WIP · World in Pocket

Historic Wendover Airfield

Wendover, US

Historic Wendover Airfield

While the Wendover Airport is still in use for general aviation and charter flights, a large portion of the grounds consist of the semi-abandoned remains of one of the most important Air Force bases from World War II. The small museum in the operations building displays a mix of authentic artif

acts from the war and elaborate models of the base as it existed in the 1940s. (The museum can be hard to find, but it's in the blue-and-white building right next to the much more noticeable control tower.) Also on the property are several hangars that have been around since the war, including the prep site of possibly the most important warplane in world history: the ''Enola Gay'' B-29 bomber that ushered in the nuclear era with the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. The {{marker|type=see|name=Enola Gay Hangar|lat=40.72801|long=-114.02932|image=Enola Gay Hangar.jpg}} has been restored to look historically accurate from three sides, while the east wall, interior, and most of the roof are original construction from the war. Other sights at the airfield include filming locations from the movies ''Independence Day'' and ''Con Air'', the building where the revolutionary Norden bombsight was kept under armed guard, and a handful of old structures that were once used to experiment with the wireless transfer of electricity.

Listen to the audio guide for Historic Wendover Airfield Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off

Nearby