RATTLESNAKE BOMBER BASE PYOTE ARMY AIRFIELD WWII . HAV079

In a remote corner of West Texas in 1942, the dreaded western diamondback rattlesnake was awarded the unique distinction of having a mighty airfield named in his honor. Although the installation officially bore the title of Pyote Army Airfield, the massive quantity of serpents encountered during the construction of the base quickly earned it the nickname of "Rattlesnake Bomber Base".
The huge airfield eventually sprawled over nearly three thousand acres of Texas desert as the final training destination for bomber crews before they headed off to war. What happened at Pyote, Texas, during World War II represents a microcosm of what took place all across America.