Source: The Handbook of Texas Online
The Pampa Army Air Field, a military
installation of World War II, was established in the
summer of 1942 on a site about eleven miles east of Pampa
in Gray County. Construction of the base began in June of
that year under the supervision of the Tulsa, Oklahoma,
office of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Col. Norman B. Olsen directed the initial stages of
operation, and offices were housed temporarily in the
Rose Motor Company and Culberson-Smalling buildings in
downtown Pampa. Col. Daniel S. Campbell assumed command
of the base in September 1942, and within two months the
first planes and aviation cadets had arrived. Pampa Army
Air Field, known as the "Eagles' Nest of the High
Plains," offered advanced twin-engine training in
AT-10s.
Also stationed at the field were AT-9s, B-25s, and
AT-17s. Sixteen B-25s from the field took part in the
bombing of Tokyo; of them fifteen were lost, and one
accidentally landed in Russia, where it remains. During
its three years of operation the base graduated 6,292
cadets, trained 3,500 aircraft mechanics, and had one of
the best safety records in the United States Training
Command throughout the war.
After its closing on September 30, 1945, the base was
abandoned. In 1972 a reunion association was formed; its
annual meetings continued in the 1980s. In addition, in
the 1970s a Pampa Army Air Field Memorial Museum was
incorporated.
In 1982 a Texas Historical Commission historical marker
was placed near the site, at the intersection of State
Highway 152 and Farm Road 3302.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Gray County History Book Committee, Gray
County Heritage (Dallas: Taylor, 1985).
H. Allen Anderson
(information from The Handbook of
Texas Online --
a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history,
geography, and culture.)