B-29 Memorial

Visitors to the Great Bend City airport are often puzzled by the size of its runways, since you seldom see 8,000-foot-long runways in towns our size. Great Bend was a B-29 bomber training base during World War II, and crews from all over the United States trained to fly the huge Superfortress bombers right here in Great Bend.

The airfield is the site of a memorial dedicated to the men and women who manufactured, flew and provided support for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The City of Great Bend donated land at the Great Bend Army Airfield, and an artist and architect designed a dramatic memorial for the site, with intersecting arches representing the emblem of the Global 20th Air Force and a centerpiece of a B-29 cast in stainless steel. The memorial honors bomber crews, groups, and individuals on bronze plaques and bricks.

For more information contact the Barton County Historical Museum at (620) 793-5125.