Sarasota County

In Sarasota County, the 97th Bomb Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps arrived in Sarasota, Florida, on March 29, 1942, with four squadrons and all service units, trained there until deploying to England on May 14, 1942, became the first U.S. bomb group in England, and was the first Americans in American planes to fly high altitude bombing raids. While in Sarasota, Captain Paul Tibbets, Jr., commander of one of the 97th squadrons, flew the lead; he later gained fame when he flew the Enola Gay, named after his mother, to Hiroshima. In the heart of Sarasota County, Venice Army Air Base and its station hospital were established, housing over 6,000 troops and serving a three county area, and more than 20,000 American, British, and Chinese P-39, P-40, P-47, and P-51 Mustang fighter pilots were trained there, including the all-Chinese 14th Service Group founded at the request of Madam Chiang Kai-Shek.

Tallahassee, Florida · United States