Welcome! During 1942 the U.S. Navy established or relocated many naval air training activities to Norman, Oklahoma and other near-by communities. These activities included the Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), Naval Air Staion (NAS), United States Naval Hospital, Naval Air Gunners School (NAGS) in Purcell and two auxillary naval air stations in Shawnee and Clinton. This action was necessitated by urgency of World War II where America was caught off guard and unprepared. The Navy didn't stay long in Oklahoma closing down most activities at the conclusion of WWII. But its impact on the local communities is still felt over 75 years later. This website will document those activities, explore day-to-day life on these bases, the fate of the bases and much more. While this website was officially launched on January 1, 2019 it will require some time to fully build it out with detail.

Checkout this sister website, Pop-up Camper History. This website explores the origins of the pop-up camping trailer and documents the manufacturers of such campers throughout the 20th century. Included are brochures, advertisements, patents and more. This website is WAY larger and infinitely more interesting than you might think!

 

Copyright © 2019 Oklahoma Naval Air History
Website created by Joel Silvey, 2019