 One hundred four-engine aircraft mechanics as well as pilot instructors arrived at the same time.The total number of cadets training as Officer Student Pilots peaked in early 1945 when there were a total of 162 B-17 aircraft at the base.In either 1943 or 1944 Hobbs issued a booklet entitled "Hobbs Army Air Field" that is extraordinary because its last page is devoted to African-American soldiers, including a baseball team posed in their uniforms.