The historic air base and the WWII Flight Training Museum, located on the Douglas Municipal Gene Chambers Airport grounds, will be a part of the Georgia WWII Heritage Trail Tour with the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force that is scheduled to take place October 23 – 26, 2023. Visitors will arrive in Douglas for an overnight stay on October 24, 2023.
“We are very excited to be a stop on the Mighty Eighth’s Georgia WWII Heritage Trail Tour,” says Ed Coleman, Air Base Preservation and Development Committee Chairman. “Our Air Base is a historic treasure and it is hoped that this will be the beginning of many more tours to our community. Thousands of cadets, flight instructors, and support staff were stationed in Douglas during the war. It is important to continue to tell the story of their stories of service and sacrifice.”
The World War II Heritage Trail launched in Georgia on February 16, 2021 to help tell the story of how Georgia was critical to the war effort during World War II (1941-1945). Over 300,000 Georgians served in the military, and thousands of civilians worked in rapidly expanding defense industries. Ten sites across the state, including Douglas’ WWII Flight Training Museum, are listed on the trail and bring a new experience to visitors, families, and groups. Of the 55 Civilian Primary Flying Training Centers across the country during World War II, the air base in Douglas is the most intact. The 63rd Air Base Preservation & Development Committee works with partners to identify, evaluate, and plan for rehabilitation, adaptive use, and restoration of the historic structures at the air base.
According to the Mighty Eighth’s trip overview, attendees on the tour will enjoy two hotel nights, all meals, transportation, VIP museum admissions, travel guides, and gratuities on the trip. Destinations will include the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force (Pooler), WWII Home Front Museum (St. Simon’s Island), WWII Flight Training Museum (Douglas), National Prisoner of War Museum (Andersonville), National Infantry Museum (Columbus), and the Museum of Aviation (Robins Air Force Base). Available packages are single occupancy $899 and double occupancy $745. Those interested in joining the tour should contact the National Mighty Eighth Museum at (912) 748-8888 or visit https://www.wetravel.com/trips/georgia-wwii-heritage-trail-tour-national-museum-of-the-mighty-eighth-air-force-pooler-64395350.