Take Me To Post Comment Form During World War II, Great Bend and the surrounding area underwent a huge change. With construction of an Army Air Field west of town, lives and attitudes were altered forever. There was a war to be won and this airbase helped do it.

The 'Battle of Kansas' was fought over the plains of Kansas - a battle in which air crews learned to fly B-29 Superfortresses and the ground crews, mechanics and Boeing engineers worked to fix the bugs in those new, untried airplanes. When that battle was won, those same crews took their planes to the Pacific Theater and defeated the Japanese war machine.

There are a lot of stories that can be told about the planes, the men and the women who made a difference to the war effort while stationed here. In preparation for the upcoming Airfest at Great Bend Municipal Airport (formerly Great Bend Army Air Field) the 17th through the 19th of September, I am putting together some some of those stories for the Airfest and for the Tribune's readers.

So, watch out! Incoming!