At the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 125th Street, near the isolated northern end of North Field, a guardhouse marked the entry gate to the 509th Composite Group, a mysterious and secretive B-29 unit whose compound was double-fenced and patrolled by armed sentries. The 509th was self-contained—meaning that it had its own separate ground support, logistics, communications, security, and administrative organizations. It did not interact at all with the 313th Bombardment Wing, to which it technically belonged. Bold red and black signs warned unauthorized personnel to stay away from the
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