Norden Bombsight training at Deming NM

During the Second World War, Deming was again the designated location for a training base. This time, the Deming Army Air Base was established east of town to train young airmen in the use of the secret Norden bombsight. The trainees were processed in groups of 500 every 6 weeks, and they flew their missions in the 150 AT-11 Beechcraft trainers, designated the Kansan, each armed with up to 10 practice bombs.

The missions were flown against 24 large simulated ground targets (Figure 71), some of which were located close to old Fort Cummings. The men bombed the targets with 100-pound dummy ordnance (containing 5 pounds of explosive and 95 pounds of flour for a "marker") from 8,000 to 10,000 feet above the ground. During the training only a few men and aircraft were lost to accidents. On night a trainee fell out of the bomb bay while reaching for his flashlight. The surprised cadet parachuted safely and walked into camp the next day.