Kansas A to Z: ‘M’ is for B-29 Bombers of the Prairie Museum

PRATT — Pratt has a strong historical connection with World War II and the B-29 Bomber.

The Pratt Army Airfield was opened in 1943 north of Pratt on an open prairie and became the first training facility in the world for the new B-29s as they rolled off the assembly line in Wichita. Over 23,000 Army Air Corp flight and ground crew members trained at the airbase from 1943 to 1946 when the airfield was closed. Among those who trained at Pratt were Col. Paul Tibbets who piloted the Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Maj. Charles Sweeney who piloted the B-29 Superfortress Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

The base is now the Pratt Regional Airport and has an extensive industrial park.

(Read more: News – Butler County Times Gazette)