Welcome to Historical World War II Pratt Army Airfield

Welcome to Historical World War II Pratt Army Airfield. . , The Pratt Army Air Field is an important site that shares the birthplace of the B-29 Program, a program that defeated Japan in three years nine months and ushered in atomic warfare. Site preparation grading started in October 1942; the first building on the airfield was the engineer's building. In January 1943, the 502nd Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron were activated to function as the administrative and training squadron for the other organizations which would be assigned to the base. On February 1, 1943, the first detachment of twelve men arrived. On 6 March 1943 Lt. Col. J.F. Nelson assumed command of the field, and the installation began to function as a military post with the barest of essentials in housing, messing, and administrative equipment. On May 2, 1943, an open house was held for the public, and the field was officially dedicated. , The mission of the field was to train B-29 crews. Qualified pilots, flight engineers, radar operators, bombardiers, navigators, radio operators, and gunnery personnel formed 11-man crews and received instruction and hands-on training with B-29s. Maintenance was a big problem with the B-29 and 10-man maintenance crews received B-29-related training to service the plane. Air Service Groups were formed to do major engine maintenance and component repair and replacement. Once familiar and qualified on the B-29, they flew their planes to fields in China and the Marianas. , The 40th Bomb Group arrived at Pratt Army Air Field in July 1943. The 29th and 497th Bomb Groups followed in April and May 1944. The 346th Bomb Group replaced the 29th and 497th in Jan 1945 and were replaced by the 93rd Bomb Group in July. Processing recorded a total of over 13,000 men and women during its three years in Pratt. Three hundred ninety-two B-29 crews completed training at PAAF. Two hundred thirty-two of these crews were sent to airfields in China, and on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian for raids on Japan. , The Air Field was closed on 31 December 1945. In its final edition the Pratt Army Air Field newsletter "Tailwind" said, "To sum up the operation and the effectiveness of PAAF requires no flowery words or elaboration on the actual facts. The records speak for themselves. Pratt trained the first B-29 Group to see active service overseas, the first Group to raid Tokyo, the first Group to make a fire-raid on the Jap capital, and more firsts too numerous even to mention. Its Groups were the first into aggressive B-29 action against the Japs, and the count tolled against the enemy is still being tabulated. In an even larger sense, the field pioneered the B-29 program of the Army Air Forces, being the number one installation exclusively dedicated to training crews on the Army Air Force pride. With PAAF's demise the era of "training-for-war" in Kansas comes to a close, the foremost producer passing out of existence. The field brought much to Kansas and to Pratt itself, but no more then was given it in return by the people of the state and the town." , Text by David Stitt, Virginia Hoover and Jim Bowman , Credit Reference: Giannangelo, Dorthea. Pratt Army Air Field: World War II 1943-1945 Publisher Unknown. 2002. Copy is on file at KSHS Cultural Resources Division , Funded in part by a grant from the Recreational Trails Program, administered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. , Sign frame by Pratt Well Service, Skaggs Ace Hardware and B29 Museum , Sign by Lowen Sign, Hutchinson, KS