Pyote Air Force Base: A Look At The Rattlesnake Bomber Base's WWII Legacy

Pyote Air Force Base, known as the “rattlesnake bomber base,” highlights a little-remembered WWII role in West Texas aviation history. The installation, pronounced “Pie-oat,” was located about 20 miles from Monahans, Texas, roughly near Odessa as a reference point. Operational during the WWII era, it supported the 19th Bombardment Group and became a training area for pilots preparing bombing missions targeting Japan. Built in 1942 after early activity in the region dating to around 1881, the base later served as an aircraft storage site after the war, before closing in the 1960s. The article notes that around 2,000 aircraft were sent there to rust in the Texas heat, including the B-17 “Swoose.” It also says the Enola Gay stayed at Pyote before going to the Smithsonian at Dulles.