11 Jun 1945

1945: The 393rd BMS aircrews arrived at Tinian Island in the Marianas from Wendover AFB, Utah. Their aircraft, Boeing B-29s, were the only combat planes assigned to the 509th Composite Group, which later dropped the atomic bombs on Japan. On this remote coral island, SeaBees of the Sixth Naval Construction Brigade consisting of the 9th, 13th, 18th, 38th, 50th, 67th, 92nd, 107th, 110th, 112th, 121st and the 135th Battalions commanded by Commodore Paul James Halloran, Civil Engineer Corps USN, built the largest airport in the world. North Field had about 13 miles of taxiways and runways. West Field was only a fraction smaller. Tinian’s runway construction measured from 425 to 500 feet wide with the then unheard of runway lengths of 8500 feet. See this link for more details: https://6thbombgroup.com/tinian-island-capture-and-construction/