Pyote Air Force Base was a World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 training airbase. It was on 2745 acres (1,111 ha) a mile from the town of Pyote, Texas

Pyote, Texas

Pyote is a town in Ward County, Texas, United States. The population was 131 at the 2000 census.-History:Pyote began as a small town. Its fortunes rose with oil, but its population decreased when the railroad was built away from the town. At one time Pyote had 3,500 residents...

 on Interstate 20

Interstate 20

Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...

, twenty miles west of Monahans

Monahans, Texas

Monahans is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, Texas, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,821 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 and just south of U.S. Highway 80, 230 miles (370.1 km) east of El Paso

El Paso, Texas

El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

.

It was nicknamed "Rattlesnake Bomber Base" for the numerous rattlesnake

Rattlesnake

Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...

 dens that were uncovered during its construction.

At the height of its use in 1944, the base had over 6,000 officers and enlisted men either permanently assigned or temporarily attached.