Editing Fort Wainwright (section)

==== Cold-weather test station ====
[[File:Testing flying clothing 1941 (USAF).jpg|thumb|Cold weather test of flight clothes Ladd Field, 1941]]

The construction of Ladd Field began in earnest early in 1940, prompted by the declaration of war in Europe months before. During its first two years of operations, Ladd Field's mission was as a cold-weather test station. The station commander of the '''Cold Weather Test Station''' was Maj. Dale V. Gaffney. The cold weather station focused primarily on testing aircraft performance and maintenance. Its major goal was to develop standard procedures for servicing and operating aircraft in subzero temperatures and to test various airplane parts and fluids. The testing program looked at other aspects of arctic operations to include clothing, communication, equipment, survival gear, medical issues, and ground support.<ref name=":2" />

During 1940–1942, Ladd Field was devoted to research and considered an "exempt station" from combat. In June 1942, Japan bombed Dutch Harbor, on the Aleutian Island of Unalaska, and occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska. The Cold Weather Test Station was deactivated and Ladd Field came temporarily under control of the 11th Air Force who fell under the Alaska Defense Command. By fall of 1942, the Cold Weather test Station was reactivated and became an exempted research station again.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Price |first1=Kathy |title=The World War II Heritage of Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska |date=May 2004 |publisher=Center for Ecological Management of Military Lands, Colorado State University}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Consultation |url=https://home.army.mil/alaska/index.php/about/environmental/cultural-resources/historic-buildings/ladd-air-force-base-cold-war-historic-district-cold-war-1947-1961|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404175552/https://home.army.mil/alaska/index.php/about/environmental/cultural-resources/historic-buildings/ladd-air-force-base-cold-war-historic-district-cold-war-1947-1961|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 4, 2022}}</ref>