Editing Peterson Space Force Base (section)

=== Bomber Commands ===
The 4th [[Heavy Bombardment Processing]] Headquarters ("4 H Bomb Processing HQ") was activated on 10 June 1943<!--{{r|Mueller}}--> (the 1st B-29 landed at Peterson Field in the summer of 1943),{{r|Didion}} and bomber training by the 214th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Heavy) [[B-24 Liberator]]){{Failed verification|date=October 2013}} began after the [[383rd Bombardment Group]] relocated from [[Geiger Field]], Washington{{r|Nash}} on 26 October 1943.<!--Mueller p. 472--> In 1944 (11 June – 20 October), the [[XXI Bomber Command]] was assigned to Peterson; and the "HQ and HQ Sq" of [[XXII Bomber Command]] was assigned 14 October 1944 – 13 February 1945,<!--Mueller p. 472-4--> and by 17 August 1944, 4 bomb wings (313th through 316th) were assigned to the base — the last left on 7 June 1945.{{r|Mueller}} The [[3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group#Background|263rd AAF Base Unit]] became the Peterson "base operating unit" on 8 March 1945 (transferred to [[Andrews Field]] on 17 March 1946).{{r|Mueller}}{{rp|8,471}} The [[Army Air Forces Instructor School]]{{Specify|Gunnery, bombing, photography, or any type of instructor? What was the unit name? (Mueller doesn't identify a "School" being established.)|date=October 2013}} opened at Peterson Field in April 1945,{{r|Nash}} and the base was one of several that transferred to [[Continental Air Forces]] on 16 April 1945.<!--Mueller p. 472--> ([[VIII Bomber Command]] arrived 17 August 1945).<!--Mueller p. 474-->

The base was inactivated 31 December 1945 after the [[13th Bombardment Wing]] (17 October) and [[VIII Bomber Command]] ({{circa|lk=no|15 December}}) departed, and site management by the base operating unit ended on 17 December 1945.<ref>Mueller p. 471 claims Peterson's base operating unit was the 263rd AAF BU from 8 Mar 1945 – 17 December 1946 — during the inactive and surplus period, but Mueller p. 8 claims the 263rd AAF BU was at Andrews AFB from 17 March 1946 until 23 February 1948. Perhaps "263" is a Mueller typo that should be "268", which is the number of the base operating unit for the preceding period and that Mueller claims continued until 10 March 1946?</ref> In 1946, Peterson's last AAF Base Units were discontinued: 260th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Wing) in January, the 202nd AAF Base Unit (Special) in February, and the 268th AAF Base Unit (Instrument Instructor Unit) in March and the 201st (Headquarters Base Unit) in April (the [[72nd Fighter Wing]] was at the base from "4 January 1946 - 9 April 1946").<!--Mueller--> The 703rd AAF Base Unit (Hq, 53d AACS Group) moved to Kelly Field in February. Designated surplus on 29 July 1946,{{r|Mueller}} "the U.S. Government returned control{{Specify|reason=Was the lease terminated, and if so, did it have the typical clause for the fed gov't to reactivate it?|date=October 2013}} of the [air]field to the City of Colorado Springs".{{r|Toro}} Many of the base buildings were torn down.{{r|Toro}} In 1946, [[Tonopah Air Force Base|Tonopah AAF]] (Nevada, on 1 October), [[Cannon Air Force Base|Clovis AAF]] (New Mexico, 16 October), and [[Casper Army Airfield|Casper AAF]] (Wyoming, on 15 December) became detached installations of the inactive base for a short period.

During planning for the new [[United States Air Force]], Colorado's [[Arlington Auxiliary Army Airfield]] became a detached installation of the surplus base (1 January – {{circa|lk=no|10 October}} 1947),<!--Mueller--> and the "468th Construction Co (15th AF)" became the inactive base's operating unit in February 1947. The base with new construction was activated 29 September 1947 – 15 January 1948, then was "surplus"{{r|Mueller}} until after the notice in November 1950 to reactivate [[Air Defense Command]]. The "23 Photo Sq 19 May 1943-9 August 1948" remained throughout both inactive/surplus periods, and the "4600 Maint & Sup Sq" was established at the surplus base on 1 December 1950).{{r|Mueller}}