The first unit to train at Laurinburg–Maxton was the 317th Troop Carrier Group, which arrived in early November 1942.
 This was followed shortly by the Army 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion, which later was re-designated as the  88th Glider Infantry Regiment.
  Known units which trained at the base are:
375th Troop Carrier Group (55th, 56th, 57th, 58th TCS), May–June 1943
38th Troop Carrier Squadron (10th TCG), June–September 1943; January–April 1944 (Operational Training Unit)
67th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
68th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
69th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
70th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
435th Troop Carrier Group (75th, 76th, 77th, 78th TCS), July-August 1943
436th Troop Carrier Group (79th, 80th, 81st, 82d TCS), August–December 1943
438th Troop Carrier Group (87th, 88th, 89th TCS),  October 1943 – January 1944
439th Troop Carrier Group (91st, 92d, 93d, 94th TCS),  December 1943 – February 1944
On 1 May 1944 the 392d Army Air Force Base Unit took over the training mission at the base, and unit operational training was replaced by individual replacement training (RTU) by the AAF Glider Training School.
Over 40 Army and Air Force units trained at the base by the end of the war in 1945, including both the 82d Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions.

Visits by high-ranking Army and Air Force officers were common at the base, which meant parades and troops passing in review drills were frequent.
 Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Marshall visited Laurinburg–Maxton on several occasions during the war, to observe units performing parachute and glider training.
 Demonstrations were frequently made for the distinguished visitors.
 The demonstrations impressed the visitors and did much to give confidence to the Generals about the capability of the soldiers and airmen of the airborne forces.
  Units and personnel which trained at the base were deployed to North Africa as part of the Operation Torch landings in French West Africa in November 1942, as well as the invasions of Sicily and Italy in the summer of 1943.

In early 1944, the mission of Laurinburg–Maxton AAB was changed to train student officers in advanced glider techniques and ground fighting.
  Also the training of C-47 pilots in towing the CG-4A Waco gliders, which were developed for the planned Normandy invasion in June.
 Training in glider towing was previously conducted at Bowman Field, Kentucky, near  Fort Campbell; the proximity to Fort Bragg by  Laurinburg–Maxton and the Army airborne school there added a second school.
   The first glider pilot training class began on 2 June 1944, just four days prior to the Normandy Invasion.

The CG-4A Waco glider, was by the standards of 1944, huge.
It could carry 13 fully equipped soldiers; a jeep with a 4-man crew and equipment, or a 75mm howitzer plus supplies and ammunition.
It had a wingspan of over eighty feet and weighed over 4,000 pounds when empty.
 Manufactured primarily of wood, medal tubing and canvas, it was towed into the air by C-47s which connected to it by a tow rope that also carried basic communications between the glider and aircraft.
Designed by Waco aircraft and some other companies,  they were manufactured by Ford Motor Company at their Kingsford, Michigan production plant in northwest Michigan by the thousands.
It was a well-designed aircraft and had good aerodynamics.

The training course for Air Force glider pilots was an eight-week program.
Their primary instruction was to fly the glider behind the tow aircraft and successfully land the unpowered aircraft.
However, were also trained as combat soldiers, as once the glider landed they were as vulnerable in combat as the airborne infantry they carried.
In addition to the flying training glider pilots were trained in firing the M1 carbine; "Bazooka" rocket launchers, various sub-machine guns (M3, Thompson), 60 and 80mm mortars, and the use of hand grenades.
They took part in Army tactical exercises using maps, compass, setting booby-traps,
The first unit to train at Laurinburg–Maxton was the 317th Troop Carrier Group, which arrived in early November 1942.  This was followed shortly by the Army 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion, which later was re-designated as the  88th Glider Infantry Regiment.   Known units which trained at the base are:
375th Troop Carrier Group (55th, 56th, 57th, 58th TCS), May–June 1943
38th Troop Carrier Squadron (10th TCG), June–September 1943; January–April 1944 (Operational Training Unit)
67th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
68th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
69th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
70th Troop Carrier Squadron (433d TCG), June–August 1943
435th Troop Carrier Group (75th, 76th, 77th, 78th TCS), July-August 1943
436th Troop Carrier Group (79th, 80th, 81st, 82d TCS), August–December 1943
438th Troop Carrier Group (87th, 88th, 89th TCS),  October 1943 – January 1944
439th Troop Carrier Group (91st, 92d, 93d, 94th TCS),  December 1943 – February 1944
On 1 May 1944 the 392d Army Air Force Base Unit took over the training mission at the base, and unit operational training was replaced by individual replacement training (RTU) by the AAF Glider Training School. Over 40 Army and Air Force units trained at the base by the end of the war in 1945, including both the 82d Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions.
Visits by high-ranking Army and Air Force officers were common at the base, which meant parades and troops passing in review drills were frequent.  Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Marshall visited Laurinburg–Maxton on several occasions during the war, to observe units performing parachute and glider training.  Demonstrations were frequently made for the distinguished visitors.  The demonstrations impressed the visitors and did much to give confidence to the Generals about the capability of the soldiers and airmen of the airborne forces.   Units and personnel which trained at the base were deployed to North Africa as part of the Operation Torch landings in French West Africa in November 1942, as well as the invasions of Sicily and Italy in the summer of 1943.
In early 1944, the mission of Laurinburg–Maxton AAB was changed to train student officers in advanced glider techniques and ground fighting.   Also the training of C-47 pilots in towing the CG-4A Waco gliders, which were developed for the planned Normandy invasion in June.  Training in glider towing was previously conducted at Bowman Field, Kentucky, near  Fort Campbell; the proximity to Fort Bragg by  Laurinburg–Maxton and the Army airborne school there added a second school.    The first glider pilot training class began on 2 June 1944, just four days prior to the Normandy Invasion.
The CG-4A Waco glider, was by the standards of 1944, huge. It could carry 13 fully equipped soldiers; a jeep with a 4-man crew and equipment, or a 75mm howitzer plus supplies and ammunition. It had a wingspan of over eighty feet and weighed over 4,000 pounds when empty.  Manufactured primarily of wood, medal tubing and canvas, it was towed into the air by C-47s which connected to it by a tow rope that also carried basic communications between the glider and aircraft. Designed by Waco aircraft and some other companies,  they were manufactured by Ford Motor Company at their Kingsford, Michigan production plant in northwest Michigan by the thousands. It was a well-designed aircraft and had good aerodynamics.
The training course for Air Force glider pilots was an eight-week program. Their primary instruction was to fly the glider behind the tow aircraft and successfully land the unpowered aircraft. However, were also trained as combat soldiers, as once the glider landed they were as vulnerable in combat as the airborne infantry they carried. In addition to the flying training glider pilots were trained in firing the M1 carbine; "Bazooka" rocket launchers, various sub-machine guns (M3, Thompson), 60 and 80mm mortars, and the use of hand grenades. They took part in Army tactical exercises using maps, compass, setting booby-traps,
Laurinburg–Maxton Army Air Base