drtair5
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WWll Training Fields
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03/25/2007 01:07:06 PM
Gentlemen,
I am a native of West Texas and have always been curious about the old bomber training base at Pyote, TX. Anyone out there ever stationed at Pyote? I have flown over numerous WWll training fields during the course of my duties as a U.S. Border Patrol Pilot and find them very interesting. I've also heard stories of aerial gunnery targets in the shape of ships, etc... vicinity of Ft. Stockton, TX. Would these have been part of the daily training regimen originating out of Pyote??
drtair5
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Phantom Phixer
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RE: WWll Training Fields
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04/15/2007 02:54:00 AM
My father was a AO(NAV) stationed at AAF, Pyote (a.k.a. Rattlesnake Bomber base) from Feb to April 1945. At that time he was assigned to the2nd, Command: 236th AAF; and received additional aircraft flight and bomb training on B-29 & D-1 TR. Regretfully he passed away in 1960 but his records indicated that Pyote was just a pit stop in their training before going to the Pacific theater.
The following is a blurb about Pyote that is out on the internet
PYOTE RATTLESNAKE BOMBER BASE
The flat, arid land near Monahans proved ideal for 8,400- foot-long runways used for World War II training flights of B-17 and B-29 bombers. That’s where the Army located the bomber-training base, Pyote Army Air Field (later Pyote Air Force Station). The terrain was prime habitat for rattlesnakes, leading to the base’s nickname “Rattlesnake Bomber Base.†The noted 19th Bombardment Group, the first unit to bomb Japanese targets, flew to Pyote directly from combat in the Pacific. At war’s end, the base became an aircraft storage depot, holding some 2,000 warbirds.
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