Harvard Army Airfield

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Harvard State Airport

IATA: 08K - ICAO:
Summary
Airport type		Civilian
Elevation AMSL		1815 ft (553 m)
Coordinates		40° 39' 4" N 98° 4' 47" W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
17/35	3,745	1,141	Asphalt
14/32	3,900	1,189	Turf

Harvard Army Airfield was located in Clay County, 2 miles NE of Harvard, Nebraska. Construction began in mid 1942 and the facility was opened on 15 December.

It was was one of eleven United States Army Air Force training bases in Nebraska during World War II. The base was under the command of Second Air Force Headquarters, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The airfield was opened as a satellite base for Kearney AAF, but was soon scheduled for full time operation as independent USAAF airfield. By early 1943, the base was on a 24-hour program of training Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Consolidated B-24 Liberator and crews for the European theater against the German Luftwaffe.

In March 1944, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress made its way to Harvard Airfield for training. From mid-1944 until May 1946, Super Fortresses from the airfield trained aircrews over Nebraska's countryside before they were sent to the Pacific theater.

At its peak, approximately 6,000 officers and enlisted men were stationed at the base for training purposes. In addition, many civilian workers from Harvard and several surrounding communities worked at the base in support of this gigantic training undertaking.

Known groups which trained at Harvard were:

447th Bombardment Group (August - 11 November 1943)
Trained with B-17s, Transferred to Eighth Air Force in England.
484th Bombardment Group (20 September 1943 - 2 March 1944)
Trained with B-24s, Transferred to Fifteenth Air Force in Italy.
505th Bombardment Group (1 April - November 1944)
Trained with B-29s, Transferred to Twentieth Air Force at Tinian.
501st Bombardment Group (22 August 1944 - 7 March 1945)
Trained with B-29s, Transferred to Twentieth Air Force at Guam.
376th Bombardment Group (8 May - 25 June 1945)
Returned to Harvard from Fifteenth Air Force in Italy for deactivation (B-24).
45th Bombardment Group (26 July - 15 October 1945)
Trained with B-29s, Decactivated in place.
467th Bombardment Group (8 September - December 1945)
Trained with B-29s, Transferred to Clovis AAF,New Mexico.

The 521th Army Air Force Base Unit commanded the support elements at Harvard as part of Air Technical Service Command. The 521st was assigned to the 15th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (September 1943 - March 1944), then transferred to the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing in March 1944 for B-29 training.

The base closed on 31 December 1945. The airfield was declared surplus property by the War Assets Administration on May 21, 1946 and turned over to the State of Nebraska. At that time, all Army material was packed and shipped out. Other than the four hangars, most of the buildings, including barracks, gymnasium, picture show, Service Club, chapel, weather station, post exchange and many other building were either moved away or dismantled and sold for the lumber.

Most of the area that was once the Harvard Army Airfield has reverted back to agricultural purposes. The housing erected by the federal government on the northeast edge of Harvard for personnel stationed at the base, most commonly referred to by Harvardites as "The Courts" or "Courts Addition," has been a residential village for the citizens of Harvard for many years.

Today, the bustle of the Harvard Army Airfield has long been quiet, being replaced by Harvard State Airport (08K) which is used for local general aviation.