These Video Images Are From The Kingman, Arizona Aviation Graveyard (1947- 1948). It’s called ‘The Treasured Collection Of Heartbreaking Photos’. It’s A Video By Ramo Vegas.
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation created five huge scrap, sales, and storage centers for Army Air Forces aircraft, after the war.
For information purposes, the Army Air Force is the direct predecessor to the United States Air Force.
These scrap centers were located at Ontario AAF in California, Albuquerque AAF in New Mexico, Walnut Ridge AAF in Arkansas, Altus AAF in Oklahoma, and Kingman AAF in Arizona. Another facility was located in Clinton, Oklahoma for storing, selling, and scrapping US Navy and Marine aircraft.
The number of surplus airplanes was estimated to exceed 150,000. Consideration was given to storing a considerable number of this excess stockpile. In the summer of 1945, there were approximately 30 sales/storage depots and 23 sales centers in operation.
By November 1945, it was anticipated that a total of 117,210 aircraft would be transported to these facilities as excess equipment.
Between 1945 and June 1947, an estimate that 61,600 World War 2 aircraft were processed, of which 34,700 were sold for the purpose of still being able to fly and 26,900, primarily combat warplanes, were sold for scrapping.
The War Assets Administration established the Sales & Storage Depot No. 41 at Kingman AAF. The commitment for Depot 41 was to sell the base buildings and all equipment. Additionally, it would store the warplanes surplus from the Army Air Force.
In 1945 and 1946 there were some reports that estimated nearly 10,000 Warbirds were flown to Kingman AAF for storage and sale. But official records suggest that the number was actually nearer to 5,500.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TJk1jqzjYU
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