Las Vegas Army Airfield 1941 Mug

The Army Air Corps were looking for a perfect location for a training base since the ’30s and ultimately found it in Las Vegas, Nevada. The initial base was nothing but a dirt runaway, but after a complete buildup, the base was officially opened in 1941 when the first unit – the 79th Air Base Group – arrived there. The base population doubled within a month, representing a fulminating start. By the time of the attacks over Pearl Harbor, the base hosted not more than 27 planes. Almost 1000 troops – both co-pilots and gunnery experts – graduated from the base at every 5 weeks.