1929 Army air maneuvers at Norton Air Field, Columbus Ohio OH with cachet

Norton Field served as headquarters for the red forces in the 1929 Army Air Corps maneuvers, known as the Great Ohio Air War. This mock war demonstrated the effectiveness of long-range bombing and aerial refueling as well as the first extensive use of radio in both air-to-air and air-to-ground communication.

Norton Field was an aviation landing field, located in Columbus, Ohio, that operated from 1923 until the early 1950s. It was the first airport established in Central Ohio, and was named for World War I pilot and star Ohio State University athlete Fred William Norton, a Columbus native. Lieutenant Norton, of the 27th Pursuit Squadron, died of injuries suffered when his Nieuport 28 was shot down in northern France by anti-aircraft artillery in July 1918. Although he managed to land safely behind Allied lines, it took two days to transport him to medical care during which time he contracted pneumonia, dying on 23 July 1918.