From March 1942 through April 1944, Wendover AAF hosted twenty newly formed B-17 and B-24 groups during one phase of their group training. The training of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator groups began in April 1942, with the arrival of the 306th Bomb Group flying B-17s. Wendover's mission was to train heavy bomb groups.
By May 1945 the base consisted of 668 buildings, including a 300-bed hospital, gymnasium, swimming pool, library, chapel, cafeteria, bowling alley, two movie theatres, and 361 housing units for married officers and civilians. Construction at the base continued for most of the war, including three 8,100-foot (2,500 m) paved runways, taxiways, a 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m 2) ramp, and seven hangars. īy late 1943 there were some 2,000 civilian employees and 17,500 military personnel at Wendover. The Wendover Sub-Depot was tasked to requisition, store, and issue all Army Air Forces property for organizations stationed at Wendover Field for training. In April 1942, the Wendover Sub-Depot was activated and assumed technical and administrative control of the field, under the Ogden Air Depot. The new base was supplied and serviced by the Ogden Air Depot at Hill Field. In March 1942 the Army Air Force activated Wendover Army Air Field and also assigned the research and development of guided missiles, pilotless aircraft, and remotely controlled bombs to the site. It was the Army Air Force's largest bombing and gunnery range. With the entrance of the United States into World War II, Wendover Field took on greater importance. World War II Īerial photo of Wendover AAF looking north, 1943 To provide water, a pipeline was run from a spring on Pilot Peak to the base.
The first military contingent arrived on 12 August 1941, to construct targets on the bombing range.
They took their complaints to Governor Henry Hooper Blood, but the War Department pressed on with the development of the bombing range. Ranchers protested the loss of their grazing land, which they claimed would wipe them out and cost the state of Utah $1.5 million annually. By that time a total of 1,822,000 acres (737,000 ha) had been acquired for the base and associated gunnery/bombing range 86 miles (138 km) long and 18 to 36 miles (29 to 58 km) wide. Wendover Air Base became a subpost of Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City on 29 July 1941. Ĭonstruction of the base began on 20 September 1940 and on the range on 4 November 1940. Though isolated, the area was served by the Western Pacific Railroad, and many of its citizens were employed by the railroad. The area near the town of Wendover was well-suited to these needs the land was virtually uninhabited, had generally excellent flying weather, and the nearest large city ( Salt Lake City) was 100 miles (160 km) away (Wendover had around 100 citizens at the time). Wendover Air Force Base's history began in 1940, when the United States Army began looking for additional bombing ranges.