Harvard Army Air Field

History Nebraska's own account adds what the field cost and what is left. Construction began on September 17, 1942, after farmers were made to vacate their properties, and the field began as a satellite of the army airfield at Kearney before becoming its own operation. Twenty-six squadrons received proficiency training there. After it was declared surplus, the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics leased the land to farmers. In 1983 teenagers trying to salvage parts of three hangars started a fire that destroyed them, and only seven of the field's 277 buildings remain.

What the plaque says

Harvard Army Air Field Harvard Army Air Field, located two miles northeast, was one of eleven army air forces train- ing fields in Nebraska during World War II. The 1,759-acre base included runways, hangars, barracks, and fuel and munitions storage. Construction began in September 1942, and the airfield was activated in December. The coming of several thousand military personnel and civilian workers caused an acute housing shortage and stressed other local services. The 447th Bombardment Group (B-17s) and the 484th Bombardment Group (B-24s) were the first to train at Harvard. Later, the 505th, 501st, 45th, 376th, and 476th Bombardment Groups trained here in B-29s. The first two groups from Harvard were sent to Europe. Two of the B-29 groups went to the Pacific. Harvard was proud to help win the war and support the brave young men who risked their lives defending the United States. Lifelong friendships developed, and several servicemen returned to marry local girls and raise families in Nebraska. On May 20, 1946, Harvard Army Air Field was declared surplus and later transferred to Nebraska for use as a state airfield and for agriculture. Nebraska State Historical Society Donors to the Harvard Veterans' Memorial Park

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer — 23 mi
  Edward Durell Stone's island pavilion in Grand Island and an 1890s railroad town of moved buildings, among them the cottage where Henry Fonda was born in 1905.

More markers nearby

• Midair Collision of B-17 Bombers — steps away
• Harvard's 1915 Carnegie Library — steps away
• Harvard Jail — steps away
• St. John's Episcopal Church - Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska — steps away