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How We Started

Less than a year after the United States entered World War II, plans to build an airfield in Great Bend to accommodate the B-29 Superfortress bomber were set in motion following a telegram from Senator Arthur Capper to the secretary of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce on September 30, 1942.

On February 15, 1943, Mayor Don McIlrath read a letter at a city council meeting from Colonel Pike notifying the city that its municipal airport would need to close once the new base was completed.

That July, the Great Bend Army Airfield opened and welcomed 11-man combat crews for training to fly B-29 bombers. A significant part of WWII history, the Great Bend Army Airfield was among the first United States Army Air Forces B-29 Superfortress bases used for initial training.

The airfield included three intersecting 8,000-foot long paved runways, taxiways, aircraft park aprons, aircraft storage hangars, and several support facilities to include administrative buildings, barracks, and automobile access roads.

Along with Walker Army Airfield near Victoria, Pratt Army Airfield, and Smoky Hill Army Airfield near Salina, the initial cadre of the 58th Bombardment Wing was formed. The 58th Bomb Wing became the first B-29 combat wing of World War II and carried out the first long-range strategic bombardment of the Japanese home islands beginning in March 1944 from bases in India.

The men and women who contributed to the success of the war effort included elite combat crews, mechanics, armorers, cooks and clerks. 

Great Bend Airport Today

After the war, the City of Great Bend passed a resolution on December 16, 1947, to acquire the base and repurpose it for civilian use. The City began to modify the facility to better serve civilian aviation. Located at the entrance to the Great Bend Municipal Airport, the B-29 Memorial Plaza is dedicated to everyone involved in building, flying and providing support for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The memorial honors bomber crews, groups, and individuals on bronze plaques and bricks. Visitors are welcome 365 days a year. There is no admission charge.

For additional information on the airport please see the Barton County Historical Society website.