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	United States Army
Location	Fort Benning Columbus, Georgia
Elevation AMSL	232 ft / 71 m
Coordinates	32°20′14″N 084°59′29″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 15/33 10,000 3,048 Asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Lawson Army Airfield (IATA: LSF, ICAO: KLSF, FAA LID: LSF) is a military airport located at Fort Benning in Chattahoochee County, Georgia, south of the city of Columbus, Georgia. It is Fort Benning's primary Force Projection Platform.

Facilities

Lawson Army Airfield has one runway:

• Runway 15/33: 10,000 ft. x 150 ft. (3,048 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt

History

Although the area was used as an airfield since WWI, it did not have an official name until a War Department order (dated July 6, 1931) designated it "Lawson Field", in honor of Captain Walter Rolls Lawson. Captain Lawson was a pilot who served during World War I with the 91st French French Escadrille in France, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He was killed in an airplane accident in 1923 at McCook Field, now Wright-Patterson Air force Base.

During World War II, Lawson AAF was commanded by the United States Army Air Force (Third Air Force). It was used as a transport/cargo aircraft training facility. USAAF Groups which were trained at Lawson were:

• 74th Observation Group (February 27, 1942 – April 10, 1942)
  Trained personnel in aerial reconnaissance, medium bombardment, and fighter techniques

• 316th Troop Carrier (August 1942 – September 29, 1942) Douglas C-47/C-53 Skytrain
• 314th Troop Carrier (February 20, 1943 – May 1943) Douglas C-47/C-53 Skytrain
• 63rd Troop Carrier (May 7, 1943 – June 3, 1943) Douglas C-47/C-53 Skytrain
• 10th Troop Carrier (November 30, 1943 – January 21, 1944) Douglas C-47/C-53 Skytrain
• 438th Troop Carrier (October 1 – November 15, 1945) (Used for unit deactivation)

United States Air Force Units at Lawson Air Force Base were:

• 434th Troop Carrier Wing (January 23, 1952 – February 1, 1953) Curtiss C-46 Command0
• 464th Troop Carrier Wing (February 1, 1953 – September 21, 1954) Curtiss C-46 Command0

Lawson AFB was closed in 1954 and the facility turned over to the Army. It has operated continually since that time as Lawson AAF.

See also

• Georgia World War II Army Airfields
• Troop Carrier Command

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Shettle, M. L. (2005), Georgia's Army Airfields of World War II. ISBN: 0-9643388-3-1
• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.

External links

• Lawson Army Airfield (GlobalSecurity.org)
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective May 16, 2024

• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAA airport information for LSF
  • AirNav airport information for KLSF
  • ASN accident history for LSF
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLSF