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 The Badlands Gunnery Range - White River Visitor Center, SD Posted by:  paulspaper
N 43° 30.687 W 102° 29.792
13T E 702355 N 4820658
Parts of this area were used as a gunnery and bombing range during World War II.
Waymark Code: WMRVE7
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 08/07/2016
Views: 3
This historical marker is in a very remote and secluded area of the Badlands National Park. It is at the White River Visitor Center.
Marker Name: The Badlands Gunnery Range
Marker Type: Other
Marker Text:
More than a third of a million Acres of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, including much of what is now the South unit of Badlands National Park, was set aside for Gunnery and bombing practice by the US Army Air Corps at the start of World War II. Residents had to move on short notice. Some never returned.
With sound and fury, mock battles raged throughout the war. Bombs burst among fossil bones. In the sky young pilots and improved their aim by shooting at wide ribbons of nylon net strung behind tow planes. Occasionally a bullet clipped a tow cable, and a net fluttered to Earth.
By war's end, many nearby ranchers had screened their windows with salvaged netting. Some told tales of stray bombs and bullets. While granny Saunders fried eggs one morning, an errant shell crashed through her roof, her bed, and the bedroom floor.
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Visit Instructions:
A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site'. If you do not post a photo your log will be deleted.
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