The Georgia World War II Heritage Trail today announced the addition of three new Affiliate Partners to its growing network dedicated to preserving and sharing Georgia’s World War II legacy: Project Liberty Ship SS John Brown, Town of Napier Field, and Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.
Affiliate Partners are valued members of the Georgia WWII Heritage Trail, representing museums, historic sites, and community organizations across Georgia and other states that share a commitment to preserving Georgia’s World War II legacy. Together, Trail Partners and Affiliate Partners help tell the thousands of stories that define Georgia’s role in World War II, ensuring that the people, places, and lessons of this pivotal era remain accessible, relevant, and remembered statewide.
“These new Affiliate Partners help expand the Trail’s ability to connect Georgia’s World War II story to the broader national story of service, sacrifice, innovation, and victory,” said Ed Coleman, Chair of the Georgia WWII Heritage Trail. “From Liberty ships and wartime aviation training to the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, these organizations help preserve and share stories that continue to educate and inspire future generations.”
The addition of Project Liberty Ship SS John Brown is especially significant given Georgia’s critical role in Liberty ship construction during World War II. Shipyards in Savannah and Brunswick produced 173 Liberty ships that supported Allied logistics and helped sustain the war effort across multiple theaters. The SS John Brown, one of the few remaining operational Liberty ships in existence today, serves as a powerful living link to the industrial mobilization and maritime heritage that shaped Georgia’s wartime experience.
The Town of Napier Field, located in Alabama, also represents an important chapter in the wartime aviation training story of the American South. Established as an Army Air Forces Training Center during World War II, Napier Field trained American, British, Mexican, and women pilots preparing for combat service overseas. Student pilots trained in P-40 aircraft, known for their distinctive parrot-head nose art, before the base officially closed in 1944. Several original buildings from the wartime installation remain part of the community today, including the former Army headquarters building that now serves as Town Hall.
The inclusion of Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site further strengthens the Trail’s connection to one of the most important aviation and civil rights stories of World War II. Located at historic Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, the site preserves the training grounds of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen — the first African American military aviators in U.S. history. During World War II, Moton Field served as the primary flight training center for African American pilot candidates, whose combat achievements overseas and perseverance against segregation at home helped pave the way for the eventual integration of the United States military.
The new partners join a growing network of Affiliate Partners already connected to the Trail, including Roosevelt’s Little White House, Ft. Oglethorpe, and E.L. Greenway Welcome Center and Depot Row.
Established in 2021, the Georgia World War II Heritage Trail connects museums, historic sites, aviation museums, military heritage organizations, and community partners across the state to highlight Georgia’s extraordinary contributions during World War II. Today, the Trail includes twelve primary partner sites and a growing network of affiliate organizations that help preserve and interpret the stories of the Greatest Generation for visitors, educators, students, and heritage travelers statewide.