~J

AIR FOftCES

OCTOBER

1944

r
__ ~--

---- ---I'II
I

I I I I I
I

I
~JrII\tm,IW

.. ~~

... _II

Rendezvous
Who Dear Is He? Editor: , I woulc] like to
illfoflll;lxon-

Vol. 27

No,

10

October

1944

THE

OFFICIAL

SERVICE

JOURNAL

OF

THE

U, 5, ARMY

AIR

FORCES

have:

tion ('OlllTrJllII!; the CO\Tr of the \1Ii;ust issue of ,\m FORel:, \\'ho IS the soldier. or p;lratrooper to be cxact" I think he is a rcl.tt ion of mine. , Pvt. CI:J\tOIl E\';JIls, Ilono]II]1l Dear Editof: , , , The picture Oil the ('O\Tr is t h.rt of 111\ brother. l st Si.;t, II, I-: Cooper hdore ht; went into the iuv.iviou . L. R, Cooper, I lollvwoocl. Calif.

B R Iff
'Assignment-Home Ccucr.il Air Mastery .\ report Hurmon :IlIS\\l'l'S SOJlll' im por t.mt ljlllstions for cOlllbat on the
S/Sgl,

2
returnees, 4 Rcich.
Mark Mvrphy

Over France on our air act ivit ic-, dUrJlli.; t l u, \1I1l'l1 marcl: Center in Europe of Battle :lIe sent to tltl' territon, reports; of tlic thL' their rj~ht gilt:

Fighter Control-Nerve I lOll' om planes Little Get

6 8
11

pl.icc at the

right

time.
Ringold

Planes With a Big Punch If itOs ;1 tough job O\TI rough Wise

Herbert

it to t lu: Cra'lhuppers, 5, Richardson 1ll;II' suvc H)l1I neck.

Charles D, Frazer

Lt, Col. George

Dc.u I-:tlitor:
, , . Tht; mother of Pic, Vvilli.uu H. vndcrvou would like to h;I\T au origin;II print of the pllotogLlph .uu] .m , inforru.rtlOII a\'ail:Jhle, Pfe, .Yuclcrvon is reported Illissillg in .ut iou sillce [um, h .n] he \\as with the p.ir.rtroopcr-, that invaded :'\or. 11I;III(h,. The f.nn ilv .md fricud , feci xure tluit the pic-ture is' that of \Ollllg ,\Ildn.
~()ll. ...

Take a look
Airborne Army On;:llliI.Cltioll The The Hard Invasion .\ picture B-29 and J:xpl'ctillg Facts

at these and

accident

lessons

Moj,

12

potentialities

ncv,: .\lJild

connu.md 1';lcific
Mai,

ill Europe, 14

of Noemfoor :ICCOUllt of air opcrnt iuuYou

dutv

ill t hi-, S<lltlll\\lst

.ut iou.
Lvther Dovis

16 19 21

wit

B:')s: Tax st:Itus the

lcrc

:Ile '<lUll' ll<itlS <Ill wh.rt

Brig,

to cxpcct . ag:lll1. St.

Robert

\Irs,

Jas, \\'.

Criffin,

Defuniak

Spgs .. I,'Ia.

About
t hink

Income

Gen. L H, Hedrick

If \OU
The Pearly \\'It;lt China Under

milit.rrx
when

l'~l'lllPts comb.rt li:ls

x uu , Il;ld hOls cntrr

t hi-.

.md think
3(,th
Capt,

Deaf I",ditor: , .. I bl,liele present Illissilig

lie is niv brother, III .rct ion slll('e

I Ie is .rt D d;11 JIl .. \riz.

Gates h'lppens l-tth

\li:lllliOs of

.virport.
B, Hotz

Fr.iucc.
I\'t. Dear .\. P\lShh;ILII\i('z. 'I'ucvon

Combat J l ov, the Pressure

24
26

.Vir Force

t.ikt u ,r toil

;lell:IllClllg

j:Ip Alill~,
Chorlotte

inv.nkr-.
L Pvtt

Col, Donald

Editor: . Tlte con'!' of vour ,\ugust issue Ic.rtines ;111 ;Iirhorlll' sol(ltu who. 1 believe. is IlI\' lnot ln-r lie is Special Sell'icc Offl('Cf, 1st. Lt. JOIIII 1-'. Dcn'rellx, SOllle\\ here III l talv. .. Helen \1. De\TfeUX, \!OlllOl', La. I':ditor: , lie hears a strikillg reselllhlall('l' to I'll', (;eoll;e T, Trot m.m. of 1\;1])1(1 CIII, S, D" a close fr icud of 111\' f.uu ilvv. l'vt , Trot m.m as we k nov,: f roiu tll~ ofIiu:11 C:IsIJ:t!II' list \\;IS killed ill .ut iuu Oil D d:II' III :'\Oilll:III,!I', \Iarihllllt;'\1. Rohertsoll. \lcridi;In, \I iss.
\IT dOll't klloll' tlIe n.nnc of The pid1l1e I"IS t"keJr rim. illg tile hst {CII' IlIillllle' heio,e ;1J\;"ioll ;lIld 1/1 the e\l'itel1/ClIt I/() Clpt;o1lS IIl'lC rel'fJlrled, If :111\ (Jlle ill Iii, olltl/t CJlI Jelclltd, tllis ,soldier, \lc'll he gl:/d to prillt 11/" n.nnc. 1-:,1.

Th mcch.uural ;ISPl'cts of prl'sslui;:t!:OII

Flight The Our Nurse III :I popul.ir itv COiltest ;llllOllg \loullell'll Philippines SOllie facts for om men \\ lio

ill It:glt;tltitlllle (;1" site would

Knight

28

\I

ill Itcmds

down. 31

\I

til t.il, p.n t ill t lu: islands' hin]-, .ir Sl'nillg

Moi-

libor.it ion. 36 well.

0, Johansen 38

Deaf

Pigeon Air Force \\'ith com;lgl' :Ind llldur:lllll',

tltese Saip:uI

t lic .\.\F Herbert

Bulldozers and Bullets '7tlt .\ir lor. l'ngilll'ers Our New Ilere Helicopters .r. three iuorc drop

011

jOll1lll

ill t lu, ,IIOOtlllg \\ Imligtg

;Is a sldl'lilll', 53

.nrcr.rf t to :ldd
t luir eggs

t<l our

Lllilils,
5, Eltmore

Coconut Bombing l lo om ,\:Us

Lt, Col. Howord

56

f rmu

Ill'" 1<11' k',l'l

ill t lrc S\\'I)

\,

UI!fortllll;/teil',

tt: p:l':ltwoper',

DEPARTMENTS
Rendezvous AIR FORCE This Is Your
Intercom

Quiz Enemy

1 18

22
30 41 47 50

Law

of Averages? Dc.rr hlttor: ,\ lot of fcllO\ls ill tilis fll illi.; r.ul.r-t LIIk .rlxiu! phI illg 0111' the strilli.;. or hill k. illg the Lt", of ;lll'LIgl'S, Tltel fel'l t h.it lu.k rt u rx oul. .nnl tlJ:lt's \\11\ lOll sec :1 ".'iff\' .mcl HIIst Club' ill cvcrv s'jlladroll ill t lu. :II'r force, \\'ell. I hope ,'ill not soulldlllg old. tnncrivl: m philosopllic:tI .ibou! It. hu! [ look at it tIllS \\;1\', LIl'l'I' llllSSIOIl ill il-clf (Colltillued on Page -t6)

Technique Troining October

Aids in the

AAF

The Library On the Alert On the Line Flying Safety Cross Country In This Issue Shooting the

Breeze

50 51 54 58 60 61 64

.vn: FOnt"!': (
I';
.\"'11 Ill"

I:-":'r; il:~')/~:~
)ill

.\J l:

tll 1)( . FIII:1 1.1 (

lItl'w, .... :11

l)l,j'l,

Il'j 1'1'1,1 ..

rntl jlll'''II,I;!1 iou :llIl"JI~ ..,ill! 11"\ 11!'1"'~~,IJ'lh

OCTOBER,1944

What

happens

to a man when

he comes

back

from

overseas

is of

the utmost air force

importance

to him-and

to the Army Air Forces. of several thousand

Already a month. or as the

men are returning

at the rate

More will follow combat true facts and units are

as replacements shifted some from

are sent to relieve one theater

veterans, To get

to another.

to spike

wild R.

rumors, Harmon,

AIR FORCE submitted Commanding General

a series of the came

of questions new Personnel from

to Maj. Gen. Hubert Distribution overseas.

Command Here they

(AFPDCl. are with

Most of the questions General Harmon's

men still

answers.
AIR FORCE

[us: ,dlat

is tIle AAI'I'DC~ It is the giant cm plovmcut agene,' of the ,\,\1', Through this Cnuuu.md pass all un.issigncd per. sonncl of the ,\.\1,', , ust as the hllSine\S of the .vir Service Comm.urd is one of xupplv, and the job of the Training COIn. m.md to prepare ere"s for courbnt. so the main purpose of .\,\I'I'DC is the han. elling, as indiviclu.rl-, of all personnel go. ing O\'erseas as well :IS those returned from com hat areas, The f1\T main fllnchons of ,\.\I''I'DC arc: I) Rcdistrilllltion of rcturucd .Vir Force pcrsouucl. courb.rt .md noucomb.rt (fh ing and ground I. :. I ,\11 .\ir Force Couv.ilcsccut l l ospitals. '\ I Ovcrxc.ts Ropl.nx-mcnt Depots. -t) Dc. mobilizat iou. )) Rccruituu; of men for the post war. pcnu.mcut .vir Force. Docs this new COIIIIII:llId decide ",Ilell I come llO III e: .\.\I'I'DC has uoth ins; to do with the length of time a m.m senTS overseas before he is n-t ur ncd to the United States. That is a theater prcroga. tivc and rcquircmcut-, varv widclv. \\'hell do I becollle a p:lrt of the A\I'I'DC' If von arc in thc lone of the interior ;md ha~'c been scheduled for on-rseas clutv, vou beC(HlIC a part of the .\,\VI'DC ;IS soon as von nrr ivr at .in ()ycrscas IZc. placclllcnt Depot. If vou arc in :1 COInbat .rrca. as soon as IOU rc.uh a port of de bark.it ion in the U ,S ..\ .. nnle\S vou have been injured and arc curoutc to 'an .\n11\ gcneral hospital or :1 rcgion:Il hovpit.rl. In that casc von become a part of the ,\,\VI'DC wlu-n IOU huvc lxcn scnt froiu the gener:Il or regional hospital to an ,\,\1,' COI1\alesccnt hospital. ,\\1" has li.uvon otTiecs at all (;eneLil and Rcgional hospi t.ils wh look uf tcr the interests of all .\\1,' persOln\l'1. Docs this illeillde b:ltt Ie c;lsn:llties' Yes, ,\, \VI'DC inclll(ks CISII:Ilties as wcl! as casnab. These (;ISlI:IltiCS :lIe taken can: of in the m.m nc r outlined in the prcccdint; paragrapll. \\ 'hat happells to IIIC \I'hen I re:lCh the port of dc1urkatioll' If \'011 are :1 casu:Il rctur ncrl for rccl i-l r iliut iou, y011 :IIT picked np 1", a l i.uxon officcr of thc ,\,\FI'DC, (/Ilickh bricfcc]. .mcl gin'n orders dirccting vou to a Rcdivt r ibut ion St.rt ion with a '21da,' dcl.iv curoutc. If 'Oil arc a C:ISII:lit\" 'Oil' arc scnt to :In\;'I11\' gCIH.Tal hospital and tlu-ucc to .m .\,\1,' C011\':lks. ccnt IlospiLl1, C:III I go 11()Jlle :IS '>()()JI as T arri\T i)J tile (T. S,: Ycs, mlkss '(>II arc :1 c;ISII:Iltr, If von halT lx-cn letnr;lcd for ledistribl;tion, "OIl \I III bc sent to :1 rnL'ption xt.itiou nC:lIest t hc point ,\herc 'Oil ,,'ish to spcnd ,'OlH k:I\L'. 1/'->1\' IIIIlell tillle \I ill / /1:I\e :If lunuc? 1'::lch m.m gets a 21 (la, clcl.rv cnrour whil t r.rv.luu; fWIII the 'I'orl' o'f Dcb:lrLltion to t h Rcdrstllbllti,," St.rt ion. plus a ccrt.riu .rllovv.uuc: tor tr.rvcl t iuu. j)o / Il:Ile I" 'IK'lId 1/1\' 21 da" :If li()Jlle,' '\0, ,\ m.m (;111 spcnd his 21 d.iv-, a 11\' pLICL' in t h U. S, 11I0\IdL'd his dceisio;1 is ru. lc O\eTse"s. s(' tlut his (1ch:lrkat\on poiut nLI,' Ill' ;llIticip"tcd .rud he m.r, be pl.nc] ill tire pwper group for f(H\;'ard. illg to the U. S. \\'liere do T 'i0 :dter Ill" 21 d:I\S:' YOII rc port to the Redistrilllltion St.it iou n.uncd in \'CHIT orders, wh ic]: Is usuallv the one

nearest the place where you took vour clclav cnrou te. l io: jOllg \I'ill I be at the RecIistributioll Statio]]' From one to two wcck. :\e. tu.illv the work required takes oulv a k\l' d.rvs, but it is dclilxrutclv spread out to gl'T a returnee further rest .md au oppor tunitv to orient huusclf. ;\re oJlh' RUllg pef.)(Jllllc1 IJ:JlHllcd ill tIm nJ:lnller' lvcrv effort IS heing made to handle hoth flYing personnel .mcl grollnd erc\\'s in prcscn t red istribu t iou f.rcil it ic-, 1100\'e\'lT, should uucxprttcd peak lo"d, OCCIll', it m.tv be neces"I'" tcmpor.iril, to improvis emergenc,' facilities for red is. t r ihut ion of grollnd ('fC\\S. Call I take IIJ\' \I'de \lit!J lIIe to ttu: l\ee/is tri/Jlltion Sl:ition: Yes, to the limit of the cap"eih' of the f.nilit ic. \ larr ic.] couplos will be billeted .md messed to. gether in the ,:nlll' m.umcr :IS if the" were '\:i"ing .rt a private botel. \ctilitie'\ .irc "rr:lllged for the wivcx as well .is for the Imsbands. .\rr:mgelnents m n-t bc mad in advance throllgh Post liaison officers. IIolI' cypellsil'e \I'ill it he to !J:II'e 111" 'I'de \I'it!J Jlle, The cost is the same 'as the go\'erI1lnent woulcl eh:lrge to hillct vou , \I'lmh mcans t h.rt it is :IS incxpcu-ivc as possible . 1'.1:11 I brillg IJI" c!Jild or c1li/,lre": '\0, I Tn.

fort unatcly there is not enongh room at the Rcdistribut iou Stations. The amount of '\'CHk required to house and feed children is too great. \'i'liat Ilappens to "Ie at tlie l\ee/istri/Jlltioll Statio'" Y Oil will be exam iuccl. processed, evaluated. and then gi"en your new: "S'
\1;11111Cllt.

\\ '!Jat .smt of IJledical CY:llnillatioll do I gel' .\s complete .md thorough as possible. It is done bv \ ledica\ Corps "1l(1 Dental Corps officers who arc uot onlv the best pos-.iblc experts but who for' the most p.u t .nc also returnee from combat and know \CJIlr problems. C:lll I c!J:lllge 111\' c!a,ssificatioll ami get :I diiicrcn: hpe of III ili t:m' :lssigll1l1ellt: In some instances vou can. but the m.rjorit v of (';Ises will remain in the same \IOS r iuilit.uv ocxupnt iou spcci:tlh I. \\'11\', IIl1der mdin:ln' eircnlllst:lllees, C:lll't I dl:lnge Ill" ,\105: If there is a demand for IIll'n of vour training and ahil itv, awl '011 arc still phvvic.illv quulificd to con. t inuc in that hpe of work. von will rcnnin in \'OIlT \IOS. For eX:lmple, there is still a dcm.mcl in the .\\1' for radio opcr.rtors. ])cspite ,'0111' ha"ing served O\crse;IS 'IS .t radio opcrator for 2-t months 'on \lill not ordiu.u ilv hc permitted to bl(onlc :111 .nhu inivt rut ivc clerk. The war (Continncd on Pagc ,2 J

PROCEDURE
ORIENTATION
PRLIM,

AT A REDISTRIBUTION
(Explanatian of the rotation program and the procedures to be followed in the return to duty.) (All papers brought up to date; back pay ccccrnplished; earned medals and decorations presented, etc.) (Complete medical examination to determine fitness for duty; dental, optical checkups, etc.) (Personal interviews to determine background, experience and training for further duty assignment.)

STATION

PHASE PERSONNIL RECORDS 1st PHASE

2nd

STATION SURGEON

--

.....

Rm

CAMP

SICK LEAVE
CONVALESCENT CENTER GENERAL HOSPITAL

PHASE

CLASSIFICATION

3rd

STATION ASSIGNMENT AND SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS CLEARING AND MOVEMENT

INDOCTRINATION FOR FURTHER DUTY

Explanation of current status of all U. S. Air Forces and Commands,

SEPARATION FROM ARMY

......

PHASE

DUTY

OCTOBER.

1944

._---~
\

Our airmen had the skies virtually

s~

to themselves Germany

'!t::
'!l::

t,~

as the Battle of Europe roared toward

'*=
'!C!

IR MASTERY OVER EUROPE

BY CABLE FROM AIR FORCE CORRESPONDENTS IN THE ETO
tar treatment plants, boiler rooms, tanks, injector systC'IIlS and other facilities, with m:my fires still raging. During August, the Sth Air Force alone bombed 26 oil plants in Europe and made 3:; attacks on oil storage dumps. This entire oil offcnsi\e, coupled with demolition of hundreds of tank cars in transit by fighters and fighterhom hers, \\'a, a serious setback to German hopes of continued resistance. \ Vhilc the Allied ground offensive was gathering momentum in the first \\'Ceks of August, aircraft of both the strategic and tactical air forces were harassing the l\azis at Cluy possible point. The 9th Air Force, in immediate support of the land armies, was launching Mnr.iudcr and ILI\'oe attacks on high\\'ay anc! rail bridges, ra il wav centers and junctions, healy gun batteries and similar targets. hghters and figh tel' -bom bel'S were flaying troop con centra tions, tank" .utillcrv emplacements and e\'ery conceivable form of m iliIarv transport. In the week prior to August I -1-,9th fightcrbombers flew more than 7, 'iO(] sorties over the b.rt tlc area. Xlc.mwliil, to the north, St h Air Vorce fighters were doing a h\e]y business. They hac! taken time out from escort dl! tics to strafe and hom h the Ccrnumx \1'110 were ,1 ttem pting to move rciuforccmcnts and equipment southward through Brussels toward !\ fctz ;1IIc! other kcv centers. hom Angnst 7 to 1), cxeept for one <1;1\', "lhuurlcrbolt, :\[ustallgs and Lightnings directed an intense, Lirge se:de effort against this rail and high\\';IY traffic destined for the battlefields in France, 'I he results were impressive. During that single period thcv hit and disabled 8!H locomotives, clcxtrovcd ],0:; 1 rail\\';1\', cars and damaged ncurlv (),OOO, c1estrm:ed :;98 trucks ;1Il~1 damaged 4-1-0, e!estroyed 461 oil c;m ami damaged 320, and destroyed 9-1-ammunition cars, plus other vehicles, So cnth usiastic were they over the damage clone hv their h0111hs and armor piercing iuccncliar ics that they extended the work to include canal harges, gun positions, .munuuition dumps, radio towers, airfields, rail tunnels, hctorics .mr] marshalling yards. \\'hen they had finished that week of activitv there \\'as hardly a Cennan wheel mO\'ing in Belgium and surrounding areas. The nrouthx total elamage \\'rought bv 8th fighter groups \\,;IS ,taggering. Locomotivc-, disabled numbered more than 2,200. More than H,OOO r.ulro.id CILS had heen destro:'l'd or dam;lged, as had some 2,000 trucks and highwav \ chicles, This effort had not been incxpcuvivc. Cnsualtir-s in 10\\'level or ground attack arc geneLdl\' f.rr hc.rvicr th.m in .iir corn ba t, ;l1ld th is ,Issa ul t had met vvi th fierce ;111 ti:,i rcr:Jft interference. But it had been a spcct.rcul.rr nch icvcmcnt. Down on the Riviera the full \I'eight of the Mediterranean Allied Air Fnrecs-,ome l-1-,(]OO comlnt airmen\\as heing directed for fi\'e solid c!a:'s ;lg;linst the proposed LlIlding area between I\Lnseilles and J'\ice. l lc.ivics bombed
01

y mid-September, it was obvious that the German air force could not contend in France. \ Vhcn Allied soldiers clambered from the hedgerows of Normandy and Brittany to launch major breakthroughs, they moved virtuallv at will as far as cucmv air attack \yas concerned. The G~r1lJans had to withdraw their slender store of fighter planes from Alencon and Angers, centers of the Nazi forward air force since D-day, and from then on opposition was extremely slight. Thc Luftwaffe could not harass cffcctivcly Allied ground troops and armored columns, could not fight the U. S. 9th Air Force or British 2nd Tactical Air Force supporting the land armies, could not provide helpful cover for Von Kluge's 7th Army as it struggled to get out of the Falaisc pocket, could not prevent Allied planes from ceaselessly hombiug and strafing German transport columns, barges and r;lihYays, could not offer resistance to heavy bomber formations ranging the length and breadth of Germany, and could not prO\'ide the IIigh Command with adequate rcconuaissuurc and intelligence. In the south of lr.mcc the Luftwaffe \yas not even brought to action. Om landings were made without any aerial resistance whatever. \\Then thcv needed it most, the Germans fonnd their air force rencle:red impotent by concurrent losses at the front-totaling more than 3,600 aircraft in the first 7(] dan of the Enropean campaign-and blows against their manufaetming .md service centers in the Reich. Intense attacks on the ;'\azi aircraft industry were continued by USSTAF bombers throughout Aug;lst. At the same time there took place a systematic 'assault of perhaps even greater importance-destruction of German oil. The oil offcnxivc, like that agaimt aircraft plants, had hcgun months back, l lcuvv dam;lge had already been visited on German refineries, svuthct ic petroleum plants .md oil storage dumps, but in August this assault hv the :-lth and I :;th Air Forces reached a crescendo. Wh ilc the St h \ns huming out oil tanks and scvcrclv damagiug buildings in such centers as I Lunburs; .mcl Zeitz, the I :;th \yas attacking pLllIts ;It PJoesti. Duhovn in Czechoslovakia .md others in Ccrm.mv. Rccounuisxnucc sho\\'ed complete inactivitv in the Plocxti ;lre;1 even before the Balkan disintcgrution and capture of the citx .. '111e attack on AugllSt 2-1-by these t\\'O air forces \\';IS ;1lI example of their terrific striking pO\\'er. This W;IS a d.rv on which some I, )00 bOI11 hers of the 8th Air Force .ul 600 from the 1 :;th were out, plus O\Tr 1,000 escorting fighters. Visual pinpoint bomhing \yas almost univcrsa]. The Forts ;111cl Liberators bronght hcavv c1amage to oil production centers at !\ fcresehurg in Prussia and Brux in the Sucirtcnlaud, two of the largest synthetic producers, ;IS \\Tll as to m:my other refineries and c!umps throughout Axis Emope. Photo-reconnaissance afterward showed \Try severe gutting

AIR

FORCE

roads and bridges and military imtallations on the coa-.t and up the Rhone \ alley. ;\lediulI1s, fighters and fighterbombers struck at radio and radar stations, gun emplacements and a wide variety of other targets. Transport aircraft crews and glic1erll1en were ready to carry spearhead units of paratroopers and airborne infantry. On Augmt 1-1General Eisenhower issued his Order of the Day and calamity came to the Germans from cyery qU~Hter. A new mvasion of France began with enormous success on the Mediterranean Coast and the Allied armies in the Norru.mdv-Br itt.mv area burst northward and eastward with the plnngi ng, uncon trolla blc Yigor of gia nt broncos. The General's order had asked "every airman to make it his cI irect rcspousibil i ty th.. t the cncmy is blasted unceasingly by clay and by night .md is denied safety either 111 fight or flight." That request dcscriix-s cmuing operations, I Ic~l\'y bomber, of USST,\I.'--\\llich c.nlicr had n;:HIc notabk- attlcks

Nazi oil goes lip

ill

Allied

Air Forees

sl1loKe ;IS Liberators sl1l;rslt IJllllg;lri;lI1 oil

on such tngeh ;15 the cxpcruucu t.rl st.uiou .rt Pccncuruudc, the important industri! complex at Brunvwick. the Ar.ido .mcl Adam Opel armament work and many other areas. in .uld ition to the oil and aircraft offemi\c-probed deeper .mcl deeper iuto the Iic.ut of the enemy's war machine, Targets bombed in v.nicd ass:mlts In' B-l';"s :111d 13-2-1-s from mid-i\ngl1't inc]l1clecl the I. C. Far'ben chemical pl.mt ;It Lnd\\'ig.,ha'cn and electrical equipment bctories .rt \ Ll11nheim, ammunition stor:lge buildings at Zwischen;dl11. the Seibel aircraft work nt ILrlle and the [unl.crs f.rctorv ;It ])e5';m. the chcm icnl \Hlrks ;It Obcr Racl.rch. bricl~es ;rcross the l\lcme .md the a n n.u nr-n t works at \Vcimar. T'he Litter ;Ittlck on Angmt 2-1- not onlv dcstrovcd or cLlln~lgeel i 0 \HlrkshojJ' hut ;rlso blasted Gestapo offices ;1l1e1 g:nages, \Vi!'hin fom str:ligllt e!;l\'S cneling Angmt 2<.). the ,')th Air I'orce ihelf ]Iit 10 important Ccrm.m cities. '!'!rrOllg!rollt
(COl1tiI1I1Cc! Oil l';l~e

(2)

OCTOBER,1944

FIGHTER CONTROL

ter of battle
by SISgt. Mark Murphy
.\IR J-'<JI(<:I:
()\CL\Cr,

Staff

By

\\'I1n:u:ssIlE the

Luropc nlO\TS so f:!,t that prob.rblv place in this sector where the situation of the moment is known is in the fighter control tents of the <Jth Tactical Air Couuu.urd. 9th Air Force, Thc,e arc the nerve ccntcr, of acri.i] activitv. I1crc a]] the com m un icatioux of modern w.rr bring the ,t~lgcS of ba ttle beforc com en's, 111 a fightcr' control center not f.rr from the Bclgi;Ill border. tlus (LI\' in c.ulv SepteJl1her. mcu cling to telcpl"llIC' that arc connected to l.u! lincv, li\ 1 .mcl \'1 Jli circuit. Tl rcxc uctwork 'Illchroni/,c Allier] movement, in the uir ;1]](1 on the grolllid, j Iere the hlow-bv-hlow directions arc gi\TI1 to 9th ,\ir lorcc pl.u ic hlastillg the Ccnu.m-, ont of the 11';1\' of om ;Ilh ~lIlcillg .uru ic-, 1 I(Tl' RO\~ll .vir rorce. U, S. ;'\a\\'. Frcuch hll"Ce, of the l utcrior .md Arniv u nt i.urcraft 1i:l;'OIl orticers wor]; Ilith .\, \Ii officer, .md e;Jl i-tcd nun :It the iu.mv ]l1:lp, .md bo.ud-, ill t"!le tcu t . The Ill:lp' heiT arc alic.rd of t ho:. I!'cd 1)\ the v.uiou-. .vnuv grollp'. cvcu the olles at SllplTllIC .vlliccl J lc.rclqu.utcrs. SO]lIC d"Llnce to the uort h .t uc] C:1,t :lIld ","th (III!" tu n k collllllm .uc plhhillg tllrollgh Belgillln. .md :I, tllc\"hmc fOl\c~:rd.]' :;1,,1'-4-,. :llId ]',:;<.;, work \Iith them.
only ~lrl'~I, \Ihich the collllllm wont get to uutil tomorrow or ncx t IIU'k. or 111:11 \I'OIl't elTll' h:1I l' to touch, he the fighter.bolllhcr, ;nc pl:;,tnillg hoop ("()IICClltLltioll'. In 'other

war in \\'Dtern

the

bruublinc

on

the

lIl:lps.

Bv

Ilightf:dl

the

liuc

would

run off the boards. A ,crgcallt 11';IS \\':ltehing clisconsol.rfclv. "j':CC1T d.nnu !I\'() d.ivs I have to m.ik a I1CII' m.ip." he said. The place galc an imprcssioll of quiet act ivitv, People !I;I\'C to keep quid heclllSc oftcn the radio telephones arc

.md the

faint. The lir,t ,'ljU:ldrollS h:id lx-cu up SOIllC time chief controller, a first l icutcua n t sll'clting out hi, clptlim'\'. c.illcd clown to a m.rjor, "[oc x.i ic] he found S()lnc cucm v stuff jllst \H'st of \1011':," "Is he xure?" the lllajor ;lSknl. "Th.its this side of the hom hl inr." ILT\'

"1 told h im to be positi,c and he wcu t dO\1'l1 .md looked .rt them .n] tlun .rtt.rckcd.' t hc liclltelLlllt said, "j);lllln it, m.r]: smc' Om troops arc :Ill over that area. S01llcho(h's liuhlc to gd lnut th.it \\;11'" "I Sl'llt ~\ 1:IIk over to t.rkc ;llIotlll'r'look .md hc :!l,o is ChlTkillg." l l rc hcutcu.m t, s.rid. "Till thc'nl to hc povil ivc," '.;lld tlic m.ijor.
",\LJkc positiH' ickntitic;J!ion." t lrc chid controller cdlcd dCl\\1l to ;1 coutrolhr :i! :I t ur of kkphllllc' .n u] r.rd io ;::Idgds lxlo: h iin to gd in tOl1lh \Iith\ LIlI-::. thc r.ul io coelc n.u nc of tighter g'rollp.

"Tcll h nn
;1111

to

m.il:

positi,'C'

idclltificJ!ioll

hdllIc

dClillg

tIling,"

out gill I'. h~Ir:,,\ing retre:ltillg ;1I11l0r .rud truck s, hrid"l's. i:lhhillg :It the cuvinv .uic] keepillg h iiu off b.il.uu:c fo;' the kuuckclowu punch the Ltds on tIle grollllC! .uc ,ct to gi\ e .,\11 of this .iir 11:lr, th i-, !:Ictic:Jl support of grOlJl1d hoop', " beillg h:llldll'fl 11\' ,olne qu icl o t1icers sitting at tiers of desks, l':lIlging on telephone, serihhlillg 1I0teS on pieces of P;I])lT, .md ctehim; IIl:lpS .uicl statlls bO~Jr(h that shO\I' lio: the \C:Ir SLllIl], th.: t III OIlICII t \I'j th the grolllld forccs .md \\ith the C)th\ir Force. The task of direct ius; this cnortuou-, effort frrun the di, positioll of :mha,cs ill lr.mcc .incl l':llgl:llId to the filLl! point irn; out of 01\l' huck for OIlC a irpl.ruc to hit, is ;1 complicated OIlC, liighter cOlltrol m.iv hc dO\11l .it th.: hnt toiu of the page Oil the cou nu.md org~lIli/:ltioll ch.ut. hut it comti!Jlk' the hc.ut of .rir -upport oper:lticllls tod.iv III this p.nticul.u sitll~ltion. fighkr cOlltrol's cllid job i, to 11~ltC'h tllc pl:lllcs ;IS tl rcv flv, Pllt them on Llrget, t.rl. tllcl1l off wh il tlll'l .u ill flight .mcl selld the-m to a mor nuport.mt m iv.ir u r. .nu l hrill'=; t licm h oruc :lg~lill, 'Lrl: a reccllt SII1lCLII. for invt.mcc. 11- II':!, OIlC of tlro-: hight (hI'" \1 ]Iich .m: iJcccllllillg more r.rrc :1, .u.t m nn .nul \\'il~t(T :I(r, ~lllC,(" ;111d ll grm1p' ;ILTC our. Om .um ic-. IILTl Oil the 1ll0\C .inc! li.u-ou officer, were coutiuu.illv eham;im:
knocking hlasting

KEY

Communications

Here's how controllers direct the planes that are blasting a path into Germany
Fifteen minutes later 1\ lark had taken his look and rcported enough enemy trucks and horso-druwn equipment for an army. "lIc says he went clown and looked, and that the stuff has cross~s on it," the controller said. Squadrons hung OITr the ground procession at :\!ons nntil new squadrons came in and briefed them. E,ery few minutes, word went out from fighter control that idcntifieation must he poxit ivc. Later the Army liaison officer reported that the stnff Il'as enemy, :dthough in a fell" places it was only a fell" hundreds of yards from our own armor which Iyas on the move. Lt. Jack Russell, one of the chief controllers, looked ut the status board of the groups and squadrons .md casually diverted some of their missions, The schedule on which they were flying had been made in the office of i\laj, Cen. E. R. Ques:lcla, eOllllnanding the 9th Tactical Air Commaud. "\\'hile on dub' :IS controllers, a lot of captains .md [icutcn.mts here," Lt. Rnssell said, "have more rCII nuthoritv than m.mv colonels." ' Over t(le VI II,' phone one could hear :1 f.iiut voice, that of a squadron leader, "Cct your can up here," it Il'as saying. "For once damn it, get your can up here whcr you bclona!" llc didn't repeat the message so it II':\S assumed that a pilot had brought his plane np to its proper place in the forma t ion , As the duv went on, xm nc of the controllers told me about the ae'ti,'ities of the I,'ing and the squadron which runs figh tcr con trol. "It was like workins; in a store with sales slips," CI]Jt. Vance I l. Taylor said of the big brc.rk-th rough days. "We were handling from 1,300 to ] .son sorties ada\'. .\ fellow would mention a target and I would hand a sl~]J of paper to another man and then in :1 fell" minutes back would come the slip of paper reading 'target destroyed'." After the breakthrough at St. 1,0 and the mnking over of the luluisc pocket. the American, Cunadi.m and British .mnics swarmed OITr Europe, ovcrruuniug Ccrm.mv's nell empire as the J'\azis had run over Europe four ye:Jrs before
+-80MB UN!:

-and fighter-bombers of the 9th were leading the way, The operation of fighter control appears relatively simple when you sec it. Planes arc in the air and their pilots call back by radio to tell what they arc doing, what they sce and where thcv arc. Or if thcv arc not certain exactly where they :Jre: controllers can c;sih' find out bv means (if a radio ':fix" through Direction f,'incling sL,t!ons, Men rcccivins; this information think it OI'lT and if things seem to be doing all right they say "Roger" and get off the air. In case there is something nell' for the pl.mcs to do the pilots arc told about it, like this Sund.iv xtul] .rt Mons for example. Bnt actually, fighter control represents one of the most complex air \":Jrning and connuunic.u ions nets in wurf.irc, and its men arc among the most .rblc and best trained in the Armv. 'Lhut's whv, lyitlJ(~ut batting an eye, a captain will depart from the orders set clown by a major gener:d and send airpLlnes far from the places they were origin:dh' assigned to go, In case the decision calls for a definite change of policy, the captain naturally consults higher authorities, but 9th Air Force leaders have considerable confidence in their controllers, Moreover, the LItter have utmost confidence in tlu-msclvc and in the pilots with whom they work. Capt. Lucius C. Tirey, who came in on the LIte shift, began talking of rccoun.uss.mcc. "You've got to remember one group, a t.rctical rcconnaixsa ncc outfit," he said, "You've seen them flling around, twopl.rnc teams, one maybe flying ]ell'! while the other goes up on one Il'ing and then on the other to look things OITr. Those hoys arc beautiful pilots and beautiful soldiers, and the fll'ing thcv do would knock you out, Irom daylight to d.irk, they arc the best there is on recognition, and when they tell you something is cncmv. it's cucmv If they don't know it's cucurv thcv II00d t~'ll yOU it is: And "i,en the weather is b.ul. the~' go out on' weather reconnaissance flights jnst to find on't how bad things really are," ]\ raj. Joseph J. Cody, senior controller, came OI'lT ;llld leaned agaimt a wall. They say he is u-uullv le:lning ag:limt something or sitting on something, "The hoys get so
(Cout inucd
EATTlE Z.C~~ -----------------------------_.
--------------ENE.Ml

Oil )':I;C () ') )

------r
'l

for;

..'ARD

lIN~S---------------_.

JIM" ..
~;:,; .::;;;~~~
.
INfANTR

COMMAND

POST

RADAR

Officially

their

mission

is

liaison carriers. bombers

work; actually ambulance

they are cargo and even

planes

By Herbert Ringold
.\I1Z 1 ()]ZCL St,dI

T
I l.. !lc

111.

L... t

plllt'pllttu]

;ll()]l~

.rt

-II

111iks :111 hom BllllllC'C'

1"1 r .

.uound ;111(1 wc c u till' lxt

:;.(Ii)(1.L"lt pil(lt

111\111111;1111'

l l.
t l.

1I011'ClIIIIIIII',,\lll111 "1111 t(I!;J! (If hi,

c\lll"dtu]

]11' C"111jJ:I"-111,tlllllll11I,--"II<I llc

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11:1\ 1~:ltJ[)]I:J!

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hi-,

k;ht

p1:IIIC ell 1\\ II (111till 111\ CI'1l1hl1lld

t rc: !lIp'.
\\:IS;I

Ir -.

1II1111Yhrrit\l]\.

fil'j1\1\\U of

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Clltllll
1I,If

\\ 111c11l' 11I\lllc;llt. ;d\lllc; plllik h

for 1I1\11:dcplllj1O'I ellll:lIl1lte m 111till'

\Y()J1' 110 p.u.uhu did not of

l c, 'I It I' C"C

p1:l111'jlllilo11,h'

'lclillil cr:I,,'.

;Ield !II h" hi'

Pl;ICC of

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\\'11111,bOlll1CU]

C]ll'C

to thc

t lu 111\111" '111 t lu: 1111111]11"]1'

ell ]1:11]1111. hit jllll'l'lI \lplll till 111 c-l"lill( 11 l"ii,,' jill (l (,

I'art
ill

hi-, d

e:t1":\1 i.iclud.d tillllhk.

C:lPS f\lr

ClIf1iu]

t lu in III II], 1\llcket ,so t lr.i! llc could

Cii'C 111, cll,tl]liltillll (l,ll) till' flct (If

'1l1iclll'

III
'.\ Illlh iI :';Ilililiel

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lit

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LITTLE
~(Illil"l' "lllllIl\. ',\11l1"i'lllt

PLANES
tni
. '\

WITH
,I .c-ililip

III

p11111 ,-",]\ (']1 iI l111llh1c 1:11"1111 >llpplll' tli

Iii'
I'

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of

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\ l.u.iud:
lilitllll:"tllll

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III 111]ld tIll' rc t u rn tllp,

j,lplllll'C

Oil

hI'

IlL' \\11, t o cv.uu.i: c pllllC:llceI ell)\\11 ;111l1

:1 \\lilillellll111:111.

11'leI till' ',!Lpplel t(l nu c t

l l, pilot :lPPIII;lllllel 11ll' f nll 1111"th (If t l:

out (If hi-, p1:IIIC h im t li.r.. '\(1
jl"L,:1

ricl' Illld

p:!llth'. tli

ur.il: hi-, I:I1IellIl". III .nu] ]1)(ILlll f, 'I t lu. llllll \\11"] \\ (II (1111'\,1> :1''':11111.'I IlL' (1:1\' 1,(f(<i!. \
1I1\1IL'tL'III;1 IIIllHIIld (If :IIIlI 111"11.Sill! bcll]II<I 1'.,1\

ILL' 111111 h.u] bllll dlllh. \llllli. \ ou." :1 licu tcn.u.t

lu ld h\.
.

hi'
IIIt()

Ill'leI till

out

t l u: 1)\],111\ 1IIId

"St'1I1 r unum: '1111 jlllid tlilil: IJ:lcl:. pd()t ClIUII\.

bllll(]'..

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.nc =II() \;\rel,

lin

t h.: ClIlIlI\
lit (JIlt tit J:lp'. tLI'

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III

h v.

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;llleI till

rl:.;llt ClIl\llI:', \\ell'

1I11'ell thl' I

t lu:

,\ ,IC1IIJfI]I:', pll l,l l II tn 1111 ~1\l11]1(!

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'1]P]1111" (!llill" fIiIlCtl(lI]\ (Ill tl~1ltlll;:

llC('lIl1ll1\\iI]I('(' '1lpplllt

flil]lIll1c;

iI v.n u tv (if IItlll1

of

(11)np' \Illn rf

III till

11I11;:k l""IJfI\. lllill,IIld '';Ifcly

t l

c;l"1111e1L':l,' ,UIlIl" (If Illll[I(:ll

(!'11,lel lUll'

]ll'lll'!

.il l ; ]JfI\IIi. it \'. llllle1 h:l\ L' t:IL,it :.1 1e:I\t 1\\l] \\lIL, t(1 l,,!ttl I l l u n \':1\ tllllll]"h t lu jli1l~ll L .r.un . 'I hI' 11;:lJf pl.llll -, 111il1!C IIII' t up III II (1~llllk d ]1(,11:\. l,iIIL"'lI ,qlllld'(1l1\ :I:l ;1 II 1II1'II:;!11 l 11- III \\. ;lddJf]IIlI til t lu \11I1'.' .\11 ]'n,cl'. '1111' fi;,1 >'lll"clll'll \,' lit n i l o ;1 ("1111 ,I tlillilcr III ,prill:'; of 1('-i~, SLIer,,] >Cjll:I(:I(<]I\ :11, ('11 clllil III
Illl J.\1TI)llllll1 ;:lId ill"CIIlllIl. .rt tl. ]Hl1lllt \llCiillllillllill1 ;,11e1 ;lc:C!Jf;r'llIil tlll:llu>. '(IIL"]]"11' tlll IllHI h'.ll 111,"lllll 1111'1111\11111111. (11,:'111 .\\1 hlilcl
lJJl'

Liaison planes 'I:tl, 'I' till 'JIll III till tlJjl pl">!1J1,1111 >lIpplil\ tJ('111 r .:.-' 1 ... I"l'- III till it,ll t{) J',lJ1.ltld ()Iltpu"h cc nt c: 11] J1j]j~ll :I)(;!\ "Llil tlc\lI'I",'t ' "Ill lI(1f l.n l. lv.uu.it i:: (If \IIJI\lld,,: hlJIII ';1 1ij ln j;(;"I!]()]I\ .~ilJ(II!lll ))l~ ,i"IL;llllllllt l or t1ll".l llttit l)),I]ll\.

;1 fl'" II1Il

;111'bllll:'; (It tIlL fll\ll'

tm. . ()I!llLIll,".

1:1:1'l11 >Cjl;llc1rr,;r, 1\
(j11,;]tlT\ ~lli(] ;'Ir'l~Il(l

t r:

I';I'

1(:1 tllll'I'1
1:1Jlt" \"l~jl

t.i-k

fr';ll

,~lJI(!;jl11;11"(i]1.

AIR

FORCE

sengcr and courier service in areas behind the front lines of cncmv troops. Act uullv. liaison xqu.rdrons arc performing functions in com hat theaters which will never be found on anv activa tion chart. '!'hrcc tvpcs of pLl11cs~thc 1.- I. L.-4 and 1.- )~\\"(Te used. The L-I, no longcr in production, has a cruising speed of .rpproximutclv 100 mph a 2S0-horscpO\\"cr I ,\coming enginc and a LInc1ing speec1 of about :;(i mph, Tl: I,--t. now used pr im.uilv bv ':icld .Yrtillcrv. has ;1 LTuising specd of -;-) mph, a ().horsepo\ITr Continental cngine and a landing speed of approxiruntclv :;S mph. The I,,), nO\I' the pl.mc o{fiCialh. assigned to :\:\F li.nsou squac1rollS. cruises nt about 110 mph. lands at apprmimateh' )0 mph and has a ] S )-llOrSCpo\\'er 1,\"('Ollling cngine. luch l i.rivon squadron h;ls i officcr pilots and :;2 nonconuuiv.ioncd pilots, of whom -t arc muxtcr scrgcants, 12 tech sergcants and 16 st.rff 'LTgcants, 'l'hc: 1\.\1.' light pl.mc OjK'L1tiom ;UT not to hc confused with t hc usc of liaison sq u.rcl TOllS hy the .rr t illrrv. :\:\ F liaison sq u.id rons arc att.rchccl to the variou : air forces where tht-v mal' bc assigned to thc ground forcc units for over-all li;!;,on fuuc. t ious. Their pl.mcx arc piloted In' air force pcrsonnel. Artillery liaison pl.uicx arc flown bv .\rtiller\" personnel .md arc used ollly in connection wirh the operations of the .Yrtillcrv, To dcuioustr.rtc the potential pcrfonuuncc of tlic light

and there \\;IS no \\'ay to hring them out of the jungles. SCITn light pl.mcs and nine scrgc;mt pilots were scnt down and in I) c1a\'s thcv succcssfullv evacuated iOO casualties, '] 'hc missiollS' were 'so important that tlu: British provided Spitfirc co. cr for the light pl.rnc. In all of their Liter opcrations, however, the li.uson pLIncs never hac! any fighter protection. "lhc usc to which the "little" pbnes were put in the conuuando strike IILI\" he consick-rcd ;1 hpicJ1 cx.un plc of their gcner;I1 cnpahilit ic. Cencral \\ing;lte, speaking of thc,c uct ivitic. s;licl. "Vvit liout \OU men .md vour aircraft, this camp;ligu could not h;11e hoped to be a ~ucccss." That a hpe of pl.mc \\"hich herctofore 1l:1c1been consiclcrcd nothing more th.m a mess;lge carrier .md a "tov airplane" should ITCCIIT such high pr.u-: is a trihutc to all concerned. who found IICI\" II;IYS to solve old problems. One irupor t.m t ditTicult\" bceel I\,;IS the prohlem of keeping supplies Rlmillg mt o the grouud forc'es, who \\'eIT completely isol.md in the jllllgles, Li.u-on planes formec1 ;1 team with C--t-;-s, and h.mcllcd a prohlem which neither tlPC of plane could have done alone. The trau-ports c.uuc in to the largc buck b;lses with a full IO;Ic1of supplics and the light planes c1ispcrscd this materiel to the small advauccd outposts spread throughout the jungle. right in 'Ihe light planes Hc-v into p;1c1ch fielcl, lontccl the heart of the 1;1]);l11e,e tcrrit orv. Thc-v took off .md v '~ l.rudcd mer 'thc' hl';lc1> of the clefenclini.; ene11l1 One pilot .-::::!n.:~or holes in his plane when 21 t urucd left on ;1 tl ke-off r.u lur th.m leering to the '~. ri~ht. ;111';11'rom the Jap,. It f ,. \ 11;1' IIOt nnuvu.rl for the op.... : pmin~ force, to oeenpl' both . ,,cnd-, of the S;11I1e l.mcliiu; "'" fillcl. Li.iivou pilot'; actu.illv (J~_~ pl.mcs. two j.+th Air Force officers actuall, flc: thc IIlllllP" " h: I11III" . - pos,e'Sion of tlnir aircr.rf]. On in li.uvon pl.uic-. a procedure wh ich origin;dh' h.rd hCCIL""l.o~n~c!i!. Japs ;lch;11Iccd and captured SOI11Cof the rccouu ncudcd agaillSt wlu-u the question cau: up a, to thc'-s. ., pii:lts turned thelllsehes into ground best rnctliod of 1Il0\ing these planes from l ncli.t into China, troops, (1l1l'C the Brlti,h forces .md rcc.rpt urcd their pl.mcs. ILl\ing heard of the difficulties of hopping the II um p, :t\fost mu intcu.mcc 11;IS lWldled In' the li.iivou pilots. A \!aj. I.'red \\'e1>h and Capt. ]':dl\";lrcl \ l.rhcr decided to do it rol'lllg crc of 111ch.m ic- went from ontpost c to out povt 111 a p.rir of ] ,-)s. Tluv took off from a hhe in \";1111 and doing the hC'1 I' work .md re'cLJilning jnnknl p.ut. hnt landed at ;111advanced ficld in Ch iua. :t\lajor \\ clsh rcports, u-uullv a light pl.nu: pii:Jt flell I:i, plane. fought to protect "\\'e flell' bv the scat of om p.mt s jmt as the old b.unit aur] took c.rrt. of It h i.u.clf . stornllT, n-ed to do. Of eomse. wc: 11I;ICle;1 thorongh check Colonel Corhr.ru s;lid. "Our lii.;ht plane, did elTnthing. wit l: the China :"ation;d airll11es .md the Air TL111Sport "llu.v CI;IULlted Ilonnded ;In;1 die! one of the finest joh, I Conun.rud, so lIT kucw the 10\\" spot'; .md the passcs to hit. li.rvc cvcr scen. TIley IIl'le cnr.::J c.uiicr-. tLlmportl11g eITI"\'"\\e got as high ;IS II'e could~().r)()() fect~;111d negotithing from b.nlxd wir and hee!ding rolls to iuort.u: and atccl mo-t of the passes. \\'e had to drop to :;00 feet SOlUC mortar shells. \\'c usee! thcin to help direct our gronlld of the t imc. jmt 'Knnming the trl'e tops. Coming throngh act ivi.i., to O:,\lTIC cnl'1ll\ nlO\ enlcnts. .mcl a couple of the iu.uu P;\'S, Ill' hacl to fly single file, hut lIT got through tinles we m.rd.: hO;I,hu, on! of t lu-m .n] i.;0!' cxcclk-ut without ;Inl trouble." rcsultx. If IIC needed to roun-l np thc Linking onicer, from In Burnl:\, t lurc IITrc two scp;lr;ltc ligl,t pLlIlc opcr.rtiouv. v.rr iou-, p:liut'; in the jnngle for inrport.mt cOllfercncc" the One 'CJll;\dron ;Ittachcd to t lu: l Uth .\ir I'mcc, original1\' k;llt pLl11c, die! the joh." hc.rdqu.utcrcd at Lcclo. India. vupportcd the ChineseI':\;lct figurcs arc not ;1\;liLlhk. hu t \Llj, Cc-n. Ccori.;e Am crira n forces in 111C!i;1 which included \lerrill's \[acme!~tLltelne\cr. couuu.mdim; i.;eneLJ! of tIle ji;lstern i\ir Comcrs. Thc other light pLinc forcc \\";1, p;nt of thc .\ir C011lnl;lI1d. c,timates the ligllt pLllles flell ::;,(1)(1 to S.()O() sorties nl;ll1c1os. unc1er the e()]nhlned dircction of Co!s. Philip e;llIin~ thc comm;llle!() O[JCLlticllI. Thel' el;lcu;ltcd in e'\eTS\ COChLll1 ;lllCl John ,\hson \\ho cO()jc1Jnated thcir actilities of 2,O()() CISIl:I1ties. In hi, otTiCl~d repo'rt to CencLI1 Arnolc1, \\"ith thc Lite \hj. Ccn. O. C. \\'ingate of thc British Cener;I1 Stratcme'.Tr ,;lic1. "\lost spectlcuLIr pcrh;lps of ;111 .\rmed Scnices. the air C(lmn1;111C1o irer;lft has hecn thc pLTforIn;,nce of IO() a 1';ITn beforc thc conln1;llldo o[JeratiollS hcg;ln. the Ii;lison light pLInc\ ;ltLiehed to tIll' i.;roup." pL/ncs \\Tnt into ;Iction in IT'ponsc to ;1 clespeLlte cdl for Dilling thc comm;l11e!o opcLltion, the lii.;ht pLlllCS pcrhelp from the Briti,h grouud troops in southern Burma. A formee! m:11I\' e!ifferl'nt funcho!lS, tIll' most illlJ)()rtant of largc British forcc had hecn surroullelec1 ;llld tr;lppcd in the \':hieh incluc1c: .\rakan section and \\';1' iu thc inllul'Cli;ltc eLmger of being Evacuating wounded. Thc 1,-1 and thl' 1,-) lIorJ!1;dh' ClIT\, \\"ipcd O\lt. \LlllY l\lmc!ree1> of the BritIsh had bcen \\'oullClec1 cmh' t\\"() men each. But UI rl"jJollse 1<) tlIe' mgl'nt ,it;I:ltiOl{,

'",

BIG PUNCH

aCTORl'q,

1944

, ,
equipped thcmxclvcs with hand greu.idcs. s\\ooped clown on the top of the bridge and tossed their grenades out of the doors at thc J;IPS under the bridge. Spotting targets for bombers. The it was routine for the L-:; to ClIT\' three, light planes were also used to drop :I)}(I the 1,-1, four passenger's, On smoke bombs on enemy targets, directoccasion, the 1,-1 carried five men, in" the hcuvv bombers to the strike point. One n'l;m sat in back of an L.:; There was no other w.iv to hring out the wounded. As Colonel Alisou sal'S, with smoke bombs wluch he tossed "The men were \'cry glad to sacrifice overboard wlun the pl.mc fie\\' in at comfort for safctv, A wounded man zero altitude. The hCllies then bombed on the smoke. This trick \vas pulled behind cncmv tcnitorv is a worried onlv four times bcc.m-.c, as snmcouc exman. The k;IO\\lcdge' that the light pl.rincd, "It got so that it juxt w.ivn't planes were el';leuating the cnsuultics healthy coming into a J;IP target a few was a great help to general morale, feet over the grolllld in a plane going Those planes came into postage st.uup 110 faster than a hundred m ilcx a n hom," fields of 50n feet and less. You'd look Transport of personnel. The nearest at the heavily loaded planes .md wonder how in the world t licv could do it. the light planes came to performing There \\'as jungle on ;;11 sieles of the their regular liaison function 11';IS when strips and we lost a couple of planes thcv \H'IT used to g:lther llP the v.nious wl:n thcv era,hcd into the trees on con'lIn:llldcrs \1'110 were at different spots their take:offs. BeClme the fields were in the jllngle .mr] hrinr; them to a ccnt r.r] meeting point. Uxuullv. sm.i]] groups so small, onlv a fell' planes at a tunc could come in, so we ran a regular shutof men were fighting in isolated seetie xvxtcm with some planes making t iou spread out OHT 100 miles. If, for three and four trips :1 <LI\'," c v.uuplc, General \\'im;;lte w.mtccl to Carrying supplies. The offici;d specifitalk to his hrig;ldiers. light planes woulcl cations o~ the L-:; indicate that it \\'as round them up with iu :11l hom. It is u,cle,s to estilll;} k hOlI' long it woulr] built to c.irrv ;lppro"iIll;ltely :!:;() pOllncls of cargo. Colonel Cochran commented. hale taken these men to come in with"Our norm.i] load \vas twice th.it. And out liaison pLrnes-it just could nt be uxually more." The [i.i ison plancs cardone. \\'ith the light pl.mcs, Colonels and Alison could vi-it all of ried supplies attached to each I"ing :111d, Cochran their u nits with in a short time and he when no landing fields were nvnil.iblc. ;l<lIised of the current tactical situation. dropped the materiel to the troops heOthcrwisc-. because commnnications l(:\\' hy usc of par.ich ntcs. "-heneH'I were h a p h n z.r rcl. the:' c o uld n 'f cvc n possible, however, landings \\'eIT made to take aell'antage of the full cargo caguess. Reconnaissance. In the Burmese pacities of the light planes. On one occasion, the lia ixon planes saved the dnv jungles, it \\'as often impossible to know for a British force which had heen iso','.-110 Il'as a mile in front of vou without lated and cut off from the main bodv. going up in a light plane ;;nd taking a The planes were loaded dnwn with n](;rlook, The liaison planes worked in close tars, mortar shells, rations and barbed coordinntion with the advancing ground wire, and flO\\'11 right into the fighting forces by reconnoitering the territory zone. They landed with sufficient sup;111d dropping notes to the aell'aneing plies to enable the British to hold off columns with information as to the [ups' the [aps until an airstrip could be built strength and position. Light planes to handle the hig transports. were used to keep a close and constant Bombardment. It seems completely in- watch on all trails leading into the landcredible that liaison planes can he ing strips to detect the existence of any turned into bombardment aircraft. The [npaucse patrols. Commandos attached I OO-ponnd bombs Perhaps the most unusual of all the to the \vings of the 1,-:;, and a 2 :;0- operations was performed bv a helipound born h to thc bcllv of the L-I, copter which was used in conjunction and bombed the enemv from low altiwith the liaison planes, marking the tudes. Once, a force of [npancsc took first time that a helicopter was ever CO\Tr under a bridgc and fought a strong em pl ovcd in combat. A light plane carc1elaving action from their protected rying three slightly wounded passengers position. Two men took off in all L- 5, was forced dO\\'11 behind the [ap lines

engme failure. There wasn't cleared grouud in the vicinitv for another light plane to land, so the helicopter came into action. Iuiti.illv, notes were dropped from a l.aison plane, aell'ising the stranded partv to make its way up a ridge aw.iv from the [ups \\'110 were thought to be in tlic neighhorhood. The men 111(1 for [our nights m the jllngle, beillg kept alive by supplies of food, water and medical supplies dropped by the light aircraft. }\l c.mwh ilc, a 1'1\-4, two-pl.uc helicopter, piloted by Lt. Carter Harman. took off from Lal:Jghat and flew bv stages to Taro, crossing a 6,OOO-foot mount.un range en route, At Taro, an extra gasoline tank I\'as installed for the I :;'i.mile flight to a landing strip behind the cucmv lines, The stranded men were again clio rcctcd by dropped notes to go to a nearIn' jungle ele:lring. The helicopter was flowu to a liah t plane strip about file miles from the p.icklv clearing and there received a wig-Ilag sign;J1 from a liaison plane that the p.utv was ready to he rcseueel. I .icu tcnan t I Iunu.m made two flights to the clearing, rctnrning each lime with two men. Additional rescue missions were made bv the helicopter, including the pick-up of two more casu.iltics. one of wliom was a litter patient who h;ld to he strapped on the outvidc of the helicopter. Colonel Cochran, in a lcttcr to Colonel Alison \1'110 had rcturned to the St:1tes. wrote, "Tocl;I\' the egg beater went into action anci the damn thing acted like it had good sense.' Recent experiments In' the "'rigllt Field engineers with light plane 0peLIt ious include the usc of a microphone so that liaison pilots can deliver a vocal message from as high as 3.000 feet, elimin;lting the necessity of note dropping. Colonel Cochran summed up the activities of the light planes in Burma by saying, "They did everything but talk." l\o\\', thcv can actually do that. -'

with

an

sufficient

Lost Parachutes
Nos. 42.%.n. --I2,66S9, scat tvpc; return to tramportatiou officer. 2-:'th Sub, Depot Supplv Officer, Eglin Field, Fla .. Attention of Lt. C. F.

.'dcCo:, Electronics Section. No. 42 10nFl. scat tvpc, return

to Opcrnt ious Officer. :;69th Group, A.'\B Dclvicldcr. La. Fighter

Nos. 40~06. --II ~~--I~9, 4241\6128, sent tvpc: return to Base Operations, Jackson Armv Air Base, Jackson, l\liss. No, --12 '--I '--16:;. scat five; return to n. Butterfield. A:\F Pilot School (Basic), l\larana Field, Tuscan, Ariz.

Lt. F,

10

AIR

FORCE

GET WISE
Here are a few of the easily avoided mishaps that are costing the AAF many lives, limbs and manhours~ Gel wise: you can pay for mistakes like these with your life

By L T. COl. GEORGE S. RICHARDSON,

9th
;\ir

Me

Force

Case I. Some people should never he gi\Tn a knife, Thcvrc hound to hurt themselves. Take the C( in It.rlv, for inst.mcc. Instead of pluuging his i"u~ knife into a German hcllv, he sent it into hi, own. Not intcntrouallv, of course. lIe wasn't committing harakiri. I lc \\as mcrclv tn'ing to make a hole in some leather. Placing the butt of the knife on the table, he pressed the leather agaimt the point. Darned if that knife didn't go right through the leather and into the soldier's alxlominul \\',111. To repair the damage, a surgicil unit required an hom:m hom of v.iluublc time which could h.ivc heen gi\Tn men woun.k] in action.

his knife didn't seem to do much good, so he hghtly tapped the base of the shell. Sometime later, he wokc up in a field hospital. lie couldn't sec, and his hands and car hurt him. I Ic didn't realize innncdurtclv that both eves had been blinded bv casing fragments, t'hat both hands and part of one car were gone and that his face would al\\'al'S carrv blue scars from the shower of eXI;loding' powder p,nticles. I Ic knows all about it now. I lc knOll'S also that fooling with .uuunmit ion is d'lngerollS, Hnt l,e got \\'ise too late, Case IV. Clean clothes 'He nice, but there's a hmit to the price a man should p:I\' to get them. ,\ line chief in .\fricl 1(;1(1 a \\hale of a !a II 11(1v hill-the r torture of infected bums for ,!a\'s' and nights on end, six months in the hovpit.tl and ngh' SCIrS for life. Clc.ming facilities weren't \'(T\' good in the desert. so t he line chief \\'ashe;l his over.rll. and pants in a bucket of gasoline. It \\'as uufort un.itc t kit a spark from a cig,nette tonthcd off the Iumcs. but luckv for him that a B,2-f crew lIas \\'illing to risk a flight through a s.mdstorm to get him to a geneLil hospital in time to sa\'(' his life. lIe's home now. but he'd LIther be b.ick on t lic line, keeping t ho:- planes in shape to speed the victorv. Case V. "Don't point" is a rule \\llieh .ipplic to oflclutv gllnh'lndling :IS well 'IS it docs to soei,il bch.ivior. Fvcrv soldier h:ls been told time and 'lg:I;n never to point a glm 'It .uivonc he doesn't intend to shoot. .Vn .\.\1,' man in Fr.mrc disregardcd the rule to his SO!TOI\'. Pla\inf; '\,;ldier" with a gronp of lrcnch yonilgsters, he "eh:Irgcd" 'It them wit l: his cnrbinc. Apparcntlv the ,,:!fet\' \\:IS off, for the piece \\:IS tired, and a 1 )'n':nold bov lIas shot throngh the .ilxlomen. The kid lived oulv bcc.ru:: a ticld liovpit.r! \\,:IS 'It h:1I1d '111<1 smgeons were nhlc to operate \\'ithin a fe\\' min utcs. Bnt while the bOl's life hung in the b.il.nc. the sol, clicr \\:IS cliscou-olat. l Ic still feels prcttv uuh.ippv .rhout the \\ hole husinos. Case VI. Hoobv traps arc not ah\':1\s 111 oln'iollS p];,ees. Six enlisted men in :'\orm.mdv Found that out. To esc:lpe the uueC:lsin'f; rain, t hcv took refnge in a building of one of the small t ownv. ThC\ should have known better, for the ur c.t h:ld just heen occupied, There were no I,ugers h'ing around, no rifles st.rckcd in a corner, no pict urcs on the wall. no trip \\'ires or steps, Nor did thcv fiud am' t lu-r m if c caudv nor

b:m of the SO:1p that explodes and blows vour h:mds off. Thcv felt thcv were prct t v safe. But in cleaning lip the place, thcv muvcd some "junk" which did the trick. The burial detail found enough pieces to m.ikc some sort of a sh,m'ing, .\11 the men were insured. but their folks thought a lot more of them t h.m the'\' did of S 10,000, Case VII. Tense, \\hitc .md self'repro:lehflll, the Service Cronp l.rd CIIIll' in to tire field hovpit.rl. I Ic said he wivlicd souu-ouc would gi\c him :1 good, s\\'if! kick." Hut that \\onldll't help :1 bit. ,\ kick wouldn't repbce his right h.unl. "'hcII the cmcrgell('\' dressillg \\:lS rcu i ovccl . the h.uid looked jnst like pidtIrcS Ion 'vc sccu of J:IJ> II'IlIds sll'Ittered In' snicid:Il f;rellade explosions, It \\'IS a gren:lde t hut did the job Oil the Sen'ice Croup hov, too. Bnt it w.ixu']' t lrrown bv the cncuiv. 'lli "duel" he had picked nl; proved to he .tlivc. I Ie \\"IS flowu to a gcner:Il hospil:d wlur the h.md :111(1 part of his forearm \\Tre .unput.rtcd. The bO\'s ill l,is outfit "lid: "Too b.id :lbollt [oc. ,\ good gu\' like him didn't deserve such luck.' But it w.ivu'! luck. It \\':lS sheer curelessness. IIc'l1 wcar a prosthdic li.mr] the rest of his life. 1::

Case II. l'erh:lps the four officer" \\']10 were: riding :1 Jeep in :'\ornLuHh', couldn't rc:]. It's !I:ml to bel inc thcv would be tool ish elJ()(lgh to disregard the' ,ign which in plain Jitll;lish w.uuccl : "Shonlders 'Ill' not free of mines," The quartet \\as tLI\cling a r ur.il road, \\hen for some reason t hcv decilled to turn b:llk. The dr ivcr S\\'lm~ out on the shouldcr of the road and ,ill t h.it sett~ed to earth after the explosion \\'as clu-,t. The gran' registration men arc st ill looking for the dog Llgs. Case III. The grolmd crcwm.m \\':IS :1 goodlooking 1')\c,Ir;,ld kid. But he isn't goodlooking '111\' more, Ix-c.m:. he didn't usc his head. I Ie decided to make a cigarette lighter from a 2iJ nn u shell. fignring the gadget would he a nice souvenir. After rcmOl'ing the projectile, he found the w.nlding \\'as p'lCked tighth', Picking at it with

OCTOBER,1944

11

Backbone of airborne assault in past operations and for the new First Allied Airborne

.~.
J ,

shown

'ifffi

Ariuv is the

c.-t 7

here in invasion

formatiou.

AIRBORNE
history of warfare is the chronicle of armies' efforts to turn the enemy's flanks and to protect their 011"11. Defenders trv to anchor their lines at both ends. Attackers keep mancuvcr ing until they somehow envelop the enemy, getting to his side or rear. In this war, air bombardment has been the great new means of getting behind the enemy. Industries, transport svstcms, and supplv depots have been bombed to rubble. Communications lines have been slashed. Land forces have been harried and thrown disastrously off their stride. Now comes a still newer development. a method bv which the enemy's ground troops may be enveloped from a \\"110111' unpredictable quarter-s-vertical envelopment from the air. It is the First Allied Airborne An11\". This tough, spectacular force, organized and commanded bv Lt. Gen. Lewis I I. Brereton, is not to be thought of in terms of past paratroop or airborne operations. It is more than a spearhead. It is an army in el'ery sellSe-a strategic striking unit of enormous pOlver, able to supplv and maintain itself and to function independently against major objectives. Nothing like this army has ever been seen. Allied airborne operations have previously been tactical in nature. Paratroopers and in fan trv, trained by the ground torccs, have been flown in troop carrier planes and gliders to the scene of the battle for quick, specific jobs. To take airfields, perhaps, or knock out artillery positions. Their work. though critic.illv important, has been incidental to larger operations. Once landed, they have fought under command of ground officers and, except for supply or cvacuation, have had no further connection with the air forces. This was Germany's technique, also. The Ccrrnans never organized air troops bevond divisional status and always relied upon the Luftwaffe for transport and supplv. It is realized now that 'Ccnu.mvs carlv airborne successes were Iargelv due to a luck o{ prcparcducxs on the part of her 12 victims.

ARMY
This has not been the case in Allied airborne assaults. \Iost of these have taken place against stubbornly defended enemy territory. Normandy provided perhaps the most brillian t success of such operations. On D-day th ree fully equipped divisions were landed behind German lines with the set task of seizing and holding the flanks of the Chcrbourg Peninsula while behind them seaborne troops slogged up the beaches to overcome enem~' resistance. General Eisenhower has said that without achievement of this mission the entire assault might have been impossible. Later, in the south of France, paratroops and airborne infantry were used to OCcUPY the high ground overlooking the rocky coves and inlets toward which hundreds of Allied landing craft were steering. These exploits, along with others in Sicily, Italy, ~Iarkham Valley of New Guinea, and elsewhere. surpassed in real effect anv of the vaunted German assaults from the skv and demonst'rated the value and unexplored possibilities of the airborne attack. The First Allied Airborne Army is a logical outgrowth of all this experience. Conceived and planned by Ccncr.il Marshall and General Arnold. this army is a weapon of untold military and psychological power. The projected scope of its activities is enough to make every German start looking under his cot at night. Composition of this army cannot be set forth exactly. but it contains clements of paratroops, airborne infantry. engineers, signals and communications men, and artillery. Supporting the combat forec arc streamlined supply, ordnance and medical units. The air teams consist of troop carrier crews, radio operators, weather experts, maintenance crews, cte. :\ lost of their planes, gliders. and equipment arc prccisclv the same as han: been used heretofore, with C--t7s doing the bulk of the hC;1\'\' dutv. h:om a' personnel standpoint, thi-, nnuv IS the interna-

'THE

Supplies and paratroop,

arc hcing

dropped

in the photos

below during

intensive

training

maneuvers

whicl: preceded

the hig '\orm;lIlch.

drive.

----

-,
Airborne soldiers. shown here during invasion of southern France, can be m~d IJ\' 1.',\,\\ to win and cousolidatc airheads behind cncmy lines.

Here is a survey prepared just before General Brereton's tough, colorful organization invaded the Netherlands

By MAL CHARLES
All,

0; FRAZER
O\'CTSels

rr )/,CF

Staft

tion:il set of the Allied :lrIncd forccs, It is cOllljlosnl of both British and Amcric.m airhorne troops and .unncn. plus men of French, Polish and other nationalities, All such cOlnponents arc organizL'd under :1 single COIllm.md .md wi]! operate under th.it cOlnlnand at all tillles, snhject oulv to the needs of Supreme l Icaclqu.ntcrs. J''lc"i. 'hle, capahl~ of striking a nvwhcrc wit]: great energ\, it will function on a hasis of cqualit:, wit h all other field .rrniics. I\'o longer an incidental force, but one h:l\'ing large 5tr:ltegie ohlecti\es of its owu , the .virboruc ,\rllly reselllhles the c.ivnlrv of other w.irx. It is designed for f!:Ish performuucc ruther t],;111 a long. cnduring period in the field. l<qnippcd wi th motor tr:lllsport, light gnllS, howitzcr, and the usual iuf.m t r-,: \\l'apons. these troops arc ahle to inflict severe d;nnage on the enel11Y .uul to dislocate his operations in v.i rn JUS \\;I\S. :'s.e\erthelc~s, as the couuu.rudcrs point out. tllis a rmv is a fr:Igile :lIld espcllSin: tool of \\:11'. It shollld he uscd onlv whcu potential resnlts iu.il: the risk wort]: while. JllSt as it is \lastefnl to utilize air bomh.rrchncut a,;;llnst ;1 t:m;et whic-h could he leveled as well or lxt tcr bv i'cld .utillcrv, so is it un likclv th.it the airborn soldiers '\\ill cvcr he 'elnployed :lgainst a point wh ich c.m he Liken Ill' regnLtr inf.mtrv or armored forces. This army might he uxcc], on the otller [i.mc]. to cut :IlId capture a vi tu] r.nlw.iv Slsteln well h,'hind cncmv line-s. Or it could he dispatched to prevent the rctrc.rt of all opposillg :lrlll\, dropping troops to cJose :1 g:IJJ in :1 p')ckct \\hidl c.m n o t he closed any other \\;1\, to sei/e lnidges upI'n \lllleh the cucuiv is counting for rL'i:lforeCll!lllh or supplies, to separate tin> armies which ma:' he trying to consolicLtte, and for xnu ilar pmposes. DefellSi\eh', too, t h ix .mnv eonld he enlplO\ed wit]: tellinl; cllcct. perh;lps to plug a hole in Allied fOlward lines or to prokct a m.ijor fl.m]; ag:limt S11c1c1ell mLlngll t. o \\ II;Jtcsl'l" tlrc purpme, hO\lT\er, the .urborn .nmv is CSS('l1

h;IIIs' buil! for Cjllick. nnllenillg, costl:' hlow. Vvln-n it goes into action, it should he and is prepared to hold an area until relief bv rcgnlar troops can arrive, Its joh is to win .mc] consolidate an airhead. gener:lll:' lx-h iucl cncmv lines (a nebulous figure of speech in the prescut \\";H). supph'iu; and m;lintaining itself the wh ilc, .md then to he replaced hy hcavilv :Hmed ground troops. SC\CLI! mouths ago such :111 arlll:' could hlrely h.rvc been conceived, much los org;l11i/ccl. Air sUprenl:ley means cvcrvthing. :'s."ot oulv must the airborne .umv he sure of dci;lite local air supcrioritv while Lmding .md assaulting initial ohjeetill's; it relics upon const.mt air SUp;Jort against lunvv CnCI11\' armor. As a hardened iufun t rvm.m once said, "Yo;l re;']l:: need air POlIlT to bold a sech;r; \"OII\T got to ha\e it to udv.mcc, and yon ccrt.un h. C;1l1't rct rc.i t without It. In other word s, brother, it's import;ll1t." This is one of the re;ISOllS whv pWhlhh' h.ilf the comm:lllding officers of the Airhorne ,\1'111:' are :lilillell. Thoc men know wh.it is possible in the \\;1\' of .ur sllpport .md supplv. They l.now the prohlclllS to he soh Id in .i nv tvpc of operation. j.'ormation of the lir-t .\lbl,d Airborne ;\]"]11\' h;ls v.u.tlv simplified ,lssault tcelIlI\Cllll'. It h;IS hwugbt nncfer one hea~1 all possihlc elements of .rirbornc troop-, merl;ccl tlu-m with the prime m<J\Trs-th;lt is. the troopc;lrr\'ing un rt s, complctclv st.mdnrdivccl implements .md tcchuiqucx .md training. Its headquarters st.u]. nIlI111Iccl1J\' Arncric.ui. British, and ;\Jlinl ground and air officers. \\orts ,I.S a nnit .mc] creates pl.ms hased on a thorough intereh;m;e of ideas .md requiremcnts. "lh.rt sblt is respollSih1c for the sucecss of the entire missiol\-for tr.msport. Lil\dil\g, S11pph', .md :,]1 subsequcl\t lleld opeLltiollS, "I:nl\' milit.irv leaders bebc\ c th.rt tIlc ui rlxni: nrmv \\ill changc'tlle entire pattern of \\;lrf:!re-;llld C\ln of l~c;,ec. Jts potl'nti;'] clllp]mlllelit as ;1 jK';lectilile jJo]we forcc is npp.m-ut. \\'h;Itl'\Tr h.rppcu-, it is :l hold .mcl cl.niu.: ick;\. ;';

13

Countryside

l.ctwccn

Toulon .mcl CIlIlICS is speckled

wit h p;l[achlltcs that hrollght

III

mcu. xupplic :llIel C'Illiplilclit l.l. flcld pill(

.rt right,

. .an , ovcrwhel catcd at tl nun g sea and " C,ninc'I , \\ .as iewrc .t d of C celvink B' N ocmfoor I 1 mouth air assault 1'\ ocmfoor is . . ce 1 s c from 'tl . av in N ,'j sand. 10sprilllg b oard . to strategical! v importai Jap':s in cxactl\'" icrlaensd N cw a I I. 1 II al lC - er o c t n Juh 7 iuf ,i rna icra and tl i stepping seven 1 . _ antr . . lC PI '1'.stor t S davs.. nc ,'.''' tho kcv K, ashore o ;: '1'1';0" 600 0: ,0"1'0, ',me bv airdrome t c west PcllatroOjJCr' f ps dropped f ch was being hi f the Island B 1-s m 0''" nom C 4it at tl , , patro Is the . ~. 1 he isairdr u ~ h: chute und It], A ir Force. ,i':""od gctti o IS is of the .ne '''0'' orne was capture~r.control while 111 two 1 lOurs .
c

I~

p",,,,,;::un

,,,n,,

"hi'

';;d' ooub''''':

.,.

Smoke in background is fruin [up.uic-c shore gnllS which were silenced hv crur-cr-. ucvt rovcrs and bombers as the invasion fleet and C,i7s moved in, Since Nocmfoor Island h:IS no scawort hv approaches, aerial rciuforccrncnt of troop' and snpplic s \\';IS thc 1Il00t efficicnt method available,

)
(;-

,
I

With the coastal batteries knocked out. LCIs and LSTs headed tor the l)l':1('1I at CI;I\\'Il. doors open and ramps doll'\} rcaclv for the Ducks to hit the surf. Adclit ioual equipment .md supplies were dropped to the men from t r.mvporlx :IS soon ;IS the beachhe:ld gaim h;le1 been consolidated.

@
f

'I

t.' ,
~
,

'.

.
L

"

Humiliated paratrooper s\yings uuh.rppil , from a tree at the fringe of the airtldd \\':Itching Iii, hnddles Like the Kmn i: i strip.

Dead Japs in :1 t nnch .rt the edge of the .urficlrl. J:lp 10"es \I ere I ,(,Si killed, 171 t.ikcu pIN)!ll'r; 0111 l:lslultics were nT\ li~ht.

1:1

the
T

and
By MAJ. LUTHER DAVIS
AIR FORCE Staff those in command of the plane can talk to each other without benefit of intercom. The pilot and copilot have fewer instruments than they have in any other four-engined plane-because most of the purely engineering instruments are given to the flight engineer, who has his place of business nearby. The navigator has a good place to work and a very complete set of selfcomputing, handy gadgets; an astrodome he can really get a sight from. The bombardier sits where he may signal or speak to the pilot and copilot without any time-lag. The radioman has lousy visibility but more equipment than KDKA, Pittsburgh. The gunners-thcy enter the ernancipatcd life. There's a system of remote fire control based on the fact that all B-29'gunners, except the tail gunner, are removed from any manual contact with their guns and fire them from remote stations. The tail gunner, unlike the others, is near his guns-he can at least sec them-but he doesn't actually touch them. Sighting is by automatic computers which correct for range, altitude, temperature, and airspeed. This means that gunners, removed from their guns, are spared the jar and vibration of rceoil making it much easier to track and hold a target. The gunner's personal comfort is greatly increased as he doesn't have to crowd himself in behind his guns and ammunition. They have comfortable seats, room to stretch and move around, and more armor protection than in any other combat plane. The B-29 handles more easily than any other four-engined airplane due to the perfcetly balanced controls. It takes off easily with partial flaps at between 20 and 30 degrees but docs not gain altitude or speed very quickly immediately after. take-off. Because of the slim and aerodynamically perfect design of the engine nacelles, cowls must be handled carefully and cruisinlj speed reached as quickly as possible.

HE gunner had completed 85 missions in B-25s and he was being interviewed at an AAF redistribution center. "If you had your choice," said the interviewer, "what would you want to do next?" Loud and clear came the sergeant's answer. . "I want to be assigned to the B-29." At this particular moment it can be said safely that casual aircrew members with combat experience in four-engined planes who get back to the States and request B-29 training have a good chance of getting it. Others with combat behind them may gct into the Vcry Heavy program upon their own request if thcir particular experience isn't more urgently needed elsewhere. Newly graduated aircrew mem.bcrs take the same chances with probabilities, rosters, and just plain luck that they always have. Let's assume that you have been tapped for the B-29. This means, first of all, that you go to the 2nd Air Force which. is commanded by Major Gcneral Uzal G. Ent with headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. For transition training, individual combat crew member training, and replacement training, some may go to Brig. Gen. Newton D. Longfellow's 16th Wing. There many of you will see your first Supcrfortress. Many novitiates to the Boeing Superfortress admit to being disappointed at finding that the thing is just an airplane, despite all the publicity, and not a magic carpet at all. It smells of gasoline and hot metal, requires constant attention and the same continual application of common sense as any other plane. However, given the fact that it is an airplane, it's the most complete, the most advanced, and in many ways the most efficient in the world. On your first ride you'll notice that, for the crew members forward particularly, it is astonishingly quiet. The pilot, copilot, bombardier sit well 'ahead of the engines; the interior is sound-proofed so that

r
1

\'
The 8-29 program should find yourself of what is expart panding all the time. If you of it. here is a preview you can expect

16

It has pronounced step characteristics in flight and is very . definitely? position airplane. It flies easily and well on automatic pilot; has excellent stalling characteristics, giving plenty of warning. Once stalled it will oscillate itself out of a dive even if you don't touch the controls. . Landing is quite simple, although students have a little shock in the beginning because they sit so far to the side of the center line-it is nine feet from the pilot's left hand to the copilot's right. Eight to twelve hours is about usual for qualified multi-engined pilots to check out in the B-29including night flying, instrument, and all the rest. Operational training for the B-29 is the responsibility of the 17th Bombardment OTU Wing commanded by Brig. Gen. Frank A. Armstrong, Jr. General Armstrong will be remembered as the man who led our first six heavy missions over Europe; as the man who reorganized and headed the old 46th Wing which trained many B-17 crews. In Nebraska and Kansas, the 2nd Air Force has evolved a system of training in which the permanent base staff works next to and with their Group opposite numbers so that each Group-B-29 Groups are on about the same T /0 as any other heavy Group-gets the benefit of a well organized base with complete continuity throughout their training period. The 16th Wing's Combat Crew Training station and the 17th's Operational Training station work under the same directive from Headquarters Znd Air Force. \Vhile some air crew members go through both the CCTS and the OTU more get only the OTU training. Thus a man may expect not less than four months and not more than seven months to elapse from his entry into B-29s to his departure for combat. The training directive provides that training be in the B-29 with the B-17 as a companion trainer -you can learn navigation in the Fortress just as well as in the Superfortress. The latest directive from 2nd Air Force calls for 126 B-29 hours and 44 B-17 hours at both the CCTS and the OTU. All training in the B-29 has to take cognizance of the size of the plane and of the fact that, due to the plane's division into separate compartments, crew members

must be \'Cry highly disciplined and the entire crew must cooperate and work as a team more than in the 13-17 or 13-2-1-. \Vhile the pilot can talk to his crew forward he has to trust the flight engineer to handle the cowls, to make correct throttle ad j lIS tments for the cruising conditions the pilot calls for, to compute correctly the loading and consequent performancc of the plane. I Ic can't sec his wheels or all his engineshas to trust the blister gunners to w.itclr them for him. Communication between the forward pressurized compartment and those aft is by means of a small, round. padded tunnel running above and the entire length of the bomb hays. It seems obvious that nobody's going to want to spend much time in th is cia ustrophobiac's nightmare while a fight's going on. In other words the pilot-\\'ho. in B-29 literature is .ilwavs called the airplane conuuandcr-c--wont sec his gunners when thc plane is airborne; runs a good chance of failing in his own job if the gunners don't help him by reporting on the flaps, landing gear. engines. So that the airplane commander will have personal acquaintance with the rest of his crew it is standard 13-29 procedure for all members to line up under the \\'ing both before and after f1igh I' and stand inspection bv the pilot. There arc eleven men in the 13-29 crew; pilot, copilot, hom bardicr, n.ivigator, flight engineer plus six enlisted men. The bombardier. n~l\'ig~1tor, radio operator find their job yery similar to what it is in any other plane-just more of it-and the flight em;ineer is unique; \\;lS trained for the 13-29 from the ITn' beginning. Thus oulv pilots and gunners h.ivc any real trnusit ion problem. Pilots entering the progL\m hale either, (I), a four-cuainccl ticket to begin with, (2). a thouvmd or more hour, in other h'[K'S of aircraft, or. (oj. arc [uvt out of fll'ing school wit]: a total of :,hout 300 hours of wluch about Ion h.ivc been in four-engined aircraft. \\'ith such aerial hlCkgro\ll1lls pilots have 1\(1 trouble with the B-2(). Truth is quite a fl',,' h,in-engined pilot-; h.rvc checked out in B-29s with ne:ltness .md disp:ltch. 'I 'he gunners spene! h ourx on mock. nps .mr] grouncl-horlle g:ldgets before tl uv ever sec their airplane, :llthough i'(llnputing sights .rrc thcorct icnllv elsier to opeL1 tc t 11; III the convcn ti on:'il open sight, The great thing for them is to lc.nn a s\.s tciu of firc con t rol .md fi n priorih' til~lt require': ~1 high e!egree of coopcr.rtiou and discipline--te:nn\\,(ll'k, In f.ict th~lt'S the <torv on cvrrv joh in the B-29'--lllore Ih.m ever vou'll he :1 nic-m her of the ~li](Te"'; ll]()r~' th:111 l'\CI dcpclle!ent Oil "hat thc othcrs do .uu ' dou 't do. :".r

What's your air force 1.0.1

This month's AIR FORCE QUIZ is a little rough. Credit the usual five points for each correct answer. A score of 85 or above this time is excellent; 70 to 80, not bad; 60, fair; below 60 and-well, it could happen to anybody.
Answers on Page 59

1. Maj.
A.

Gen. George Stratcrncycr Far Eastefll Air Command c. Easrcrn Air Command wingspan 174.6 feet

is commanding

general

of the
B. D.

10th Air Force 13th Air Force

D.

2. The
A.

of the B-29 is
B.

192.7 feet

c. 119.3 feet

141.7 feet

3. \\'hen a man is returned from an overseas tour of duty, he normally goes to a Redistribution Station nearest A. TIle port of debarkation B, 11is last station in the United States c. His home D. The station to which he most likely will be assigned 4. An officer's A. True 5. The
A.

leave may accrue bombing

B.

for a period

of four years.
B.

False

first shuttle June 2

flight from Italy to Russia took place on May 17 c. July 10 D. June 29 Air Force is B. General Henry H. Arnold D. Maj. Gen. Davenport Johnson flew in
D.

6. The

Commanding General of the 20th A. Brig, Gen. Haywood Hansell c. Maj. Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg Pathfinder
B.

7. Troop carrier A. C-47s

8. The
A.

crews in the Norrnandv invasion B.17s c. 'C.46s is

C-S7s 1,500

horsepower 1,000

of the P-63 engine B. 1,700 is controlled

c. 1,200

D.

9. Engine temperature A. Pressure baffles c. Radiator shutters

on a liquid-cooled
D.

cnginc by B. An oil temperature regubtor A thermoconple on the cylindeT

B.

10. The Flying Dutchman is A. A native of Holland trained by the AAF c. A life boat dropped for rescue purposes 11. Normally, A. Four an American
B.

D.

The name given to the P-61 Part of the engine of the B-29 rockets?
D.

rocket One

firing plane

carries how man)' c. Three c. Guadalc:lIJal

Six

12. Carney Field is located on A. Bougainville B. Guam

13. The
A.

D.

Tinian
D.

[up aircraft B.26

referred
B.

to as a "Betty" p ..f()

most closclv resembles c. 13.17

our P.39

14. Thc yearly base pay of a colonel A. $R,OOO B. $2,500 15. The
A.

in the AAF is c. $4,000

D.

D.

$6,000

approximate 120.J)O mph

speed
B.

of the R-4 helicopter is between 90100 mph c. 60.jO mph for wear
1I1

150.160 mph many Eight

16. One silver oak leaf cluster is authorized bronze oak leaf clusters? A. Fi\'e B. Three 17. The Bonin Islands arc located between A. Thc .I\Iarsllalls and the J\larianas c. Tile Mari:mas and Japan letter designation island
B.

placc

of how
D.

c. Ten

B. D.

The Caw/ines type of aircraft?

Japan and China and the Marsll:l1ls

18. The
19. Thc
A.

"L" stands

for what

wcstcnunost Umnak

in the Aleutian Kiska

chain is c. Adak

D.

Amcllitka

20. Identify

this airplane.

18

The hard facts about INCOME TAX

By Brig. Gen. l. H. Hedrick
TIIC {"II""IIIi; ;lItidc j, till' I/J!l'! "f;j 'eric' IIrillCIJ f"r\!I( III C;CJIcJ;f/ IlcdJlck

"')1" I

,nllCl'llll'n r,.'tlllllinc;, f ron: ()\IT'l';I, h.iv lxcn ;I,tonl,lin] hI filid t luiu 'lilc' III debt to thc ~()\nll' u uu t for illconlc t"Xl", SOllll" hod\ told t lum , u u r-.! of thCI;1 c.iut ITIIICl11her [u-t \1110 it l\aS, t liat ;1\ lon~ ;1' " IILln I' on d u tv outvidc the l'nited S LI tes h~ IS CXCl1l pt trmu

,I",)"

Ii",

t:I

X" tio n ,
Thi,

i, tvpic.rl of tlic mi,. that i, ~oin~ ;\I'(1I111d concerlllllg u.. ;Ip' pi iC;1 tion of thc t.rx la\l" to m ilit.uv pcrxonucl. Tlicr i, in ore confusion about t.ix.rt rou than about ;1111' other ph.i-: of the civil aff"ir, of As a soldier you have certain service 11Icn .md \\,OI11CII, necessarily mean One rumor has it that cvcrv ,ole!Jer bclovv the rank of licutcuant colonel is excused from incon rc tuxes. Auot licr is that when ;1 man cutcr , the service. am' taxes hc O\lTS on previous income arc wiped out. And so un and Oil, It is time to do SOll1Cdchunking, 'lh is article \I ill undert:Jkc to cxpl.uu. bricflv .md ximplv. how the tax la\l'S nffcct vou as a serviceman. It won't iu.rkc you an cxpert, but it will offcr some gnie];mcc, and it might serve to keep you out of trouble wi th vour Collcctor of l n tcr n.il Revenue. It is quite true tlut \'OU, as a soldier. arc entitled to special cousidcrat ion as far ;IS vour income tux is concerned. To bcgin with, consider th~ spccial pr ovixioux for scrvic personnel which arc currcntlv applicable. It will be dcxir.iblc later on in this article to point out thc respects in whicl: current provisions diffcr from those of previous vc.ir-; ,iIlCC xou ic men and wcnucn noll' O\TrSCaS m.iv h.ivc to file two or three vcarx' tax returns at once wlu-u th'c\' rctur n. Perhaps thc most important current provision is thc onc which exempts the first S I, :;00 of Armv pa\' from incomc taxation. \Vhat that means is that a major, for example. with ;1 base pal' of S 3.000 and no other income, rcports only S L :;00 of gross income on his tax return, Thc S I, :;00 cxcm ption is good onlv for ArJlI\' income. ;\ private, for cx.unplc. who has onlv S(iOO of Armv P;1\' gets an cxcmpt iou of SGOO. If, from outside sourccc, he has other income, hc gcts no deduction from that mcrclv hecause he is in the service. AnI' scrviccu r.m who, ha\'ing applied his milit.irv cxcmption, finds that his rcmaining gross income, Armv 1);1\' or otherwise, amounts to S:;OO or morc must filc a return. even though on the basis of that rcturn hc owes no tax, This rule applies rcgardlcss of the taxpnvcrs marital st;ltUS or the
iuformu t ion

n uml xr of his dependents. It <hould hc 1'Il1pli;hl/ld lilll tlr.it t.rx.rblc .vnnv mCOIIIC iucluclc m or . th.m !J;\,C P;I\-, It ;iI,o iucluclc-. 111 IIIg p;II-. longc\ih P;I\, ml:r'u, P;I\. p.u.rclmtc P;I\' .iud .ur. ploflt OIiC Inig!lt kill' III;\L!Cfr0111 tr.rvc] ;dlm\'ancD. l itlur Illlk;lgc P;l\ or pu dllll!. ()lIh rcutul .mcl sub,j,telill ;ilio\l';llIlC' arc not incomc for fcdcr:il tax pilip' "CS. ,\ lOillpletl vacation from t"x ohlig;ltiollS, bo th rct uru-, .md P;I\IIIClltS, i, pcrm ittcd oulv for ,Cf\ icc tucn and \1'0men ,er\ mg ()\'er,c;I\. ''-01' them, the due elate, ;lrC <iuiplv postponcd unt il tl. 1 :;tli of the fourtl: ruoutl: follm\'ing thcir rct urn to the United States, when thcv muxt privileges, but that doesn't fik all hack return, alid pa\' you're exempt ;ill buck t:IXCS, unlcxx they ;lIC grantcd a clcfcnucnt. For this po-tponcmcnt ha,ccl on overseas service. such service need not hc cou t in uonx. A soldier whn h;ls been o\lTSC:IS for as long ;1S 9(J clays llI;I~' rct urn to the United States on tl'l11por;ln' dutv for a period up to 90 clays without lming his postponcmcut pri\ilegc. Congrcss Ius m.rclc prmisions for per,ons who took sui st.mtial cuts in income wlun thcv cutcrccl iu ilit.rrv service. ;\ soldier who c.m sholl' that his ;ihility to P;l\' his 'taxcs Ins hccn 111;1 tcria ll~' affcctcd h~' rC;I,on of his cn tcri ng thc armed forccs m;I~' postpo:: ;lctll;l] puvuicnt until six months after his cliseh:ngc, An .rpplic.i t ion form for this deferment l11;I\' he oht.uuccl from a Collcctor of Internal Revenue. Your legal a\Si,tlllcc of1icer will hclp vou prcparc this application. Contrary to ;1 \lllksprC:1C1 inlpre\Sion, soldiers, likc other t:.xp;1\TrS, ha\'c bcc-u pl.rcccl on a pay-as-yon-go basis. Emplovers m.rkc deductions from civili.m salaries for income t.ixcs. Solcliers, on the other hand, pa~' hv ~ larch I:; or qu.u tcrlv on the ha,is of dccl.untions of cstim.itcd income. Bv :\ larch I:;, ;1 soldier files with the Collector of l ntcrnnl n:c\'ennc for his hom collection district a declaration form sb(m in~ his cstuuntcd incomc and tax for that vcar. lIe either I;a\,s the full amount of the estimated tax at that time, or divides it into four iustalmcnts-v paviug one-fourth with his clcclaration and thc rcm;lining quarterly instalments 011 June I:;. September I:; and Deccmhcr I:;. B\' \ larch 1:; of the following vcar, the taxpayer files a final return on the hasis of the actual income he has rcccivccl during the previous ycar. If thc corrected tax is more than he cstimated a vcur earlier, he pal's the difference. If it is lcss, he gets a refund from thc gmernlllcnt or applies thc excess on thc succeeding ycar's tuxes.

OCTOBER,1944

19

If a man dies in mil it.rrv sen icc, all income taxes which he O\\es to the gO\ernnle;lt at the time of Ins death arc forgi\en. This ;rpplies not only to taxes on ArIny P;I\, hut to all income t.ixc. If a SlT\ieenlan's wile, not yet notified t hat he has been killed, makes a p;IYllIellt OIl his'ineonle tax .rf tcr his death, she is entitled to a refund. lxccpt for these special provixiuu, the income tax returns tor soldiers arc figmed cx.utlv like tllme of civili.m-, ,\s ;i1\\;I:'S, the t.ixp.rvcr Likes h i-, dcduction-. for such itcm s as eontrilmtions, I;\xes ;md inteIT,t. thus arri\ing ;\t his net mcomc. lrom th i-, he subtr.rcf s S :;1)0 [nr Iii, OI\n person:11 exemption. To determine t hc normal tax he SUhtLlctS the personal exeluption from the net incouic and takes three percent of wl ia t is left. If it is a joint return, a personal exemption of S 1.000 nLlY he taken, prm ided the gross income of each spollSe is S :;00 or more. If one of the parties to the joint return has a gross income of ]ess than S :;O(). tIllS amount plus S:;OO IS the .uuou nt of pcr-ou.rl exemption. In addition to the uonu.il LIX, there is a graduated len' known as the surtax. To compute this ta x, hegin wit h the net income .md xubt ruct S :;IlO for the ta'\p:l\'er's personal exemption, S :;00 for a spome .md S :;IlO for each dependent. Tlie remainder is known as tile sur t.rc net income. The surI;IX starts at 20 percent for :1 smtax net income of 52.000 or less. It is 22 percent on the .uuount of surt.i x net income between 52,000 .md 5-+.()OO. 2CJ percent on the amount xtwccu 5-+,OO() .md 5(1.000, 30 percent on the .uuouut between S(),OOO and 5S,OllO, .mr! so on up. There is :1Il c.r .icr \\ay th.m goim; th roueh all the COl!lpUt.itious explained .ibovc, If his gross iucouic is 5:;,000 or less, the t.rxp.rvcr lila:' mcrclv consult a table wh ich shm\'s t.i xcx for v.uiou lnels of income .iud pa\' accordingly, This t.iblc nutomuticaliv ,11Io\\s the t.rxpuvcr an arbitr.irv (leduction of app roxu u.rtclv 10 percent, wh icl: is in lieu of the .rctual deductions he would he pcrurittccl to take if he figurccl his I;IX step hv step. If his gross iucouu- is over 5 :;.000, the taxpayer may elect to tIkc a slam\;m] 5:;00 credit in lieu of the various specific deduct ions. 1100\'e\Tr, the tuxp.tvcr. if he prefers, 11];)\' make his return the hard wav, figming out his deductions. net income, surLIX net income, and the uon n.i] and surt.rx lcvicx. Persons who filed deeLn:ltiollS of estimated tax for 19++ will recall that in making tlicir computation, they included :1 victorv tax. Suli-cqucu tlv. that t.rx \yas abolished. but in effect it has lxcn replaced bv revised uorm.rl tax and surtax rates. The final rcturn on ] 9-+-+ income, wh ich will be filed hv Vlarch I:;, 19-+:;, will he computed on the new LItes, uud the taxpavcr will he credited with a 11\' pa\'m('llts he h.is m.rdc on the hasis of his 10-+-+ dccl.uu t iou. whicl: included the I ictorv tax, This ehallge will not ru.ikc an:' subxt.mti! difference in the amount of tax involved. :"01\' h.ivc a look at some of the priucipal differences bctwccu the current t:IX provisions and tlro-: wh ir.l: were .rppl ic.iblc in prcviou-, vc.i rs. The most com pl ic.rttcl changes \\'eIT tlro : wh icl: ;r!teeted the tr.mvit ion from the fOl'lner tax p:I\'mellt S\'stem to the P:I\'.;ls.\'ou.go pl:m. Uut il I ()-f3, ull iucomc taxes were p.rid durius; the vcar follOl\ing the tax:lhle vc.u. T:I'\es on ] (HO income were paid in I(Hl, tlWS on ]0-+1 iucomc in IIH2. The fOrInula for elte'cling the ch:lnge.mTr \\':IS cOillplicated, since it \\;IS Ill'cess:\r\' for nlmt t;"jl:1\lTS to Stilt p;l\ing their I IH) t:IWS hefore thl'ir ] 0-+2 t:I'\ ohlig:ltiollS had heen diseh:nged fulh', The ci,ili:ln t:I'\P:IHT heclmc c\lrrcnt hy paling the Ln~er of the h\o \T;H': I:1xcs p1\1'; one.fomth of the sndler I:1x. Thm, if a eilili:Ill's ]0-+2 t:\X lIas 5] 00 :Illel !tis ] 0-+) t:1'\ \\:h S] :;0, hc p;liel for the t\\'o lears 51:;0 plus 52:;, or SI-;-:;, The ('han~e.()\er plan \\'as more gcnerous for so]elicrs. The system establis]led for cili]i:ms ,lpplieel to a solc1ier olll\'

in the event his I ()-f 3 tax \\as l.ugcr tli.m his ] ()-f 2 t.ix. If the ] 9-+2 tax \I;IS the !:tr~er- .rucl this \\'as the case wit]: the great majority of m ilit.trv men-hc \\',\S permitteel to recompute his 19-+2 tax, disregarding his c.uucd income for th.rt year .md. in cilcct, p:I:' oulv t hc I l)-f) tux plus one. fourf h. In other words, .ixxun: a soldier's 1 (H2 t.rx. ;111 of it on earned iutom c, \\as S :;()(), and his] ()-f) tux \\:I.S S2(1), I:or the hIC1 years, then. he paid 52()() plu-, oucfomth 01 S2 :;(). I':,trlll'(! income is xul.uv, cou nnisvion or bonus. IIO\\. ever. the first S 3,OOll from .mv source is deemed c.uncd ill' COllie for ineomc tux plllposes'. This meant th.it if a sold icr's ] 9-+) t.ix turncel out to he zcro, he \\;IS entitled to a refund of :I11 he h.id p.i] on his ] (J-+2 tax, prOlldcd all of th is tux had been on c.uncd in. come. This \\':IS a wiuclfull to a man wlio c.uncd a Lm;c civilian "dar:' in 10-+2 aud suhse(!ueutly entered the service at a reduced incomc. The victorv t.rx \\'as effective ou]v for the t:Jxahle vc.u 10-+). I'or ll;ost milit.nv men with 'no outside incom~', it lISu:I1l:' .nuouutcd to onlv a fe\\' dollars. It \I:IS computed on the t:Jxp,I\'er's so-cal led "victorv tax net income," which would normally be a scrviccm.ms Armv P:I\' less his S I, SO() cxcluviou. The t.rx, then, would be five percent of thc \ie. ton' tax net income after a personal cxcru pt ion of S()2-+, minus 2:; pcrecnt of the tux if the t.txpuvcr \\as single, -+0 ]K'leent if he \\:IS married. An additional two percent of thc \,1.'1: \\:IS deductible for each depenelcnt. In ! 9-+), the exemption for caeh dcpendent \I,IS S) :;0, a nc] a dcpcndcut \yas defined as a child under I S or a person physicalh' or mentally incapable. ;\'0\1 a dcpendent is a clove rclntivc \Iho receives trou: the ta'\P:IHT :;0 perccnt or more of his m oncr.uv support from tllc t.rxp.ivcr .md wh o:: gross iucomc from other sOllices is less th.m S :;00 a \TaL A m.micd m.ms pcrvou.il cxcmpt iou \\':IS S 1,200 in I l)-f), ,1I1d a single pcrson's 5 :;110. Thc c.uncd income credit \\as clcd uct ihlc in 10-+) for the bst time in r.om pur.n iou of the norm.r] I:IX. Th:lt credit \I;\S ] 0 perccnt of the net income or the c.u ncd income, whichever \I'as the snLlller figure. The first special provision for scrviccmcu \\'as made for the 10-+2 tux.rhlc yeaI'. In com pnt inr; their gross income: that ycar, enlisted personnel \\'l'IT permitted to deduct from t luir Armv pa:' 52:;0 if single and 5 )llO if m.u ricd , The S1. :;Ollmi]itary sen icc exemption \I:IS first cffeeti\e in 10-1), ,\!:Jll\' state inc-ome tax h\\'s h.ivc been modified in favor of men and women in m il itnrv service. ~ lout.ru.t and Kent ucl.v exempt tliciu cOlllpletel~', In Virginia the first 5:;O() of military pa\' and ullow.mcc-, is not considered iurornc for st.itc tax purposes. Oregon c'\empts the first S ).000 and ~[inuesota the first 52,nOO. ~[ost state iucomc I:1x Ja\\'S proviclc subvt.mt ial pcrsonal oxcmpt ion-, in :111\' c.r-.c. so th.i! rcl.i tivclv fc: iuilit.uv men arc affectl'(1 1)\, thr-.c LI\\,,;. IIo\\,. C\Tr, fm: pmpmcs of ~,t:lte iucon rc t:Jws, a' soldier's rental and suhsistcnec ,IlIO\I':lnecs arc gClllT:I1h' eonsi(lcred income, Obviou-Iv, it has lxcn iUI))()ssihle to ;rn\\lcr (kt:lileel ljncstiou. ah(lllt tl: t:IX !:t\\'S in tlic sp:ll'e of tllis .ut iclc. TIll' bcvt tllis C'\pl:nl:ltion could ,Ittempt \I:IS been to cover the import.mt provi-ious :!flecting sen iCCllll'l1. If \'I)]] arc OHT. Sl',IS, pcrh:lps \lh,lt IOU h.ivc rc:] hne will h'l']p von pl.m yom person:I1 :Ifhirs \\hen \'(lll nl!llIl 111!lIC llilited St;ltes, T:I'\ 1:1\1' is ]](l\\' e\:treulch' COl1lpl,''\, "[mt persons require guid:lnl'e to computc properh' !lleir LI'\ ohlic;;rtiollS to thl' gmernl1lent. Yon arc entitled to qn;I1!fll'el :lssisLlnee, and SIll'h ;\ssishnec is ;11;lihhk, If yJ)Jl h;\\c ;\UY 'llll'stions, either llm\' or \\'hen thc tillle COlnes for nl'\\' t:1\ returllS. (leClar:l. tiollS or p:ll'lllents, the ]egal aSSist:lllce officer :It \'om st,ltion \\ill he glael to help you, If there is no leg:I1 :lssist:lnce officer ;It \'I)]]r station, IOU nl:l\' \\Tite elirect to TIle J\ir In(h;c J\d\ocate, Leg:1! Assistance Di\ision, \\':Ishington 2:;, D. C. .... "'r AIR fORCE

20

The first thing the a\uage GI wants to do when he gets hack from overseas is to phone sorucbodv-c-usuall, hi, girl. The next is to drink three chocolate malts, The next -\\"ell, that's his business, Casual personnel being returned from Africa, the .l\Iielelle and Far East by air usuallv come through ATe's big base at 36th Street il{ .l\Iiami, If you're assigneel home from one of those theaters and are luckv enough to fly, chances arc you'll comc through 36th Street. And if vou'rc from some other theater and l.mcl in l\e\\' York or' S~1l1 Francisco, Y<1lI'1l fiuel coudit ion vcrv xim il.ir to thme ,h,ml} here, ,

a milk bar where rdnmlng c.isu.ils the men lcnvinj; prepare for OCTOBER,1944

"I swear these items are for persona! Kukric, one Samurai sword, one

1I,e onlv: one scarab from

21

Jap Air-to-Air Bombing. It has become apparent that J;lP strategists arc couutiug heavily on air-to-air bombing to combat our bomber formations. Reports from all areas of the Pacific indicate increasing usc of this tvpc of attack, \\hieh is less hazardous to the attacking airplane than couvcut ion.il fighter interception. ~Iany Jap airplanes arc being equipped primarily for usc in air-to-air bombing. This 7th Air Force report is typical: "On one 'L'ruk mission, a healy bombardment group \I'as intercepted by sing!c-engine fighters at about 19,:;00 feet shortly after the bom h run. The enem:' figh tcrs did not make :I1lY firing passes hut did maneuver into range several times only to pull out after our gunners opened up. About eight .rir-to-uir hombing p:lsses \I'LTe made from one o'clock and three o'clock high, the attacker LIking cure to remain well away from the 1\.\F planes. About four bomhs were dropped, two of which \I'LTe close to altitude and on the course of the hom bers. I LId it not heen for evasive action, scvcr.rl i\AF planes would hale sustained hits, A, it 11':1" three planes flew through the streamers without d:unage." The Japs hale unclcrt.rkcu to -t.mdardizc an :>ir.t(hlir born h attack pl:111 for the Zeke fi~h ter. If s like th ix: The a ttuckcr comes in high from hc.ul-on, levels orF for the hom bing run at an all ituclc of about 300 feet higher th.m om homlx:r. At a Llnge of ,.,00 feet from the bomber, the fighter pilot fil1C]<;h.rt the bomber's t \I'ing ,p:111 completely ~llls hi, hombsight ring. At th.it point, he releases one or more of the ten 6(1-p01md bomb, he c.ur ics under his "ing. The homb h.is a thrcc-sccoud time del.tv. The rate of e!(hme bctwccu the rclc.i-cc] bomb and the tnget plane is feet per second. Thus, the bomb will detonate wlun it is one second or ahout SOO feet ahead and 200 feet above the hOlnher-th:lt i" if the Jap's aim IS on the m.irk. Current fond hope of the Jap nir-to-nir stL,tegist, i, a ne-w 1 32-pound homb. Al-,o getting :lttention just 1I0\\' is a rockct-tvpc .ur-tonir homb. from which the J;IP' h.ivc offiC'lally promised '\ ioknt rc-nlt." It was the .ur-t o-a ir bomb th.u a J:lp :lirhlse conuu.mdcr had in mind when he rcccntlv rcporf cd : 'Comidering the violent :lerial w.uf.irc in the southcnvt :nea at the prcscnt time. the cl1em:' is nLlking qu.mntv .mcl large model pLtne, spc:lk for them,clH's :111d i, :ldopting a stLltegl' of OIer"he1mil1g Force. On om side, 110 mattcr ho: good :1 figllt II'C put up against this cncmv wh irlt C'\LTt, 'Ilch force there i, n.rt ur.illv a limit to vh.rt IIC c.i n do. and there mil he no :I'oiding ;1 de,peLI~e ~Ight. '\elerthele", if \I'C' adopt a Str:ltegy whicl: \I ill prevent the presence in the ski, of these massile qu.m l it ic , .md Lnge mode! pl.mcs, then this ph:lse of the decisive b.itt!c in the sk:' m n-t in the end iucvrt.iblv ch:lllge."

an outpost. Figuring that illness would be a good w.rv to hring about his evacuation to Japan, he coutr ivcs to get sick, llis fanlrite stunt is to pour water into his cars and keep it there until infection sets in.
Nazi Squirt. The ~ rE-16~, Ccnn:111 jet-propelled singleengine fighter, \L1S encountered for the first time by our flghtcrs late in July. A pair of them, :lpparently attempting to at t.ick our bom hers, sep:1 r.: ted whc:u thcv observed 1'-:; 1s a ppro.uh ing. One went into a -f:;-dcgree dive; the other climcd into the sun at :;0 or 60 degrecs. The latter appc.rrcd to be climbing at a speed of about :;00 miles per hour. Although the airplane is capable of grcat speed in climbing. cli'ing :111c1ma iutuiniug level flight, it scum to lack iu.. ne\I\CLI hil itv. The CCrmal'j Air Force h;ls a few 16)s in opcrut iou and also a sm.ill number of :\IF-~6~" its twiu-cuaiu jetpropelled pl.uic. Dual Purpose. Recent c.rpturc on Saip.m of tif tv-fivc 1 m111 dual purpose gullS and the clptme at Biak of guns of the x.un c caliber and modcl indicate thnt I ~O m m gllns may be used more ancl more frcqucntlv in Jap .mt i.urcrnft clefcnses. A mechanical director computes firing cl.itu. Cuu elevation is zero to S:; degrees; Lite of firc, lO to 12 rounclx a minute; h orrzont.rl L11lge, ~1.()1)0 y:nd" :lndm:l,\illlu111 v crtical range, 3:;,000 feet.

"no

~o

Clever.

For good or ill. the Jap is :111illgcllio!1S solellcr. Tlkc the fellow who gets fed up bcvond cnduruuce wit l: life in

AWOL. Briefly, hcre's wh.rf h:lppcnul to [crrv, a Cerm:111 s.nlor. \\ith a 21-cl:II' leave P;ISS in hi, pocket, hc bo.udcd :111 electric train in Fr.mcc for the four-clav trip home. The tr.un xt.illc! 1IIIcn the Allies bonlhed out the pOller station th.rt supplicd it. lie waited tlucc cI:II" for a ste;lm loconiotile, wh ic]: hu.illv .uriv ccl, hut it hO(lKl'Cl ou to the rear and pulled the tr.un 'hack hcc.ruvc hy t hcu the line ahead hac] hccn hOlllhl'Cl out. At a [unct iou, it S\litchcd to .mothcr route, hilt kid to hick np :lg:lin heC:lnse th.rt l inc :llso hac] lx-cn bl.r-.tccl. Jerr:' IH'nt hick to the st:ltlon he h.icl left fom e1:l:, c.ulicr. hO:lfCkd .ru aneicnt n:lrrOlI'-g:lIlge train tlurt, .rftcr a cirtnitou, trip hcset lrv interfl'lcncc frorn the Allies, got lrim home Oil the 10th d.iv of hi, lc.ivc. - SI'\ clals later, he grudgingly ~hrtecl hick to (IntI'. Ag:lin hc h:l clcl.tvs. Supplv t r.rins h:] priorih' over the tr:'lcks that nm.uucd, so he fiu.illv boarded a hus. got hick to his ,t:lhon worn our .md with a dcal of C\plalning to clo. Tic h.l ovcrstuvcd hi, leave .u] his ship h.rd s:liled without him. As we have c111pll:l,i/ec1 before in these believe all one 11~';trs]11' radio in :.I combat zone. Om cncuucs frcqucutlv tr.mvnut 'ekceptill' nleS5:n;es in the hope of dlslupting om opcrulion-, .mcl souut iincs tlicv succeed. Authcuticatiou of l11e'5:lge, is csse11ti:il, llcrc arc SOllie lCTent phonics'
Phony Messages.

P;lgCS. one c.mnot

22

AIR

FORCE

YOUR ENEMY
All ;Iirer;!ft fllillg one of the OI'erSC1S fern' routes \\,:IS instructccl to rcturu to its base. The radio operator did not ckl!lenge the nless;lge, and the pilot headed back, \\'hen the aireraft landed, it \\';IS eli-covered that the Illessage h:id not been tr.mvm ittt] hv the b.isc station or .mv other st.ition in the net. It obviouxlv c.nnc from an cncmv submarine. At .urothcr OIcrse:1S i)oint. a gronlld statio'n received a distress call purporting to come from an .urcr.if t. J<'<Jr several m inutos, the net \I;)S tied lip with eIllergelle}' procedure, In the midst of these cffort s, the aircraft involved lauded at one of the stations partieip;Jting in the rescue procedure. The message h;ld not come from this aircraft. Again, prcsuu mblv, an cncmv xnbm.rrinc turucd the trick, During the 'I'ar.rw.: opcr.rt iou. a [np.mcsc operator took over the call of the connna ndcr of one of the transport c]j\i~ions .md g:!n.' orders to Jand troops n ucl supplies west of a certain pier. where [ups armed with automa tic \\'eapons were !I'ing in a III bush, The radio operator, alert and suspicious, demanded uuthcuticat ion. There \Ias no reply, and orders were gin'n to disregard the pllony nless;lge, This J:lp attempt at deception f.ulcd.
AA in a Hut. ;\ current J;IP trick is to clIllonflage hcavv nntiuircrnft installations as nativc huts. A structure of this kind. m.rdc of palm fronds and c.uuou fhge nets, rests on a rull\\'a}' of planks so that it can be movccl quicklv to clear the gun for action, The device is in line with the J;IP svstcm of relocating antiaircraft installations at Frequent intervals. Emplaced Flame- Thrower. In both Fr.mrc and Itnlv, the Ccrm.ms h.rvc used emplaced fi.unc-th rowers which, while e!Teeti\e as a psycholog1C:d measure ag;linst uclvancing troops, arc not of great tuctical \,;dlle, The fl.nnc-throwcr consists of a hcavv cast iron cvlinclr ical tank \\'ith an eight-gallon capacity, a small cvlinclricul propellant container screwed into the tank, and :1 flame tube !I\'O inches in diameter wh ich rises from the top of the device and bends forward about 20 inches. i\ container just bclo the muzzle holds the OCTOBER,1944

ignition squib which ignites the liquid as it is cmitted from the tube, It is fired bv clcctricul impulse. The burst is 1 to 11/2 seconds. and the heat' is m tcu : at a distance of 10 yards from the fl.uuc, \"eapons of this kind have been found emplaced d irct-tlv behind mincfickl-, .md barbed wire cnt.mgk-mcuts. Usmll\' t hcv nrc coucc.ilcd in pi!cs of rocks so th;lt only the nllluies :Il'e npmccl.
Little Gentlemen. A recent J;IP order to troops in Burma pointed to the Importance of nnderstanding the ps\cholog\' of tlle IUti\CS, Soldiers were urged to "d i-plav the spirit of the Imperial Armv." Ikcmse thcv were regarded :IS "distasteflll to tIle lI;I!i\'('S." the fo]lOl\ing practices \H'IC frO\\'lll'd npon: Disfigurement of the p:lgo. d:h,

Striking n.rtivcs. InslJiting priests cio!l of !l;iti\'eS \ lolcst ins; wunun. I.>,posillg the bodv.
Jap Firepower.

or

COl'!'

n.r k ccl

r-,Iore reports of iucrcu-cd J:IJl armament: that the bnily. [ap four.engine patrol bomber, curries file 20 rum c.umon , one in a top turret, one in a tail turret, one in the nose and two in the \\':list. The top and t.iil turrets arc hvd ruul icullv powered for clcv.rt ion .md traverse, and the nose gun is hvdr.mlically powered for clcvut iou. The top gnn h:1S a 3(JO.degree t r.tvcr sc and S:;degree clcvut iou . The t.ul turret has -IO.degree truvcr-;c to either side. \ Vnixt cannon cover a cone of npproximatclv I?O dczrccs traverse and 8:; degrees-elc\ation, .vnucn plat ins on this hmul xr also h.ts been inCTClsecl,

It is now known

and ShtufJ. Ready to f.icc the facts uglv Illongh they he, a Ccnuun drvixiou commandcr issued the follow. Ing' order: 'Real comradeship can prcv cnt much trouble, A soldier should help drunken l omradcs to keep ant of trouble If a soldier is ordered to get a di unkcn comrade home, he is obliged tc obey 1\ len who report late because they help a drunken conu.idc will not be punished." Shympathy

Just Like That, The w.iv to clcstrov ;\llicd air pO\\Tr,' sal's ;1 recent official J;IP document on the subject, is to "deal the cncmv a ir force Its death blow at the outset of the battle bv sei/.ing the iuitiativc with ~I surprise raid wluch cmplovs nn o\endlchnlllgly supenor .nt t<lT cc It ;lclds' "Thcn the cncmv wil] lx. clcvtrovcd bv a sue cession of rel(.'ntlcs~ attacks wh ich allo\\' him no chance for IeeO\Tr}'. The principal .nm \\'ill he to achieve psy cholo"ICll and material SHe, cess fly using a conccntrut rnn of po\\'er and by selectm~ the time and measures dcm.mdcd by the situation " And as ;{ final thought"We will plan to achieve complete success in battle bv making repeated nttnck- in succession regardless of loss"

23

Airmen of the 14th Air Force and their Chinese allies fig'-t ,al'inst the advancing
Lake in powered landing barges, sampans, double and triple decked river st c.uncr supported In' gllllho;lts and hght destroyers, On l.nul. alollg the eastern Ibllk of the drive c.iv.rlrv spearheads led the attack, supplied b:' motor convovs and pack horse tr.uux. The: Japs avoided tllc good rO;lds wh ich Cluur:: h.id hlocked .mcl wcr prepared to defelld, Iuxtc.]. tltel' strclIllld dO\11I ncglectec! xccoud.nv roads alld over Ilmdillg patlts tltrollgh hil!x .mcl hetlleell rice p.r.klic-, Durinr; tlte tlrst mouth the we.it her II'~LSso hid t lr.it Japs relied upon it for protection ag~lIl1St .nr attack and moved freeh .mr] opcllh' dmillg cLnlight. I'::,cept for the OpClllIIg d.ivx of the .rttuck , wc.it lnr grolllldeel the ]~lp~lnesc uir force, and the ellelll:' conuu.mdcrx expected the Amcric.m air forcc t o vutl cr ;1 simil.u bte, I II th.it error t hcv rcckouccl wi t huuf the tlghter-bomhers of Co!. l r.ivicl ('(ex) l Iill, LlllllJll\ fIghter grollp, For \\eeL Oil cllel these IIICII f1lW throllgh uou-opcr.it ioual wc.rt lic-r. tOIJk off ill r;limtonm t li.it SnlCIIl'C1 the end of the rI1ll1l;IIS, hlttkel fog ;llICI frollts and I ()()foot ceilmgs, a nd twisted their \1:11' IIp rivcr s .uid l;ilklS to filld and slallgltter cncmv COlll111m, Tlie l'--f()s .i ur] \lllst:Jllgs of this grollp Hc'\\' l'lgllt to tell IIlis',iolls a cl.iv from LIIII-SIJ:lkl'C1 fielels, with m;ln:' pilots aleLlgillg t h nc :llld fom missl(llls a cJ:II' for a week at a stretcll. Oi: squ.ichou lc:lder fll'll -f-:lilisslOm in less titan t hrc: Ilecks, II:IS sltot dO\11I hI icc, LIII !Jack to safetl ;Inoss tlte h:lttletleld wit]: J;IP p:ltrols 011 lils heels. then sllOt clown t lucc J:lp pLlIIes in ;1 sillgle flgbt (II .r I kng"ang, ,\11 of thcse IlIISSIOIl, wcr fl0111l 011 the delk and in the teetli of hCIII' ~rollnd fire, ()II nl:III\' ri ,.r S\ICCP" ccilillg .mc] ,isihilit'" l~lTe so hid tb.it pilot~ cIJlild sec neither b.nik of t l u: stream .u] tluir props l.icl.cd SpLII' off the wut cr. The sLillghtlT dming this plr.i-.c of t hc Cllllp:ligll 11:1' terrific, Tillie .tf hr timc the Amnic:ms CIIl[!ht (';n ;iln CO]lIIIII1S of 'i()n to :::,()()() nu-n .nn] ]J()Lses strtlllg out :ilollg roads in narrow \;I]]els, ]':ILlfr;lgS .md rockets tore gre:lt g;lps ill the colum n-, ill tlie first xurpri: attack, t hcn the flgllters rct nrucd ill pass after p:ISS to xtr.ifc the survivors. The nl:111I truck road ruuu ius; sonthwcst from the YaugtIe River hlse, was combed repc:ltl'Cll:' .md it soon \\'as dotted with burned ;1IIc! wrcol.c] trucks. l lcuvy ut t.icks were uurclc OIl the hllc;e HotilLis and hGllih' belen tr:!llSport fleets 1ll00illg clil\\ II 'luIIgting LIke alld the rilers south of thc Like, Rockets glltted the big tr;III'ports, cliH'-holllhing knockcd Ollt gllllhoats \I'hilc parafr:lgs and ,tr:l!illg lII:!de a hloOlh' sh:llnhks of troop-loaded h;nges and g:ls-clrrl'ing s;nnp:lns, Pilots dUlllpeel tllcir helly tllnks into the !llass of l\Tcckcd l)(};lts, troops anc! horscs, and tIle nl'Xt pilots set the g;ls ;lhLIlC \\ith /ra ec'!', , Close li;lison bet\lCLn Chinese grOlllld forcc" Alllericm field LldlO k:1l11S ;llId ;lir force units resulted in 1ll;II1\' dC\';lstating strikcs elming the earh, ph:lses of the CIl1IJnign, In olle serics of tI\ e Illissions ;lg:lillSt }ap:lIlcsc bllelings on the SOllth shore of 'lungting Llkc, the Al1Icricln fighter-hOlnhlTs blkel I,:;(I() troop,. :;()() horscs ;lIld S;1I1); IlGlrh 2()O hO:lts B,: Juh' I ().\ll1lTiclll pbncs had sUl1k :;,C)C,(I bn:lts. inChinese ltc1pecl nwn

Japanese

cludlllg large steamers and file glllll)():lts; killed S,()()O trr)()j)s ;llIeI nc.rrlv 3,000 her-ex ;md h;leI I\Teckeei or blIlllcd S()() t nul.. \l:Jrslt:11 Hseuh Yo, couun.uidcr of tIle Chinese flcld .mnic-, lTcdited tIle AlilniC:llI pblll's with kIllIlIg .uul \\'ollllelmg 1-f,(J()() J:lp troops .md elestro:illg 2() field sllpply dcpots, Bv thc tin u- ]:lp;lllcse forccs h.id rcached Heng\'<llIg and tIle CIIIl1l'se I ()th ,\1111\' h.rd m.lc :I cktlTlnincei st.md , the cncurv \\:IS tcru por.uilv 'depletl'Cl bv the Anur ic.m .ur ;ISSIllilt, .mcl it took in ore than :I month to move cnougll fresh troops :ll1d sllppJics tlilollgli thc g:lllll tlet of the !-fth's air ;ltLlck to wip out tllc CIIIIIl'se c!efenellTs .md /;Jke tlu: towu, \\ lnle CenlT;ll ]'ong's I fith .vnn , \\;IS s:lerificing itsclf in tile ruin-, of Ilengl:lIlg. frcsh Chinese .nnuc-, wcrc: :!ble to ](:lcll t lu: front .n] l'sLlhlish ;J cldcn\e line sout h O( Ifcngl:llIg, ])111111[,; the -f<1cLJI' hlttlc for TTt-ngl:lIlg. born lxr-. :lIld tLllI'!l(}rh choppcc] tons of rice, .nn nmuit ion .uid medical slIpplils to the hesll'gnl g:lIIisOlI. TIll' .\l1IlTie;ms elill'bOlllblll }:lj) ;lrli]]C'I\' positlolls :Illel !Jillb()\:es :IIilllllei tIll' 1<11\11,,!r:lflll trcllehes ;IIILl elc\trO\cd Ilill\!(k klllpks 1\]lieil the J;ljl\ h.rd cOII\ntecl illtIJ \tr(llIg ])(}illh .n! CIJIIIIII'llIc!
P(I"t" .

on

. J:lp prisoners c.rpl urc d ;:rolllld IllIIC:\:III:"; :";:11 cloqllcnt e tlstlnJ()lIl' to tliC et'fcctllTlIlSS of tIll' ,\IIIl'liC:l11 .rir .rt t.ick. \1(I't of'thcm \\CIC C:ljltmnl on F<l(ld for;lging c'\pcelitioll'i, llLlcie IlcceSS:lI\' b\ th, hI1l11e of ru: sllppiles to rC:leil tIle fHlnt. \Lilll' prlsIJlllls Il]J'Jllcc1 t h.it t lu . reCl'iH'eI no 1';1110m f(lr ;1 I\('(,k ,It ;\ lilllC :Illd l\'efC f"rcu] to Jile otT tl: l.m.]. Tluv \\lTC (,;lptl1lld IIllile cligglll:"; poLltoes. sk:t1illg pl:Jelre' .nrd CII;ISllle; ch i.l.cu-; ;'IICI 111;111\lr;lel ollh thc .un1I11111I!J()!1\I h ich \\;1\ kft fr(litl t l. I ,Ii J(lIlllds isslll'll tltcIll .it t hc st.nt of t l: C:illljl:lie;ll, ,\11 \lerc hidn .rbout t lic LIck (If .nr sUPllmt from t luir OI\!1 pLillC\ .uid ni.m v suicl the oulv Llctll:Il pLlIles tlte:' 1J:ld sccn II ere ,\lIIeriC:lll. Casll:tltil" :lIIlOlle; some uuit s wcrc so hC;'1 I' ill .ur :!tLlcls th.i! tlu-v \I lie wit hd r.rwn frOI11 tliC t ron t. ' , \\hlll the \I'elther clc:lfCd ill elf]:' }1I11. \fitchc]] homhers joilll'll the lxrt t lc, C:llll1oll-C:lrr\ illg B-::: 'S <we-pt t11c hro:ld Si;mg River .md TUlle;tillg Luke ;IS \\ell ;1, the Y:lIIgLce where freslt troojls ;Illd supplies \lcrc' \tillmO\ ille; 1\ cst to I LlIIgkoll' , Cllllho:lls, tr:lmports ;lIlel freie;hters \\CIT sllllk hI' IOllg Lllle;e sltcIJlIlg fJ(l]1l tIle ;Iirhorlle -;-'s. Suppll' ckpots bce;lllle a specI:I1 ohjecli\(' of lhc \litehclls. ;mel \\Jth \lmt:lIlgs leaeling thc \\:1\' ;1Ile! Ill,nkillg tJIl' Lirgcts Ill' elI\C-hlJlllhillg, the IIIle!illlll bOl11hers fo]]()\\cel 'Illd elcll\cree! tIll' he:lly plllleh, 1,1 l n 111:1111 };lp;IIlCSe lield slIpph elepot hch\cCIJ YOc/1O\I' ;lIlel Simllih \\;IS rcpc'lteelh' hit. ;Illel tIle 1II:lill tr:lllsshiplllellt ])(lillt :It Simhlh \\,IS I irlu:J1h' \\ ipcel out ill ;1 -:-:::-IJOllr sustllllCel ;lttIC].;, P--f()s ;lllel \11I\t:lIlC:S cli\e-holllhed In C!:II' \\'hile \ Iitcllclls ;lllel I,ihcr;ltofs frol11 rc~ir h:lses S<ltm:ltecj the Lirget Ill' lllgltt, Truck p:nk\, fuel :lllc! ;IIIIIIIUllilioll ellllllpS ;lllel nel' storcs ;111 \lTnt up III gr(;lt firls 'llle! l"\plosiom th'lt wckeel tlte tml n f(lr ;1 full cLiI ;Iftlr tIll' bOlllhlllg, The l1I;ljm (ColltIl1i;U] (Ill l':lge (,(1)
The A,AF left ;corehl'll

snpplies before J'IPS o\crr:lll b;ISC:It

!!Ul!.,I:Ii12,

e:lrth k~ I :;J' \\ho toc').; I!enc\'ang

airfield,

->",i"

hj/'-

.""tJnil'et
By Col. Donald L. Putt
Materiel Command

The pressurized interior of the 8.29 is the result of research and experimentation which began in 1919.

more than 25 vears, aeronautical engineers have experimented with pressurized cabins as the solution to problems of anoxia and bends encountered at high altitudes. The mechanical problem has been to build an airtight plane that can fly in the substratosphere where the air is thin and the pressure is low-an aircraft with a leak-proof cabin that would maintain low-altitude atmospheric pressure during high-altitude operations. Although the first tactical aircraft incorporating pressurization was the B-29, the AAF had launched its research program on pressurizing airplanes in 1919. There were two possible solutions to the problem. One was to force oxygen into the lungs through pressure masks worn at high altitudes; the other, to pressurize the cabin air. In 1919. Lt. Harold R. Harris, a test pilot, took off in an airplane with a sealed tank-like chamber covering the cockpit-the first test flight of a pressure cabin. Air from a wind-driven blower mounted on the plane's wing was compressed in the cockpit. The test failed when the pressure control mechanism went havwirc. Instruments recorded a cabin temperature of I SO degrees and an altitude of 9,000 feet below sea lcvcll Our cuzinccrs were faced with thc problem of designing the fuselage structure of airplanes to seal perfectly the joints, doors, windows and instruments. The project liad to wait because the proper planes wcrcu' t even on the drafting boards. Fifteen years had passed before the problem was tackled again. . In 19,4, \Vilev Post submitted a pressure snIt-a blown up pair of overalls made air tight \vith a rubberized .par~chute silk and an aluminum oxygen helmet-for expenmental test flights to high altitudes. The suit worked, but became of it: weight and bulk it greatly impaired movement of airmen.
OR

With development of larger planes, more powerful engines and improved turbo superchargers, AAF engineers again turned to the pressurized cabin. The first successful pressurized airplane was the XC-)), a modified Lockheed Electra airliner. Engines had exhaustdriven turbo superchargers that maintained an interior pressure under 10,000 feet when at an operational altitude of 25,000 feet, later increased to 30,000 feet. Cabin supercharging was accomplished by an auxiliary impeller operating on the same shaft as the engine supercharger. Major disadvantage of this system was that the speed of the cabin supercharger varied with the main engine output. \\'hcn the engine slowed down, pressurc within the cabin dropped off. Among other drawbacks, frost fanned on the inside and ice on thc outside of windows, and airspeed meters, rate of climb indicators and other instruments malfunctioned because of instrument case leakage. These problems were partially solved in the XC-,5 airplane. In principle, at least, AAF engineers were on the right track toward a practicable pressurized cabin system. Boeing built the ideas into the .. 30/" transport, fourengined Stratolincr which brought "upper-level" flight to the airlines in 19~9-40. Supercharging the 307's cabin was accomplished hy a mechanical compressor geared directly to the engine rather than to the turbo-supercharger. Constant speed 'propellers insured constant engine rpm so the geared compressor would permit the cabin to maintain its pressurc during descents. Thc cabin, however, was only pressurized to 12,000 feet at 20,000 or about 2V2 pounds per squarc inch. Although the fuselage of the "307" was much largcr in diameter than XC-3S's, it also utilized the circular crosssection introduced in the Army's first substratospherc aircraft as the best, strongest and lightcst shape for pressurized cham bers. Theoretically, since air under pressure tends to
AIR

26

FORCE

equalize in :111\' cont.nnt r-i--witucss the bubble --thc idcal prosurc-eabin \\ould be :1 herJ11dic:dh--se:ded spherc, Sinee a sphere-shaped c:J!llll docs not med the requirements for .urer:!ft frlsdlge dCSI',;ll, engl11eers turned to a lIlindrll:J! fllSl'I:Ige cou-trucl ion with :lirtigiIt 'piIeric:J!-'l'gJ11lnt lJrc\Sure bul khe:lck Thc ,\,\1: nc:\t cmb.nkcd on :111 cxpc nIllcul:I1 prl'\Sllri/luf; pro~r:lul \\ith :1 l1InhuJ11 !llin-l'nginl' bonlblT, '\orth\ulnic:ul's :\.B-='>, This pl.uu used the ulech:lnic:d eugine-ge:ned supnclt:lrgn wh ich kl'pt :111 '-,,{il)(I-loot c.rhiu prosurl' in thc uircr.rf t .rt :;:;,(I(lll fed, Cubiu hl':tlim; 11:1S:lccOluphslil'd bl' :111:\ih:Ir\' hcatns in the dudiug l h.rt circul.u cd .ur tlilough tIle c:!11in, ,\ pLlStic corn pound \I:IS spLlled tllrollf;)J(lnt tIle iu tvrior to sc:I1-proof the elt:l11lher. '{hin rubber strips also IILTe s:nld. Ilichcd lxt wccn ;111 rivctccl joints, The Ill'\\' prohkm of 1,)c:lll11g .um.uuc-nt pllllJl'rh' in a prosmlznl pLrnc 1\:10,sohnl In' pLrcing :J!I t urrttx on t lu: \:B-='1 out side th c lJrl'\Sllri/nl :IlC:IS, Cum \\TIT nmotclv controlled frOJ11 jJil'SSUIVl'(] siglltiuf; sLltiom, Comtrueting .m ;Iirtight c.ibin in the 13-=9 ill\ohnl a sl':lrch for new sedlllg m.rtcr i.rl .mcl f:Ihrication methods. Rubber (Tl1ICnt, USl,el in the :\.C-:;:;, provccl un-utisfuctorv for blisters, t urrct IITlIs ;;nd the grcenhome {IOSC. Strurt JOInts .md dncting methods of se:dinf;. '!'In} IIpes of struetm;d seiling \H,Te adopted: cmllprcssing sClling compounds be' tween :111 joints xvith COI1\Tn tiou.rl ri ITting .md rilTting all joints as in uorm.rl cou-tructiou and p:linting or cO:lting wit h scaling material. In the compression methoel, adhcsivc tape is sandwiched lxtwccu all O\LTLIpping joints .uid riveted to produce an airtight seal. A new sponge.like pl.ixt ic compound is sprayed O\Tr all joints after conventional riveting in the other lI']Je of const ructiou. Both mcthodx effect ;1 seal which allows oulv ten pounds of air per minute to cscape through ucccss.nv openings for valves and bulkheads. Cabin air hIO\\lTS pump four times this amount of air into the cabin C\lTV (10 scconels. Regulators m.iiutuin norm;;1 cabin prcssmc hv "balancing" incoming air against normal air leabgc. Thc elanger of prcssme blowing out plcxiglas hlisters enclosing sighting stations and the pilot's compartment have been eliminated bv usc of 11\0 byers of Lucitc with a single ph' of Butacite sandwiched in between. These trunsparcut materials h;1\T self-scaling propertics that restrict a shell hole to minimum size. Discs of the same material permit patching of holes, with inside air press me holding the disc ;lgaimt the opcning. Because thc new compound is soft .md flexible it docs not shatter. '1'0 determine thc effect on skin structure of the sudden escape of pressurized air through a shell hole, firing tests were conducted that proved xliclls lwcl little more d;lIIwging effect structurally agaillst a pressurized cabin than agai nst a C 011\ 'cu tiona I ca bi u construction. Explosi\e decompression. rcsulting from shell. fire, did ITI cal one danger spol-it caused air
ur.il ncccv.it.itcd m-w

to accelerate at such terrific speeds t lirough the tunnel that tire force \\;]S enollgh to catapult :1 m.m out either end with d;ll1gerOl\S dtee!, Snl;t11 doors \\Tre iuvt.illcd ;It both end, to suppress ;mspeed in the tumu-l to ;1 S:IEepoint. 'Ih C B- = l) II:IS t hrc: C01llp.ntmcn ts presSlllll.cd from tire S:I1llC SI,tlll1. The fOI\\;nd ,cction for t lic fligllt erl:\\' e,tends from tlie uu-c 1<) :1 press me iJltlklllilc! jllst fOJ'\I':lrd of t lu. hornh h'II, TI!is COl1IP:lih!lellt is COil. l1cclul 11:' :1 prcS'mi/u] t ni x. :;'f mchcs in Cil'lllle!er, th.rt ruu-, t!II"llgh tl: h.nu b h:1I to tile aft prcssmc c.rbin I\hue gil]) sLItiol1' ;IIT ]oclted. ,\ third pleSSurl' ch.uul.cr is ll1 the cxt rcm t.ril, ]1ll11,illg the rc.ir gll1mer. Durillg pre'sml/lhol1 of tIll' first struetm:tl test m.!cl to detnll1ille its ':!fL tI lnuit-. the c.ibiu 11:1., plllllpul to :1 PI'C.,~!rl" t luc ti1lles ;1\ grc;lt :1\ it woulc] nccd,lt its ur.tx iu uu n .ill itud bdorl' t lu, uo:. ,ectioll hil'l\ out. ,\fter nperiulcnLltll!1l \'_JlII the lllcchallictl sllpercharger OJl t lrc :\'1).=". I\C ;1;;:1111 t uru.d to thc tmhod rivcn sllpcrc1I:',igU fm prcssllli/,illg the B-=9. 'l hc Ill'\\ ,,\,',tUII clJll11Jl;lkd tIle uuxili.rrv im peller (for crhiil ;rir) t h.it \\:i' on the engine tmho-snperc!l:ngu of the :\'C:;:;. Hv hleeding the conlprl',ed air from the t u rlio uupcllcr into tIle CI])in, ;IS \\Tll :1\ into the c.uhurctors. the B-=9 ,,,tun is silnplitlul in dcsign .md lightened ill \\'Cn:;ht. Cubin .ur is t:lken from the turbo 'Ilperell;ngers of hoth inboard n;1Cclles bl a S\stem of dncting, Compressed .nr from either n;\lTlle is sutlicicn! for pressmi/:ltion of the entire cabin in the event of one cngine failure. From sea level to f),000 feet the c.rbin "altitude prcxxurc" is the ,;II11e as the altitude at which the .nrcr.ift is flYing. From f),OOO fee! to ,0.000 feet. the rcguhtors maintain a COIIst.mt f).OOO-foot press me inside the cabin bv allo\\'ing oulv air above that pressure to escape. AbO\'C :;0.000 feet the S\stem of sllpereharging maint.nus a 6,:;) pound per sCJnare inch differenti;J1 in pressure between the cabin am! the outside air, or, for cx.un plc, a cabin altitude of 10.20() fee! at ,:;,(l00 feet. l Icut in the cabin comes from 1\\0 g;\soline operated heaters and the heat of compression from the cabin superchargers. A thcrmustat automatically controls the heating units. Turrets on the 13-=9, located outsicl thc prcssme areas, arc fired rcmotclv from fire con trol st:1tions that arc prcssur izcd . Upper and lower forward turrets rest in large "cnns" wh icli drop clown into the pressure cabin. The Allies arc not alone in their development of the pressurized cabin. Some \IK liNGs ha\'c cabins with a pressure differential that maintains 10,000.foot cabin altitude at 3 ),000 feet. And rcportccllv. the dieselpowered JU-S6K reconnaissance airplane !J;lS been flo\\'ll above +f,OOO feet, Its pressure cabin uses blowers and dueling with all internal t urbo-supcrchargcr. These l\'azi pl.uus. however, have not hcen seen in combat other than on lone rccounaissancc missions, Onlv the AAF IS llsm~ pressurized cabin airplanes tactically in large I1Ul1l hers. U

Above :;0,000 feet. a 6.55pound pcr sqllare inch differential is maintained between the internal and the external air 'pressure.

From 8,0'00 to 30,000 feet; regulators maintain a constant 8,OOO-foot pressure by allowing only air above that pressure to escape.

From sea level to 8,000 feet, pressure inside is the same as atmospheric' pressure at the altitude at which the plane is flying.

OCTOBER.

1944

27

011 BOll~aiIldk is quicklv unloaded 'It under the supervision of Lt. Ria] Smith,

Pistol-packin'

Flight Nurse of the

,th\lr

l.itorv p.it icnts with pilot who will fll them

Iorce from

chcek> her .unbul Ioll.mdia to Lac,

28

AIR

FORCE

If there were a popularity contest competent, courageous

in the AAF, these girls would win it hands down

in l':ngbnd and her paticnt , were taken off bv an unloadiug tc.uu. \\'atcl;ing her men taken off the plane, she sal\' ...~.. ". 1 tlwt the~' were lwndled gcnthand assured them that the . ncx t hop would Janel them in a general hospital. "The men all looked back from their litters and said gooellnT," she said. "The biggest thrill I C\Tr got was when one corporal, badlv \\'ounelecl. ]ookedmc in tlic LTCand s:licl. '\,mse, J w.int \'(;U to know how much I apj)reeiate tlu. I 'vc never h.ul such considcr.ition before.' " A'or is the corporal alone in his gratitnele. ~ len in C\Tn tl'Cltcr know these women h;' Her plane loaded wit h nnw. Scvcntv-two hours after wounded m ilit.uv pcr-ouncl. U, S, forces'LlIldcd on 'J ':If:ILr. Bernice I Lmington dim]" \\a, flight n urxcs were there .iho.uc] wit l: her parachute. :111 ve-t for t rip f rnm Cnac1al, too, helping to evacuate tlu: (';111:11 to Un i t rd States, wounclcd from that hloodv bc.rchlrcad to hospitals in I r:i, waii and the fincst medical care a m.m could get. The\' were at BOllg:lilllille, .rt Sicilv, Snlcruo, ,\IlI,io, The Bmlna front-and the south of France. :'\;UllC ;In~' big puxh; Hight nurses \HTC on the sccnc within a matter of hours after our troops moved in, Thl'\' \HTe the first \\hite women on .\ lunch, CuacbJcanal and the other South P:leific islands since war hegan; they were the first U. S. Arrnv nurses to reach China. 'lhcv get around in a global \\':1~', hut th:lfs oulv part of the storv. They also hale had to IX1\' a price for choosing th is duty-the soldier's price, SCleral of them have gi\Tn l licir li\'es in this service since w.rr hcg:]]], othcTs lla\e been shot c10\\'I1. 'I'hir tccn landed in cncmv-lu-kl terri ton' and spent months escaping, ;\ fe\\' h:I\T h:id to "hit the' silk," .\ 1:111\'others hale had br uslu with the cncmv-c-uud too close' for comfort. thcv wil! .rclm it. Nurses fl\'ing Southwest l':lcifie routes have often arrilcd at a ficlel to find it on Condition Recl. Others have spent n];II1\' 10m; homs in Cuad.ilcanal's fo'.:ho]cs during 1Jo11lhings-l:; r~lids in 5J 2 h ou rx \\:1S the experienc-e of onc nnr-,c. To the South PilCihc l\'l'nt somc of thc first flight nurses gr:lClu:ltec1 from B(l\\nLln Fic'ld's School of .\ir 1'\:lcu:ltion, This \\'as c.nlv I 9-f::, 1\ len who were in tli.it t lic.itcr c.in aeId some chapter's of their 0\\'11 about the valor of these \IOmCn, Thcv sa\\' thcm put up with c\Trdhing men h.icl to f:Jcescorching suns. torrential rain-, s\\':rrms of mosCjuitocs cvcrvwhcrc. the prescnee of iu.rl.ui.t and dengue fC'lLT, in.rdcqu.rtc qu.utcr. clio: out of mcss kits \\'hile sLlllding ankle deep in mud, If womc ever hncl a ch:lIlcc to pr(}\c the\' con]cl take the rough with the smooth. tllis \\,;IS it, Tl urc \\'l'll' no qu.utcr-, for them on Cuaduk-an.tl at first, so the O\crniglrt stop on the long trip from ]\,'cw Calcdoni.m hc.rclqu.irt cr-, \\';JS gener:I1I\' Lspiritu S:lIlto. Up at 0100, takeoff at 0300, .miv.r! at Henderson Field at 0';'30 to pick up hltt1c easlJ:J1tics scnt c](l\\n from the ficrce fighting lip ~C'\\' BriLlin \\;1\', "-hcn

r.rc.nr nurses nt a 9th Troop Carrier h~lse in r':ngbnd had been alerted for a month, Across the field \\"~lSa stocknclc filled \lith pacltrooJ!ers rcadv for an order to scramblc into the C--f-:-s, That afternoon a car witl: a four-star insigne bad been seen on the field, But rc,trietious h:rd been on, then off a dozen times and I'light ?'lIlSC Frances Sandstrom thought surely she would have time to enjoy the lonclv luxurv of a soap\' shampoo, She went to the ShO\HT room, turned on the water, soaked her lr.ur-i--nud the invasion hcgan, Lieutenant Sundstrom dressed h urricd!v. pmhed her dripI)iug h.rir into a knittcd CI cap ane! r.m out to the flight line to join the ot lur nurses, "It never fail,," she cxpluiuccl hreathlcssll', "If J \\':Ish m v h.rir, something .ilwnvs happens'" Tile Sbtrains thundered down the rIm\\:II', IO:lcleci witl: paratroopers. i\ ursc Suncistrom watched them 'go, too excited to feel the w.rtcr trickling out of her cap and dO\\'I1 her neck, ""'c stood there until they were all gone, then we \Iaited for them to come back," she said, "Vvc knew most of tIll' crcws, as \\T Jr:rd been restricted to the h:1se so long, I guess we nurses were like a cheering section at 0::00 when thcv began coming hack, As soon as we could sec the number of a pl.u ic we'd yell, 'There's Jack, , , there's ~ like . , . there's [inunv, hooray!' and we kept it np until e\'en' plane \\'as s.ifclv hack. ";'\e'.:t trip thcv hooked up the gliders and took off ag:lin \I'ith airhornc infun trv. "'c knew the first surp n:: \\'as O\Tr. that the Ccrrnuns would he npeeting them, And be-lieve me, this trip \\T really sweated them out. ,\ftcr a Jong time they st.utcd coming hack, hut this time it \\'as different. Thc pl.mcs \HTC shot up, Some of the erC'\\'S were wounded. and some of the C--tlS had ragged holes in their \\'ings, \\e waited on the line, counting each one-and finally, again thcv :lll got hack," The nurscs had not long to wait and jnst w.rtcl: the sLies. however. 1-:.:acrl, , four cla\'S later. fi\'e nurses from that ba:, ' flew to Franec,' On D-p'lns-9 l\urse Sand-tr.un made the first of her n];I11\' trips to l\orm:1!1c!l'. "\\'e took off that Illorning and flew over the :\'or11lanch' beach and landed. "'c \\Tre the first plane to land on the first steel 111:lt strip put down bv our adv.uuc engineers, 'lhcv had jnst finished the job when our C--f-:- c.uuc in, """reeked gliders were scattered all OHT the coun t rvsiclc. The troops were fighting only three miles a\\'~l\' and \\T could hell' Lmd mines espJoding around us. I \\'as told to st.rv insiclc the plane, since all Ccrnmn snipcr h.rd not been cleared ont and were taking occl,ion:!l shots ;lero"s the bnding mat. "About sundown \\T went b.ick to the bc.icl: .md picked up our patients, 16 litters ;1I1d tin) .unbul.itorv cases, This \\'as ;1 elcrring station where men \\'(Te hrought ill am Im1:1I1C'('S from where thcv had hecn wounded. "I h:l mv first eont,:IC't with ncxv iuv.rsiuu clsn:J1hcs "lien the lO:l(]ing' tClIllS brolli.,:ht mv P:ltiClItS :1l>o:lrcl, .\Tost of t hcm were b.ullv wounded. Thcv \\'lTC dirtv. right out of the foxholes. 1\ l.mv of them \\TIT suffering, but I h:lCl not one m nrm ur of complaint from :111\' of th ciu . It \\'as hot :md clustv hut tlicv were calm and asked for nothing except w.itcr. F~lCh time J g:I\T a ru.m ;1 drink he smiled, or tried 10. :1I1cl t lurukcd mc ~lS if I h:lel done something vcrv heroic :Inel \\onclerfnl." I ,ielltcn:l1l1 S:l1ldstrom's pbne bllcleel at a holeling ,tation

"--'

OCTOBER,1944

29

the plane landed, a jccp would drive up with coffee and sandwiches which would be gulped down between slvatting the flies aW;1\'. As a matter of fact. K rations eaten alZlft constituted the chief hill of fure for these commuting nurses. There was never time for a square meal for days at a stretch. l'hings picked up considcr.iblv with the construction of Cuad.tlc.mul's "Hotel de Gink," a hostclrv in name only, which did at least' provide a screened-in mcxshall of comparative luxurv to nurses stopping for brief periods between f1igh ts. Thc first landings which flight nurses made on th.it battle-torn island, iucidcntallv, arc not likclv to he forgotten. \ lost of the men stationed there had not seen a white \\'OIlLm for more than a vcar. "'ord that a woman had landed sl;read quick lv throughout the field. \\'a, as quickly denied hv CI \\'iseacres \\ho k ncw it couldn't he posviblc. 0:el'ertheless, h und rcdx CTOIl'Cled around ju,t to witness the miracle. Soldiers too far ;1\\';]\' from the runwav used hiuoculars. ;\nci no matter how m.mv time, nurses have flown in since, there continue to he a,toni,hed eric, of "Cood I .ord, there's ;1 woru.m!" "rust as I \\a, ,tepping out of a jeep to enter the I !otel de Cink once. a hOI' ran up to 11Ie .md ,hook me hurd. ,is though he couldn't lx-licvc I \\a, actuallv h um.t n." ;'\ ur: Cerda Houwhu is refated. "',\re vou the real \lcCOI"' he shouted. 'I h:I\~'Ir't ,eeu a wlutc \\:OIILl11 sincc !,aid goodlJll' to mv wif IS months ;Igo. 1'111 going 10 write home .md tell her lvr- fiu.illv seen .m .vmcnc.m girl and that it ,v:i'i almovt as good ;1S seeing her.' " Flight nu r-. :lIl' rc:d people, not given 10 .uiv pretL'n,C\, Of cour-: thcv f~el their ,It:lrc of .rttontinn \\herel'cT thcv arc. hilt thcv claim t lii-, is bcc.ru, Ihe~' arc 11Il'lTh' ,~'mhol" tlr.i! thcv ou lv serve 10 re11lil;d 'a m.m of the \\"ife or '\\l'ethearl he lefl hchind,\nd thcv'rc frank cnollgh to .ulmit that IIpon O('CIsiou tl1i'i cnn he ,1ighth' annOling. 100, "One nigllt at a par!l' in ""e\\' Cdcdoni.r." reported 1,1. Scraphine Petro, cclli, "there \lerc .ibout ;1 hunclred tellows .nouurl .n] I II:IS the on lv girL Sure, it Iva, \\ondcrfllL ,\ licutc-n.uit and I Iv:dked clown to Ihe heach .md ,at on a rock .mr] looked at Ihe moon, Bul, do I'OU k noxv \\h:11 Ilc did? lie 'l1Cnt Ihe' cntire cvcniusr':> ttlliu ':> mc ahout hi, girl h:lck 11001Ie'" The nurse,," cbte" hI' Ihe \\:11'. took on an ,1,peel r:lllier nlOil' pr:lctic::d Ill:ul !om:mtic in th:lt Ihclter. 7\'ur,c, could afford to hc inclepcnc]cnt--:md :ldmittL'C] it. ThcI' :leTcpt~'d invitatiollS \lith con siderahle fornight, During thmc Ijr,1
(COllI 1l1l1['d oil 1':I':l' (,:
I

As a
answers sonnel

medium for the exchange of ideas, Am FORCr: presents these to its Questiou of the ~Ionth. Replies arc those of perrecently returned from combat duty in the areas indicated.

THE QUESTION: If you had to change your classification, what would you want to do?
Lt, Morris Silberman, nali!;ator, lt.ilv. ',],el still like to be ;1 na'igatof. Yon get a kick out of lcadiru; a fhght 01'('[ auel fiuding the target, then hitting it right on the no-c. That thrill cau't he duphcntccl .rnvwhcrc in the .\,\1', Yon arc 1I'l1rking all the time. keeping buvv. :mel there isn't much time to worr v about wh.r! might happen. I'm complctclv sold on the import.nnc of a n:ll'I!;ator to the .'>ncce" of his Inr"ion and Id just as <oon keep the s.nuc io" I h.rvc now It's all tc.uuwork. wi t h L'lenhOlh dependill:; Ilpon cvcrvborlv e],,', hilt I feel the ILlligator i, one of the key men." Sgt, Joseph Vanek, gllnl1l'l. Sont]l\\T,t 1':1eific: "L'rl p"t in for the job of fighter pilot: The borulx-r pilo!-, h:IIT to worrv about ho: good the other fello\l', in their erel\"> arc. whil 'I fighter pilot call depeud npou himv-lf cu t in.lv. If he think, it wi: to go into :1 Ilgllt: he goe' in; if he tlunk'> not: he h:nl!;' b.u], for awhilc. It" that I' e e ] i n g of indcpcndcnrc th.it :lppc:Il, to me. I' vc heen in B-:-h, ::;, .uid :c,. hnt ~i\.c me ;1 \il1~lc pl.uc ship cvcrvt iiu The lighter pilot-, 'CUll 10 knoll' ho to lake c.uc of thcIll'>c]n', reg:lrelle", of wh.rt the condibOIl",: iu.rv he." S/Sgt, William Wright, gnnl1l'l. I':ngland' .. I'd likc to be a r:lllio 0pl'r:ltor on :1 C- :;-t. Iv :11\1:11, liked 10 pl:ll arouncl \I' it h r:ldim .md I think the Joh of :1 r.ulio opn:dor ]1:IS :1 good future in it if Ion follo\l It throngh. I h:ln' pll'ked the Sbn1:l,tn Ix.c. IIhe, in 111\' "pinion. that"> the hpe of plane wcr gOln~ to hill' \lhell Ihe \I:lr" OITL ,el'n m ovt of IO:ngl:mel .ul Edward Walters, gnnner, CHI: "I want to go to school to become nn .urouaut ical engincef. I think that woukl ruc.m a rca I future after the war. ;\ lot of lfl \I' plnucs will be coming out and I'd like 10 get in on the elc.'>lgning and comtrnl'tmg of them, '\0\1' t h.it I h.ivr h:rd xomc: cxpcr icucc, I think I have an idea of what should he expected of om pia uc- , Some d.iv soon, cvcrvhod I' \I ill be tra'Tlil;g around in those f.nnilv airplane.'> and I w.mt t~ get in Oil the gronnd floor now. In the [utu rc, jet propulsion will hc a hig thing .md I want to learn xomcthing about it, too." S/Sgt. Dennison Whitford, !;lnnllT, l t.r]v: ''I'd 11:l11t to be a nlechanic, TILlt vvoul] gi\'C mr .'>OInethin!; uvcIul to do .rf tcr the \I';If. .\ llll'lh" job i, the movt import.mt in the air foreT', Ordinarih. he Ilork, :-t hO\HS a d.iv but when thil'I.:, get rongh. he puts in ::; liour s. VnTI boclv wlio flie' IT;I1h' :Ippreci:de, the work of I he .:rollnd oell~. 'Lho-: ho\"> arc in there pitlhing 'all the time. Being .u: .urcr.rf t mech.ru: ~in .. ;} man ;111 's opport un itv to lc.un :1 tr.r.lc for the postw.rr \I odd. I t h ink it woul.] he :1 good ide:1 to kno: ,olllething ;Ihollt l'll~IllC\ for :1 joh after the \\':11' i, over." Lt, Michael Senkow. 11:111.::11 SOlltll\\l">t or, 1':lcilll, "The li.:hkr pl.n for 111(' Yonn out there .ilon wit h noho,h to hother 1'011 :md nohoc]v 10 dl'}ll'lll] on I ;1I1. Th:11 nl,I1,e' it n1l1ch Ie" of a ne!\OII' vt r.iin. ,\ h(>JllhLT pilot in 'I n:-+ ha' nin ot hcr men in hi, ~TL'\I', Th:lt', :I1] rigid, 1111t ! \\:lIlt to hIe :Ind elil' [rv nil 01111 jlldgnll'nl Thl'n. too, the tl.:]Itl'r pilot 11:1,:1 fcl'lin.: of indllidll:ll:f' wlun Ire i, f1lillg .rlonc. I'd pick tlIl' I' ,\ tIJI 111\ pl:I1IL'. Tlri, hIIIO!]'> II.:htll II:I' r:lngl'. '])['['(1. Ilrl'pmn'l :Ind ler'>ll !I]ih, TIrL' tllO l'lI.:iJl(' S/Sgt, \I ould

"I['

()IH

llll\\](ll\\

II;I \-C

Llkcn m OITr :1 .:IT:lt p:nt of Continl'lIt,I1 I-' mope. lmt I ,till II(lIl]d likc 10 do \(>JIIl' n10IT tr:lll'ling, I think they OII.:ht to cl1:ln.:e t ILlt cnl:lin SlOg'1I1 to rc:IC1. 'loin the \TC ,md .'>e~ the \lorlel.'

of
lOll

1l1C
:111

1 ,i~lltllil1~
:Id,kd

~i\'l'

'>lIfe-II

;l(l\';lllt;l~l'."

30

IlIR

FORCE

T i

"$:Q

THE PHiliPPINES
':h
"

Their day of liberation

PRI:I',IRI]) I\ '1111': ,IIZCIIC, IlI:SI:l(JI';]) '1IZOl'IC I'.I'()IC\I vi

IS

not far off

(1:'.11:1(, ,III IIC

scarred, weather-beaten B-2:; coughed its w.r,: off the dusty rlnl\\'ay and almost brushed the jungle.: grO\dh at the end of the strip as its no:: turned tow.nrl Auvtr.rlia. The l\Iitehell's insides fairly bulged with its overloud of bedraggled officers and men. Scores of others were left behind on lnut little ~Imclanao airfield to a wu it their fate at thc hands of the victorious [ap. The last cv.icua t ion plane had left the Philippines. That \\'as 3(J long months ago. 0.0\\, we arc on the \\'ay back. The Jap Jong since has reversed his held, .md his position ou those i-Lmds that stand like rocks astride his supply line to the south is beCOIning more .mcl more shaky, 1<'lrly in September, our long-range B-2-h .ilrcaclv were pounding Jap shipping in the lo\\'er i-Jands. p.uticul.ulv around \lincbn,lo, and bbsting the airdromes of Davao in a slowlv tightening air blockade. III m.ur, respects, the Ph il ippincs arc .m inner-door kcv to the ult im.itc dcIcnt of the Japanese. \\'hen we recapture the islands, we will have more than a plug with which to stop the vit.r] R(m of encm~' 1';1\\' nl:lteri:tIs from the rich East Indies. \\'e will h.ivc :mother pl.rtfnnu for laud-bused air pO\ler to strike clircct lv at J;l]) strongholds in China. Fortu oxa , lrcuch Indo-China and the cncmv's home ixl.mcl. And among other tangible m ilit.irv IK'ncfl'ts. we will h.ivc muuv fine anchor;Ii:;es for om Navv. On the less mutcrial sicle of the ledger will be the PS\'ehological factor of comiug b.rck, aH'ngiug Ibtaan, Corrcgiclor. Clark. l\ ich olx .md keeping a promiseiudcpcudcucc for the Pl iilippim. A few of om airmen who fought a losing battle there nc.ul , three \cars ago m.rv be goin~ back to the Philippines. but for cvcrv one of them there will be tlrous.md \\'110 will be seeing tl;e isl.md for the first time. \\'Iut will be the operating conditions? 110\\' is the weather? \\'h:lt will be the mu iutcn.mcc problems> \\'lut about the natives? Health conditrous? \\'hat is the terrain? 110\\' arc the couununicat ious? From the vicwpoiut of Ai\l,' pcr souucl. perhaps the niovt import.mt opcr.ition.rl factor in the Philippines is the weather. l Icavv cumulus and strato-cnmulus with bases at an a\'lTa!;e 'of 1. :;00 to 2.000 feet arc characteristic of the area in all seasons. O\'lT most of the ixlu ncl. two-thirds to threeOCTOBER,1944

',

n ,

fourths of the skv I.' cloud-covered and eOllJplete overcast is frequent. Topography c.i uxcx great local v.ui.ition in cloud inc-c.. Areas exposed to the uorthc.r-t h.rvc hea\'iest cloud formation in winter. Those exposed to thc SOlltll\\'est have heaviest cloud form.rt ion in sunnucr. (her the entire .uc.r. the clearest months arc April and ",-Liy. Turbulence is severe in cnmulo-ninlbm clouds and is extreme in well-developed tvplioons. llvcr muv best avoid turbulence in CBs by ;Ipproaehing them either at ;IU altitude in excess of 20.0(JO feet or by thiug through the r.t in -qu.rll below the b;lse, \Vind speeels generalh' nrc light to moderate, their direetion \an'ing grclth with local topogLlp]1\, Iloriwntal vivibilitv generalh' I' good but occl,ionalh' it i, rcstr ictccl because of fog, cloud, mist. h.i;: or rain. Fogs rarch' last long after xuuri-,. Cloudarc the gre:lk,t ha/ard .md arc extrcnulv bad ou moun t.un slopes during ,IiI se;ISO!lS. Tcmpcr.rturcx in the Philippines arc unitormlv high with high rclat ivc h um iclitv. 1100\l'\cr. ch;111ges in the predominant wind pattern .md v.uia t iou in locd topoi:;raph\' produce marked differences in the \\'elther of v.rrions parts of the islands. In all seasons, temperatures norm.rilv Lmge hctwccn 70 to 7:; degrees in the e:rrly morniug to ,'-;':;or (JO in the afternoon. A\lTage temperatures arc 10\\'lT in the highlands. with a decrease of three to four clegrees per 1.000 feet mcrease in elevation. Reb tivc humid itv anT;lges 7:; to 8:; ;)crcent during the entire vcar. Raiufall is hc.ivv throughout the i-l.mcl. \Iost places reccivc un a\'eLlgc' of :;0 to 1:;0 inches :1 ~car. There is com, pnru tivclv xm.ill seasonal v.uiu t iou in r.uufull. Areas exposed to the northeast generalh' nrc wet in all seaSO!lS but han' the hc.rvic-.t rainfall in the wi ntcr. Areas exposed to the south\\'est arc rcl.rtivclv clrv in winter and spring. with hcavv r.unfull in the summer and f:I11, Over most of the Ph ilippiut-s. r.iin nnrmnllv hils 12:; to 22:; dnvs per ye:n, uxuullv in the form of iutcn: ShO\\'lTS, 'I\-I)hoons. the small hut spectacular storms of the tropics. hit onJ~' the northern and central ish nels of the Philippines, The Sulu :Irehipehgo .iud Mindanao. which have an equatorial climate. nrc out of the tvplioon belt. Extremeh' hazardous to flying. typhoons may hit in auv month but arc most frequent clming the period from [ulv to November Depencling on how close they come, thcv rn.rv mc.m hl(l

31

THE PHiliPPINES
DISTANCES SHOWN IN STATUTE MILES

class is composed brgely of laudowners and wealthy mcrchaut-. wh own modern homes and Ji\'C III comparative luxury. Although usn.illv c.ilm and friendly. the Filipino is subject to cmotion.i] outhrcak-, As a geneLiI rule he is la\\'-ablding and passile. ComporaTlve size of tne is,ands. l Iowcvcr, local violence has ocliumiditv and f.urlv high tcmpcr.: . curred when upper class landO\lnl'l's oppressed their tcu.m!s. The Filipino h:ls much pcrson.r] turcs. The .ution of li'ing organisms, such as bacteria. pride. ,It IS a mistake to speak h.ushlv to Filipino laborcr, fungus and insects. i, likcwi:: accelerated. Organic acids In or to ridicule them In front of others. The tropical environthe damp soil cause corrosion and arc responsible for the mcnt has made the Filip ino easy-going and he often show-. a destructive "corrosion btigue" of metals. In some areas dust lassitude which Amcric.m-, m.rv mistake for laziness. 110\1forms quickly between r.nus .md affects the operation of ever, hhpmos make gooe! workcr whcu propcrlv supervised engines. I'rcvcut ivc maintenance procedures cmplovcd n: and employed at an agreed price for a uilCll joh. other tropical theaters ;lpph eqmlh' in the Philippines. The Moh.unmccl.m ~Ioro is fanatical in his rcligion and The population of t1JL. Philippines. I ';',000,000 according cxtrcinclv independent. Often m ilit.rrv intcrvcntion h.is to I 9-f I cc.nxus figl11'es. is uucvcnlv dixtr ibutcd .nuoiu; the been necessary to put clown Moro rehellions. The l\[oros islands. Luzon accounted for almost half of the number hall' no usc for the Chr r-t i.tn l"ilipinos. but they respect and Miud.mao, the second largest island. nearly one-eighth. American Christi: llS because the latter hale stood up and Pan.iv, J\:egros anc] Ccbu nrc the onlv other islands with fought them in the p.r-.t. more than LOOO.OOO iuh.ibit.mts. In I9-fI ~LllIila, the The Pag;llIs arc J proud people wh o h.ivc resisted chrislargest city in the Philippines, had a population of 6c.,-f.OOO. tianil.ing. Through schooling and police supcrvixion the including suburbs, hcacl-huntcrs among tlirrn h.ivc been ch'cour;lgc'd from tluir The urajoritv of Filipinos arc l ndoucsi.ms of southcavt old practice. The l':I,~:lllS h.ivc prOl cd to be the most st.rlAxint ic origin. The Clm st i.u: Filipinos, numbcriiu; 90 perw.ut of the hlipinos n nc] have c.uricd on uct ivc gnerrilla cent of the population (';'9 percent Catholic). arc divided warfare agaillSt the Jap since organi/cd rcsist:mee ceased. geographicalh' into groups wh o:: chid difference is lam;uage. The most numerous groups arc the Tlgalogs (~. ~2 :;.000) Under American supervision and acliu inivtr.rtiou, health conditions in the Philippines impro\l'l] to a point where who live in central Luzon, the Vis.rv.rus (7.100,000) \\110 thcv were better than in most other trop ic.tl areas. Cholera live in the central .md southe-rn isl:m~ls. and the Iloc.uu of and bubonic plague were pr;lcti(';ill~' \\iped out and smallnorthern Luzon. The people of the i-Iuucl of ;\ l inclauuo and po, \I;IS greatly reduced. I lowcvcr. the risk from disease in the Sulu archipelago arc ~ loros who arc ~rohammeeLms, the ixl.nuls is much grcltcr th.m in the United Stites, and Thcv number between :;00.000 .md ()OO,OOO. In the mounsince the lap occupation. outbrc.rl.s of cholera and other tain;)us regio!lS of Luzon and ",Iind:mao and the Sulu epidcmics h.rvc hccn reported. i\lost of the diseases which archipelago arc found the Pag;llI tribes who number 300.000 arc present can he avoided bv common sense application of and -f00.000. ]\'egritos arc still fuirlv numerous in mounccrta in pree:lu tions that must be observed hv J\;\F uu its tainous areas. ;1I1d iuclividunls. . At the nut hrru k of this \I:Jr. the Philippine population Moxquito-bornc diseases arc the most prevalent. Malaria also included about 8,000 American civilians, 120.000 Chiis present on el'ery ivl.md , and [up r.icl io reports indicate nese and 30.000 lap;lllesc. The Ch inc-,c were mostlv sm.ill that it is more common now th;1I1 before the war. It was shopkeepers: the [np.mcx. m:m~' of whom lived ncar D:II';IO. widespread among American and Filipino forccs on Bataan II'lTC f.mncrs. craftvmcn and fivhcnncu. Among the forcign .md proved nn important factor in their ultimate defeat. population \\TrC also about -f.OOO Spaniards, ;1 tlious.md Malaria is confincd to the hillv regions under 2.000 feet Germans. and other Fl11'opcm nn tiouals. elevation. Thc flat plains and co;;std ~Ire:ls .nc not malarious, r'~ight distinct langmges .md 87 native dialects arc spoken The disease is most common during the r.i iuv season. Of in the islands. Appro,im;lteh' 27 percent of the population less prevalence arc two other mosquito-borne diseases. knows some Fm;lish. Sp:mish is spoken bv three percent. dcnguc and fil.uinsis. althongh the tvpc of fil.ui.isis common Tagalog. the offici;il uutivc lam;uage of the Ph ilipp incs. is among the natives of the Philippines is unlikclv to affect spoken by over -f.OOO.OOOpeople. Bis;l\':l11 is used bv .ihout A1\1" personnel. . -f:; percent of the population hut it lacks official rccognitiou Standard precaution. ;lg;lillSt mmquitoes xhould he rigidl\' partlv because it is not spoken in the i\ I.mila area. observed III the islands. . Litcracv is rclntivclv high in the Philippines. About half The islands have a plentiful supph' of \\"Iter from surface of the na'tin's can rc;;d :lild writc at least a litt1c of one or streams and artesian well. 1I00\'e\cr. all water should be more of the leading languages. i\\a1l\' m;H;;t:t,ines and pcrioclidisinfected or boiled before usc because of the prevalence cals written in Fnglish were circulated prior to the lap ocof diarrhea and dvscntcrv. .md the rccurrcucc of cholera. cupation. At the time of the invasion. there were 32.000 Men should not s~\'im in' ponds or streams not certified hv radio receiving sets in the isbmls. :1 mcd ic.rl otlieer: tlic chuger from blood flukes (schisThe mijoritv of the native Filipinos leads a simple agritosomiasis) is great. cultural life. Three-fourths of the Filipino males arc farmers. :\atilc fruits and \egetahles arc chngerous. Usually thev Thcv cat a simple diet of rice. fish and ycgetah1cs and lin' grow in soil contum inand hy hum.m wastes or arc washed in primitive huts made of nipa palm nnd b.uuboo. Thcv in polluted water. All fruits and vcgct.ibk-s must be boiled have fell' possessions and their fanning implements arc to [JIT\'Cnt them from tr;msmitting intcst in.il diseases. crude. Thc carabao. or water buffalo. is the national beast Because it is difficult to keep clean and dry in the tropical of burden. Onlv five percent of the Filipinos arc cmplovcd climate of the Philippincs. m inor wounds. such as cuts. in industrv, much of which is concentrated in and around Manila. . scratches. insect bites and leech bites, become infected casilv, Fvcn the smallcst wound should he cleaned, divinClass distinctions in the islands arc vcrv marked. The fcctcd and covered with adhesive. great nnsses of farmers belong to the lower class. The upper

IITather for perioch of from t\\'O to seven cia\',. The . tropical climate of the Philippines poses serious problcmx 111 the uuun tcu.mcc of aircraft. airfields and other equipment. luilurcs arc caused l condcu-atiou. rust and other for;]]s of corr ovion wh ich arc hv-proclucts of the high

34

AIR

fORCE

The economic system of the Philippines in peacetime was based on a simple agricultural life. Most of the cultiv.rtcd area, about I) percent of the total land area, \\'as devoted to food crops, principally rice. ~ lctliods of cultivation were pruuit ivc, although the lfugao rice terraces in northern Luzou \I ere convidcrcd one of the grclt cnginlTing feats of the world. Corn, coconuts, sllg:lr, hemp .md tob.icco also were grOlnl in qu.mt itv. L.ittle 11lalluLletmillg, as we k no: it, existed in the Ph ilrppincs before thc \I;Ir. "'hat there \\as cousistccl mu inlv in the proces,ing of export crops, and hanelierafts such as cmbroidering, hat-nlaking, cigar-making and clothing production for home couvumptiou. Othcr industrics included mining, lumhcring and a little fishing. forest covers about CJ+ percent of the Philippmc land area. Still present in 1111leh of the rough, uuinhubitcd terrain is prim cva] rain forcst wh ich gellcralh' is made np of bill trees witl: a clcn , overhead ca IlOpy I ()O to 140 feet II igh. This foliagc ,hilt, out the sun .md makes the fore,t floor dark and damp. In m;III\' 'lTtions, sccollCl-grOllth jungle of \';lrying hcight .md clcnvitv or grass covers tcrritorv once under cult iv.i tiuu or cut OILT bv thc nut ivcs. ,\t .rlt itudcs above 3. :;()O fcet may be found llIOSS fOlc,t wh icl, is dense and gcner:illy e1ripping lid. On the highcr iu ounr.uu slopl's. however. p:ll ticul.nlv ill nort lu-rn Luzou , there often arc pme xt.mcls of pine. ~ Iangrol'e Sll'amps are Iocatccl along proteeted coavtx lI'hich hale lo: m udclv fl;lt LlIIds. ;\ network of ]LllTO\\', f.urlv deep w.rtcr ch:ml;cls frcqucutlv iutcrl.iccs the S\\':llllP :IrClS. J'\ ipa p.rhu s\\';lmps 1l1:1\' be found in the chicr. !C" ,alty :!reas bcvoud llLlll~rolC S\\':llllp,. I.:lrgc arcas of floating gr:I'>SCS .md sedgcs ;lppcar in the interior of \ l ind.m.ro. while extensive natural gLIs,Lmds COlTr the urc.is of le'>Ser r.uuf.rl l Oil th.rt i-l.mcl. The conuuou h'pc of I'h ilippiuc gu'>S is called "cogoll." \' crv CO:Ir:: and clcu-.c, it m.tv he .ruvwlurc from th rcc to eigl;t fed high, \\'llcel,-up 'emergelic:' lallelillgS 111:1\' hc made in cogon gr:lss. There arc ]]() l:Irge :Ind cLiIE;crom wild ;lnim:I1s in tIle fore,ts of the Philippines. LlrgC\t of the n.it ivc species i-. the small huff.ilo, the t im.rru. cOllfined to the island of \ Imeloro. Ollu-r he:l,ts includc wild pig" slIre\\'s, !clllms, skunks, otters, civet catx, sqllirrels, snull \li]dcats, roc!cnls, t.uvicr, nlollke\'" deer. elngollg,. porcupinc-, .u] :mll':lter,. All]()ng tIle hirds of the l'llilippines .nc d uckx, cools, g;I1linn!cs, nib. ,llmchircls. dOle" pigeollS, h orub ills aud xnipc-. . .\lthongh the i,!:Ill(!,ll:lke popul.it ion gener:t!h- i, hanlllC\s, ,ome of the sn:lkes nrc clc.ullv, Chief :lInollg tlle Litter i, the cohr:l. fnund lllosth- in riel' fields .mc] Oil the nlues of forests. Crocodiles ofteil :IrC found in clelT rillTs .md ~reeks inside m:mgrOl'c forc,ts. \I:III\ 'In:dkr forc,l pes!'> arc to be :lloi(kcl, Th..v inelllde bl.uk wiclo: xpiclcr-. Ln:mtld:ls, scorpiom. eelltipl'de" .mt-. \\:I'pS. l.mc] leeehe, and v.uioux hiting hilc;,>Philippine \'.:I!ers. hot h fre\h :mel s:ilt. :Ire rich fl,hing p(lllnels. Common v.uict ic-: include rav-; sa\\ll,h, cel" 1I11t!SI1:lp])('r,. pom p.mos. e:ltfi,!J. Clrp :lncl ,h:1I1;,.,. The 7Jh ~ i,Linlh cOlnpri,in~ the P1lilippinc, 1I:l\c CO:I,tline, tot:I1ing .ihout 1 ~,O()O lnile" nc.ulv t wir;: th.it of t l l !nitccl St:ltl">. Before the ):Ip oCCllp:diOlL !lICIT \lLTe 11 ofFici:Il port'> of cntrv in the i,hncls.\Llllil:l \1':1' the k:ldin~ port, .md l loiln next in im porlu ucc. Princip.rl r.iilro.id line. of the Philippine, :Irc on the i-l.mcls of Luvon, P:lll:I\' and (:c1111. Tlle m:lin linc of thl' r:lilroad OIl [,1l/0I1 extclids -f:;c) miles frOJll S:1ll FCrJI:lndo in I.a Ullioll Prminee to [,eg:I'pi ill i\lh:l\' Prmince. The lille OIl P:llla\' COlllleets Iloilo :md C:lpi/; th:lt Oil Ce1111 cOllncct'> Arg:](1 :mel Dall:lO.

The main Philippine higlmays, built hy the Insular Covcnuucnt, form 1I0 network as those in the United State> became the Ph ilippincs arc not industrializcd and because much of the Island population is conccntr.rtcd OIl the coash where \later travel is convcuicut. There were 14.~O() miles of roads in IlHU, of which 7. :;UU mile, were desigmted first cLIss, 4.hUU second dl\S a Ill! ~,1UU third cia'>'. Two-th ircls of the total Inile:lge of good roads \\'LTe on Luzon. ccnterillg .iround ~ l.uul.r. j\S of Septelnber, ]C)41, the Philippines h.] more than S:; airports and Llndillg fields. Three-fourths of them were operated b:' thc Communwculth Covcrnmcut. Although most of the airllclds \\'LTe conuncrci.rl. the IIUnl her of military air imtallatiom \I';IS increasing shortlv before the fall of the Philippines. It is reasonable to a\Slllne mallY add itiou.il faCi]ltlCS hale lxcn convtructcd hy tlic J:lp' since their occu pa tion. The conquest of the Philippines bv the J:lpancsc providcd one more ch.rptcr ill the li\cly auc] chaotic historv of the ivl.mds. i\ltho'lgh t luv have been a IncIting pot of v.ui ous r:lecs and cultures for 111:1l1\' ccntur:. the wlritc m.m had bee-n cou tiu uouvlv inAllenti:'d since the 1(lth ccu turv in shaping their dcxt iuv. 'The i,Lillcls were clivcovcrccl hv ~Ligel, l.m in l:;~ I, colonized hI' Spun in ] :;(j:; :mel ceded to the United St:ltes in ] ,,()S follO\\ing the Sp:mi,Ii-,'meric:m \I':Ir. Schooled in clciuor-r.rcv under our gOI'CTlnllcnt. the PhilippillCS were wcll on the \\:1\' to g:lining their complete iuclcpenllellce when the [:lpS steppcd in .md h.iltccl the proce'>'. I n our com p:ICt with the Ph il ippinc, \\T h.l set ]f)-fCJ :IS tlic vc.rr ill \lhich t luv \lolllcl t:lh. their place ill the f:nllih, of frlT u.rt ioux. De\trlletil\n of th 1;lp and hi, pm\'lT to \I'age w.rr will m.ikc good th.rt prOllli,c. J:

. ' ....0'"

....

:
..... ........

RAINFALL AND

~~.::.:.,:.~ -,
....... {.

TYPHOON
.......

PATHS

SOUTH ...\ CHINA "'\ e.;;V~~> SEA

\::.::

.
.

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.

0'"

rd.

Zone to Zone

r.

No dry March

season.

Maximum

rainfall

from

November (Dec. to

2. April

Two seasons. or Moy) Wet

Dry in winter and spring in summer and autumn

3. No pronounced dry season of I to and April) Zone 4. No pronounced season Typhoon paths. of 25 storms Each

Zone

maximum rain period, but with 3 months (late Jan., Feb., Mar . maximum line rain season the and no dry

track

represents

average

OCTOBER.

1944

35

on toast," the rather derisive cry which crew membcrs customarily made when someone put a crate of pigeons in their airplane, is no longer considered funny in the AAI'. "I would just as soon cat broiled navigator," claims a pilot lately rescued from a Central American s\vamp after a pigcon had carried out his appeal for help. 'I'hc A1\.I"s hOIlling pigeons bailout into a 3:;O-mile-anhour slipstream from 3:;,000 feet. fight wind and cold over hundreds of mill's of ocean and get horne with messages that often mean the s<l\'ing of men's lives. Pigeons arc bcing used bv the AAI' to supplement other forms of communicntion, They carry messages during cmcrgcncies when radios fail or can't be used. Crash landings often wreck radios. and a pigeon can carrv word to an aircraft's base of the exact location of the crash. the condition of the crew, and whether medical aid is needed. As a silent. dependable means of communication, they arc useful in many phases of combat operations. In airfield to airfield communication, they carry messages between main bases and satellite fields. Over isolated territory they arc used for intercommunication, from island to island: or from one airbase to another over enemy territory, Pigeons come in handy when the enemy jams the radio, Isolated forces can be supplied witl. birds hv parachute drop-containers, thus enabling thcm to communicate without gi\ing away their position. Pigeons in this and other wars have maintained finc records. In the first \\'orld \\'ar, ucarlv l.OOO.OOO pigeons carried messages, and statistics show that more than 90 percent of all missives were delivered. The record is even better in this war even though many' of the routes AO\\"l1 by the sturdy birds have been O\"Crwater. Right ;1OW there arc more than 20,000 trained pigeons in the AA.I' Pigeon Service, Activated lcbruarv I:;, I 9-f3, it has done what m;111Vpersons considered impossiblechanged the return addresses of homing pigeons. This agene~' has taken adult pigeons, moved them thousands of miles and taught them to home on their new base instead of their old. Until this W;1[, few even dreamed that homing pigeons could be trained to homc distances of SOOmiles on a new location within a few weeks, Another major achievement has been the training of "tWO-\V;1\'"birds. which Ay to a point 7:; miles away' and thcn return. Pigeon units are organized into companies, each company being divided into four platoons of six sections each. 'Ihe sections are divided into three-man detachments, each hanelling from 120 to 2-+0 birds. One detachment is norrnnllv sufficient for an airfield, and thc men are known as pigeonccrs. The radio operator is in charge of the birds in his plane. l\Iaj. Thomas \laeClure, an ex-prospector \d1O used pigcon messengers in times of peace to take his claim rccQUAD

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ords from mine locations in thc wilderness to rcgistration officcs in the towns. is chief of the Pigeon Service. Pigeons for airplanes arc carried in special containers which have room for two, four or more birds. Klch container has a top section holding a message book, map overlays, message holders, pencils and bird food. The message holder can carry a map ovcrlav on paper nine by ninc inches and 1/1 OOOth of an inch thick, a duplicate of a previous message and an original message. The holder is strapped to thc front of the bircl's leg so as not to interfere with thc pigeon's \\'alking, in case it gets tired of fh'ing-sometimes one does-or with tucking its legs under the boclv while in flight. K1Ch bird carries a numbered leg-banel. and in case there is not time to attach a message, release of the bird will indicate to thc horne base that the airplane is in trouble. The usual procedure, if there is time. is to release onc pigcon while in flight, and another after a crash landing or ditching. It is a considerable shock to a 13- or I -l-ouucc bird to bc tossed nut into the slipstream of a four-enginc plane going some 300 mph. but the birds arc able to weather it. Usuullv thc pigeon is wrapped in a split paper sack and released, head facing the engines to gi\'C him the benefit of his natural streamlining as he bucks the wind. Pressure
AIR FORCE

36

The AAF's homing pigeons are recognized as soldiers. and good ones, with guts, endurance and a high record of performance when the going is tough

AIR rORCE

of the xlipxt rc.uu holds his wings clo, to his bodv until the slip is gone. Then the bird fights his "ay out of the bag, spirals clown to his favorite ceiling of from )00 to 400 feet and sets out for home. Pigeons can be released without thc paper sack, but it is betlcr for them to hale protection. Oclcllv, thc l.ick of ox\'gen ,mel the intensc minus-:;O-clegree cold at 3:;,(JOO feet doesn't seem to bother the birds. The a\Tragc speed of a homing pigeon is from ):; to 40 111 h. p The Caribbc.m \\ ing, an 1\1\1<' bird instnll.rtion. has lofts at each of the bases along the route fr0111 \lmni to '\atal, and a 11\' plane setting Ol)t for any distance from \ l i.un i will ('<Iny abo.nd two sets of pigeons. One set-a set consists of tin) bircls-"'ill home on l\ li.uui and the other wi]] home on the destination. In c.isc the pl.n n: runs into tronblc less t h.m the h;llf";I\' m.nk on its rou tc. the radio opcral or will rele;lse the \ Ii.n ni birds witl: mes\:lges wh icl: giH' Ioc.ition , time, iclcntitv of plane and anv pertinent iufonnution such as injuries or nature of trouble. In case the plane is nearer the other base, it "ill release the alternate set. In a forced landing, all birds will be turned loose. The pigeons get about the same training as a combat crcw-s-buvic, orientation, relocating, staging, more relocating and orientation, and pkntv of advanced twining. The instruction must he condncted carefully because a pigeon not OCTOBER,1944

relocated will go "over the lull" to its ole! base in a hurry. This applies especially to full-gro\\"ll pigeons, which before the w.tr 11e\'Cr woulc] settle for morc th.m one home. For example, a South Bend pigcon, when loose, would always head for South Bend, and so up to a fel\" ycns ago the only method of getting a pigeon which would return to l\[iami \vas to bring in a few breeders and raise their squ.il. These vonng birds would look upon Miami as home. The Pigeon Sen ice, however, has developed a resettling svstciu which ,,'iJl c.tuxc a South Bend pigeon to look upon .\ liami as wi-tfullv as upon his birthplace. Onc bird has this on its service record: Training: Conditioned to 1'11"(J(J .md 40(J miles at 1307th ) Sign,il Pigeon Company, Aviation, Lake Charles, Ia. ) \far ++: Shipped to Caribbean "'ing Detachment, :\li;lmi, 1,11. :2 I \ l.rr 44: Resettled, gi\Tn seven short exercising, conditioning and orientation flights. .vpr -H: l lomcd from the 300-mile station in 8 hours, 58 minutes, at ),:; 5 mph. 29 .vpr ++: l Iomcd from the 400-mile station in 8 hours, -13 minutes, at 4:;,95 mph, \Vcather conditions good. 10 :\Iav 44: IIomed from the :;OO-mile station in 16 hours, 4 minutes. at 30J)! mph. \"eather xtormv and wet. There me timex, hO"T\Tr, when a pigeon ixu 'f quite resettled, One of the most noted of such birds is a huxl.v, nost:dgic pigeon which was in the process of being LlngfJt to consider St. Lucia IslancI in the 10\\'lT Curibbc.m as home. l Ic got loose one d;I:' and turned up fi\e d,I\'S Liter at the pL!ee hc liked- \lorrison held, SOlllC l,:-:;O miles ,l\\',I\'. This trip, over water. is considered sOlllething of a record. The longest flight on the hooks \\'as an aul horizcd one of 7,200 miles covered in 21 duvs. , Oecasionalh-, the bird arc the victi.us of h;I\\'ks, Once an attempt \,'as made to have them ClIT\' \\'histles which woulr] he blown Ill' the rush of wiur] ,IS the birds fie", tllneh\' scrring h;m'ks aw.rv. The pLln didn't work hec1l1se of the added "Tight. Hawks and accidents account for a few pigeons. but thcv hale an excellent record of clutv performed, 'Ihcvrc g;lme and tough, and tlicv will flv on and on ,IS long as there's a heartbeat and a brc.rth left in their bodies. They will get along without water for 24 hours, without food for twice that long. Thcvll lr.mcllc up to onethird of their own "Tight packed on their b.ukx, and more than once thcv have Hown in from an adv.mccd post with photographic ilegati\TS in a back cvlindcr. Thcv h.rvc f1uttercd in to fall and die of cxhuustiou after bringing their message home; they have COIllC through witl: Se\TIT wounds from cncrnv gunfire, and several have received official citations for outstanding and courageous service, U

Pigeons

arc invaluublc

ill carrying

messages

from

peNJilS

udrrft.

31

11.1 C~TR:\TIO:"JS

BY CPL.

LOUiS

S.

GLANZMAN

Bulldozers and Bullets

By MAL HERBERT O. JOHANSEN
OlTTSC1S Staff AIR FORCE

night, while the ground fighting for Saipan was still in progress, a lieutenal.l.t in the aviation engineers drove his jeep to the end of an airstrip and spotted one of our planes burning. Two enemy snipers had fired it. As the [aps sprinted toward the safety of a eanefield, the lieutenant grabbed his carbine, but the gun jammed. The [aps were nearing cover, so he stepped on the jeep's throttle and lit after them. He caught up with one of the [aps and slapped the jeep into him. The Jap went sprawling, hut jumped to his feet and kept on running. "l'he jeep whirled around and slammed into him again. The Jap was buried the next morning. \Vhen the aviation engineers of the 7th Air Force Service Command landed on Saipan on June 30, D-day plus 5, their job was to build airstrips. In order to do that job. they had to fight [aps, dodge artillery fire from nearby Tinian and withstand three strafing attacks. The situation was so tense they encircled their tent area with .50 caliber machine guns. No sunTying party went to work without an accompanying band of engineer-riflemen. Engineers in half tracks maintained a constant patrol. For a short time, the engineers' guns were the field's only antiaircraft defenses and their half tracks provided the only close-in ground defenses. When

,\;E

they started surveying a fighter strip on the southeast end of the island, a tank battle was raging in full view half a mile ;1\\'ay. The actual front line was just one mile to the north. Saipan is no longcr news. It is now a full-scale operational airbasc. The aviation engineers did not gct in on the battle headlines, but they huilt the airfields that bring us closer to the headline of headlines: Japan's defeat. The battle for airbuses is ahl'ays news, and the capture of an island is only half that battle. Operational airbuses such as we arc now using on Saip.m and dozens of similar islands in the Pacific are not captured. The:' are built-often under enem:' fire, alwavs against unbelievable obstacles, with inadequate equipment, by men fighting time, nature and the
cncmv,

The joh of Saipan was done hy fi'T battalious of the 7th AAF Service Command cnginecrs. \\Then their work was finished, our bombers and fighters started using the fields to continue their operations along the nirwavs to Tokvo. A natural question is, "\ Vhat about the Japanese airfields we captured? True, they were prcttv well bom b-battcrcd in the process, but why not just fill the craters, move in our aircraft and start operations?" That's a natural question, oulv don't put it to the aviation engineers \\,110 were there. If
AIR FORCE

38

Our aviation engineers had to fight the Japs, dodge artillery fire and withstand strafing attacks to construct airbases on Saipan
rehabilitation of captured airbuses were their only problem, life would have been easy for them, Unfortunately, Jap airficlds arc rarely suitable for our type of operations, Not only must bomb damage be repaired, but also existing facilities must be adapted to our requirements, Then, to accommodate the increasingly heavier and more intensive land-based air operations in the Central Pacific, the aviation engineers must make two or three airfields grow where the Japs had planted but one. Aslito airfield on Saip.m is an example. Although it was planned in advance that Aslito should be a bomber base for our operations, the first job was to put it in shape for the immediate usc of land-based fighter planes, especially the fast-landing, heavy Thunderbolts that had done yeoman service in the original assault as bombers, strufcrs and rocketfiring hellions. '1'0 make Aslito reasonably adequate meant filling in some 600 holes, ranging in size from small ruts to gaping bomb craters. That was accomplished in the first week. From adequate to safe meant tacking an additional strip of run\yay with shoulders on each side to the 3,900-foot Jap strip. This operation involved moying 10,000 cubic yards of dirt. The job was finished in four days. Next came the building of a mile-long B-24 runwav. Some 66,000 cubic yards of earth were excavated, 27.000 cubic yards were fill~d in, and 80,000 cubic yards of coral topping were transposed to finish the job. Ingenuity plus hard work is the formula used by the aviation engineers. "'hen they found that 24-hour shifts and their own excellent equipment weren't enough, they adapted to their usc what the Japs had left behind, sah-aging machine and hand tools, generators, pumps, lumber, rolling stock, wiring and pipes. Jap pumps drove salt water to wet down the rulllyays. [up generators provided lights for the tents. An old [ap concrete mixer was turned into a washing machine, running obligingly on captured Jap gas. Aslito was an example of adaptation of known requirements to existing conditions with whatever compromises were necessary. Lt. Co!. l Iurry A. Ilull, 33-year old conunundiug officer of one of the battalions, summed it up as foIl0\1'5: "If we know the number and general type of the planes to be accommodated, we know pretty well what sort of field to build. e know the ruuwuv should be headed into the prevailing wind and that approaches to the runway at either end should be as clear as possible. \Ve know that we should have a reasonably IeITI site-just how level the site will be dependent upon how much time we have to build the strip. "If it's a rush joh, we cau't he cutting down hills and filling up ravines. We find the site that seems best suited to the requirements. If we head the rtmlyay directly into the pre\ailing wiurl, there may be a hill that the planes can't clear on a take-off. Or it mal' be a hill in the wav of landings. So we s\ying the ruuwnv a little away from the prevailing wind. That's not a perfect lineup for a rumyay, but planes can come in and get off-and that's the important thing. If the requirements can be adapted to the conditions, \IT go in with sUflT:ors. The bulldozers come right behind the transit. The suryeyor looks through his transit, turns to the man on the 'dozer, and sal'S, 'Plow ahead.' \Ve build the field as we arc planning am( laying it out." Thirty days after the engineers landed, Aslito was handling what was probably the greatest volume of Army, Navv and I\larine air traffic in the Central Pacific. Hundreds of take-offs and landings cI'ery day: 7th Air Force Thunderbolts to bomb, strafe and vent their rockets on Tinian, Rota, Pagan and other Jap targcts; 7th Air Force and Nal'y bombers to paste the then unconquered Guam and more distant installations; 1\ larinc cubs to spot artillery fire; 7th Air Force photo-reconnaissance planes streaking away after their pictures; transient bombers, cargo and transport planes. Adaptation of existing airfields is not always feasible, and the aviation engineers often have to start from scratch. At Saipan, the intention was to usc a Japanese strip on the west coast of the island for a fighter field. However, an inspection showed that the strip was not suitable for our operations, so a new site "as selected on an elevated tableland overlooking 1\ L1gaciennc Bay. The advance party of the aviation engineer battalion assigned to build the fighter strip began preliminary sUfl'eys to the rattle of machine gullS. At night, they were able to read frOI11 the light of American and Japanese flares. The rcm.undcr of the battalion arrived a few clays later with eOI11-

'V

plctc equipment and the healy work was started, Thcv drove some 90 trucks and jeeps and SO pieces of hCI\Y equipmcut such as bulldozers, graders, shOlds and rollers over seven miles of torn up, ,,'indiug roads clogged with .uuuiunition and supply caravans hound for the front and .uubul.mccs headed for the rc.ir. Slow mo'ing cats and 'dozers of the engincers would luin bcr forward for a few minutes, then pull off the road to let faster InO\ing traffic go through. J\lc~mlvhile work Il'as under wav in the level canefie]ds cO\ering the 'site. Bulldozers worked onlv a few feet hehind the suncyors, c1~aring thc c.mc, knocking down scattered Jap shacks and uprooting the lines of a small lap r.nlroad. The entire area Il'as littered with duel shells, uncxplodrd greu~ldes and fuzed .utillcrv .uu m u nit iou . Actual eOlistruction begau on [ulv 2. I, ourtccn eLin later a made-to-order figh ter run ",iy \\as rc.idv. Duri ug th.i t period about ')0,000 cubic yards of earth and coral had been moved. '-!aehinery h.id put in I,SOO operational hours, fi~uri 11[; 20 hours per mach inc per eLII', with onlv fom hours l(ht th rough rep,1 ir .mcl iuui n tcuu nee, But runwavs. h owcvcr cxr-cllcut. hurdlv make an 'airiJase operational. There arc do/,eIlS of "accessories" th.ir the aliation engineers know onlv too well because thcv h~II"(' to bui]d thcin. On Saipan these included an emergell(V "reach' .iv gas s~'stelll" of large tank's wi th d rum d ulllpi lIg sblnd .ind OI'erhead dispenser. i\ "rc.idv av gas xv-f cru" is a series of gasoline storage tanks at the edge of a ruuw.tv where gas is pumpcrl into t.mk trucks which in turn scrvic: the planes, Other bsks included the reconstruction of ,I [up deep \\'ell .md the aeconljJall\'ing pUlllpS, and directing the flow of water into a purification plant; the erection of a tank for scrvicing lap .iviat ion g~lsoline to Amor ir.m trucks, and the construction of a control tower and a bomb storage area. \ Vh ile earning on their airfield construction and reh~lbilitation work, the engineers set up their (mn li\ing qmrters in a tent are~l, built screened-in kitchens and latrines, erected showers, dug fo:\hoks, set np rqxlir shops and maintained all eljuipment, In addition, the engincers sen-cd regular guard dUh' and performed KP and other routine jobs. A 11\' free hours squee/,ed out of their sehed uk \\'ere spellt in such reb:\ing activities as building \\~Ishing m;lchines. The stor~' of AAF a\'i~ltion cngineers on Saipan is morc or less the ston' behind all of our operational bases through the Pacific. It is one of the man\' storics behind the headlines hcraldi"ng our ;Jerial assault toward Tokyo.

Better to Ditch
,\ n,li was in sight of its home: island when t hc g;lsolinc g;lngc on thc last t.mk flickercd to cmprv. 'lh pilot ordered the crc-v to h.ril out. .ind hr: .md the copilot ~,L1\cd wit l: thc plane .ul ditched f.urlv close 1<: shore. It \I';lS :1 good ehtcillng .md t luv h.id pkntv of t iui to inflate one of the din~hics. The. p.uldlcd to shore without :111\' difficultl' sillcc therc were 110 cora] rcds or other d:mi;erOl!S obstacles. 'I'hc re-t of the men were not so fort un.itc. '1\1"() of t lum were pickcd up 1)\. a ICSCUC boat after a dillgCIlt ~,c:lrch, the others never wcrc [ouucl. Tl. pilot of t hi, B 1- actcd wit h the l1Cst intcnt iouv. lIe thought a ditchin~ would be (1:JllgerOll' .u] t h.it thc men \\ oulcl h:IH' :1 better ch.mcc of survival if t luv !1o,ltn] dmlIl to -'C:l in t lnir p:lr;lchutc,. 'Ill;, pilot ';I]]ph' \\':IS not up to datc ill his k nov, kdi;C of C]]leri;C]]CI' rc-cuc. Bdorc ditchill~ procc clur \\'IIS rclllll'd to thc sm:IIlcst det:!il, hdorc rc-ruc cquiptucut \\:IS ck,i~ll(d .md sl1pphcd to meet CITn' clllergcllC"\". :1 b.ul.ut prnb.ihlv woulrl h.ivc lxcn prdcLlhle to :! dltchilli;, hilt tocl.iv if :1 erc\\ k1l01\' its ditehillg ])foccdme :1;ld if thc pilot kllo\\s ho\\' to ditch there s]u)u]d hc little dlm~cr. L'Tn if :1 pl.u, flo:lts oulv a m inutr-, nir nuu II:IIC found t h.it t hcv h:I;T t iinc to get out, - idc .mcl iufl.it.. t hcir dill~hics. Vvlu-u ;111.rirm.ut le:IH'S his pl.mc on thc \\':Iter he c.m t.ik :11I of the ClnerC:CIlCI' c'[nipmcnt wit h him. lIc has the assi'Lmcc .n rc] achicc of the other mcu to ;Iid Ium . I Ic \I ill he :Ifloat in :1 dilli;]1\' imtc:ld of a vc-t, .md this will :Idd to his safctv. his comfort :'ll(] his ch:mcl's of rescue:. ' ,\lI this is true, of cour-,c. oIlh for mult iphcc IlirlTllft, .\ ditchill~ is ll;,t :I(hid,lc for a fii;hter pilot. :1Ithou~h SOIlIC sllcccssful ditchings h;II'C hccn maclc ill thc l' :;~, ,\ Ilghter pilot h:ls his resclle: c'[uipmcut I.itlt hlln-('ITn his dini;ll\'-\\hcn Ill' b:li]s onto ;md ditch or b:lil h(' is going to hc ;!lone ",hcn hc hits the Ivate:r.

povit ion .m.l rc-cuc ;Igencics wil] I,C rc.rclv to start their scarch Turn OIl vnur "cmcrgency switch." Tr.msnut all SOS OIl \V IT or \l:Ivclav Oil R/'I'. lise 10m uonu.illv assigllc'd ;Jir'grolllld frC'lIl(,IlC"\" I,rst but if )'011 cm Ilot get throllgh. S\\itch to OIlC of the cmcrgCllCY frnjllcllcics, It is nuport.mt to send "our posltioll, vour cour:: .uid IC)m pl.iu-. whi! \011 Ilr(' in tl. air. Your .ilt it ndc .mcl the suprr ior equipment will :Ifford more LlIlgC tl"lll IOU c.m hope to get from a dillgl1\'. Tile secolld couuuuu ic.rt iuus task will be to hclp the sc:nch p.utv filld \"(J\] oucc \'OU h:IIC ditched or l.mrlcd. Set np and opcr.itc t l. Gihsoll Girl for 11\'c out of cvcrv fiftccu in inutcv. "'hul pl.nu-, or 'lllf:ICC IT:lft :lIC ~lcn or hClIcl. opcr:ltl' vour Cib:: Girl cont inuouvlv. ' lu :I'dditioll, u-. vour vi-u.il sigua]s. 1\ rotechll;cs will .rt tr.ut cit hcr ;1 lio.it n: a pl.un-. Th ,c;1 in.rr kcr C:IIl be seen bv ;;;rlT:lft 11iOTCc.r-ilv th:1I1 1)\' ho.u, hut if a (ll]]~ll\' has tLllln( ;1 'CII in.nkcr for two or tl'l(' 'hours t hc ho.rt nlii;ht intercept and f ollov, the t r.ul. Thc si~n:J! mirror is \TTI' d1cdilT in sllllli~hl. lufog or d.ukncvs thc whivt] should b(' blm\"ll. If IOU h:I\T lost lour sign:dlin~ equipmc nt. we: the: b.k of \ om IV:lteh to reflect tl'e suu's r:1\'S. SpLtsh the: w.itcr. \VaIT v our t.np.mlin. You will lx: a \TTI' small \ i-u.i] t:lTgd. .mc] a pl.mc mir;ht Hv ri~ht ovvr vour llC:lel wit hout scciug von unkss YOU Sigll:ll it 1", t lie best mc.m-, yon have.

New Survival Manual

.\ fCli,t'Cl edition of thc .\,\F manna], "Surviv.il." wh irh eal11c off t hc prcss in J ulv, i< no\\' avuil.ibl for clivtr ihut ion. 'I he utxv volume \\;1S prepared cvclusivc!v for usc at t hc sccnc of .m clllcrr;cnc'\". \\'hcn 'ou 'c ttk d()\\"11 in \O\IT elini;hl' \\.jth "Sun'iI'II!"' to ~nd Ollt \\ h,lt to do n("d. 1'011 1I"0n't he confronted \\'ith ach'iec II!JOUt \\ll:lt \'on ,Jlonlel h:I\l' elonc bdor(' 'ou ditehcel y'our pl:nlc .. \ll bridlni; and tLI'ining instructions LilT bccn dcletcd. Thc Ill'\\' m:mnal is :Ifr:1ll~(d :lIlel ill(lncel so t h:lt \\herc'er Yon arc When in Trouble-Sound Off or \\ h:ltl"\cr \om probkm \"()n em find the If rcscnc 11gencics kml\\' thc ]ocltion infor11l:ltion Ion n .'cel il11l1lcdi:ltcll'. Thc nc\\' '''Snni\'al.'' likc thc' old, is diof :1 snfl'iIC)], the LlSk of pickin~ him nJl is rchtil'ch' simple nnless hc is in elll'IIlI' tcrri,icllCl into t\\"o scctions: sunil':ll on landtOfl' or nnless thc \\Tatllcr is c:\tr('mch' 1111- jlnli;k. elccert :lnd :nc-tic-and snn'i\'al at f'll'orable. COlllnlllnications, thlTdore. J1LIV SCI. Subdivisions of thesc ,cetions, 1](1\\'c\cr. h:l\T bccn rC:lTr:ll1i;cel to prC\Tnt duplibc thc lIlajor f:Jetor in effcctini; a rc'cnc. 'I'hc first conllnunic:ll ions t:lSk is to let cition :mel to t:in' thc most important information ~rst, The fir,t P:1i;c of cach .scction sOlllcone know I'on :lIC in tronblc and ~il'e i:;i\l' , instmetion' for "illll11cdiate action," \"(Jur position. This should lJC done: as soon foll(l\\Td bl' "first :Iid," as vou know sOlllething is l\Toni;. If the "SIlTl'iq]" \\'ill be distrihuted lw the trouble ele;ns up vou (';111 let thc ground Tr:lining .\iels Iiilision, One Park l\\"enuc, station know. If it docs llot clear IIp. IiI' statiollS \\ill bc alerted to take fixcs on \'our NCII" York.

40

AIR

FORCE

technique
RUNWAY

- - --- ----,.. ... ------,. .#

.
r:

Action of glide path indicator herereveals the plane approaching rynway on the beam. obove and below the beam.

~ Action of locolizer indicator here shoW'Sthat the airplone is on beam. right of beam and to left of. beam. .'

/- .:
---..:s
Centered on the fynway by a b~~~ from the localizer transmitter and guided dawn through the overcast by a glide poth indicator. a pilot is able to come in for .asofe landing.

Pilots approaching ihe runway are obleio deiermine their positions from the horizontal and vertical lines. on the dial. The position of plane and how indicated is shown in the three graphic drawings above.

...<'-~
I

/
f

.I

I.

Shooting

Landings by Radio
By It Col F.L.MoseIey
Laborntor)',Wright

Aircraft Radio

Field

If a pilot has to make a landing on afie~d closed over by a low-hanging overcast, he wants to know three things:

When he is lined up -with the unseen runway, his distance from the airfield, and the rate of descent that will bring him out a few feet abo:vethe end of the runway. And these are the three thing~. theAAF's new instrument approach system tells the pilot-by radio.. . The new system picks the pilot up about 15 miles from . the "airfield.at 3,000 teet and. leads him, down through' over~t. to a safe landin~ontherl.mwa,v. ......". .:. . , -' 'After"m~y'.years.()f.d.evel,?pmt)nt,:tlt(;:~r~~.t :ystem was : ,/'~ndardj~. follo\ylngi /,. .. ~~Ofl~rationat the "':~ittsb' .!{>0tt~n:fhefal1Qi1. ........ Bryan, Texas, one ..,.\t . system '. ",.approxImately ",000 1}Ol1ftlof successfJ.I1 9peraHan to~ts ~~edi . t (Cl:m:tinuedon Next Page)
.0

'..

Tbe localizer,tronsrnffter used in the AAF~5 new instrument "approach sysfeni. iSj)I<Jced about 1.000 fee.t from the upwind end .of tbe runway; M~unted on 'a truc . it can be moved quickly when the wind changes.

.. '

 , ' CO:'\TJ:'\\'FD

Portable

radio equipment, which transmits the glide path signals tor the instrument landing system. is placed about 7:;0 fcet upwind from the runwav's approach end and about 400 feet to one side.

Because the equipment that has made successful instrun.1ent landings possible is strictly a radio system, a description of the component parts and their operation necessarily must be semi-technical. Fundamentally, the system includes a localizer to hring the plane in line with the runway, a glide path transmitter to guide the plane dO\Y11at the proper rate of descent, and markers or check points O\Tr which the pilot gets a radio fix including distance from end of runwav. ,The localizer is similar to an ordinary radio range. It differs in two respects in that it indicates the course line to the pilot visually (on instrument panel) rather than aurullv and it operates at ultra-high frequencies where it is out of the range of ordin.irv static. The localizer projects tin> tone-modulated radio patterns which intersect as a line or plane in space, thereby provicling the pilot with a center-line to the middle of the runway from as far away as 75 miles at 8,000 feet. On the instrument panel is a cross pointer meter that indicates the position of the airplane in relation to the localizer line, whether it is to the left or to the righ t. One side of the instrument is vcllow, the other blue. At all times, irrespective of heading: the localizer indicates the color of the sector in which the airplane is flying. However, the localizer needle points toward the course line when the aircraft is approaching the fllI1Way from the proper direction, \\'hen the aircraft is f1}'ing in the opposite direction, the needle points '1I\'ay from the course line. Since the localizer is a special form of radio beam or range, it must be flown by "bracketing." \Vith the aid of the directional gyro, heading corrections of onlv a fell' degrees need be made because of the sharpness of the localizer course. So sensitive is the indicator needle that a deviation of 3 from the course line will be indicated by a complete swing of the needle to its scale maximum. This scnsitivitv is essential to assure proper alignment of the airplane with the cen tcr of the runwav. Three markers, 75-nlegaeycle transmitters, are placed along the localizer course, one at 4 Y2 miles from the field (flashing two dashes per second}, one at one mile from the field (flashing six dashes per sccond) and the boundary marker approximately 200 feet from the end of the runway (projecting a constant light). The third component is the glide path, a precise radio beam that descends at a low angle to the runwav. As seen

by the pilot, it starts from the landing point on the fllnll'ay at an angle of 21/2 and projects to a distance of 15 miles or more. A cross-pointer instrument on the panel indicates whether the plane is above or below the glide path; when the two needles intersect, the plane is on the proper flight path. The 2 Y20 glide path angle represents a rate of descent of approximately 400 feet per minute at a ground speed of 100 mph. The glide path also may be used for rough inclications of distance from the runwuv since each 200 feet of altitude approximates one mile in cfishmce from the field. If the pilot's altimeter reads 1.000 feet when he is descending on the glide path, he is approxim.itclv five miles from the end of the runwav. Ground equipment includes the 10C<11i/,er transmitter which is installed in a truck about 1,000 feet from the upwind end of the rull\\'ay. Glic1c path transmitter is mounted in a small trailer approxirnntclv 400 feet to the side and 750 feet from the approach end of the ruuw.iv. }\larkcr transmitters arc transported in jeeps to their locations. Lquipmcnt in the airplane receives the impulses from these transmitters, Localizer and glic1c path receivers pick lip the signals on a combination antenna or on two separate :mtennae, depending upon the tvpc of airplane, A small control box enables the pilot to select ,11l}' one of six receiving channels for the localizer and any of three channels for the glide path, To fly in on this svstcm, the pilot approaches the field on the radio range, by his automatic radio compass or by other radio navizut ion methods, \\'hen within 20 miles of the field, he ~witehes on the proper channel for making a landing at this particular field. Then he brackets the localizer and flies aloug it until the glic1c path is intersected. At an altitude of 2,500 feet, he intersects the glide path about I) miles from the field, At this point he starts his descent ,1]ong the glide path, lowering wheels and flaps. reducing pO\\'er and inereasiug rpm as the plane nears the field. On hreaking out of the overcast, he is able to continue his descent onto the 1"\1l1\\"a}'. From flight expcrienee, it has been proved that a skilled pilot can make a complete blind landing on the rull\\"~l}', hut initially the system is being used simply as an aid to low approach, Further refinements include usc of the C-I automatic pilot. The localizer and glide path sign,Jls would actuate a special receiver that, in turn, would transmit adjustments to the auto-pilot which would fly the plane down to the runway. The pilot, of course, would have to make power adjustments, 100\"er the gear and flaps. Extensive tcsts of the systcrn have heen made by \Vright Field, the A;\F Board and AAFTAC at Orlando. Service tests arc being conducted by Air Transport Command and the Instrument Instructors' School at Brvan, Texas. One of the production models was taken to' England by the author for joint tcsts with the RAF and the 7th Air Force. Such problems as traffic control O\Tr a closed-in field are being tackled bv airdromes with the equipment. In England, \IT successful I\" brought in as many ,1S six planes in succession without difficultv and, with establishment of suitable traffic control procedures, this number can be increased grcatly. Historically, the AAF instrument approach system is the outgrowth of man}' years of work by numerous agencies. Lt. Gen. James II. Doolittle was a pioneer in the field. Sharing in the dcvclopmcut were the Bureau of Standards, the Army and Navy, commercial airlines and others. Thc present AAF system combines and refines many ideas, old and new, into a complete practical system that promises to eliminate most of the weather haznrd of landing planes through O\'erC1St. AIR FORCE

High Intensity for Airdromes

Controlled Lighting

Concentrated incandescent lights with enough candlepower to penetrate through several hundred feet of ground fog, haze, snow and other weather hazards that hamper final instrumcnt approaches and radio let-downs arc heing used by the AAf in its newest runway lighting system. These lights enable incoming pilots to sec the outline of the field approach and the rlll1\\'ay at the critical time when proxim itv of the ground is likely to disturb the accuracy of instrument readings. ' This equipment, developed by thc lighting unit of \\fright Field's Equipment Laboratorv and tested in cooperation with the Navy Department Bureau of Aeronautics, is in usc at more than a score of Arm\-;'\;I\T installations in thc Aleutians, Ncwfouncllaud and the European Theater of Operat ions, It also has been approved for lISC at permanent statious on rumvays having instrument approach facilities. The individual lights arc dome-shaped units with t\vo lenses, One concentrates the light in a vertical beam, the other directs a high-intensity beam approximately parallel to the runway in the angles of approach. A reflector strengthem the main beam by redirecting r.ivs that otherwise would he lost. Reflections from fog or water particles that might prevent the pilot from seeing other lights farther along the rO\\"S arc grcath' lessened bv restricting stra~' light to a l l l l l l l ll l 11m . lights o.... n in firs. approach. Ruuw.iv, approach and caution light markers have color screens between the inner and outer lenses that retain color Red Red cl.uitv when \ie\H:d throlH.;h the halo of other colored lights. Five brightness settings permit iutcusification of the light Y.llow CI.or wh c n visibility decreases,

A tow release indicator is being tested for glider tow-planes. It tells the pilot if tow release mechanism -is properly locked, indicates when the tow rope has been dropped .... A light steel cable with a special safety link hook for attachment may be used to pull heavy gliders .... All-wood, DH-Mosquitoes, built in Canada, are being designated F-8 photo ships for the AAF. Camera equipment consists of two K.17 or K-22 aerial cameras with 12-inch special lens ... K.IO aerial cameras have been modified for night photography to include an electric winding mechanism with a two-second CYcle, a 12-inch shutter taken from a K-17 camera, a seven-andone-hall-inch, f/2.5 lens and a K-I9B Camera photo-electric system. for shutter operation. Cameras are to be used for night photography. To speed up feed and ejection operations on the 20 mm cannon, a link loader has been adapted to T-14 feed mechanisms. The loader has separate guides for 11 links and 10 cartridges, a loading bar and handle .... Work is in progress to reduce vibration in guo camera mounts of fighters eliminating blurred photos. . . . Redesigned D-6, D-7 and D.S bomb shackles provide for caution release, even when bomb tail fuzes are attached only by a single wire, a condition which previously resulted in a hazardous operation to release the bomb completely from the airplane. In P-5ID airplanes the pyrotechnic flare container has been changed to eliminate the possibility of detonation by the pilot's foot when entering the cockpit. . .. Versatility of wing and fuselage tanks was initiated by installing small seal-tight doors, making it possible to carry baggage and supplies in lieu of gasoline . . . A tougher, harder liquid coating is being applied to external auxiliary tanks made of plastic materials to help make them puncture proof against flying pebbles or stones kicked up by the aircraft wheels during taxiing. Being built for test purposes are a gigantic static and dynamic test laboratory capable of testing aircraft in the 200,OOO-pound category, new high-altitude pressure chambers that simulate cold temperatures as well as low pressures and a pressurized, coldtemperature 10-foot wind-tunnel, the first of its kind in the world. . . . A new flight analyzer for flight tests makes a permanent record of altitude, air speed and vertical acceleration; may replace the old barographs as pilot checkers. An electric spark passing between a recording stylus and a metallic backed paper chart, burns a black line. to indicate an aircraft's various maneuvers during a test ... Aviation goggles are being improved for wear with A-14 oxygen masks and the three service gas masks .... Antenna masts made of plastic materials are under study and may replace some of the light metal masts now in use. A new, tougher, braided fishing line may go into emergency kits carried by men forced down at sea. . . . Sample blackout shades made of satin have been installed on some aircraft. ... Back type parachutes may get a new form-fitting ~exible back stiffener todefeat complaints that present types lose their stiffness .... An ice grip casing has been tested and approved for 27" airplane tires permitting improved take-off and landing characteristics on icy sur. faces. Of metal, grips are glued to rubber casing by a new method of adhesion. New electrically retractable landing lights with improved slidings contact and cover assembly arc being fittcd for bombers .... A direct reading gasoline gauge of the metal float tvpe mav be installed in B-24 bomb bay tanks to replace intricate "second-hand" indicators .... Dropped as no longer needed, have been experiments with various mock-ups used for ditching trainers.

~---

(Continued

011

;-\cxt Page)

Installation

Clear

Clear

lights whirh mark

approaches

for IIC\\' and its whcu visibilirv is 1011".

plan
[(111\\';1\'

(left)

Clear

Y.llow'

Inner and outer lenses of l.uup nnit ("elo\\) direct light bc.uu . vcrt icallv and at approach angle.

Red.

os seen in opposite approach.

Li9hh

Red

OCTOBER,1944

43

CO:-iTl:-iUED

thcrcbv protecting the pilot from excessive glarc when VISIbility is good. Beam angles (toe-in and clcvatiou ) and light iutcusitv arc controllable. Full intensity is used when visibility is'rcstricted during the day and \\:hen vixihilitv conclitions at night arc extremely poor. Low intensity is used for normal nigh t opera tions under con tact wca thcr cond itions. .\ small fan prevents condensation of moisture over the lens. A complete installation consists of two rows of lights marking the flm\\'ay approaches and edges. Individual lights in each row arc spaced about 200 feet apart. An approach path of approximately 2,400 feet is lighted at each end. Approach zones arc lighted red, ends of the rtlm\"ay grccn, first portion of the flm\\"ay white and last 1,500 of runwav vcllow, This standardized color arrangement has been adopted by the Army, l'\<l\-Y and Civil Aeronautics Administration for lISC at all installations under their jurisdiction. As a pilot approaches a field with this lighting system. he lets clown on one leg of a radio range station or on the radio beam of an instrument landing system. "'hen at upproxi matclv 200 feet, he holds this minimnm altitude until he locate's the runwav visuallv before coiuplctiug OJ the luudinr. \\'hen weather is unusually bad, he may make several passes before lining up his plane for a final let-down. Under de\"Clopment since 19~7, the high-intensit~. controlled lighting system was first used in 1939 at Indianapolis. Three years later, iurprovcd units were installed at Geiger Field for usc with instrument approach laneling systems. The lamp assembly of the system can be used onlv on a (1.6 ampere series circuit and it must be connected to the secondary circuit of a transformer or other device for producing constant current. In cmcrgcnc\ instullatious, pO\\"Cr is supplied for each circuit from a 9, ~ K\' t\ generator, A\ F Tvpc B-(), A brightness control regulator must be used witl: the B-() pO\\"Cr plant to supplv constant current to the series circuit, and the total load must not exceed six kilowat ts.
J

supersonic tunnel for aeronautical research in the world. Expected to attain a maximum airspeed that would correspond to about 2,000 mph at sea level conditions, the tunnel is only one-fourth the length of the 20-foot, of 50mile-an-hour tunnel, now the AAI''s largest, but it is O\"CI four times as fast. Effects of compressibility peculiar to our newest models of high-speed aircraft designs will be studied in the tunnel's small test chamber. Built of all steel framework, the tunnel is rectangular in shape and lies with its axis in a vertical plane. In crosssection it tapers in diameter from eight feet to less than a foot at the flexible throat aperture. This section in which tests will be conducted is rectangular with a cross-sectional urea of four sqnare feet. \Vind tunnel airspeeds arc increased bv redncing the size of the aperture in the nozzle-like throat which constricts the air, then allow it to expand and flow <moothlv through the tunnel with jet-like force. The compressor is a unit with eight three-foot diameter hubs. Fortv small cambered blades arc set in each hub in spoke-like pattern to draw the air through the tunnel. I':ach blade is 4Y2 inches wide and 71/2 inches long. A 5,000horsepower electric motor turns the compressor at a top speed of 3J)OO rpm to create an airflO\\" with a 2.5 mach number. or 1))25 mph at the temperature prevailing in the test section. Internal cooling coils usc calcium chloride brine to counteract the hc.rt from compressor blade friction and air compression and m.unt.iin the tnnnel at sub-zero temperatures for specific tests. Dr:'ing devices prelent icing of air particles. The test section of the tunnel is fitted \\"ith a galaxy of scales. gauges and other measuring devices which record lift, dLlg. side force, rolling. ya\\'ing and pitching moments of am' airfoil under test. The tunnel abo is to be equipped with 't\\"o nccuratclv ground coucavc mirrors, 3(J inches in diameter. for making Schlieren process photographs which sn;lp pictures of the "iuviviblc' shock \\";II'es that form at high spenh.

Supersonic

Wind Tunnel

Oxygen Want Indicator

A new dcvic for \\"arning wlicn the oxygcn content of a drops to a critical level at high altitude has been perfected in coordination with the j\ Iatcricl Command at \\'right Field. Known as the oximeter-colorimeter, the inHvcrs blood

A u.urow-thro.rt wind tunnel capable of producing wind velocities more than twice the speed of sound is being constructed at \\'right Field to test airfoil sections and small aircraft models at supersonic speeds. It will be the largest

44

AIR

FORCE

as positive,p~~,
Attached to a flyer's ear,

in;the~lC~'

the Oximeter-Colorimeter (right) deteets a c r it i cal lack of owgen content in blood and acti\'atcs \\':lrning indicator (:II)o\'e) on the plane's i us t r u m c n t panel.

fitt~ as a' tWit . . "t0each~' .to insure a lOOper ce~' sure . seal... A, .... <:heelt ffiip 'protectsi:he .wearer against .. t\ntt};. ~
<

. ,'goggles'

and helmet:.,

and flash bums. The A~14 ,regulator is similar to the A-l2 '_', for an added variable spring weighted diaphragm for: pr~1 breathing. A dial control is manually operated at altitudes. 40,000 feet to increase oxygen pressure as outside altitude~, increased. The pressure breathing equipment can be used whenan airplane cabin is not pressurized. car as
:1

~t

strumcnt is attached the fhing helmet.

to the airman's

huilr-in

part of

Employing a photo-electric cell, the appliance is designed so that a red light or :l \\'arning horn is aeti\'ated when a dangerom lack of ox\gen exists, The device is connected to an indicator placed in convenient view of the airman. The color of hlood changes from bright red to dark purple as oxygen content decreases, This ch:mge can rcudilv be detected in the thin tissne of the car b\ the colorimeter. Four small lamps on one side of the e:n: shine throngh the ear tIssue to generate a photo-electric cell plate on the opposite side of the car. As oxvgcn content decreases, the blood darkens, permitting less light to pass through the car. Activation of the photo-electric cell is thcrcbv decreased until the dcficicncv is indicated on the \y,lrning ;ndieator in adequate time for ail airman to corrcctlv adjust his owgen supplv. Operation and adjustment of the device is simple. Before t:lke-off, the car cup unit is placed in position. Current to the lamps is turned on by a knob on the front of the indicator. After about ten minutes, either before or after take-off, when blood-flow through the ear has been stimulated by the warmth of the attached lamps, the indicator is ready for ad iustrn en t. "'ith tile blood fully saturated with oxvgcn. the indicator knob is turned un til a blue or green light will show until owgen saturation of the subject's blood drops under S'i percent, Belm\' this point, a red light appears to warn the airman that protective measures must be taken. Imminent col 1:1pse occurs when ox\-gen sa turn tion of blood drops to 'i'i to () 'i pereen t. The oximeter-colorimeter is particularly useful during high altitude flight tests, It can be usccl also to indicate whether wounded .rir evacuees arc reeei\ing an adequate ox\'gen . upplv, The car unit h:IS proved practicable for anticipating blackouts bv the decreased flo\\' of blood throngh the car nuder the resulting from violent aerial maneuvers of eentrifnge tests. An automatic valve, which wi]] increase the flow of owgcn into the mask \yhen the indicator detects an oxygen deficicncv, is being perfected to supplement the \yarning system.

Skids for Gliders-Glider crash skids that protect the nose and underside of the fuselage have been developed to shorten a glider's landing run on soft or uneven ground, Made of six-ply mahogany, the three skids are attached to a welded steel tubing sub-frame bolted to the glider nose superstructure. The skids keep the wings in near level flight .attitude during a landing,. "":,hen the. nose hits, they force the tall down and put more hft mto the wings. A. cushion landing results, with .glider ~laning to a stop" like a speedboat over rough water. The installations are a product of Pope Field Army Air Base. . Doubl .. HeacierJeepsThe ubiquitous jeep, with a tandem hit$'~ now can be used in pairs or sets of three to tow airplanes along ~I.;; ways. The hitch, which is being distributed in iits by ASC squadrons (two each except heavy and troop carrier which are ~i ~ ted three each) o~ a requisition b~sis, enables two jeeps ~o do .mant.'Y of the primemovmg jobs for which the 22-ton truck IS deslgned~ -, Tests indicate the jeeps, in addition to other duties, now can to~ ; planes on concrete or hard-surface taxiways. When the ground is uneven or wet, an extra jeep usually is needed in the procession. The hitch replaces the bumper and becomes a permanent part of the jee". When not in use, it can be folded back and fastened to a bracket on the radiator grill.

to.an~

Seml.Quick Release Harness-New AAF parachutes incorporate a semi-quick release harness using the Irving quick-release box and an entirely new harness strap arrangement. The harness, weighing six pounds, is applicable to A-4, B-9 and S-5 parachutes and is designed for water landings. Suspension straps which form a sling for the wearer are connected to the release box from shoulder points. The wearer after pressing the release is free from the harness but he remains sitting in' the sling. On landing, he simply slips out of the sling and devotes his attention to his emergency life raft or Mae West . Adlustable Safety Belts-Lap safety belts, incorporating a metal':: knurled roller which allows slippage in one direction but not in' the reverse direction, permit quick, easy adjustments by means of_, pull tabs. The fastened belt will withstand loads up to 3,SOq;; pounds. Developed by Wright Field's Personal Equip,ment tory and designated the Type-B-B, it is adaptable t6 both budc~;_; and bench seats. .';;

Gs

Labom~J"
-;'/

"*

OCTOBER,1944

t iii

sewing, and, finally, back to the original issue table where it is hung all a rack for quick identification and ready access. There is no charge for this bring-it-in-andget-it-back-today service, and a booming business is evidenced by table-s piled high with shirts, slacks, field jackets, overcoats, fatigues, socks and caps. Twelve hundred articles a month is about the average volume. In their spare time, the women volunteers also put the finishing touches on baseball uniforms for post teams and make curtains for dayrooms.

Rendezvous
(Continued from Page 1) is a tough mission. My 100th mission didn't seem to bother me any more-nor was it any easier-than the first, the fifth or the twenty-fifth. I look on each one as an individual job having no bearing on longevity. There may be such a thing as percentages in baseball. but not in combat flying. When those wheels hit the runway and you feel the skipper giving her the brakes, you can just file another one in the books, because that indefinable thing called luck doesn't run out like hydraulic fluid from a leaking line .... T /Sgt. Paul E. Mathis, 9th Bomber Command, England

w.

V. S. Pins

The Officers' Wives Club of the 4th Air Force has devised a card svstern to record the number of hours its ~embers devote each week to volunteer work in post projects, Army Air Forces Aid Society, personal affairs division, Red Cross and the like. Members who qualify with at least 100 hours are entitled to wear an official Women's Volunteer Services pin, on which is engraved the 4th Air Force insignia, with bars below indicating the number of hours served.

\Ve doubt that many combat Eyers will agree with the Sergeant. How about it? Ed.
Why Warrant Officers?

Pens by the Bushel

Hundreds of old and discarded Fountain pens collected by AAF women volunteers in the San Angelo, Texas, Spotters' Club have been repaired and sent overseas in recent months. The San Angelo group launched a country-wide campaign to round up the pens, and at the end of the drive they had collected, with the help of the country's school children, 965 whole pens and 1,131 "half" pens. Inspiration for the pen collection came from Emerson '-IcCord. a Houston invalid who repairs pens as a hobby. He started the project on a small scale by asking friends tor their discarded fountain pens. Houston stores and civic organizations began collection campaigns and soon other drives were begun in New Orleans, Dallas and Birmingham. An Ohio rubber company contributes the rubber sacks used bv McCord in his repair work. J\IcCord's proposal that the reconditioned pens be distributed overseas by Army chaplains was quickly approved by the Army. Twenty CFTC Clubs in NAAF\V Leading in the number of member women's clubs affiliated with the National Association of Air Forces Women is the Central Flying Training Command, with 20 groups listed at NAAF\V' headquarters in Washington. The 3rd Air Force, with 16 clubs in the national organization, is runner-up. CFTC member clubs are signed up from these fields: South Plains. Lubbock, Texas; AAF Base Unit, Sikeston. 1\10.; Selman Field, La.; San Angelo Army Air Base, Texas; Pampa Army Air Field, Texas; Ma. jars Field, Texas; Independence Army Air Field, Kan.; Hondo Army Air Field, Texas; Grider Field, Ark.; Goodfellow Field, Texas; Garden City Army Air Field, Kan.; Foster Field, Texas; Fort \Vorth Army Air Field, Texas; Dodge City Army Air Field, Kan.; Coffeyville Army Air Field, Kan.; Bryan Army Air Field, Texas; Bruce Field, Texas; Blackland Army Air Field, Texas; Avenger Field, Texas, and Altus Army Air Fiel,d, Okla.

Dear Editor: ... I would like very much to have you answer some questions pertaining to Warrant Officers. I have been a Warrant Officer (J.G.) for 17 months and many times I have had the question asked me, "Why does the Armv have Warrant Officers?" This I cannot truthfully answer. I have asked several officers of field grade, and they cannot answer this question either. ... W /0 Donald \V. Mendenhall, APO 520, New York See question and answer column on page

52. Ed.
Men 40 Horses 8

~S'
.> at

<,
Needle-and-Thread Assembly Lirf$-Jl Some time ago, a group of officers' wi~
Hamilton Field, Calif., became aware that their husbands were not the only ones on the base whose shirts, socks andM>users required frequent mending-so tlfe"y set out to do something about it. The volunteers secured a building, installed sewing machines, long tables, needles and thread, and insured the daily presence of sewing experts from their own ranks. From their Women's Club funds, they purchased the necessary equipment and began sewing and mending for enlisted personnel as well as transient officers. With assembly-line efficiency, the mend. ing rooms now operate six days a' week from 0930 to 1700. Duplicate tickets are made for each article of clothing at the "issue" table, one remaining with the garment, the other going to the "customer." From here the garment goes to a pinning table, then to a large sewing table for machine or hand-

Dear Editor: ... With regard to your recent editorial entitled "No More Box Cars," let me assure you that all the box car trouble was not ended by the armistice of 1918. To a good many of the flying personnel here in the Mediterranean Theater the 40 & 8 ride from Casablanca to Bizerte is a never-to-beforgotten experience. Not that it was a rougher trip than the ones our Dads took, but it certainly was a lot longer. Since the wheel castings were dated 1886, many of us believe the quarante hommes et huit chevaux is here to stay. 1st Lt. T. V. Murphy, Corsica
B-29

Dear Editor: ... In the July edition of AIR FORCE there is an article by Col. Donald L. Putt entitled THE 13-29 SUPERFORTRESS. In the first paragraph, page 7, the Colonel states that "it was not until September, 1943, that the first ship again took to the
air."

This statement is incorrect as I was stationed at the Boeing factory, 6600 Ellis Avenue, Seattle, Washington, during MayJune, 1943, and while there saw test hops made by the 13-29.... Cpl. A. ,W. Punt, Chanute Field, Ill. The second 13-29 to be EigI1t tested crashed. The first did not take to the air again until September, 1943. In the meantime, other planes had been built and were Eight tested during this period. Ed. AIR FORCE

46

TRAINING
Automatic Pilot Trainer-A new trainer has been designed to aid in teaching pilots and bombardiers the functions and operation of the automatic pilot and to provide maintenance mechanics with practice in servicing the robot steering device and other flight 'control equipment. Designated Automatic Pilot Trainer, Type H-2, it consists of an instrument trainer fuselage, capable of simulating climb, dive and bank movements, and a Type C-1 automatic pilot with mechanisms, controls, linkages and instruments necessary for its operation. Functioning in the trainer with the same degree of precision and sensitivity it attains in a plane, the automatic pilot "flies" the trainer in a straight course or maneuvers it in response to controls. On the trainer's instrument board, in addition to the automatic pilot control panel, are an artificial horizon, a turn and bank indicator, a volt-ammeter, an altimeter and a pilot director indicator. A space approximately 12' long, 12' wide and 9' high is needed for installation of the automatic pilot trainer. The power requirement is volts, 60 cycles and 30 amps. Maintenance procedures for standard instrument trainers and for automatic pilots in aircraft apply also to the Type H-2 trainer.

AIDS
The book provides standardized procedures for every operation from initial installation of the gun camera to assessment of the gunner's accuracy, and it should prove valuable to gunnery instructors and officers,. operations and photo officers, power turret specialists and armorers. Prepared by the Central School for Flexible Gunnery, the -rnanual was published and is being distributed in the usual manner by TAD. Gunnery Teaching Technique-To make flexible gunnery classes more interesting and to aid in the effective presentation of subject matter, AF Manual No. 16, "Teaching Methods for Flexible Gunnerv Instructors," has been published by the 'Training Aids Division. The 32-page, two-color booklet was prepared with the assistance of Ohio State University's educational research department following a survey by the Flexible Cunnery Instructors School, Laredo, Texas. Covering lectures, demonstrations, discussions, tests, individual conferences, classroom aids and other phases of pedagogy, the manual also provides a coordinated program for the use of training publications, films and other devices. The booklet is now being distributed to flexible gunnery schools and instructors. In general content, it may prove valuable to teachers of other Army subjects, and a limited number of copies are available to them and other persons concerned upon application through channels. 'Fighter Gunnery' - Basic principles of fighter gunnery are explained in a new manual, prepared by the Training Command and the Fixed Gunnery Instructors School. Titled "Fighter Gunnery," the book includes data on optical sight, limits of effective range, harmonization, r,mge estimation, deflection allowance, curves of pursuit, synthetic training devices, gun camera, firing practice and other related subjects. The manual is being distributed by TAD. Gunnery Posters-Firing accuracy, gained by fighter pilots only through a complete knowledge of the physical principles involved in fixed gunnery, is the theme of a new instructional poster series distributed by TAD. Consisting of 21 posters assembled in the standard TAD binder, the series is labeled "Fighter Pilot Gunnery." Each poster is 30" x 40" in size and is lithographed in three colors. For the convenience of instructors, explanatory matter for each poster appears on the back of the preceding one. Training Films-Emergency landing techniques, camouflage, fuel tank fires and aircraft recognition are subjects covered in five recently released training films. Crash Landings in Unfavorable Terrain (TF 1-3331) demonstrates, by means of model planes and sand tables, the basic procedure for setting down bombers and fighters on unsuitable ground. The film also tells the story of a B-25 crew which survived a crash landing only because each member was well drilled in his emergency duties. Running time: 35 minutes. Flying the Hurdle Stage (TF 1-3344) describes the proper method for making a short field landing over obstacles. Forced by a low fuel supply to attempt such a landing, a P-38 pilot is "talked down" by an officer skilled in hurdle approaches. Later, the pair discuss the reasons for each step taken. Running time: 15 minutes. Camouflage Cartoon (TF 1-3351) is a non-technical film intended to impress per-. sonnel with the importance of visual deception. It emphasizes the necessity of thinking of camouflage in terms of the airview. Running time: 30 minutes.

no

'Handbook for Recovery'-Proving of great value to the AAF convalescent training program is the new AF Manual No. 23, "Handbook for Recovery," which was produced by TAD for the Office of the Air Surgeon. The book deals with physio-therapy and corrective exercises for casualties who are on the mend and who eventuallv will return to dutv. It is written in a light vein and illustrated with manv cartoons depicting the humorous side' of a patient's routine. Distributed to convalescents in AAF hospitals, the manual offers a simplified course in anatomy and outlines methods by which a patient may strengthen and regain use of a disabled part of his body. . Gun Camera Manual-Data, previously obtained only by searching through scores of TOs and other AAF publications, has been consolidated and augmented in AF Manual No. 25, "Gun Camera Manual for Flexible Gunnery Training."

"*

WHERE TO GO
Information on the availability af training films and film strips, aircraft recognition meferia Is. training devices and training publications may be obtained from the Chief, Training Aids Division, Army Air Forces, I Park Avenue, New York 16, N. Y., upon request through channels. AAF Regulation No. 50-19 explains fully the functions of the Training Aids Divisio~.
CARTOON BY F. WILKINSON

OCTOBER,

1944

47

'.1

Captured

after

t licir

medium

hom her c[;l,he, .. \.\F

crlW nu-mlxr-,

.irc tr.m-.portc d in " J,,[[\

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Ready to receive the prisoners are ;\'azi intelli!;encc officers who. bv psvcholoaical methods, hope to dupe t hc Americans into revcalins; hits of inform.itiou which c.m he pieced together and used to :lcll:lntl!;e :l!;:linst the .\.\1".

48

AIR

FORCE

Surprised by the friendliness of their captors, the flier, are lulled into a f.il-.c sense of security. \\'hen a pretty nurse treah him k indlv. the wouudcc! ~1l1l1l(.'r tells her his base in Italy is pl.mniut; a bi~ mission for the ncar future.

Posing as an Allied sympathinr, one of the Germans in. vires the ,\,\F copilot to drink with him, '1\\0 other '\;ms join t licm and, in the convivi.ilitv that follows, the .\merican reveals more about the project eel mission.

Deceived by the AAF uniform worn 1", his hun kmatc, who is ;1 '\;ll.i in disgUISe. tlte r.rdio operator cxpl.uu t h.rt onlv a fc\\' hours c.u licr Itis fligltt connn.mckr h.id been relieved from assignment to the next clay's big mission,

Given a good meal in a :\';11i officer's quarters, the tail. gllnner drops word th.it hIS i;rouP has ,toeked "P on inrcndiarics. Un\\lttingll', he h.is upped-off the encmy t h.it the slated Lagel is of a higltly'comll\lstible nature,

The jig-saw of information scraps is completed when the A\F pilot, clinins; w.t l: Luf twafl men. int imatos a cold ll1ight keep ,I f1'. cr from making a Illghaltitndc misviou. The ?\aZls tie that hint with the radioman's statement.

Determining that Munich t l.at 1I1\I\t lx, rc:tlhul by C'\ L[ tLe ,\lps. t l, '\:l7IS l ntc rc cptcd. the "ttackl1lg

is the 01111' coinbust il.k, target hIgh alt it ud I1nng from Italy xuuu uon full fighter strength, !J(il1l!JUS suffer he;ny losses,

OCTOBER

1944

49

OCTOBER

IN THE AAf

BEFORE DECEMBER 7. 1941 1909, OCT. 26: First Arrnv man to solo the Arm v's first plane is Lt. F. E. I Iurnphreys after three hours' pilot instruction by \Vilbnr \Vright. 1911, OCT. 10: Riley E. Scott bombsight and drop. ping device tested. 1911, OCT. 14; Air strength: 6 officers, :; airplanes, 3 captive balloons. 1912. OCT 9: First competition for Mackav Trophy is won bv Lt. II. II. Arnold. 1914. OCT. 8, Official American one-man altitude record of 16.791\ feet is set by Capt. II. LcR. Muller. 1916. OCT 27: For fiscal year 1918. Chief Signal Officer asks for enlisted strength of 3,320 for 10 aero squadrons, 6 observation balloon companies, a proving ground and necessary schools. . 1917. OCT. 21: 12 cylinder Libertv engine first flown. 1918. OCT 9: 32 tons of bombs dropped during Meuse-Arzouue offensive in record concentration of air forces 'to date. More than 250 bombers and 100 pursuit planes participate. lJlS, OCT. I~: Oxygcn tanks ordered carried on all American flights over enemy lines. American Air Service cngages in its first night fighting. 1919, OCT. 4: Official world 2-man altitude record of 31.1\21 feet is established hy Maj. "Shorty" Schroeder and Lt. G. K Elfrev, 1922. OCT. 6: Unofficial world duration record is established I>\"Lts. Macrcadv and Kellv, Established time: 35:18:-'0. . . 1922, OCT 13: Libcrtv Engine Trophy Race is won bv Lt. T. J. Koenig. Speed: 128.8 mph over 257.7. m ilc course. 1922, OCT 14: Pulitzer Trophv Race is won hy Lt. R. L. Maughan. Speed: 20:;.8 mph, 250 km course. 1922. OCT. 18: World's speed record of 222.96 mph for I kill is set bv Brig. Gen. \\'m. E. :\litchell. 1923. OCT 3-6' \\'illiam 1\litC'hell Trophy Race won by Capt. B. E. Skeel. Speed: 146.44 mph. /924. OCT. 2-4: Jolin L. Mitchell Trophv Race won by Lt. C. Bettis. Speed: 175.41 mph, 200 krn course. 1925. OCT. 8-10: New world speed records of 249.342 mph for 100 km, and 248.975 mph for 200 kill set. 1927, OCT. 12: Wright Field formally dedicated. 1928. OCT, 19: Six-man machine gun team parachutes from 6-airplane formation, sets up in 3 minutes. 1938, OCT. 26: 350 mph average speed achieved by new Army pursuit plane. Lt. B. S. Kelscv, pilot. 1940, OCT. 25: l\Iaj. Gcn. II. II. Arnold designated Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Air. 1941, OCT. 23: Increase in AAF expansion program from 54 to 84 combat groups is announced. 1941, OCT. 30: B.H carrying members of Harriman Mission circles globe. 14.700 miles in elapsed time of 17 days.

AIR FORCE each month will present in this section new titles on aviation subjects which arc available to AAF per. sonnel through the AAF Field Technical Librarv Service, which provides for technical libraries at ;111 major iustall.rtionx. These book list.s, compiled b~' Al\F Headquarters Libr.irv. supplement the Selected Bibliogr.iplu of Aviation appearing in The Official Cuidc to the Army Air Forces.
YC.1rhnok. "'\. Y ... vcronaut ic.rl Clram hcr of Commerce of Amcr icn, 19-H. Vol, 26. The l:Jtcst voluun- of the oldest vcarbook in the field of ncron.mtics. . AYLI:\C. KEITII. J)omharc!lllcllt AI'iation. llarrisIJllr~. Pa .. :\Iilitar\' SCr\icc. I (H-f. _\11 account of thc havic t hcorv of air w.uf.m-. AYLI:\C. KJ:ITIL Bomhcrs. N. Y .. Cr()\\'l'IJ. 1944 .. \11 .m.ilvsis of cl:l"cs .md tvpcs of bombcrs. both .\llied .mcl cncmv. of th'is w.n. DO:\D. J)O:\.\I.D s. R)(lio Directio/i Filld~'rs. :\'. Y., :\ lcCr.nv-Hill , 1944. A guidcbook to this spcci.rl field. C\HLISl.l:. xo n vr.vx v. Illmtr;Ited lhiiltioll EIJ('I'clol'cdi:J: N. Y .. :\'C\l' l Iomc Libr.rrv. 19.H. .\ popul.rr. elJ(.\'clopulic prc-cnt.r t iou of simple acron.rut ir.il bets. FLIGIIT I'RJ:I'.\R.\TIO:\ '11\.\1:\1:\(; SIRIJ:S. ,\ir '-:;l\'i~iltiOIl. Part FOllr. X;l\ii;atir)JJ IlIstrll1l1ellls. :\'. Y .. :\IcCr;I\\'.llilJ. 1r)H. Another in thc serics of nil\'ig;ltioll text- prl'j);ncd uuckr the supervision of thc .vvi.rt ion Tr;lillillg Divixion, OtTicc of tl: Chid of Nil\';J! Operations. GOOD\n:\. II.\! .. Acri;11 \\';nfare. thc Ston of tl".' i\crfJl'l;lllc as ;1 \\'C:I/lOIL :\. Y .. :\'C\l Horne Libr.irv, I'H'). T;letic's .n] tech. niqllcs of toclavx air w:rr. GlIIlTITIlS. IL\IWi.D. ,\"'thell1atics for ,\ircr;dt Enginc j\1cc1I;wics. :\'. Y .. :\lcCril\\,IlilJ. I(H4. I'r;letica] avint ion m.rt lu-mut ic-, or. g;mi/ul .mrl prcscutcc] throllgh C\Cr\d;I\' jobs. IL\RIUSO:\. RICIL\IU) D. Look at thc "'mld. the Fortllllc Atbs fm "'orld Str;Jfcg\. :\'. Y .. Knopf. ]C)-f-f. .\11 .iir uundc.l atlas with full-color. l:ngcscJ!c m'lps. norr.u. DO:\.\LIl. Cilpl:iill Hetrcad. :\'. Y .. :'\ortOll. ],H4. 'l'h pcrson] n.irr.it ivc of all A.\I-' oiTicer of two w.u. L\:\CL\I'IJ:SCIII:. \\Ol.lC\:\C. Stick ;llId 1\1Iddcr. ;111 F'l'lall;Itioll of thc ;\rt of Fllillg. :\'. Y .. \\ -hittlese\ l l ouxc, J ')H. .\ textbook .iinu! at tho : who will bc iutcrc-tc! ill lc.unnu; 110\1' to operate their 0\1'11 light pl.uics .if tcr the \I';If. Ll:Y. "'ILLY. Hodcts. thc 1'IItmc 01 Tr:!"cl bc,olld tllc Str;Jfo.sl'llCrc. :\'. Y .. \'ibllg. I'H4 .. \ prcclict iou of ~\h;lt rocket ships 111;/' lll;lkc pOlsible ill .Iobr cxplor.itiou. J\I\C\\'IIY. c. B. I. TIle Ilclic0l'krs '\'L' COlilillg. :-\. Y., \\'hittle.IC'\' I lou,. 194-1. The pot cnt i.tlit ic-, of rot.u, .urcr.rtt , 1\1\:\:\. C.\I{L. l\ir I1cr;rleln'. N. Y.. Rolxrt :\IcBriclc. 1944. The r.ipidlv cxp.mclius; \\eJlth of ,\\F illSigllia. J\ICl:\TOSlI. COLl:\ II: LOllg-Rallgc Fligllt. 0:. Y .. :\IcCI:l\\' IIJlJ. I (H4. A piouccr title ill a field of illLTC;lsillg import.uuc. IIIIKSClII:. 11.1\111:\\:\]) o. Is Bmll;,ill!~ Dcci.silc:. II Stllchill tile Orglllli/atioll :1I1e1Tletied 1':lIll"()\IlICIIt of .\ !OciLTII .\;r Flcets. :\. Y .. :\'ortoll. I'H') .. \11 hl!;lis!l public.it ron which has rc cc ntlv been m.rdc .iv.ul.rb! ill tllis COlllltn'. 1'.\1 IllCi i. J.\\ILS. amI SCllllI(. 11.\1'1" ,\ir '\';l\i'_;:Jf;OII .\I:rde 1':;1". :\'. Y .. :\ IcC!:l\\ I I ill. ] ')H. 'lh b;lsic Clellll'ltlS of .iir pilot iu.; .md clc.] rcckollillg lIa\'igatioll. I\.\IS/. J:J(\\'l:\. Arbs of ClolJ:lI Ce'!g'"l'll\'. :\. Y .. I l.upcr , J cH4. \\orlel lllilpS .SlIppIc-IIIC'lItcd In' gcogr;lpllic;JI bcts. svur n. c. CL01-TI(LY. GllS Tmbillcs llllel Jet l'rol'lds;OIl for ""cr;dt. :\' Y,. ,\crosphLTc. Ir)-f-1. hlst publivlu! III Lourlou. t lu-, prcscllts the historical dc,cloplllCllt of jet PIOPlllslOIL '1IiO\L\S. RO\\'.\:\ 'I. Borll ill Ibtt1c. IZollllel tt: \\ mid ,\,!I'CllrllrCS of thc 51 ')t1l BOIII/);ncllllcllt S'1lllldroll. Plul.nlclph i:r. \\'IIlStOIl. I (H4. The corortul rccord of this SqlJ:IClrOIl'S v.ur.d C"pcrICIICCS. \\ILU:\SO:\. 1'.\111. II. ,\ncr;dt Ellgillcs of tllC \\ oriel. :\. Y .. 1';1IJ1 II. \\'ilkillSoll. 19--14. The rc\i,,'c! cclit ion of a hasic .urcr.rft cllgillC cncvclopccli.r. "'YC\:\, LI1C.\1\ J. BOlII),crs i\crO.\). 0:. Y .. Lllttoll. J 'H4 .. \ 1l;11. r.it iv prcselltatioll of the work of t l u: . \TC ill sl'l'l'lhllg pLtIlCS .md sllpl'hcs to the combat JIIC"IS :':: ..
J\irCT.1ft

50

AIR

FORCE

TIM ELY A D V ICE FRO M THE

A I R INS PEe TOR

* Administration *

Supply and Maintenance

* Operations and Training

Q AND A

Confidence: 1-:"cllti;I! in all flling. confidence is partic II Ia rlv Ilccc"an in 11Ight fIghting. l nvpcctors c.m help a pilot gain sclfa"nLnlCc bv "scertaining that he is familiar with ;111 his lIightfllillg equipment. The impnrt.mcc of the pilot's knOll'ing the procedure to follow if his radio fails cannot be ovcrcmpha,i/C(!. Trip Ticket: Proper completion of a driver's trip ticket work-: to thc adnntagc of hoth thc driver .md thc vcluclc user. The speedometer reading. the elate and thc timc of rclc.isc should be inserted hy thc pa"enger and not bv the .lr ivor. Stored Vehicles: Proper care shollld .uul maintain stored p;ms.

Drivct'

Paraehlltc Clleek'lIp: "[umpim; out of all airplane wit l: a parachute is nothing to get all hct III' about. It is sillJplv the occ;l.sion wluch von hall' long .ruticipatcd and for which Ion arc fullv prepared. .. , :\'011'. wcll a"umc that t hc h.rrlJCSS is corrcetll' llttccl .md equipment is all iu order. If vou h.rvcnt seen to that before, it's too late 'to do it noll', ... " These rcmarks from ;1 British Training \ lcmorandum shoulr] start flying pcrvouncl thinking. Ilhethcr in the R.\" or .\\F. Is 10m parachute harnc" corrccr lv fitted and is vour cqllipmcnt in order: . . Keeping II/forllled: Counuunicat ionx pcr-ouncl xhould acqu.rin! t hcmsclvc-, wit l: all challges aflectillg combined conuuuuirnt ious procedures and CTlptographic sccurrtv. Thcv should sec ,\1\ ~Sll, 5 and thc radio .md Crvptorr.iphic Bnllctiu issllcd 1", the .\ir Comunuucnt ions Officer. .\11 1Il:II' .\I\'s, Circular s and .\\F I\CgllbtiollS shollld he c!Jcckcd for dircct;I'l's ;Ippliclhle to conuu u nirutionv, .md .\,\1' Rcg. 1 IIIl 1 shonld he kcpt III' to date .

be taken to prcsclye vcbiclcs ;m;lIting rc-

wn

'Shotglll/' PLJlIe IlISpcetiollS: \Lllnten;lncc (TC\lS wh o arc gil'ill[,; planes . o"hotgull" or gellcral invpctt ioux. IHl iu.rt tcr \lhethcr ;1 oil. 1 II1I or :1I1l hom check-np is icquirccl. should discontinne t h.it pr.ut rcc. 10 111;lkc t lu: proper cx.muu.uiou at t l. right t mu. (TC\lS 111 lISt lISe" [,;lIillc ;IS directed hy TO Illl :1l.\2. Ingel/lIit\.
.\1l1LTiClll

Cas \ Tasks:
IllSpcctiollS s!Ioll1d he m.ulo f rcq lien til, to scc th.rt g;ls lll:hb lIt persollllel to whom t hcv 1I:II'e lxx-n i--ucd.

iJ1 \\';Jr Orientatiol/:

illgClIlllt) 1\ pr()\"lllg to be a lILIJOI I.ut or ill t l: SlllH'" of the ,\\1,' \ \;Ir (hlellLIt ion Pn'gLln!. lx.un plr of this illgenllltl' noted at "lr.i in;ng Connu.u! st;ltiom ;Ire p;l,sul ;I!ong hCIC hv the .\ir Impector for the hellcllt of ot licr pnsonnel UlIlCLTlled IIIth \I;lr oruul at inu. Tllo dun nuic-, in '\;I/i u ruf unu , l"llinl.; ;1 lIIc;I! ontside ;1 tent. addul nnlivm to ;1 d isphI' of (;erllLlII u]nipmellt CIt ]\o'llcll held,

x.

\1.
'1\1"l1

(; 1 's III '\;I/i and J"p uniforms Deminl.; rie1e1, '\. \1. Thcv were "nneler gn;nd" for o1l1"iom rClsons. The Oricn t.uiou .\lllisorl' Comnut tee. conlp()Su1 of 12 cnllsted men \Iho h;lle secn OILTSe;IS scrvit: in v.u iou-, thclters of opeLI' lions. is the backbonc of the progLlln at Stockton hc1d, CI!if. Th ;IITLlge (; I \londers \\h;lt a cor.rl ;Itoll i, like. Ll1Ighlin hc1d. Tcx.i. has the ;nlslHT in a co1orfnl .uu] inform.rt ivo sand box displa" in its war rooui. .:\ IITekll' cotu liut forum is condncted .rt l,;m'do hC:'ld. 'j'n;ls. \len retllnIcd from cUlnhlt ;1I1S\HT stlldcnt glliniers' pLICticI! Itnestions ;Ihont life in thcaters of opcrations.

toured

Tire JTaz;lrCls: RIIII\I ;1\'S II1mt Stl'II1S, picccs of ;IIT t ir h.rz.mldcnts. (TO Il-+ ,\fark

be kept clc.m. Bolts. v.ilvc till .u u] otlicr loose mat cri.rl hich m.iv result ill acci11l2) .

It

'\'(J\I:

1.;I!lC1ing of C]Otllillg .md equipment should hc ;1 d.iv to d;II' process. imtc;ld of a I'IIs!I joh jmt hefore ;1 llnit is ordcrcd OI'crscas, T!Ic nl:lrkillg sll<lII!d he dOllc ;IS SOOIl ;IS t!Ic elOt!Iillg ;l1Id cljlliplllCllt arc rcceiH'd. Photo Refrigeration: TO :-+ 1 :; COlILlillS ;1 color cll;lrt Il'hich Ill;l)' hc IIScd to lktcrll1illC t!Ic propn rcb tilT hlllllll!Il\' for tllc storaL:l' of scmiti/cd pllotogLlphic: m;ltcflals ;IS ,~ntlincd ill TO

Clothing

a1l(1 J':C/lIipll/el/t: Thc condition of clotllinL: awl cqnipmcnt of pLT"lIlnel going OITrSC;IS shonld IIlITr hc Llkcn fm gLmtl'll. lmt sllOnlel hl' dclnlllinccl hI inspcct iom.

1 u 51.

Q. I~ tIle piJot rcspollsihlc for condIlcting h;liJ.ont drills? A. It is the direct rcsponvibilitv of the pilot to drill his (TCW ill a staudurd bail-out procedure, illclnding warnillg and exit signals. Crews, IITaring fnIl cquipmcnt , should practicc lll:lking exits while the pl.mc is 011 the gronnd. (Pilots' Inform.rtron File 8.4-2, t cvivcc] 1 \Iarch 19++.) Q. Is it ncccvx.rrv to h;/I'e SCfI'CcI a whole 'car beforc "7 Dccembcr 194/ to he c1igihlc to Il'car t1lc i\llicricm DefcllSe SCII'ice ribhon' A. No. The reference to 12 mouths' xcrvICC in \\T) Cir. 27, 1()4-+, as .uu cndcd bv \\T) Cir. 120, 10-+-+. docs not mc.m that ;1 pcrsoll 111 list h;II'C h.rd 12 mouths' service lx.twrcn S Sc-ptcm her 19 :;() .uic] 7 Decemher 19-+ 1. but 111 list h;IIT entered upon .t period of act iv scn'icc for 12 mont h-, or longcr dming t h.rt period. Q. Prior to JII1I- 1()4" idcJ1tiFication Lip w cre ,sLJ1J1pcd IIit1l t uc ILlIJ1C ;J1IlI addrcss r.I t uc pcrSOJ1 to t: l1lJtificd iJ1 casc of CJ1ICTgC!ll'\' , Jf tlu: pcrsoJ1 or addrcss is dUJ1gcd, ,SII(lIdd till' t"c;" bc rcpL!ccll' A. '\0. \let;I!s h01l1 II hich the LIgs .uc LIhriclted ;IIC of ;1 crit ic.rl n.it urc .md II1l1't he cOJ1serlcd. Scc. v, \\1) Cir, :=:;. 1f).H, prOlidcs t li.tt tags ill t!IL' posscssioll of nuliLIII' personllel 11'I11 IIOt he repLill'l1 for the rcasoll cited ahme. or ])('l;IIlSC ;1 c!I"IIL:e III ,\1'111\' l\cgIIl"tiollS II:IS elilllill;llnl t lu- f ot nur leljllirl~lllcllt t li.it 1IIl' I:lgs bc.rr t l. n.unc .u] ;Iddrcss of the persoll to he lIo:itIl'd. Q. Is tllc 11:1IJ1C (d tI,c ClllcrC;C!llI' ;Idd,csscc ,~Iill rCI/llirccl to t: CII/crcd OJ1 I'''L:C .2 of tLc Soldier's IJ1di"jdlLlI /';1" I\ccord !\\J) ,\CO !'orJ1! 2\ " A. Yes. Rrl.it ivr to Iorn: :..,. it ;I!'l) shollid hc uol c] tlr.rt l111rlCI 110 CIlCIIIIISLlnCl'S will tv pcwril t cu n.ui Ie, SlglI;111I1e. ['Llde or a III I of slTlice of ;1111'officer ;lppCIr ill t h bookl.t. ' Q .. \LII' ;1 pilot IISC " SpCCi;ll lilceklist J1I' s(c;ld of tilc ,st;\l1c!:lTll list for IIi,s pi:JIIC: A. \\'1)('11 dcsircd, COIIIII"lIl<lcrs of .ur forces, COJ1II1"llIds. or ot lur ,\ \1-' .ut ivit ic-, to which .iircr.rf! ;IlC ;ISSigllCd 111;11'issllc supple mcut.irv or ;lIl1p!Ih'illg cllclllists cOllLllllinL: such .rcldit inn.tl m.it cr i.r] ;IS J11:II' he dl'Cnled ;Icll'isahle. 'Ihi, is not to lx. interpretcd as ;lIItl,ori/illg t lu- rCJ1lm';I! of tl. st.ind.ml check list wlricl: I1IlIst he cnried in air(Taft at ;I11 tiuu -, I P;lr, \. \I' I\l'g, ,I' amcnlkcl 1>1 .\,\1' Reg. (,: :1\, ) JIII\' ] 0-+-+. Q. \\']I;Jt disl)()\ilioll is llLl<lc of files of lJll1l1!Jcrcd ~clleral IlTclers, IJIllJcfllls, cirelJ!ars :Jl1d l11eI11m;ll1d1l111S iSSlll'd I", \,;lri(lI1s hcad l/lwtns il1 l!Ic ..\\1',' A .. \t tIll' CllIllpkl iOIl of;1 seril's, IHHlIi;I1I\' ;It the ('lid of ;1 cIlllllhr IC;Ir. one COpl' ,;f (,;!lh Sl ries. scclIIclI. 1>olllllL Ili11 hc for \" .. ln] m to tJ,C .\djl;tant (;CIICLIL ;ltlclltilJlI

h::,

OCTOBER,

1944

51

of Demobilized

Personnel Records Brauch, High Point, X C. t Scc .\R 311J;1). :h amended 1", Ch, 8. .md \\'D Cir. 231 I f).H, for :j list of commands required to forward these files.) Q. If a cOllluI:uHI is appropri:lte to the command of a general officer. should official mail to that command he addressed to the "ConlllJ;Jnding Ccncrai." even though the commander is not ;1 general officer? A. To the Commanding General. A.\F Reg. 10.2, 31 J lily I 9H, states that "an official commuuic.rt iou to an activitv is ad. dressed to the 'Commanding Officer' when the conun.mdcr i,s lx-lo: the grade of Briga. dier Ccuvral: ot hcrwisc. 'Commanding Cen era!' is used." Referencc I,S to the r;mk of the cnnuuandcr normnllv in couuuand as established bv Tables of ()rganization. :\ Ian. ning Tables, ctc., not to r.mk of the par. ticular officer ,\'/10 is ill conuuancl. Q. \\'111' docs tIJe Aom' ha"e \\'arrant Officers' , A. There have been Warr.mt Officers in the Arucrican naval service since the Revolutionarv \\'ar, but Warrant Officers did not appear in the Arrnv until 9 [ulv 191 S. when thcv were authorized in the Armv :\ I inc Pla;1ter Service. 'I'hcv II'erc .iut hor izccl ill t hl' ,\mll at large -+ [uuc lCJ20, Pur pose ,\,;IS to render more economica] and cffiricut aclministrut ion of the larger tactical llllih in the field b" furnishing a class of officers who would be able to per, form iuauv of tlie subaltern duties otlicr wise pcrformccl bv conunivsiouccl officer-; .md to provide a means of reeogni/ing the -crviccs of cnlivtccl men ,\'/10 had served c rcdit.rblv as commissioned officers in \\'odd \\'ar I, 'bnt \1,110 were incliaililc for com. m ivsio ncc] grades in the Regular Annv. Furt licr .. \f1111 held Clerks. civiliaus wit li milit.uv statu~ who performed much of tlie clerical work of the ,\rI1l1 in \\'orld \\':n Y, were cluuiuatcd bv app;,illtlllg tliem \\'ar. rant OI1ieer.s. \\'arrant Ot1ieers nrc adclreS\ed Ill' the tItle ":\Iister." t lrcv receive the s:lllltl' and arc extended the' court cvic-, due couuui-. sioned officers. Th(,\, mal' perform those duties nonuallv as\iglled to juuior conuni. sioucc] officers, for the pmpfhe of reliel'inl; conuuis-.ioucd ot1ieers of couvidcrabl ad minixrr.rtivc and tccluucul detail. \\'heu \\'arrant Officers .u c leg:ilh assigned to duties nor mullv performed hI couuu issioncd officers t hcv arc vcxtccl with all the pO\l'Crs usu.illv excrci,cd 1", conuuiv.iouc! officers ill the pcrform.mcc of sllch clut ics. Some clut icthat 111",1' e pcrformed h bl' \\.:nraut Ot1icers ;Ire COll1l1Lllld of a st"tiOIl. ullit. or detach ment, \lhclI sllch comm:md docs not m, elude COlllIlli"iollUI officer' cligihle to COIJI maml; Offi('l'f of the ]);11, PriSOll o t1icer. \Iess alld SlIpplr- Officer ;illd ,\djllLmt, \\'arrallt offiecrs liLlI' not serl'C on :l cOllrt llLlrti:JI. miiIf:n,' C;IIIIIJIi"ioll. or comt of illquin'; Oil :1111' l;o:nc1 of ot1icer' where the cOlldud. sf:ltns. li:lhl1itl or right> of ;1 cOlnmi"iollul officer arc ill i"lle; as :1 Cbillls (lfficer or [I1\Tstii;atiug Officer lIithill tlJc pllllic'l\' of .\\\' -:-0; ',I,\djllf:mt CeneLIl. IIl'IJl'dor Geller:JI. or Jnc1ge ,\dl'(), c:lte of :111\ comm:mcl. (,\R ()Ill ;, :md \\'j) Cir, ]()-f.l ().+i ) -!:

ASSIGNMENT-HOME
(Con ti n ucd is still 011, aud it docs not make sense, when the need is great, to waste yom tr;lining. \X'hat h"ppellS if I cannot conrmuc if! nil' ;\105:' The Classification Section of the Redistribution Station will dctcnn inc vour nell' :\IOS, Yom civilian background i, carefullv cousiclcrcd. Y 011 wil! he tested and ex:ulIined as If Ion had just joiued the service. \\'hen vour qn.ilificat ion', arc determined. 1'(1Il will be sent where vou can be best 'emplO\'Cd or further trai;lCd in the job for which yon arc best qualified. Can a single clIgillC pilot apph for lIIulti. enginc training' /\ man who expresses a desire to ch:lnge equipment tlpes mal' be sent to the Training Command. lI'hich is informed of his qualificnt ious and wivhcs. After c.rrcful examination and a thorough studv, the Training Command makes the final determination. Changes from single engine pilot to multicuaine training. or lice versa. are infrequent became of the time .md energ" demanded in the transit ion a \1(1 bccau-c the man's combat ex. pcr ic-ncc docs not :JlII':11'S applv if he changes from bombers to fighters. or "icc
vcrx.

from
;1

Page

3)

Can

or u:l\'ig;ltor apph. for Yes. if he i, 1I0t above thc gr:lck of capt.un .mcl is under 27 vears of age at the time such tr:linillg begins. Call" combat crew member beeo1llc a pilot' Yes, a combat crew IJIan is gi'TII prefer, enre ill appl\'ing for Air Crew Training as pilot, hom hardier or rw,'ig:ltor, l lc can put in for it at the Redistribntion Station. If he passes his phvsic.rl examination and medical il1\Tstigation. and if classifIcation apprO\Ts. he g(~es right before a hn.irr] at the st.rt iou and is sent out for Air Crew Trainiuu. Com cnlisted men pnt in for OCS' Yes. but :\.\l-'I'DC. h:II'ing its own limited quotn. CIIllHlt sellcl t luiu. J]OIlTITr. it can and docs pass 011 f('COIJIIJIeIH1:JtioIlS to the next e01llIJI;llld to ,,'Jlieh the m.in is ;IS. signcd, C:lII officers pnt in fm iurthcr tr;lining' Ye,. returnees call applv for higher schools such :IS the Inlclligence Schoo! at Or lando. Fla .. and the Command and Cell. era] Staff Schoo] :1t Fort Lcavonwort li. Kan. Selection depends on 10m qualific.rt ionx .md vac.mcics nv.ril.iblc I[OIl' lOll[; do I stal' in tI,e l'ersmJ1lel Dis. trillllti(;n COlllllla'nd:' Or,hu:nih' bchl'('Cn onc :mel hl'O IITeb ,\ \FI'DC is the cle:ning 110Il.se of tIll' \,\l-' It kuOlYS I\hcrc mell Inth :1 .slx'cillc \ (OS arc necdcd :md it kn"'l.s \lhat m:mpOlITr is :11':1 il:Jhle , III .sOIlll' lllst;IlleeS. of comse. a man mis;ht be ]X'l1ll;l1lCIlth :lssiE;ned to :\.\/-'PDC. for likc elCrl other ConllIl:l1ld and .\ir Forcc III tl;c llnited St;ltC.s. ,\,\I.'('])C is CllTlilli; Ollt the "';Ir Dc p:ntmeIlt's rof:ltioll l;ohcI' :md CITlltll:l1h' \lill hc cOInpletch' ,.statted \I'itlt retl\flleeS, \,'ill I he iJlllIlCc/i:lfc!1 rdmned "lerSCl\' OrdilI:llih'. llO, ,\\/-' policl' is tlut men retl\fnul from comb:lt \I'ill rel1l:1in in domc,tie C"IlIIll;mcll ;llld ,\ir /-'mec.s for

a bomb:mJier

pilot tr;linim,:'

miuimum of three month" III the vast J1lajofltl' of cases it h:l.s been longcr th.u: six months, as it clcpends l.n aclv npoll the currcn t m ilitarv sitl\;} tion. \Vhere lI'ill I b~ assigned frou: the Redis. tributicm Statioll,' To one of the four Air lorccs in the U nitcd States or one of the Commands in this conntrv. Do I h;lI'c .inv cllOiee as to \I:Il<.'re I .nn ;Issis;ned:' \lilif:m' ncccssitv determine' a"ignlncnts, 110\1'('IT[. returnees arc rc que-ted to st:lte their preferences. If the fkmanels of the service coincide with the I\ishcs of the rcnunccs, it is often pos ,sible to work out .in :1"igIlIllCIlt which flllrdls .\.\1" requirements and also meets the rcturuccx II'l,hcs, Arc there .urv' exception,s to tilis choice of ,tatioll iII tlie U, S,;' Yes. there arc ccr tain Vvar Department and .\\1-- policies that sometimes m.ikc it impovvihlc to fill. fill a muu'v request. For example, a P ,S pilot cannot he st.it ioucd 011 the Ea.st Coast since all the Lightnings arc 110\1' under the couuuaucl of the -lt h Air Force 011 the \\'cst Coavt. Do I illl1llediatcll take over the j"h as.siglled inc Id'ell I retllrll to rill IICII' pmt:' The .-\.-\I-'I'DC asslgm lncl; to continental Couunantls ;md ,\ir h'f(C' ;Iecoreling to their \ (OS. The cx.ut job assignmellt lI'ill he c!cteflllincd bv tIl(' (OIl1lll:mclilll; officer at vour nell' ;mt:dl:Jtioll, vvhilc the ;\.-\/-' recogllizcs ,Iollr (olltrilmtioll ill combat .md the, .il uc of vonr cxpcr icucc, n returnee cannot cxpect to step into a going conrcr n .md inuuccliutclv take OITr a kcv position, As in CIl'rI' ot hcr depart. incut of life. vour .rtt it nd. vour coutiuu ing ,seme of r~'.spomlbilih. :I'lld 10m will ingncss to coopn:lle will he factors in dct crininiug vour f ut ur c "'hI' IllllSt I face tIl<.' l)ossihiJit," of return to eomh:lt? Bel:ln.sc tIll' xv.u is still 011. Yon are not fiuishrd with C(lInb:lt or with S('[I'. ing vour cOlln!n' wl nu lOll h.ivc com plctcd a tom of openti()]ul clutv. 1'011 arc rct ur ncd hrnuc to ICSt. to be rehabilitated. to help III the trainilli; of ll('\\' personllel. .md to rctr.iin vour-clf for con tinning. if l1('('cs.s:m. the fight :lg:llll.st the cucurv. "'l!:lt is cs)'eeted "f tI,e retllrllCe' The highest st:mc/;lfds of milit.uv deportment .md Cllllelllct. .md ;1 eontinlling sense of r c-ponvihilitv. It c.mnor he all take and no gl\(', Rct urncc-, in ore than anHl1lC else in inihf:m' scnill' :Ire in the pllblic c,c, Thel nlnst lilc np to the hcst traditions of tIll' sen'icc, Thc" lllllst conc1nct thcm sehcs with thc filII hll"'llcc1"e that thn arc an eX:llnplc of the 11100e'th:m elel'('l1 Ill1llWII mCII IY)lO :IlT 11011' III Ilnifoflil. \,'hat \I'ollid "Illl lip tl,e II/lole attitllde "f the :\ ..\F.' ,\hol'(' nH\tlIilll; tlle .\nlll' \ir I:mces :mel this COlllllLlllel l;ll:n:mtcc' tlIc retllrncc :1 "!IJ:"C elc:il lI'IIeli he gch home, It will elo l'I'('rI'!IIill~ m its pO\n-r to sce that :Im' llLI!;l<!j1lst,lle,lts arc ((J[ reeterl. j-'.ICf\'tililli; p",sib1c \lill be c!OllC to ~et a m:m a proper :Issigllment, The goal is to p1:Jcc e:lch rctllrnee where he is bc.st fittul to llelp \I'ill the \I':If. ";

52

AIR

FORCE

OUR NEW HELICOPTERS

R.6

..

the AAF accepted delivery of its first successful helicopter, the Sikorsky XR--I-, in the spring of 19-1-), three new models have been added to our whirligig family. The most unllSu;l] design among the newcomers is that of the Plutt-Lcf'agc XR-I, a twin-rotor craft weighing 4,800 pounds. Far from being rcadv to appear in qua n titv, the XR-I is just coming out of the experimental stage. Its couvcntionallv shaped fuselage has tandem scats with sliding canopies and the bottom of the compartments is of transparent plastic. The high stnbilizcr and rudder empennage of the tail arc similar to those of the normal airplane tail assembly. There arc no elevators, At each end of the pvlous, which project from the fuselage like \\'ings. is a three-bladed rotor, each hlacle approximately 15 feet long. These rotors neutralize torque bv rotating in opposite directions. thcrcbv eliminating the need for the tail rotor used on the Sikorskv-tvpc helicopters. A -I-50-hp Pratt and \\'hitnev radial engine powers the XR-l. /\lthough ordered earlier than the first experimental R-4, the XR-l was not succcssfullv flight tested until the summer of 19-1-). An improved version of the original R--1-helicopter has been designated the R-b. The "Six" looks like an 0\'('[sized squash gourd with rotors and wheels. The square corners of the R--I- h;l\c been eliminated in its successor. A small nosc-who;-] protects the plexiglas nose of the craft. Other new materials used in the R-b include a paper-based cowling that encloses the engine and rotor shaft. The cabin is constructed of plastic impregnated glass fiber cloth. The

I:>:CJ:

slender tail cone has a covering of tough magnesiulll skin. Powered with a 2-1-5-hp Franklin six-cvlindcr horizontullvopposed engine, the R- ') has a top speed in excess of I rio mph, a normal useful load capacity of approximutclv half a ton and can climb to 5.900 feet in less than seven minutes. E\'aeuation litters can be installed on each side of the fuselage. Pilots and observer sit sidc-bv-sidc. The R-,) helicopter is the big brother of the "Six." In configuration the craft resembles the R-b and R--I- helicopters, having one main three-bladed rotor and a vertical tail rotor. The main rotor is the largest ever built. measuring -1-8 feet across the disc. The R-S's nine-evlinder aircooled Pratt and \\-hitnev engine den-lops -I-50-I;p. Fuselage of the R-:; measures approximately 40 feet from nose to tail. It is built in three sections. The center section. supportiug the eugine. is made of welded steel tubing, cowlcd with plastic-impregnated molded plywood. The tail section is a wooden monoeoque cone to snpport the tail rotor. A long shaft atop the cone's exterior is geared to the engine for turning the solid wood, seven-foot blades of the vertical rotor. The nose section is an aluminum .rllov channel superstructure mounted on an aluminum mOJ1(jcoque floor. This forward section houses the plexiglas-enclosed cabi. The R-,) has a convcnt ional landing gen. The observer sits in the nose with the pilot directly behind him. Stick and rudder controls arc dual. Space is available for cameras, radio accessories and other auxiliarv equipment in cockpits. Four litters, two on a side, em he carried hy the R-5.

OCTOBER,1944

53

A MAINTENANCE

ROUNDUP

PREPARED

IN CDL

VICE COMMAND AND TECHNICAL INSPECTION

DIVISION, AIR INSPECTOR'S

OFFICE

and Narrow: The clop clopclop of C I shoes on lI'ing to fuselage fillet will hring about eracking of fillet or elongation to atL1Ching holes, .\!en performing maintenance will contribute to pl.mc's aerodvu.unic cleanliness 1", sL1\'ing on the walkway. According to URs. damage is especially noted on 1'-tOs, P,-t';'s and P ,()s, In the case of p-,8s. \\'alking willv-uillv on fillets instead of sta\'ing on w.ilkwav will l'anse damage that results in Se\TIT buffeting of tail surfaces .it high speed. 8.17 Goes 124 Missions: Became a crew chief inst wouicln'! gile np. a B,j';' of the I :;th Air Force completed l:'.-t combat m issious and even then. instead of being rct ircd to the boucv.ucl. lI'as pn t ou t to pas, turc, performing tLliniu~ flights, The plane lias "Bachelors' Delight" and the persistent crew chid II';IS Sgt. \\'aino \\'. l\latiLrillen of Card ncr, .\Lr". "It's jnst .\LrtiLrinen's pighclcledness that's keeping t li.rt ] ';' in the .iir." a fell 01\' crew chid rcur.ukcd aft cr "Buchclor-.' Delight" n-t ur nccl with tin) engines shot out from the 1:'. 'rd mission. The glOnnd crew worked night and d;II' changing those two cngines .uul when the battle oreler lias annouurr-c] for the Jnly 19 "lid on an ordnance depot at .\ l unich old "Bachelors' Dclight" II;IS on the list. And she roared clown the ruuw.rv and soared into the air like a co eel illStcl;l of an old ladv with 1.010 combat flling hours. ' That ;lftclll<lOn the pLme came back. ap' p.ircutlv in the best of hr.ilth. .md settled gL1Ccfu'lh- on t he end of the runwav, Then, just ;IS it looked as if it II';IS a cinch for mission 1'\0, 1 :'.:;. her l.mclint; gear folded and the pl.mc skid,lcd on her Ixllv to a stop, Sergclnt \l:ltibinen II';IS sad but philo sophic.il: he 111(1 w.mt cd t lic 1~ to do 1:;0 missions, ,\It hOllgh the pL1I1e h.rcl prob.ihlv set a record ill tIle .\,\1-' he 1I';\.SII't going to ICC her chllnped into a "lh';lge v.nd to become p;nls for. in his opinion. Ie" wnrthv aircr.if t. Ill' ncvt C1:rI' lie h.icl SIllITI'('(l ;111 the d;lIn;lgc .md obt:lincd ;1 f:!n)f;lb(e decision: after t wo ucvv en~ines .md t wo new props. as IITll ;IS some p;ltclles on the under, side, she would flv awav to honorable rclircrucnt in tr:linin~ fli~l;ts, "'Bilcllelors' ])eli~ht' is one of the best auv a ircn-xv ever fkw." .\ lut ilaincn all C , n'" "She oulv turucd b.rc]: three times during the first 'I ():; rn iv.ioux. I'll bet there's not another pL1I1e in the 1\\1-' t h.it c.m top that, Sort of il sli.unc to think she \\'CHI't go sail, ing throll~h t!rose fLik pnfFs anymore with her m.uh inc gnns cluttering away at enemy fie'hters" D Serge:ant j\ Iatiluincn praises the airplane. But the Croup engineering officers all agree it w.is the crew chief's superior maintenance

The Straight

that guided "Bachelors' ranks of airplane greats.

Delight"

into

the

Sweat and Sand: This is the storv of 18 mcchs and au officer who look back from
where their licavv bombardment squadron is nOI\' stationed in Italv to an ordeal during the Tum-ian campaign. The episode began when orders carne to their squadron seuding all available aircraft and flung crews to man them to a landint; strip deep in the sandy wastes, '1\\0 ground men were assigned each airplane to keep the nine B2-ts in flying condit iou clur ing operations, wlucl: were fo be for ~2 hours Operations beg;lIl .md wit hin a vcrv few hours the big bombers started their attacks on cucurv-occupiccl Creeee and Crete, j\ lniutcuaucc men hegan their work when the Liberators rct urucd from the Ilrst miv xion, aud a hc.ut breaking rontine of rc pLlCiug parts, rep;liring c];nn;lges and rcscr 'Icing wit l: g:l\oliIlc, oil and OX~.gl'll got lUIclem'al', The work we-nt on all night wit h fLrshlights. cmsing cvcvtr.iin and severe hc.icl.rchcs. as the onlv ilium ina! ion, The men stood on Lrdders' Iar into t hc night until their legs and feet bee.nne nnmbbut still the work went OIl. \\hcn the hea\ies took ofF in tIle (';lr1lmorning, the grim\' mcchs and Capt. E. :\, Peterson, Logan. Ut.ih, would drop where they stood, sleeping the fell' preciOUS hours the bombers were gone. Those whose planes were gromlcled for rep;lirs would work OIl.

TIllS, then, was their schedule for the expected three clavs, and at the end of this period the men eagerly expected to return to their established base. Reluctantly, Captain Peterson told them operations were not yet complete and they must remain for a few d.ivs more, So the wc.nv mechs kept up the pace for eight dals-;llld nights. And on the ninth morning the good neil's came, 'I'hcv were to return to their base, Six missions had bcen tlown in the eight davs. Ll.it s off to these eighteen mcchs of the A\F for t lnir rcm.ul..iblc job: .\ ISgts. Robert J. Otis, jr.. Ceorge T, \\ "iston, Lawr.mo; w. \\' all. \'ietor J, Rem.i. w.. rcn 1'. \\-hite, Chester L. Swislu-r. \\'illialll I'd. Cr;I\', \linls .\1. \\'incl1l;ml. Fdll';lld S, Cnloskv. \\'ilh;nn \\-, \\-inter .md l Icnrv D, .\Ibright: TSgts .. vrt liur F. I.ustel;herger, Rupert T, I{eed .md ,\br;lham Tubaukin: and Sgts, C1I;nles L. R:unbo, CII\' 10:. II iklcrbraud. Robcrt I. Cold and Eh\'ood C. Diehl.

Ingenuity in the South Pacific: Compressed .iir h:ls so 1Ila Ill' uses on an aircraft fighter rcp.rir line in tfle combat zone that men of a 13th .\ir Force righter Command P,:;9 squadron g"t tired of ruunuu; comprc"or un it s up .u] clown the line-not bec.m. the mcch-, .mc] engineers were LII.I' but JllSt be(';lllSe a lot of timc was wasted. So Amcrir.m inacuuitv went to work. 'I\\'() De\ ilbi-s 'compressors \H'lC hooked together with a Briggs .md Str.rt ton fourC\ ele g;lsoliue engine "lh';lgc'd from a burned ouf CI B gelleLltor for the pOIITr drive. In:,tcld of ming ;1 h;lnd,sLnter with a rope operating off a pulkv. an airer:lft cngiue -t.n tcr cnergizer wit h a foot peelal starter .rt I.ulnncnt 11;11' hooked OIL .'\ot h.ivins; a donb1c pullcv for driviug both conllJressors, or .mv pulkvs with the propcr size ol:islde di;lnleter III one to fit t lie eligine <h.rf t . one 11;11' m.lc hv taking Clst .rlmu iu m n fit t in~s [rr nu wrecked planes, melting them .md pouring tire .iluuunum into a lr.nuhn.rdc: iuol.] built from a oneg;lllon paint c.m: t lu- pullcv II;IS then much iucd on a shop l.rt lic. even to cntting in
;1

kCl

w.rv.

After "Bachelors' Delight" 11:](1 c01npleted 123 missiom over cncmv territon', Sgt, \'{TainD \\1, J\latilainen, cliici, Il':ltc1le., a, Sgt. Yue
Lee, waist gunner itctn San Francisco. p;lints a big 123 on t1lis 15 tIl Air Force Fortress.

{',ing old hvdr.mlic .md oxygen line tnbing from ';lh':I~l'd airrr.tft. more than 1 'i() feet of air tnbing were instilled from tire eOlllpressor to the xix shojls on the line. Pressure to ;111 points in tlic line c.m be m.unt.uncd ;11' from 'Ii) to 1::; pounclx. T/Sgt, Robert L Hooper. Scott-wille, N. Y.. fOllliel1l- :1Il Aiucncan . \irliIIC:i engineer. devised 'tlris ccntr.ilizcd .ur cOlllpres. sion svst cm which h.is s.ivcd m.mv hours on the combat line, Tire ingenions 'pnllcT lI'a, made bv T/S~t. Frank \Iiko. South Bend, Ind., an' cx-m.ichiuivt with Buut.un Bearing"

54

AIR

FORCE

SS
I. You on the left, Buddy, appear rather concerned. Could it be that I'OU knoll' it's poor practice to set that can 'of oil on the brake block' If it gets oilv, the block will have to be ch'mged. Instalhng the drum on an oil-soaked block means that unsat isfactorv brake operation wit h chattering and seizing will result. The brake block will slip until it gets warm, then it becomes glmlml'. 2. Next on this wheel examination, the holts on the brake shoe axxcmblv arc in backwards. If the cotter keys come out (and. incidcntallv, we don't sec '111\'), the nuts become loose. LJ]] into the wheel and holts LJlI from the brake frame. .\ nut rolling around in the wheel mal' wedge a brake. These bolts require checking at 25, 5(1 and ] (10 hour iuspcctions. Bonnee the boners shown here 1)\, following TO 0 I. 20EI;.2 and i\:--.r O)2,B.9. 3. It's a good idea to cover the threads on the axle when installing the 1\ heel; the bearing race mal' damage the axle threads. F.\SC has devised a metal cap. wlucl: gi,'es neee5'ary protection to the threads. Usc of tape or other approved methods will suffice. 4. Grease on the floor is a gi\'e.all'al' on bad maintenance. It will deteriorate the lubber when contacting the tire; in addi tiou, it is a slippcrv haz.rrc] for men working. Check TOs 0+ 5.J 0 and 0+ I 02. ,. Bearings and rings on the floor arc liable to pick up dirt. Lay parts on a clean surface, preferably a parts truck. TO 29.1.)

H6L'II380130
will tell yOU all about it. 6. Th~ brake drum is not properly cleaned. If that is paint still on the drnmand it looks like p,uut-it must be remO\'CCI before the wheel is iuxtallcd. Otherwise, when the wheel rotates. the paint will gUlll, and the brakes will lock when pressure is applied, possibl!' causing the airplane to swerve d,mgerousk Check TO 03-25B-9. 7. The man behind the tire is really gi,'iug it goldbricking support. II is position is insecure .iucl that goes for the tire, too. The wlux-l should be placed against a solid object; the man is exposing himself to rnpturc should the wheel overbalance. When available, cradles should be usee] to bring the wheel to the axle for installation.

SHlMSNV

lHl

HOJ NMOO-lOISdn

19Vd

SIHl

NUnl

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p.l1.10:J :JILL 'qof s~q uo c1n p:JcIcI1[s :Ju1[-:lIIl-UO oo I suuour H 'S.lY.lq ;)q~ o~ p.l1[dd[~ S~ :lmss:l.ld l(;)q.\\ doo[ punol;1 t: OWl o~ o~ '\[:J)[1[ SI :lllqd.l1l~ .11p ';}UlpIlq I~ .!O} ur s.11110;)lOl~d :JlP 1l.1I[.\\ :101[S;))[e.lq n [1l01} S[[q .mu :lSOO[ t: pue '.lseq :l:f0 :Jl:l.\\ sorupooo.rcl oouuu.uuunu }l ~nH '[mnOl pIle punt)] 0;1 '.)!SnUl :J)['l 'S[J:JI[.\\ :l1[~ 'S.lIlqdl!e 110 P:JlltqSIl! '\[.1:Jclolcl U:JIL\\

Coconut Bombing
By Lt. Col. Howard
co

S. Ellmore
JIl

of a Light B(JlulxJr<!lueut Croup thc Soutllln:,t raeific

is coconut bOll1bing, you'd like to know? w.u, jw,t strap yourself to a bst-mO\iug 1\-20 and wcll sec if vou get the idea. All set? Let's go. \ \' c t.ikc off and proceed to the target-a1l\\\'hcre from zero to)OO feet. File hundred feet is just about the beginning of the stratosphere as far as attack bombiug is conccrucd. \\' c bu/.Z tow.rrd the encmy at speeds \"arying from 2)0 to 300 miles per hour. The objective in this C;ISC is an arca tlrget on Awar Point, \\'e conic in, thrce or six planes abreast, and at a thousand yards we cut loose with our .50 cl!ihcr guns, 1\, we go across 'the targct. a two-ton bomb load drops from the bomb bay. Seconds later \\C arc spceding a\l"a:' from the target, cl())ing bomb ha:" doors and looking buck to sec smoke .md debris mushroomiui; into the air. That's all thcrc is to it. The \dlOlc attack Listed perh;lps half a m inutc. \\'hat dl(l vou sec? 'Vel I, you S;1\\' cx.ictlv \lhat }"Oll might expect to sec while mO\"ing at a speed of 300 nnlcs ;111 hour right on the deck. You suw the tops of a lot of coconut trees, That's all. IIence the term "coconut knocking," Did we do an:' real damage? Photographs tlken from the airplane at split-second shutter speeds rcvc.i] much the luuu.m eve c.uuiot sec. Thcv show ovcrturmd vehicles, scattered 'supplies, an occasiOl;a! three-inch guu. here .ntr] there a smashed Jap hutment. However. the wilv Japs arc p;rst m;lsters .rt conce;Jling snpplies under the taT', ;llIcl cvcn the c.uucru misses a Luge part of the d.uuuac clouc. Coconut h()]ubing is a hpe of attack \I"hich has not hcen p.irticul.ulv popular wit]: com hat ere\ls hecll1\c thcy c.uniot sec what they arc shooting and bOll1bing. Thc qucvtion naturullv came up as to how much e!;nlI;lge this hope of bombing \\'as actuallv doing. l,'inalh' the ch.mc.: CIIl1C to settle the m.rt tcr once and for ;111. Ground troops h.] occupiccl the a rcu around Ibn,a Bay, where our BOll1h Croup had 80\\11 about a thous.u! sorties, expemling ;1 million ant! a half rounds of anunnuitiou, droppmg :1 th ous.md tons or bombs. This \\"as the chance we h.id lx.cu \\";Iiting for. ,\ picked stuff of intelligcnce o[11ecrs, consisting of Cnpt-; Jerome A. Ad.uns. George ~1. Crccn. Felix D. Lewis .ul l st Lt. !ZO\' !Z. \\ oods. were disp:ltcl,ccl to the IIallSa /)a\' :UT;I hv 1'"1' boat the da:' after it h.ul been occupied. Tlu-ir ;ui\sion \I";IS to ;l,sess the aet!l;il eLull;lge done in this :Ircl. Let Cu ptu ir: Ad.nus, who headed thc intelligcnce officer" tell vou the st orv, "\\ e left om b:lse at noon and hcaclcc] for l Ian ,a R\\. .mr] a new phase of air force intelligence. During the trip up the co.r-t , the skipper of the PT \I'as HT\' congeniaL amI in no time at all we were s\\':lpping tales of recent exploits. lIe

Il\!'

even permitted e;lCh of ns to Like a turn at the wlu-cl, which was prcttv bro.rdnnuclcd of him. "Vvc Lmdecl just lX'fore dark ncar a homhed jeth' in I Lmsa R\\'. As we stepped ash ore, we were ;1I\;ne of a put rcfling odor which is difficult to describe. The stench of de('OInpmed fIC'!I, cJCCll"CC1ood. .md rotten supplies permeated f the entire area. S!lOes, sne;lkers, clothes, and medical sup' plies \\"CTe strcwn .ill over the place. \\'e contlctcd an .vuvtr.rli.m intelligence officer, nnd he inforuu-d u-; that the Amcric.m ;\;I\;Jl intelligcnce officer, who h.rd heen one of the first intelligence officers on the scene, \\as camped about one milo inland. "It \\;IS getting cl.uk fast, and we were worricd about a place to sleep. The ~al;I! 1.0. s;lid t hut he could gi'e us ;\ sh;lck, and stlgge,tec! th.tt w hnnt throtlgh ~ome of the J;I[) hut clown t lu, ro.id for a lllos(juito net, as the inseets were nulx.u.rbl. \\ it l: thc aid of a fbshlii.;llt. IIC cr.rwlcd tlH<lI1gh filthv huts littered with debris until we fonnd a net that \1;I>I'd t orn , I nnght ;illd t lr.it a J;IP mosquito net is a huge squ.rrc. clp;,hle of shcltering cight to ten InCIl. \\'e hc.iclcd hick f"r call1p, hut on the I\ay someone remarked that there \lould he no ,keping under such a dirty thing, and without further ado, we thre'\\' the nct ;1\1;1\". ""e fotlnd tll(' ~-;II;Jl l.O, nne!' six men getting re;](h, to turn ill for thc night, and thcv suggested that we set up sou: };Ip stretehcr\ that were lI"ing around to me ;IS beds. Setting up ;1 J;IP xtrctch cr is a feat in itself, .md T inLlgine that t lic nJ(),t wounded Japs 'kick the bucket' before thcy

u
(. "1'1.

t.t ...r 11 '-II-P

.'IU)'IJ

I:Y t III.Lh.\I(JIlE

H,\\

56

AIR

FORCE

ever .nrivc at a fir',t ~Iid stut ion. '1h~lt llight \\T slept OIl the stretchers raised .ibou! three inches above the floor aud fought hugs all night. to sa: nothillg of the rats, wh ich had gr<J\\1l fat e:ltillg u nhuricd Jap corpses, "The next uror niin; we rose c.ulv and headed for Condor Strip, where \\C sa\\ tons of food wlucl: h.u! heen shot up bv the strafillg, Boxes of Inedical supplies of eler\ dcscriptiou .md huge stacks of rice were strC\1"I1 tlnollghout the ;ne;1. FIery hut presented the s.uuc sight, Dehris sClrtereel in cvcrv direction, ,\s for food. there were ChC after case of c.mucd fish, tul of dried fruit I,silllilar to om dried apricots), mount.unous tius of tea, cocoa .nu] hiscuits, which ]ookcd \ery much like elog biscuits. '1hc,c pile, were ,h~lttercel h:' lxnn h burst, and holed h: lllacliillc gllll firc to xuch a dcgrcc that tlnv \\CIT cntirclv unu-ublc. "'ot a c.isc-e-uot a till c.m could be found without OIlC or more , ,0 CI1IllLT bu llct hole" III it. III f ront of onc sll;lck \IT fOlllld thc strut and tire of a B-2-t .nu] :111Amcricuu pur.ichuh- th.it had hcell pcrforatcd In' mach inc gUll lire. "]';\er\\I lu-re \I;i'> clcsol:Jtioll .md dc-trur-tion. .vround tIle edgc of' t l rc xt r ip .md ill rcvct rucul s we f ouud OIlC '1'011\, two ] Ic1cIlS, o nc Oscar ;llld filc ullidcllti!Il'l1 pl.mc, all of wl: ieh were 1 i t cr.rll y hom lx-d .u nl ,h or to PIL'Cl", "Througllollt, tlic :lrea \lC ill'j!ec[nl IILIIII 11lIdergrolilld shclter, t liu t Ilcre cxt rcruclv wcl l l inilt. S(lllle h.ul ;1' 111;111\' :IS file log, piled OIlC Oil tll~ othcr .md COIlTl'd liv lilil', tll;I't in.ide OhSCr\;I!Ioll ir(\111 t lic .i ir virt u.i llv illi))I)S,ihlc, "CUttillg hack to .Vw.tr Pl.m LJ! ion, \\C ,;1\1' hoinl: cr:ltn, filled wit]: cqui pu u-nt .md ,upplic,. TIle );lpS lise thi-, method of dc,trl)lillg much of t licir Cljllipllll'llt \IIICII tlll'\' ;nc forced to \ :IClk :1Il :IIC:1. Tlic hoin l: CLIrc-r, u-u.rllv li:lle ,t:I~Il:lllt \\:Ikr .iud filtli ill t hc hottotu of tIICIIl. \\hell forced to rct n.a t the j;lp' tlm)I\' cquipnnut , \lllil'h CIlIIII)r wit thC'III, int o the eLlrn, h) prcvcut II'C In t lu ,vll i,:. ()lll' cru tcr III p.ut icul.ir Ill,ld ;J!' k;lst 1110 !J:IlL of thick ropc, hales of b.ulx-d wire: .uicl .i t lc.i-t tlf\l' h'gs of nail'>, This sight I\as jJrclalcut tlinlllghout tllc cnli rc inspel't ron. Bl'lllg:1 1l;lti\ col' tlie l l oovicr SLlk. I \Ias '>Ilrprised to find not a fel\ Ll\\lllllO\\CT, sLIIllpnl '\Lide ill l ud i.m.i .'
be taken l: bom l:

"'Likillg our \\'a:' hack to om h.r-,c, \\l' met fin' u.rl ivc. four of them \Oullgsters in their carly teens, C:lpLllll l-xau -ou , who spokc Pidgin Icry wc]] .mcl lI:ld ,pellt the last 1, vcurs on thc ixl.md. asked them a fn\ tjuc,tiom, \\'hat t hcv told him confiruiccl prcviou CStilll;ltCS of the ):1]);,' COil. cl il un: prior to their \\ithdLI\\:Il, '111("\' ]Lld heell bombed and strafed until thcv could 110 longer' Cit, ;J1thollgh :IPlxlr. cntlv plcutv of food \\as ill the .uc.r. Tlnv couldn"t hurv tluir dC;ld; tlicv dared not come out of their hole" "One little ;JatIIC hoy ill hi, vcrv hcst Pidgill g:I\C a de\niptioll of the stratlng and bomhing atLld" 'PcILl h']ong bird he conic along 1l00\', Rat-t.rt-t.rt-tut! Hoom-boom-booru!' Then ill puutomimc he illustrated ho\\ he lost no time n;l\\!ing for the bush. ""'otillng ill the entire area escapcd dc,trnetion, Even !\\O Ceisha gnb--olle 1I1iddlc-:lged. OIlC \'Oll1lg----had been vitt im , I)f the: reklltlcss :ltLicks, ()ne h;i() :1 leg bJo\Ul off .md the othn h.id lxcu killed bv :1 , ,0 c.ililxr bu llrt. 'Huv had been gi\'cn a decent hmial'h:' Allied t roopx. " "Of 111<)rl'th;11I 100 trucl.-, found. ou l, two :Ippcnn] senicc.iblc. III acld it ion to i n.mv unliur icd Japs. ;1 gLl\cI:nd of over -tOO \\;i'> found. their (]cath, undoubtedly LImed hy our ,tratlllg .rt tucl,-; .. \\ ClIne gl:ld to le:11Il tklt tllc proP;I~:Ill(b leaflct'> we 1i.rc] druppcd kid ,nlul tlu-ir pmpmc, \' cn fe\\ of tlu: 11;ltin', ill t hc arca hucl .uckcl thc ):Ip' .mc] IIlmt of t hc.m ILlcI moved out of t lrc cI);i'>LIl :nca .u] hick into the hill-, "It is ditTil'ldt to c,tim:lte with I)(,licil .md P:l])(T t lu, cl.nn~I;';l' c1011c 1)\ 11ll' COC()lIut :Ittlck, \\C c.micd out :lg:lill,t the cncmv. Iii, III rn, ,lLlttercd h\' COllSt:lllt 1)()]1I1)J]1~ .mc] ,ILlf. illg, un.ililc to cat, ,lecp, \\ork or copc with our rcpl:J!U] r.ucl-; hc li.! to gill' lip hi, ] Lim;1 Itl\' positioll, "lie \1;1' fort'lel to ,10 11m wi tliout prl">Sllle fro1l! th~ grouIll1 force" wh ich IILldc it trulv .m .rir forcc slIO\\. This d:IIII;I~e \\;1' \\Tollght wif h a ]0',', of \cr: few ;Iirpbllc, .u] C(Il11!J;lr cnwuun." 11 ;J11 ;Iclel'> llP to OIlC illcsclp:lhlc eOllclmioll, COcollllt bloder' p;11 off \Id] :1I1c1 will coutiuuc to p;ly ofT \\clI ill the l'<Il'itle thl';lter, ',':

A ground

reconnaissance party checks up on what low.level bombing and strafing do to a Japanese Southwest Pacific

base

OCTOBER,

1944

57

Look Twice Before You Leap-.\ pilot .mcl his crew of I () bailed out of 'I B 1';"(; ncar Sioux Citv, 10\\',1. one night rccontlv when thcv thought the 1\0, 3 engine '\\,'IS on fire. \\'hile the crew members were h'lI'ing a tongh time of it on the gronnd-sel en of them were injured whcn t hcv landed on the rongh tcrr.nu-c-t hc homlx-r Ac'll" on .iutomutic pilot for more th'I11 IO() miles .md made a neat bcllv I:mding on the side of a hill. Iuvcst ignt iou failed to reveal .iuv cvideuce of fire around the engine or am' other part of the pl.mc. It developed th:I't the pilot, 'Kting on the copilot's word, had ordered the crew to junrp wit hout taking a look for himself. \\ 'hen the tire \\'as first reported. the pilot h.rd ju-t applied fnll pO\\Tr to climb '1\1"11' from another pl.mc that was d'mgeronsh' close. \\ 'h'lt appc"!fl'd to be fire \\"'IS prold'h' the turbo torching after the sudclcu application of boost. The pilot's f.icc 1I"IS redder h:' f:1f th.m the No. 3 engine. Tow-Target Haxard-SLmd, riser IIThhing has been used snece"fulhbv 3111 Fi~hter C0l11m,n1l1 as a ~ubstitutc . for' steel clbles in an cflort to eliminate the d,nlgers rcsult ini; from severer] cables in to\\',t'lrget pr'lCtice.' In one test 3, missions wen. AO\\ll nsing the \\ehhing as a cable. No breaks occurred 'ilthongh of2 holes were shot in the I\'ehhing. Removing a

,\111' ouc dircct hit prohnhlv would 1I:II'e sC'\"~Ted 'I steel tow cable. At installations where the \\Tbbing II"IS used, pilots had no fear of runuius; into free targets. and t hcv were assmed of a count on their hits be, l:!\lse the t.ngets were retnrned intact. The ;\ir Se-rvice Comm.md is prep'ning a Tech Order on the usc of \\Thbing for this pnrpose. Blocking the Glare in AT -6s-To eliminate glare from cockpit cnclosunframes and p.mcl which h'ls been a constant hc.id.tchc to ;\T.() pilots .. \ir Scrvicc Command rccommends that the smfaces be p'linted wit l: black cmlllnfl'lge enamel. color 1\0. ()IH. ,specifil':ltion .\:\,,1::.-. l\o TO will be issned hut the m.muf.n-t urcr is m'lking the ch'mge on Lite models. Shot in the Arm-If inst ruct or pilots in the n,l,;" school at IIohbs (:\'. ~I.) Army Air Field groll' LIx in latest tl"lching techniqnes. t licv mu-t attend a 12.dal' refresher course to 'hring them hack to p.ir. The base has cstablished a st.md.irdiz tiou sqnadrou m.ulc np of the six bcvt in, -t ructor on the field, all grad nates of the Brl"an (Texa,) Instrument School. F,"11 expert instructor handles hl"f) invtruct or studcnt s. .\11 phases of fom'engine training .uu] teaching h.rbit arc covered. The ehsses 1I:IIT nu provccl cfficicucv of both illstruCtors and trainees.

Practice portance pro('l'llme, ditching Sl"SiOllS. l1Iatcri,ils to good

Ditching! Realizing the vital imof convt.mt drill in proper ditching m'lIly airbases h'IIT constructed st'lges 'llld Inock lipS for pr.ut it In a mu u lx-r of instances scrap ,111<1 ill(',l'nnitl, arc l"'ing eomhillcd ,\(II',mt:lge il; dCITloping pr.icticc

Iucilit ics.
t hc DlerslJilrg (Tcnu.] Anuv Air for cx.un pk-, a stripped BIfnselage h.is beell iuvt.ill.] in 'I w.itcr-fillccl revetmcnt so t h.it trailling ere\\'S rcccivc ditching instruction under eOlldit ions closeh' .rpproxi m'lting those enc()nntl'rcd in .utu.rl water hndings. ll:irkscl:ile Fil'ld. 1,;1.. h;ls mounted a jllnked B,:r, on .ru underwate-r platform I'hccd in .in .u t ifici.r] pond. ,\ mock-up of 'I 1;,1';" fnsc-l:lge Ius hl'l'lI the pr.rcticc st'lge for ditching dril1s .rt the .\ \I; Tactical Center for 'some t iuic. The mockup lI"as imtallcd in 'I slll:lll l.ikc. .\t m.mv hasc's whvr c such f:lcilities .irc not '1\"lihj,lc. drills 'Ire condllctcd on drv l.nirl \\'it h regnhr nirpl.uu .mc] raft teel;. niqnes arc pr;J('ticcd in S\\illlllling pools or c ouvcnict ponds. .\irp1:lne c()nnl1:lll(lcrs. who .n c rcspousihk: for tl"ll'hillg <litl'lling pr o.cdurc to their lTe\\s. .u;: heing const'llltll' reminded t h.it ['ood ditching h.ibit .rrc 'In investment in s;lfch' insnr,m'ce.

.\t Field.

.ird par.ulmte

Flying Status Flags-Colorcd fI'lgs mountcd on B: -Is in till' J, t h Bom bardmcnt Opcr,Ition,il Tr"ining \\'ing indicate the Ilv nn; st"tns of individual airpl.nu. The 1() '\ 1(Iillch b.mnor-: 'He pLIced in the pvrotcch llil';ll pistol mount in front of the top turret .. \ red fI:lg indiC:ltes th'lt the plane is our of couu n iv-.iou. vcllow ,sho\\'s that the pl.m is OJ( h'lt nl'l.d; ,sl'll"icing .n] no Aag tells t lu: pilot t hrt the pl.nic is in commis <iou. flllh ,sc' "1" 1 iccc] .mc] re'ld:' to Ilv. Brakes Versus Torque-Regiollal ,,,feh o!liClTS 'It 'I midll'Cstelll training field using l' -I-s fonnd t h.it n1:1l11 tire f'lilnres on take off were (';nlsc,,1 hI' stndents riding the right hr.il. to correct' for torque. Tubes wcr hlo\\'ing (Hit llL'(;lnSe of e'\ccss hClt gcnerated in tlu hr.rk d run IS. The - it u.tt iou \\"IS cor rectnl wlun tr'lill(Cs wcrc t:llIght to nse !'IIC],!c-r imtl'ad of h,,,kes to keep their t.ik ott ruux str"ight. Cockpit Comfort-, \ sun shield to protect t hr lre;lds of flTn l'J1oh of lighter .unr.if t has prill cd jo he 'Ill dlc'ctilT \n'apon againsl he'lt cxh.ruvtiou. dininess. 1I,nISe'l and hc.] 'll'lre Pilots found that long rallge flighh nuder 'I hot 511n r:lised cockpit tcm pcr.tt urcs to a Irighh- nncomfort.rhlr dcgree, \l;lnl' of thClll 11:1Ie lIL1l1e slnl shields of c.udbo.rrc].

58

A I R fOR

(E

p:rinted on the outvi.lc wrt l: ,iher paint :m,! un thc insick: wit]: i;rccn. Thc ,bie]d i. .rtLlehed to the insid of t hc (";1110])1',()\C!" the pilots IICld, wit h inuskint; tape, Training Stimulant-.\ clever corn munirnf 10m dc'\"ice i, in me at \ \. cstovcr Field, \ LIss.. to c.r-c the monotouv of ;1 \ lor:: cocle refrnher coursc . .\ m;Ha] dcpicts a life boat at SCI with a rnCllini; airplane tlv Illg overhead. _\rr:llIi;cd on the life boat .md pl.u: arc lights which fl.rvh dot and dash nle"ai.;cs dnrini; practice ,CSSIOIlS for radio nu-n to m.untaiu their 'pccd .uid ;lccnr;ley. Safety Reminder-.\, a constant reminder to liur and flmli; personnel at \linter held, Calif., three flags arc used to advcrt i-,c thr field's cl.ulv fl\ing safctv statns. .\ reel tllg flown on thc flight line indicate<; ;1 ht:ll ;IC. cidcnt , vcllow a nonfatal accident. and grecn sig;litln a 2-fhom nccidcutfrcc period, Survival Training-Idle hours .irc turned into v.iluahl s:lfeh' indoctrination time .rt \Lrther Fiold. CIl'if. The pcr-on.rl equipment officer delllonstrates proper occ.m sur\'i\':11 technique to eOIl\';I1eseent patients from the sr.it ion liovpital. {Tsing the po-t ,,\'imnling pool as :1 theater. the ITO sho,,'s men ho: the one III an life raft. \l:le \\'c,t .md other cmergcne\' eqnipment should he used bv survivors when .urplunc-, h.ivc to be :Ib;mdonul over watcr. Tower NoisesTower operators at a sout lrern tr:lining b:lse had diffic\l]h' uudcr-t.uling vnicc COlllIlltlllicltioll\ hCc:lll -, C cll~illC tests .n] rtlnllps were condllcted on the :Iprnn :It the b:N' of the control limn. This ]l:u:lrd to "Ifc opcr.rtion-, ";1' rCn1O\Td "hCII the CO orcleru! sllch :Icti\ities to he per formed ;1 ."d'e d ist;IIICl' ;1\\ :1\.

OFS SAYS:
COR'\I\."C. 10\\'.\-.\ cr. wit li the pilot. copilot .u! two p",scllgcrs .rbo.rrcl. ,hppl'd thc ,ide of :I hill .uu] -Iithcrcd to ;1 ,top Oil ih bell;' after tllc pilot bll//ed hi, houn: town. Four people received uuuor injuries and the airplane burned. O/-'S CO.\I.\IE\"']': AltllOngll 110 ollC II:!, killcel ill tlris craslr, it 11":1<;II'ttire pilot's !:I lilt. I Ii., illfraetioll\ of rcgul:ltioll.S :IIIel CIIIIIIIIIIII scu-,c: I Ie luel left local Hlillg :ne:1 Oil :I loul clear:lnee, R()\\"ll over :I tll\\"ll "t le,s t 11:11 1 I,oon feet, 11IIZleel Iri, fatlrer's h:ml :It lev; tll:1II 2n() feet allel IIlallcIII'ereel Iri, pl:rlJe cl:1II~er(JIIsh :It :I 1"11' :IltltllelC. O! I';,,"sll- t l u: plilit Irael Irttle reg:!rel for tire s:ltetl IIf Iii, 111\'11life or tlu r-c (,f IllS P;IS'clIgef'. It tlri, tlpc IIf ;Ieei'!cllt l\ til hc st' (pl,cel, pcrlllf" el CII stifler I'clI:llties int 1')(II:lhIlIlS III rcgfll:rh"'!\ ll1mt hc illll'",ecl. Cdif.-I\oth engines OIl :1 I')~ hl'e:lIIIC ()\CI]wlt\-.d :lJld ]ost po,,-cr. Thl' pl:lllc JJJJlllcd :llter tlic pillit lIudc :I 1\ ]ll(.I, Ill' hlldillg. OIS CO.\1\II"\T/lIe cllgillc, Il\'cdlclteel heC:lII'C ll)(,I,IIJi fJ:II'\ wcrc closeel. \\'llcll tIle ;lllhJT1J:1tic c(Hd:IIIt C()lItrol t.n]...... ,,()rk. to die pillit IIIlist Il\e t l: III:IIIIUI e,,"t/li! t" Illillg cllgille tClllpelllllres h:lek t" IIOflll;)l. . \!tll'III~]1 t]II' /'il,,' Iud Ill'"C tlull ,:; I/()fll\' ill,trileli,," i" 1),)\ Ire :"llIlittecl lie elidll't k:r"\I' \lllere tIle IIJ:IIlll!1 l,,,,!:JIII l!:Jp l"IIIlt t o] \I ere lo(":lfeel. Oll /<'1' IIf tll:lt, lie ]u,1 pielltl' o{ tillle to 1Juke ;1 lI"flll;r! !:Jlldill" IIll , " t !,e 1111111.11 lie Iud c:lllcd 1111 ;111 CllICIif gCI/l'I. [mtcld, lie Ik\l' I!llti! tIle ellgillc, he( Illie t(H) Ir,,, t" 1)[()(lllcc 1'''\lCI. II I'dl,tl :lIe t" 111 <iic], tIICI' lllll\t kll"II' tllcir e'l"ip"lelJl, f]lell cxercisc gll"d jlldgllj('llt \l1r iie ll\l ":; it. FSTRFI.I "\, C\I .11".-.\ P-O pilot ]mlllg]lt hi, :mphlle ill <;II hot fh;lt he 1;IIl "lIt (If 11111":11.":hhcd "lit thc :;L':ll Oil ;11l ellll"'llk. 11lCIlt ':Illd ]eft 111,t Cllollgh of thc pLnle illLlct to hc ,mlc'\ cd. OI'S CO\f\/I':\'T: It's tIle S;I1IlC"Id stOll. . \ Ilot pilot ',I'itll /<11' Illllell 1;l1lltl' to gil :IlOllllll ;Il/d Iluke ,l1llltllCr :IUCll1pt. TIll.: cost: A pClfc-cfh gOlld Ili:;ht tl:;llter forc\cI I,,\t to tile , \. \/-'. II1LLSBORO\,CII. FI, \-\ P t'l\\ill:; ;1 t:lr:;l't for Ilf lrel I' )] s Iud f" ]U\l' ih "illg rc'pl:lCcd ;Iftel it ";1' hit I". :1 . ,I) (;Jlihcr slllg frolll :1 llgllfcr 1ll:lklllg ;1 1':1" ;It thc
t:lr~ct.

(Safet:. officers of the Office of Fl:'ilJg Safeh' arc veteran filers. These reports jllcJlIC]e comments hI' these letcr:lIlS Oil reeellt aeeic1cllts. Eead awl heed.)
tllc t,)\\".l:m;ct phIle, ;IJrJlmt as d;IlIi-;erollS a\ ;1 !rJ(}\C trjr;~cr h1J;cr 01/ a pilot ,,'l,o lI;ls jll' illtelltioll IJf slilJotiJlg.

\I1~TFR I'IFL]), C\I.IF.-Both en;inc<; IJI :I UC.7\ quit nt t lic s.unc time. Thc pilot "':I' foreee! to m.tk .m emergellcY, whccl, IIp l.uulius; C:Illsing 1ll;1J0f d:ml:lge to t hc airplane. OfS CO.\I.\II-:~T: Tlri, C:/lldidatc for entr;lllee illtlJ pilot's Ire:ll'ell II";IS o),,'iomh' f Ilillkill!; :Ihollt (Tell tliillg cvccpr flUllg I,il ;;irpl:Ille. Aftcr tllc l:lllclill;, it del'elopeel f '''It lie Irad t!llllcd liil Illcl selector \'all-c IIJ "OFf" imtead of til "LEfT" :IS he 1J:l(1 IlI1cllclcd. \'CTCI t!llst IIl!ll seme of tOIJ(.I, \l1,CIl el"lllgillg clllltmis. .\fakc :1 I"Lm.r! cllc("k :llld hc s:de. "ICTO!U\, K\'\.-Thc l.mcliut; ;e;lr Oil :I I'-fll rct r.utcd Illl t hc l:Jlldlllg roll ':Imlll:; m.ijor d:IIll;lge to t hc propcllcr , fme!:lgc :mel
2;(.'~1r.

S.\'\T \ \1 \RI\,

Of,'; CO\f\IF\'T: Oil I,is :I1'1'r<J:lell, tJ.c pi;"t extclldcd ii: gC;1I :llld IJI:llIe tire IISIUI li'Il;11 cllcek "f ti,e IH'!' Iii" "II tllc \lill[". lie ,li,l Illlt clleek \I.itlr ii: ILil II I l"dl:llllie j;I1IJ11' til 11l:lke '111e tl: \llleel, \lCle ]oeh,d. PilI"ill'S OJlII- illdic:lfLo tl"lt \l1'CelS :Ire dll\l'II, TIle IUJld 1'll1lll' fLo,f i., tllC (JlIII- \1':11' tIJ i-c (crt:liJl fl::Jt II/leeis :IIC ]"eked. It il "'IJrtli tlie tl"II1>Ie fll ,Ill'll. r \1\ \II\."Cn \11' \." Y---\ pJlllt on I:lke olT de!Tetl'll JllllL 01 \\ 111Ie \lllokc cOlllIllg irrnu nuder tllc ,",,] tLips Ilf ]IIS l' -f- .in.l I mil cc I h:I,1 to till" tlcld fill ;1l1 ('lllngell("\' 1.11il]ll:;. l.cITlillg i IltT ;11>"llt 21) kl't ()\Tr the mln\';II, thc phll(' dmppcd ill fill ,I h:n<l lllldillg. Tl,c !:I'IlJ'I'g gl'll. fll\c-LlgL' :Illel
\\-1115.;\

An s w er s to Qui z on Page 18
1. (c) I-',:Isfern .Vir Corn mand 2. (n) 1 -f1 . - fect 3. (e 1 '\(':trest to his honlC 4, (A) TrIle. AR (ll)) 11), 1Jllnc l()H 5, (A) Jnnc2 Ii. (n 1 (;eneLll Ilen1\' II. Arnold
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lZ:Jdl:ltor ,lnlttns ,\ hfe b,d dropped fm rc,ene pmposc, (n) Six 12, (e) GnadaJcanal (.\) B21i H. (el ')-f,linO (H) c)o 1(1) mph (A) h\e (c) The \Llri:m:ls :md J.lp;lll l,i;li,on pLIlles. (C) .\cLIk 20. 1',(,)

CO\l\ff\'/: I',ellll,l\ :1111!sllh,e'111ell! Ik;llt\ III I' I'rlllcd tlLlt II,e I'il",., :1!Jilitl' to ILlIl,lIc f1Jc' ,},il' \I:lS c\("ellellt IlJl ,ier Jlo!llLlI ell/l,litillllS. IIIlIICICI, Illldcr tile .'trcss "I ;JlI elllcrgellLT tllC IJlIIl"\ fLoelllJl'llle \I'CJlt til I'"t. \ IJif Ilf ele:II, Llti"Il:11 tlllllkill!; \I'llllld Ii:lle s;lIcd JlLJI'" dIJII:lrs ;llJd llJ:llJ]lIl/lrS III rq):Jir II "rk. .

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CO.\1"\II:\'T: Ti,c I)J!,,! Il1lkill" tllc ellt!le!1 IC\I",mil;lc 101 flm ~IlC:II' rliS;I,tCI. [Ii, ]J:I\\ II":IS l1udc :It :lllllllt I Ii deglccs frrJ!1l tLc fLIck "I tllc t.l1gct. ;11,,1 Ill' il":rS IIJ cI"se tll:Jt Ill' Iud 10 ,lillie fill' ,tilk fIJ !\I":ITI I to ;II'lli,1 Illtll1le: if .. \1 tll:Jt I'"illt, tlic .sli"t 11".11 fircd iJl:I,II-eltl'lltl,. p:ISSCS IIl;lde :It Ie" tll;JlI .::() de:;lccs Ir"JlI tlll' t:lr:;et'.s p:ltll C:lJI !Je 1,lcI'1I d:lll:;el"m tIJ
1',1\\ \1":1\

'\ C- \ P r pilot :1 gllllnl'lI llli"ion 1II:Ide ;1 I>elh LlIlding ('II the helch ;Jfkr hi, engine f:JJied. Thc' ;.rrl'i:Jne '.\1' ;1 (IIllll'lek ]os, h("(:lllse "ilt ":Ikr e()\cTcd it helml' it (olilrl he nlmcd jo hi:..:!J ~r()ll]]d. OI'S CO\f\fJ:\T: ,'illlIg 1111 ]'i, :lllliluTI' t:,nk, tile l'il"l (lit fl'e tllll,ttic fll keeJl 1111 j)I,/('(' III {fJ11JJ:ltl()JI. \\'1'(,11 Ill' ~:I\T it tll'~' ,c;lll/ :u.;:/i" Ilien.: \\ ;!'., II() rc .... pll/I'd.' , \lter tile eLls], 1Jc, (linked Iii, Lillk\ ;llId {IIIII,,1 I/,e ;111,ili;1I1 dll. hilt till' lIuill t;lIlk >llf:lined plcntl. lit tllcl .. \t till' 11,."t ill d,e:ltilill "i cII!;ille fl"llhle. \'". } clink _"IJrJllld he t(J \CC if tlle (,Ju~iJ}c i", ~;l'ttlJI;";

C\\JSI: f\.'\DI\."C,
1111

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"'/:.."

OCTOBER,1944

59

part of Ch.nur-h W:lS rcdllcc<! to rnbhlr in :I series of he:l" "ss:lIIlts h\' Libcr.itor-. .mcl :I score of other (O\\llS, nsed':ls stor:lge centers and g;lrrison hillets. were leveled. The second prong of the gig:lntie ):lp ilE \\'ar Departlllent plau for partial depincers. movim; north np the railroad hed ~ The <pccial Bnlk.m air force est:lblished to mobiliv.it iou foll()\\ing the end of the wur from Canton. \\':lS gi\cn the s.unc treatment arm. feed and gi\e combat support to p.ttr iIII Europe calls for: selection of men to of di\c,honlbing and str;rting. be rclcavcd as individuals ruther than 1)\ otic n:sist;nlCe gronps in the B:dbm is h:l.scd \\'itlr the eOllling of i;(J(Jd \\'cather the in It.rlv nuder ndm iuist r.it ivc coimu.unl of units; pr ioritv of rclc.rsc to enlisted mcn [apnuc:. air force rcappc.rrccl over the front. l\L\,\li and includcs Amcricau. British. 1'01. a basis of time in service, OHTSCIS dutv. In air battles OHT l Iun.ur and low-level at ish, It.rli.in. YngosLIy and Creek Ayers. combat recorel and clcpcndcuts: release of t:lcks on [up.mc:: ficldv. 141 enemy aircraft officers on ;1 basis of militarv ncccssitv: mO\T' were clcstrovcd during) ulv and c.u lv Angmt. ~ with 0) prolJalJh- destrO\ed. \\'hile the Rec-ent tr:lusfcrs of gcnera] office", includc mcnt of .\.\1' combat grouiJS and supporting the followius; cornmnnd assignments: Lt. .vmcric.ru tighters tangled with the Ov.u. grounel nnits from all over the world to Ccn. .\Iillard F, Harmon, couunnndcr of Pncific .u cus; release by the .\.\1' to be .md 'I'ojos h\ d.r, . .\litchclls ran niglrth' 10\\' Armv .vir Vorces in I'acific Ocean ,\rcas; Lt. slower at first than hv the Ground Forces: lc\c! m ivsioux to the J:lp fields at Pai!oehi. as rcplarcmcnts 11l'cOl'ne .rvail.rblc from the Cen: Lewis 1I. Brereton. comm:mding genII:mkO\\', \\'nchang and Canton. cral of the First, \/lied Airbor n _\ml\; :\ l;l;_ Cronnd Forces and from new inductees. rcHv tlte middle of ,\ngust the lll;lin ellel!l\ Ccn. l Iovt S, \'anell'llberg. eOlnn;:nlding lease hv the .\,\1' proportionate to the effort in l luu.ui \\as devoted to clc.n inr; the general of the 'Jth .Yir Force; Lt. Ccn. Delos Crounel Forces. dogged xupplv lines, Fighter s\\'eeps 1)\ d;l\ Lnuuons, comm:mding gcneral of the ,\LIsThe elenlObili/,;ltion pl.m is eleliberateh' and .\Iitchells prowling 1)\' nii;ht had finally k.m Couun.uul: \I:lj, Ccn. R. LeG, \\-:llsh, complex to :lehie\T inuxinuuu f:lirrless, T1,e made the river route too costlv. In an .rt abO\'e is merely :I sketch of the pl:lIl. cOImn:lneling general of J<::1,stcm 1 !c-:ldqn:lrtempt to offset tllis, the J:lp:nlc:se Pllt tholl tcrs. USS.\FF,; .\Iaj. Gen. Curtis F, Le\!:rI', sands of engineer troops .md couxcr iptcd 1:: The ,\\1' is making a stud;' of :111 its comm:meling general of the 20th Bomber coolies to work repairing the ro.ul-, in their present officers to eletermine who arc best Command; Brig. Ccu. Vvilli.in. D, Old, rear, .md tumim; the old railroad into ;1 qualified to hold comrnissions. either Regnconllnanding general of the I Troop Currier motor higlm'a;'. Bridgcs were repaired auc] lar Armv or ORC, iii the postw.rr .ur force COl ll!11:1 lid; Brig, Con. Llilris ~orst;ld. chid m.nrv IlC'\\' pontoon Sp:11lS were h;rstih .md to lc.iru whirl: ones arc interested iii of staff of the 20th .\ir Force: \Llj, Cell. thrown IIp. hut \litchells bumlx] the new continning in service after the wnr . Pending 1', !lo(lges. i\ssist:mt Chief of ,\ir St.rff , bridges .md tighters strafed auc] bombed decision on the strength of the poxtw.u Intelligence; Brig, Ccu. F. II. Sm it li. )1. :1 truck coluum-, luO\'illg dO\Y11 the nc: ro.ul-, .vrmv, this vurvcv \\ill cu.ililc the .\.\F to Dcputv Chief of .\ir St.if]. from Yochow to 11cllg\:11lg, \\'hell the [up.r.. cominissioil the ;llImber of otTieers :luthor' cOllfilled tlleir mO\elllCllt.s to tile )roms of ized to it without the coufuvion that would ,\merican f:rctories .irc pf(l(h,cin:.; lle:!n' darklless, a pathfiudcr .\[itche!! lead ill:'; result from unplanned .md hurried selection, bombers at the rate of about 1. )111\ :1 muut h, !lights of tighters woulc] drop !lares to illu aeeordnlg to ligmes rcccnt lv rele:lsed. m iu.itc the roads for lighter :I!t:leks Oil t lu 1:: -!7 Thc first m il it.irv helicopter tr.iiuim; school truck couvovs. bs lxcu C't:lbll,shn) bv the ,\,\1,' ;lt Free' :\, ;1 rc.,,;!t of tlli,s .nl ion. tlle [apanc:. .\ !c(Lrl.s of Ilollor h:l\'c bcell :l\Llukd the man held. Ind. . follO\\lllg: 1st Lt, \\'illi:lm R, I.:I\\le\, Jr., a(h'allee rcm.riuc! hogged dO\Y11 for SOllie pilot. of I.eeds .. \la,; 2\\(1 Lt, \\:dter 1':, time ill the rice liclds out siclc llcng\:nll.: 1:: n:lyii;:ltor. of .Yur or.t. Ill.: T ISr;!. while the rlriv;: north fr0111 Call ton. wh icl: Fshbllslmlent of the Air Technical SC1Y' 'I'rucn.pcr. Forre,t L. Vosler. radio operator. of Livonia, \Y:1S uc.uiiu; KnhOllg. chlxcl hack to\\:rrcl icc Comm.md (the redesignation of the rc ;--\, Y,. ;llld Sgt. ,\rcllihJld \l:ltllies. i;nlllllT, the sout li. J:lp pl.urs for ;1 (pnek junction of eenth' (Teatc<1 ,\,\F :\Llteriel ;lnd Sen'ieC'), then northern .mcl sout lu-r u .uuuch:lll of Fiulcvvillc, 1':1 .. ;111of the ,\th .Vir lorrc. "'ith . Lt. Cell. \\'illiam S, Knuclsc as dilxcu intcrruptcd h\ .vnunc.u: bOlllhs :Illd The :I\\:rr<!s for Licutcu.mt Trueiliper .md rector, eOlnbines under one aclm inivt rat ivc designs for c1m,ng the r.ulro:] g:lp .u ic] dm Serr;e:lnt \l:lthles. IlIemhers of tire s.uuc unit :111 .ut ivit n-, and opcr.rt ious formr-r!v illS; the 14th .vir lon. from its eastclll B ] '7 rn.w. \\TIT IILI(le posthlllliOllSh, ;lsslgned to the \ Litem'! ;1I1d .vir Service l>'lses \\('IT at least triupor.nil , dcl.rvcd. III the 11"1J:ln C:llllpaigll, along the Ycl Presldenti:ll cit:ltlollS h:l\(, hcell a\y;n<!ecl the follo\l'illl; ,\,\1-' 1I11its for opeLltioll' :lS;:lillSt 10,,' Ri\er front. the Jap:ll1ese relied (JlI the the cnelll\' emerillg :Idiom frolll April. 19-B. to )lIh, 1(J-H, Tile, IlIlItS. eLites :I(ld :ldiollS, 'peed and \\Tlght of then :Irlilor and tile I:rcl of ,\mcriC:111 :lirhases \\rlhlll rallge 01 Bi/nte ,0 I st BOln1J;lrc!mcnt CHlIlp . April 10-+, the frollt for (Jlllck ,Slleless, T!1lS plall \\:" ++th Bombardmcnt CrouJl :mel h,"ed Oil (I"ick. deep pelletLltiollS a(TOSS tl" Ibt ",helt llc'!ds. Cllttilll; "1' the Chillese Ilcac!quarters ()(lth, 67th anel ~:\LlVH. 10-+, . :11111\' Ilito -'Cl;ll1ents fm :1111111 I il:rtioll. thell 60(lth Bom bardlllcnt Squ;ldrons J pushlllg 011 \lTSt :lfter the I I:lIlkc",' l'eipillg Cnbiul :Iirticlcl. It:dy 90th Bombarehncnt Croup Juh 0.19-+, S:I I'd Il1 i:1 Lli!ro:ld h:ld been tak,'ll. to c'aptm(' Siall )~:;th hghter Croup Juk ,0. 19-+, :md dri\T a \\'edge hehnTII CUll11l1111llSt :11\(! S~d I,'ighter Croup Augnst ~o. 19-+, 1"()~~Ll :\atlollalist Chilla, I"()~s.;i~l I,t J,'ighter Crollp Augmt ~ 0, 19-+, B\' a IIIrr;lde of IllOH'll1ellt :ll1d "eOl1l:lll Clllcclio 11I:lrslJ:11lil'g \'arch S~cI l'ighter Croup Scptemhcr~. 10n s('l\{e(' hy Lt, Col. JOhll \\', \\'r1h:111lS011's CCIltr:d CCrillallY 1st Bomb;lrdmcnt ])l\iSlllll T:nlll;ny II. 1 (H-+ h:lttered tr:lllsportS. :1(!\:lllee I1nits of th(' Chmesc--.\lnerie:l11 \\'illS; \\ere est:lhlishl'<! :It . VilLlorh:1 :lirelrolncs ,~oth l-'ighter Croup j;muar~' 30. 1()++ Chillese ,\ir I'oree h:1SCS !'" tll(, tilll,' th(' Skn .. \ustria ~cl Blllnb;mhncnt Croup l-'cbru;lry ~-+. I cH-+ J:lp' s\\':rrmed :I(TOSS the Ye11lm' RinT III Stc';r. \mtria 97th Billn !J:rrelmcnt Croup ','chru:ny ~-+. 19-+-+ ,\pril. ,\llleriC:l1l :l1ld Chillese prlots ot IZcgc'llsbmg ,0lst Blllnb;rrclmcnt Cronp l-'cbru:lry ~o. 19-+-+ Co!ollel \ forse's eOl11l1l:llll! !un' heell in lZcgcl1shmg --Iol,t Bwnh:lldlllcIlt Crotl]J J.'c..hrIl;IIT ~o. J9H :lctlon agaillSt t helll ('ontilll1onsh' dl1rillg tl", I'nll sprillg :llld Sllllliller despite had ,,(':lther. ,07th Blllnb:ncllncnt CrollJl \ larch 20. 10++ B:dlbcaring \\orb in .\ustria l-Hh hglrter Croup ,\pril 2. 10++ IlIC::lger Slljlphe' alld poor hlse f:!ei!ities, PO/,\\:lll, [loLmel 9(lth Bomlwc!mcnt Croup\pril 9. 104-+ III the north their targets \\Tre 1l10tOl .. , I'loc,ti-Buch:lrc'st :lrca pools, Ir\1(1 p:lrh. ('O!11111 IlS of SlOllt c:n,. ,1st ],'ighter Croup , April ~l. 1<H-+

RY

COIIIIII;lIlds, Its fuuct iuns arc grouped under these general heaelings: mater el anel production farilitv resources; research .uu! developmcut engineering; pr odur-t ion, qu.rl itv control and nrodificat ious: procuremcut: contract termination and property di-povrl: traffic .md t rauvpnrtut iou; supplv: InailltuJ:lnee tr:lining of t.ict ical service uuit.

CHINA
(Continued

COMBAT
from l':lge 2))

0;\

I-

o.

50

AIR

FORCE

tanks and truck-borne infantry and artillery. There ;Igain, rockets and 7:;s were effeetil'e in knocking out tanks, half tracks and art illcry positions. Frag bombing and low-level strafing stalled m;my a motorized thrust raeing across the plains. But the [ups. unrclenting, regrouped their forces and pushed on. In both the l Iunan and Honan campaigns the Japanese achieved their first olijeeti\cs-occupation of Changsha and Ilengyang and closing the gap in the I LmkO\I'l'eiping railroad-despite heavy losses inflicted bv the 14th Air Force. In their ultimate g(;al of closing the l Inukow-Cantou railroad, occupnng Arucricun airbuses in cast China and dri\ing a wedge between the Communists and Nationalists, the cucmv is making determined progress despite \aliant Chinese resistance and ;1\'ailable air support. In both campaigns air attack has reduced the speed of Japanese drives and gin:n demoralized Chinese troops the confidence to attempt stabilization of the fronts. In southern Y unnan, the third campaign, American air support has enabled Chinese troops to execute their first successful offensive since the beginning of the Sino-Japanese war. The Japanese in southwestern China have been thrown back from their positions along the Salween River, from which they menaced American airbascs in western China and the vital air supply route from India, and have been driven back to the border of northern Burma. Air action also has been responsible for keeping the Chinese advuncc supplied with food and am mu nit iou and dennng some of the entrenched [aps access to their 0\\'11 supplies, 'I'rausportx have dropped hundreds of tons of supplies to advance Chinese units which otherwise would be dependent upon the trickle of coolie. horne supplies O\'CI almost impassable trails. In attacking the enemy supply lines, Mitchells have bombed and burned m.mv important Japanese snpply bases in northern Burma, started landslides along the important Burma Road that closed it to truck and mule traffic for weeks at a time, while fighters luivc bombed and strafed snpply coluuuis from Lasluo to the front. Since the start of the Salween offensive, the one bright spot in the total scene, Chinese forces have narrowed the gap between the Y unu.m forces and the Chinese under Ccncral Stilwell at ""lvitkvina to less than 40 miles, and seemed territory vital to the opening of the Ledo Road frZHn India to China. Yet, wit h all our snpporting attacks and localized victories. the coufl ict in China remained tilted in favor of the Japanese. On September :;. the Japs had resumed one of t heir most decisilT offensives, and it appeared that if thcv sncceeded in dril'ing to Kwcilin and Liucliow, thcv \I'(HJ1d clim in.rtc om hlSCS at thcse points' and I.ingling, If t hcv continued to French Iudo-Chiua they \I'o;J1d lop off the entire eastern section o'f China. ;\11 factors considered, the war for the Chincse \I;lS brightened only Ill' the prospeers that cvcntu.illv enough Allied strength would be bronght np to throw the enemy ont, and bv the long view that ultimate vict orv was bcvond doubt.

In This Issue
Lt. Frances L. Sandstrom, 24, a flight nurse from Opportunity, \\-ash., is the girl on om cover this month. Heaven sent her to us, via ATC. Assigned to the transAtlaut ic air evacuation run. Lien. ten ant Sa n d s t rom happened to be in Nc: York City for a dav of sightseeing after making five flights into France and thirteen Atlantic crossings since D.da\'. \\'e \I'CIe looking for somebody very pretty, as usual, and when we saw I\' ursc Sandstrom walking toward a telephone booth in the Ilotcl Commodore lobby we did a tight Iufbcrrv around her until she agreed to be photographed and tell her storv. Om photographer, T /Sgt. Roger Coster, was on fur. lough. but we snatehcd him back Ill' phone. The lieutenant was modcstlv without her ribbons at the time, so we bo~rO\\ed a European one from a major in the editorial dep.irtmcut and sent a staff artist speeding out to buv an American ribbon. Coster then began' firing long hursts on his Rollciflcx, murmuring "ccs wonderful. BOI'! ccs wonderfnl." (I lc's a Parisian, Did 19 months in the French Army.) After the usual studio shots, the photographer decided to make one outdoors, That is the picture used all the COlTr. taken on the roof of 101 Park .wcnuc. home of AIR FORCE. Five members of om staff in recent weeks have left for parts known and unknown as overseas correspondents for AIH FORCE, and you will be rcading their stnff as \IT go along, Somewhere in France with advanced 1\.\F units lie have S/Sgt. Xlark ""lmpl1\'. who before the war was on the staff of l'-:EW YOHKI'.H magazine, now IHHking to keep us up to date on developments of \I'hat at press time was the fastest mOl'ing war theater. Covering USST.\F operations from Britain (Lv the time vou read this probably from France) is ",,/aj. Charles Frazer, back to the 1-:1'0 on his sccoud tour of O\'lTSeaS dutv for us. Slated for a stop off visit with the Mcclitcrraucan Allied Air Forces in Italv is Capt. Larrv Bachmann. not long removed from a scvcnmout h tom in the Pacific. who will move on to the China. Burma. India theater. In the Pacific \I'C h'1\T ""Iaj. lIerb Johansen and Capt. ""Iauford Suxmau. for some last minute cabled dispatches from our overseas men sec P;lges 4, 12 and 38. into the cockpit (there was no copilot on the mission) and did a lot of filing on in. strnments with the plane all shot np. until the pilot could ;lgain take over. \Iore rcccntlv, he w.ts a member of a crC\l' wlucl: had iJeen shot up during a 10\\'.IeI'e1 attack, had to bailout from 14,000 feet at night. Retnrning in an early issue will be the cartoon IXlge of Capt. (vou knell' him only as Lt.) \ \' ill iam T. Len t. The page w.rs held np this month for revisions which should gi\T it more prominence. New features this month include "Rcndczvous" on Page I, wlucl: gi"es cvcrv one of vou the chance to become a contributor to 'AIR FOHcE through your lctt crs. Space limits us soiucwh.r}, but we'll try to print all letters which appcar to be of gcner;11 interest. As we h'IIT reminded vou on om back COITr message this month. how about scnding in your comments, criticisms and ideas?

i:r
Another nell' feature is "The Library" on Page 53. l lcrc each mout h, through the cooperation of the ;\,\F Tcchniral Library
Service, we wi)] keep you posted on the new books on air subjects which arc available through the Sen icc. In this and forthcoming issues "Shooting the Breeze" will be found on the page facing the imide back CO\Tr. This feature is meant to be e,'en'thing the name impliesa kind of tall xt orv club with branches all OIU the globe. ""l.mv of the tales ;Jre gospel truth, others make us winc:r: a bit. \\'e appreciate the items that arc being sent in for "Breeze" and mge the rest of yon to jot down those stories von tell and hear and send them in. \\'e tilink thcv deserve to be told through .\lIt Fouci, so everyone in thc A. \F can hear them. Thanks to Lt. \\insor II. \\'atson, Jr., writer, and S/Sgt. Rav Scheiber, photogLI pher, both of the PRO, 36th Street Airport, ATC, :\liami, Fla. for preparing the Ic.rturc "Pearly Cates," Page 21, to S/Sgt. l Ioitc Agey of the same unit for his contributions to the article "Om Pigeon Air ],'orce," P;lgc 36. and again to Sergeant Scheiber for his photos ;lCcompam'ing that article.
,,1,7

:~
Capt. Bob Hotz. author of the article on l-lt h Air Force oprrat ionv. p;lgc 24. is ;1 former member of om staff and of the staff of the old Air Forces 0:C\l'S Letter. which preceded AIR FORC]:, Not long ago he hclped bring a B2:; back to a China base ;lfter its pilot had been shot up dming a lowlevel attack, I Iotz. an intelligence officer. was scrving as gllnner on the mission, .\Ithongh not a rated pilot (he had once fooled around with Cubs and Link traiucrs }, l Iotz climbed

Lt. Col. F. L :"i~sele\', author of the radio landings article, Page 41. \I;IS largely responsible for perfecting and putting into operational usc the tvpc of equipment COlcreel in his article. lie accomp.uucd the first cxpcruncut.il sets to Britain and conducted demonstrations so succcxsful th.it thcv led to the adoption of the equipment b~' the A.\F and R.\F in Britain,

~
Incidcntallv. hovs. '~lOse two lovelies yon obsrrvcd in 'the I'. \SS IT 00: "advertiserncnt " on p;lge () (If the Scptember issue were, seated from left to right. ""Iiss Jean \\'cleh and ""liss FLnicTs \\'cstcott. both of the John Robert PO\lUS agency, N. Y, C.

*
61

OCTOBER,1944

AIR MASTERY OVER EUROPE

(COli till lied from 1':lgc :;)

the whole perioel USSTAF bombers maintained their plnnllleling of German :lirficlds in France, GcnU;lll\', the Low Countries, lt.ilv, nut] the Baibns, Xlcauwlnlc 'the 9th Air Force, the RAF 2nd Tactical .md the McclitcrLmCII1 A11ied Air Forces were gi\ing strong tactical support to the ndv.mccs of the land armies. In their desperate d.ish northward from the Falaisc sector Pretty Lt. Bernie Manning wlio I', of COliN:, from 11011\ \'O()(!. Illilh" life i1' plcns.mt the Germans were bombed and strafed as life call be in Ass.un. India, CIs refer to this arca as " 1';111 t\ .vllcv." IZcading right into one of the II'()[St traffic tic-ups in to left: pant\' girdle, stockings, CI p.mtic-, Lt. \Lllllling, 10llg undcrwcar p.mt x. the history of the world. 1"01' miles vchicks Il'n'e j.muncd blllnper to bumper in hopeless congestion on main high(Cont inucd from I'age 30) \I':II'S and in the sur rouudiug maze of Tow.ud the end, the months a flatiron in a man's IWl1\e gale fort, she helped her patienh in to life couut rv lanes. Ccnu.ms were trying to withdraw in him a better line th.m etchings ell' I' did. r"ft" clrcel for their wou ncl s and atd;]ylight, an act of desperation in itself. "Vvc would go on ironing dates." the tended them const.mtlv until they were Ccruuin prisoners, pouri ng in to All icd girls cxpl.unccl. "Keeping om clothes picked up, neat \\'as om tough est problem at first. Once an cv.icnat ion plane is air- h.mds through these hectic weeks, testi\\'e had water three times a dil\'-for a borne, the cabin becomes litcrallv a fied to the pS\'C'ho]ogie"l effect of AAF and R,\F opcr.rt ions. Thcv revealed not couple of minutes each time-;'lJld that hospital warcl with the nurse in ch,,'rge, onlv the ten or of bombardrncnt but the lI'as all. \ V c could alw.ivs I\'ash om "Routine nursing c.uc.' it is call eel but critical short:lges of food. nmmuuitiou, clothes in the river hut \I'C 'couldn't iron ;111\' m.in evacuated bv air knows that w.rtcr and fuel that dircctlv resulted them became we didn't hale clcctricitv it'~ more th.m just ,vatching svmptoms, at that time, The fellOlI'S did. so ,ve'~1 changing dressing. giling plasma or from it. The g:lsolinc sllOrtage had hecome acute and nobodv knows how take om clothes O\'lT to their place and bringing out the morphine svrcttc when Ill;my :t'\;lZi t:mks were -bl()\\n up by spend a quiet, domestic elTning at the she sees fists clenched in silent pain, ironing board. Oli, no. thcv didn't It's more th.m adjmting the splint on a their 'erCII'S when thcv h:id no more fuel. lnfuut rvuicn on the so-called mind-too much, Said it lent a horncv na l ivcs leg. or treating an Auvtrali.m touch to the place." , "holding front" h.ul gone without food for "shock." or asking the pilot to defor fi\e or si x d;ll's in xomc c;]ses-anel ]\;mscs in most of the Pacific theaters scend slOldy so that a too-snddcn presnoth ing could h:IIT tolel them so well th' .m uvcrngc of about SO hours a sure change wont make a tank man's that their cause in lr.mcc II':lS kaput. month. One month a girl spcnt I IS condition I\'CJrSC, ?'ot the least of A\F exploits dming hours aloft in her evacuation pl.mc. ~ lavbc it's a lot of little things-likc of Fr.mcc \I;IS the flving l"ligh ts uxu.illv avcr.igc fom to cigh t the subtle \1;1\' she 1"ls of kccping a the RIttle of equipment to the j\ Iuquis. For weeks hours' f1I'ing time, And the long 01('[' hOI's mind off fcl!'S of Iming his injured 13-1- s of the Sth Air Force were secretly leg, Or thc manner in which she calms water hops arc not made easier hv the dropping red, yell 011' and white p;]raturbulent atmosphcre usuullv cnc'ollnt, a fcll(lII's nerves when sllc c.m sce ho-v chntcel IJl1nclles to rcnck/\o\1) points in crcd in that arcu. or by the possibilitics jmnpl' he is abont taking his first flight. Or the \1;1\' shc asks "\\'onldn't \'CHI the 1:l11cI's. hi11s and p1:Iins of France, of enCI11\' attack on a hcavilv Iouclcd, unannce( pl.mc. , Thcv delivered an avtonishius; total of like a cup of chocolate?" "110\1' al)out more th;1I1 90 percent of these cargoes One thing impoxsiblc. however. is to a ci~;]!:ettc. s,~Tgcn~j?" "IIcre arc some get a 11\' flight nurse to admit there' a11\'- books or I Iere s a nc-v game \IT ;mel nCITr perh;lps were guus. anuuunit ion ;md supplies put to more ef1cctil'C thinr; heroic-or even diflicnlt-i-nbout picked up on the last flight," "Ll\he usc. A, Fr.mc II':IS libcra tcd. in town the Job she's choscu, In the first place, it': the f:Iet th.it. hu-v ;IS she is, she still h:l' time to t:IIL . ;Ifter town sobhing men .md women she'cJ 5;1\ thcre isn't time to think about sw.iru ud h.ippilv into their sunlit l'lTsclf ;md on cv.rcuntiou missions this Or it could be her sm ilc. her calm once is litcrullv true. I,ooking after 24 mcn efficiellC'\' .md the 11';1\'she keeps C\,(TI'- squ;nes to sing L:l .\ LlrseilJ:l;\e :l~;lin, The vict orv \I;IS deserl'l'Cllv Ivhosc care h;ls lx-cn cu t irr-lv cntrustcd thing nndcr control. ,\m;lIing wumcn. sh.rrcd bv the French Forces of the to one \I'OIn;111is a full-time Job. It perthese airborne nlH'CS. 110\1' tlicv kecp up III tcr ior. ' mits no thought of comforts left behind. the hurd. tire,omc fli~hh month :lftn In CH!I' Septelllher the cucmv's situa;\IIl:I\'s her paticnh come first. It's month in e\TI'\' clim.rt of the ~lohc, .\ tion I\:IS still detnior:1 ti ng. hut the p:ltient's own 'trel\]bles he~in to he forIlP to the nurse to cU'C for them. make '\;l/i, h:id something left, The Luf tthem comfort.rblr.mcl sec th.rt thcv ;1[gotten in achnir.rt iou for the nur:: aboard hi, p1:Iuc-'~:lllel the l11mdreels of '1;ltTe h:lel put into ;Iction their \1l':-2h2 rive at the destination in as good pi,,'si;11Ie1 other jet .mcl roch't-propellnl aircal condition ;IS cxpcr! nllI'sing care can other nlH'CS just like her. CLIft. These p1:Ines h.] been met in :lSSIlIT, AmI where uir tLIITI is COl]Call it nlHsillg C:lIT. c.ill it builcliut; morale, call it :llllthillc;-the f1i~ht com hilt .md IHTe kn(J\\n to he extremeccruccl. tl: i' t ll1 can s bei n ~ prcp.ncd to lv f.r-.t. possihh' ~O()(1. 1\'(';1 pOJl) , The cope witl; the uucxpcct cd. Several IIm,e's sincerc elcsire to help .mr] comCcnuu n-, lr.ul rcxcrvc ground force, .md month, "go. the pl.m Oil wh ich Lt. fort hn p.it icut. her w.nm spirit .nul strong ddemi'e posit ion. But that Oorotl,,' Shikmki \I':]) f1i~ht nu rsc Ivas fr ic-nd lv disposition h.rvc won for her thcv could ITeOlTr from their m.mv d ixforced cloxvn .it se:!. In the crash 1'\nrsc Ihe s.nuc hiC;h .rccol.ulc on CITIT b.rttlcfront \I here -;\mcricm soleliers ;ire fightShikml,i\ hIck \1;1, seriomh' injurcel, :lstc:rs or m.ik " st:lnel on the \\'~stern I,'wnt for long \I';IS unlikely. U ing: "Geez, isn't she \\,(JIlelerful!" U Yet, \lith 110 thollght for hcr o\\'n com-

F L I GH T N U R S E

62

AIR

FORCE

FIGHTER CONTROL
(Colltilltled from 1':lgc -:: excited," he saicl, "they sec \olliethillg 11(\1' .mc] t licv w.i n! to hmt it lip right ;I\\ay, \0 you :J!I\:I\'\ hale to tell them to make po\itile reeogllition if t hcvrc .uivwhcr ncar OJII troops, The \\orc]:, 'poxitiv recognition' make thcm think a little hit a ncl, lots of timcs, keep them from luut iiu; \Olllebody, Thn' get so d.uu ncd excited when something's going on thcv ch.rtrcr at each other, and sometinles it's our busines~ to cool them off a little." The pilots .\ l.: jor Codv \\:IS t.t lki IIg a bon t uvuull,: fly a squadron out for h\o or three h ou rx and. as they start to return. .uiothcr \qll:ldron of their group meets them. They come home, refuel, homh lip, loud the ammunition boxes .md go out agaill, Thuv, one squadron is ah\'ays kept over the target, .md the pilots h.mcllc one, two or three mi"ions a d.rv. Somct imc; their orders arc to bomb .md ~,trafe a cerl:li;l column or a big gun cmpl.iccmcnt. Sometimes it is armed reconnaissance on the group leader's discretion, Of tell it is armored or troop column support. In the latter case, the cnntrol often p:l"es from the formal direction of the cout ro] tent to the column, 1<:lch column has a n air officer wil h it to direct the sllpporting pl.mcs. Thcv get there In' l-:;(),()()lJ or I-I ()1l,()I)() IILlpS, hut once overhead thcv can he directed bv Ltrger scaled maps, "Cun cmpl.tccurcut ou ](-l:;:;-t is holdillg us up," the ground officer nLI\' r.rdio. - "Roger," SiI\S the squ.rdron leader, .u] some pl.uic-, clive clown and the cmp l.rccnu-uf is no longer n nv cliflicultv. "l':nem\' .mt it.ml, gun around the corner :Ihead of your drive. hold lip a nu nucu l ." the aircraft ma~' r.rclio, .mcl the column slll\\s dO\11I wh ik: p-,rs clive out of the ski, and LIke the gill\, It's tc.uuwork. Often a column with ;1 nice open ro,id .i ncl no CerJJJ:llls ill frollt of it has 110 usc for air xupporf at the nunucut. .n u] it will release a xqu.rdrou. The squadron calls b.uk to fighter control for some tJrgets, and if there arc none the pl.uu-s may go ont on armed rccou looking for t:ngets on their own. Then, of cour-c. there is the problem of :lireLlft num lxrs. The C)th llla~' be the largest air force in the world, but it doesn't have :J!I the pl.mc-. in the world a nd quite often a priority target will clom in.itc a cla\,'s procedings, Orders frOIJ1 the conuu.uul nLI\' s.rv that under 110 circumvt.mccs arc planes to be di\crte'd from the job bid out. On that day, a division nla~' be pinned clowu bv cucmv gullS located in a position that oulv air pO\\'eT c.m knock out cavilv. The division m.rv cull for help and he told there simply arc no planes to send to it. On such occ:lsions, the controllers don't feel too h.ippv when they have to Sil~' to the Arrnv liaison officers who tr.nr-mit the requests for help, "Sorry, \"(1lI'1I have to wait vour turn," One of the littl~ advcut urcs they like to talk about around fighter control is that of the ILJJld~' Foot squadron some weeks ago, IIallc!I' Foot \\'as on armed rocco and spotted a column of t.m kx quite ncar some Amcric.m positions. The controllers told the squadron to make positive identification and two planes dived clown, \\'inged over and the pilots looked right out at some crosses on the tanks, "Mv Cod, I'm looking right in the 111UI.I.lc of an 88!" one flvcr yelled into the radio, Planes of IIalleh' Foot thereupon 'knocked out the front t.mks in the columu and then the hack ones, The Cerm;lJ1s couldn't mnvc either forward or backward. The controllers scnt over more planes; I Ianclv hriefed them and went home to reload, All that dav, there was no moment when there were not planes hO;llhing and strafing the column. B\' nightfall, 1 ~S tanks had been claimed destroyed, On other occasions, flights of ~ fesserschmitts may sec American formatiollS fly past
OCTOBER,1944

them placidh-, Miuutcs later, another formation of American planes wil l dive out of the sun .md h.rvc a field eLl\ \\"ith tile unsuspecting 1\IIO:s, Such meetings arc arr:lng<:d h~' fIghter control on information from pl.mcs, rud.rr install.it ionx, ground ohsener.s .mcl other nll':I11S, As the s~ste1il operates here--cOlnplete with air \\'arning personnel, tllterers, tellers and largc t.rblcs on which all pl.mcs in tIle vicini tv arc plotted-tighter control in the 9th is a logical offensi\'e dcvclopuicnt of the .ur defense network proteeting the coasts of the lInited States wlu-n hostile air attack th re:1tcncd. The origi nul c.id rc of tIl is Ilgh tcr control sCluadron came front the Sc.rttlc hghter "'ing, "Cod, liovv we lIIi" the Bell Telephone COlllP:11I\"," a Signal Corps couunnnic.rt ious m.ui couuucutcd. After severn] of its men h.rd been trained at the tighter control school at Orlando, 1-'1:1., the unit 1I100Td to 1':lJgLl11c!. and frOI11 there directed iutcrccptions and dispatched the tighter cover for Sth Air Force attlcks on Ccnuauv. I,'ighter control in those d.ivs had to get planes to a ccrt.un spot at a certain second to relieve others whirh \\'eIT running 10\\' on gas, TIle controllers h:ld to get them there and get them hack. They tell how Licutcn.m t Ruxscl] talked to a pilot lost over the Continent witl; his cOll1pass shot ou t. LIeu tcu.m t R msell hrough t h im h ollie bv the sun, \'eetoring him with such advice as, "Turn eight o'clock to the sun, :\0\\' turn so the S\1I1is at three o'clock." All chid controllers here arc pilots and k now how a fiver fecls, :\laj, Carl Ceiss, one of the top men in the outfit, got a ])SC at Jbt:l:111 and l.rtcr, with the late I.t. Col. Hovel \\':lgIllT, trained fighter pilots and served as a test pilot in the perilous davs in Australia when the Ph il ippincs fell. The controllers h.tvc a profound respect for weather and for Allied antiaircraft butteries. \\'e:lther otlielTs :IIT consultcd nhuost cvcrv hom, .md tow.rrd dusk a close check is kept with the :intiaireraft l i.i i-on ollicer ill case .uiv of om pLl11es arc still nJl, On the Suud.iv of the :\ lou-, incident one sCJu:lClron didn't come in unt i! rl.uk, and prob.ihl.: for the first time that duv there \\'as an air of tense excitement in the rOOI11, COlnn;unieatio1\S were tied up but the controllers fin.rllv broke in so that A,\ b.it tcric, could hc told to hold fire ill1til all fricucllv pl.mcs \\'ClT down, At night in COllihat zouc-; the burden of proof that one is friendly rests with the airplane, Shortly after dark, that Sund.iv, Brig, Ccn. J:lll1eS \\" :\!cCau1c\', coml11:lnding gcneLr! of a tighter \\'ing, entered the tent, He had lxcn looking things over at a new control set-up, This day fighter control had been \ISing alternate equipment and a larger unit was heing installed some m ilcs .iwuv. hghter control is cont inuallv lI1o\"ing its units, leapfrogging across I,'Ll11ce :11Id BelgiulII toward Cermall\' The general \\'as told about the divcrxiou at .\IOllS and, with a couple of executives, he consulted the m;lp, Ill' pointed to a spot which w.rs many miles from the place where we were. Then he traced the various places where the fighter control center had been located, from the spot a fe\\, III iles hack of the beach where the tent had been set up under fire from Ccrman snipers and artillcrv The unit h.icl w.ritcd off shore on Dvclav. There had been too much going on for them to risk taking their valuable equipment ashore, The next night, however, thcv had taken it in and installed it at a location wh ich hadn't yet heen captured, There had been other moves since, and more were to come, ~ lujor Cody turned to me and said, "It's a shame that things were so quiet here today" Things may hale been quiet in the tent that day, but thcv weren't quiet at .\ Ions. Our fighter-hombers, directed hv control, dcstrovcd more than C)()() trucks and Ti:; pieces of horscdrawn equipment that \Try pleasant Sunday. ~

63

. - - 81 - ~.-U1R=iI.FG
__ iii
I ,

-..'-H-~

Burma. ~ai:;a hcndhuntcr1iH'e1 in a tall. talized st.itc for ,e\cral \\ceb after .\,\" pLIlK" 1>er;:11lappc;nilll; ill tlieir skic-. ThC\. could never r;d closc enough to dctcrnnnc the ,iz,e or tcmpeLnncnt of the winl;cd creatllfe" 'J'lie I;r(';lt '1l1estioll in N;n;a so. cictv became. "Vvlicrc do the warbirds sleep?" 'Thcv seemed rather hlg to roost 1I1 trees. Tlie 1'\al:;;ls sellt ;1 xront on the Jonl:; trek to all :\:\I! .urba : in Assam, and there he found the am\\Trs to all hi, quest ions. illcilidilig tIle 1>il:;l:;nt ,mpri,se tll:lt the sndJ, est of t lu- w.nhirr}, had \\'inr;s vix 'pear, ill length, lie \\'a, so thrilled .md :mlazed that tlie cOllIlll;llIding officer of a fighter grollp a,ked the n.rt ivc if he want cc] to t.ik a ride. The vi-at or \\':IS invu ltrr]. "TIle '\:If,;:IS," he s:lid l);/lIghhh, "ar c 1:1\\' ;Ibidinr; pcople. It is not our custom to go up in the air."
On D plus 1 the Britisll Bro1(l ostlllg COIllP:Ill\' wcnt :lbont its job witlt such uurclcnt iut; casnalllc" that it :illilost it-elf got 1>litzc'e], .\t:1 flight cont ro] st.it iou 011 the co",t IIcr\T, \\Tre still slLnp, Plotter, were temch' tr:lcking airrruft acro" the ch.mm-! .md np .md d 01\'1 I the CherbolHg l'c-ninsul:r. Fighter rout rolk-r-, \\'('fC still vedoring their pLme, over \'el\' Ilir;h Frcqlll'nc\' r.ulio to t"rgd, Oil Ihc lx-nchhc.nl .vbout t li.rt t imc t lu- BBC m.ul itself heard. \\-itli uc-vlv stepped np tr.mxm ivsiou. it bc.uuccl out in the directioll of t hc in.

r.mc.m. his back-pack dingl,,' snnk and he swam for 1, hour. hefore draggmg hllllSelf nlJ:1l1Sted npoll a beach. The fir,t .Vmc riClm Cractz, nut were two \ II'" One \\ .ir ucc] him gran'h' that he \\'as ont of uuiform. :\0 necktie. The ot hcr cautioned Cradz, of the d:mger' wh ich mlf;ht lx-i.ill hun while goillg wit h ont his hclnut. Bricker of Plul.idclOil :111 ivl.uul 1r:l'C, J'illislllllg brc.rkfuvt one 1I101llillg, the colonel left 1m office. :11,,1 Brickcr lru;:lll tlchlllg np :1 IIlJ t lu pl.ic ron \\'hcII he pro;rcssed to tire colollcl', bedroom, he deCided th.it .: little 11:11'conld do 110 h:11II1. IIi, lint cont.ut wit l: t lu: \\':lnill; world \\:IS thc colollel. nate .md noi-v Ire'ick Ium. "\\-h:lt's thi,?'the officer w:I'recl. ;iltho'H,;1i it \\;1, prdh ',Ip' p.mut t h.r! tlie pr iv.it c \\':1' :lskep iu bi, lx]. "Srr. J muvt h.ivr bCllI t ind." Bricker 1I111111bke!. Then his mind bcg:lIl to click, "I \\orked 1:11' int o t lu. lIi~llt "II '''1I1l' (lIS t:1lC1 pies--' he .iddcd. Thc col"nel's voi.c 11:,,1,,,ftc III ,1 uot icciblv :IS the pr iv.it c g"t to his feet. "Tho-. pic, had better lx good," l. "lie!. T1Il'\ \\Tle, .md the C;;'C \\;l, ('l(l\ld,

ment he \\'as after something really big. and didn't want to be rescllcd juvt vet I Ic pre. fence]' hc said. to wait for the ncx! Dumbo. Rather p.rt icutlv, tire PBY pilot explained that \\'lrile Dumbo scrvic \\'a, dependable, it didn't run quite so re;lIhrh' a, a com1I111ter's train. Rcluct.mt lv the ..\,\F man got .rboarr] anel the ])lIlnhc') took off, 1', S, \\'c dout belie\e t h i, either, Latest to attack the .. .\1< mst rt unon \ of thing pa\ IS an organization of Filt h .Vnuv Ch who wr ot c : "1 !:I\'ing crawled thwngh all the in ncl ;mel clu-t in Italv, we w.rut extra 1':1\ for '\OT fl\ing," '

Italy.

Hawaii.

phi cooks

Pvt. for

Clcnn

:1

colruul

I::ngland.

'''sioll, hoomin; into the control station's \'111: ()lIC of'tlie cOlltrollers \\,:IS hronglit np sliort I", COll\CrS:ltioll Oil his Iic':It!sl'l tll,lt \\'as dhtilllth 1I0t IVT. "I Ie11 0, \LlrI, horongh. \ Ln:lhorongli. is t h:lt \'on:" >aid an ;Igit:ltccl "(lice> .. ' I'here'" ~()1l1Ct-Ii ill~ \\T()11L'; \\ith OlH \'llli .\11 \\C gd is ,onlC gill singillg 'her\tl'ill; I ILln' Is Yoms'." ,\ n]()llIent later, Illore fnriollS-"C:'II't \\e ;et tl"lt t!:llIllIed hoogic \\oor;ic off Ihc air:" \lId from thc 'Clolld Llbid controller: "1\10\\' it np' \'cdor ,olllchoeh' OI'cr there :llId tell hilll to llit itl" l'ortnn:lteh' for I\BC, the\ fonlld :1 hctter way. .

Sicily.
forccd

\"hen Lt, Robert to clileh hi, .\ ,()

1.
in

Gr;letz \\';lS the :\lcditer-

One of the b:l,ic divt intt ions be. pcnu.mcut .iucl tcrupor.uv r.mk \\'as rlcenth chrilled I" \1:Jj, John L \IcCinn ef Long Beach. C:J1if.. a \lmt:lIlg s'ln:ldron k.ndcr. Th.it ;Iftellloon the III:lJor had been c'ii\ing on .m \11,: 1lI') \\hcn .in im por.rt ivc At Sea. The ;ton gocs that a :\'aH PBY voirc blur ted in his r.ulio. "C;et :1\\':1\' from ill IJlllllho "'en-icc: :1 lJi~ld:. c'tCl ill~'(l 'l';1 tl.crc: Don't sli",,! hun ' lle-', lIlme~'" The 1(.'"CllL' ()r~;llli/;lti{)ll. :-,p{)t-tl'd ;\ 111;111 ;!t!Iift il'::jor pullcc] IIJl .n] ouc: of hi, pilot. l st in a r.if t .u] illllncdi:llc'h set .rbout t o pic k Lt. John R. I :skridgc of lImorc Cit v. Okla. him np, Thc\ flc'\\' OITr lmu , hilt t h 1I1:111 dl\ ((I dO\\11 .rn.] ,k'!rm cd t lu: (;nlll:111. lip, did 1I0t look np or \\:I\T Ihl' IIstL;] grc c I IJI~', ell retmning 10 hi, b:lse \ l.ijor :\ Ic-Cinn jok TI,c\ ].;lIC\\' he \\':1, ;J1i\T, lie,,\( \(1, 'Ibn' j"e:h' pointed out Fskridge :IS a m.m holding conl.] ,ee huu nlO,ill; hi-, :IfIIIS, hu-ilv CII1. I l. pc nu.iucnt r.uik "f l icut cu.rut. plmed wit h 'Olllethillg ill t lu: water. 'I he: ]'IlY l.md.d :md t:mccl t ow.u c] the r.if t , U.S.A. This account ek:l], with thc fir,t whcnupon the 11I:1ll beg:lll \\:nill; thcm p:n:llronpcr ever hor n in :1 p.rr.rchutc. The :'\\'a\' and lI]()tioning for quiet. The rc-cuc Let t hut it \\:IS :1 j"ge()]1 p:ll:l!ro"per oulx crcw. \\'ho could ,ee t lic fhlT" -\nm \\ m", slie:lith ClilllS Ihe lustre of the: t.ilc. It xccmv .mcl k h.ik: xhirt , tholl;ht lie 1I111't Ire Sllnl~-- tlr.it iucu \\ ho tLIIII Imci, .rt tlie ,\\1: Tnct iIIlg from ,bock "r the ]ICIt. \\'hell thcv c;;] Ccnt or III OrLilldo. ILL, iu.rk ccr t.un I"llled alonr;siele bis Lift, the m.m got 111:lt 110 novit plgcolls :IIT sellt over-cas. l'lghh indigllallt. It \\:IS t lun thn lI"ti~ecl 'I lie Cllles ,ekctld :IS pigeoll p:ILJtroopers tlI:l! lie \\':1, 11'lllg llis ellllTgCIIC\ t:lcklc ;md 1':1\(' :illl':lch completed ;ldY:1l1c'l'll flight 1ud :llre:le], Clllght Olle: fIsh, ~-\t the mo. !LlIlIille: :llId :Ill' klIO\\11 to be stIllC!" dc pllle!:ll;k birds, Thc\ :IIC ;i\l'n pLldice JllIlIl" 1I11ti! thc\ (;In hit tlie silk like :I st lIlIt jlllllpeL their l()]lIpkte eOl11pOSllfe \":1' dClllomtLlted recc'nth' \\hell :1 COllt:lilln of tlllTe Imds \\':lS lost :dtn beill; droppe:eL I 0111 d:I", !:ltn the pi;eom \n'fe: fC)]l11el,1m milled bllt hllll;r\', Tlin h:ld Cltell part ell the str:I\\' flooring of their eOllt:liller. :llld 111 Ol1e e()flln the fc-llJ:i!e of the p:nh h:ld !:lid :In e;;, \\hell h:llehed. th:lt - little jllgCOll \\'()]j't llccd to ask IllS eLidch \\'ILlt he did ill the \\:11'. ,t,. '
t wc cn
GOT ANY GOOO STORIES? SEND 'EM IN!

France.

64

AIR

fORCE

Property of tDe Library

ARMY
~tI>d

INDtJS1?JAL COLLEGE
hy _

.~---------...,"I"P"' ..

NEW A.26-PAGE

39

.'.~

.... r-

.1

Rendezvous
For the
I)e:lr I:"RCI: t!Jl' tlllllm~

V",1.27

~.-.

\
THE OFFIC

Record
I rl'ad 11'!JUl' hick. ill t lic Septl'mher i"ll(' Ilf ,\IR Il11C Ilf t hr ~lorJlil'd B ,-, !lew ellll'l'Clltl\l' Clllld-hllt mlsslOll' t hcrc arc IIItlWIlt rl'cord,

h!Jtlll

t ot.rl Ilf

:<J

lx-t tcr rh.m t h.it . [ Ill'll B :1" l!Jroll~!J Sicih. l t.ilv .md lr.uc. \1\. ail plalll' the "SIITd Slll''s Dukr of Padllc,I11 ,1(1' I" !ll'II' :;) m i-viou-, wit liouf t urnim; 11;Ic'k. Liter. .rf tcr 1 left thl' L;rollp. ,!Jl' Cl:llkl'el lip 1111 lur 0-t!J m isviou-i--f.u' more lllh,illll' t h.ui am' g.:I, cvcr IIl'llt OIl. I.t, J. \1. Z, Orl.iud, ],11:
, .. ] II \1lJ![ Li,t ,Cktllher' I"IIC I h.rt t!Jl' 11,1'

!Jet t.r. f.ir

Operation:
The

Reunion dr.nn.it .iir

Capt. C\':!llJ:lt i"ll of

L. P, Bachmann !Z"IIJ:IllJ:l, M. Mahurin "g:llii.

.\\J.'

w.rr

pri-uuor-, Ma;.

[roru Walker

Combat May Make You Lazy If \"11 think lioun inc.u.. vuu r j"h Bombpower
.\ :.:r:lpllll. tir,t h.ru.: !l'pml

i, ov cr

Ie:,,]

hi-, .uu! t hiu];

Maj, Charles ill

D. Frazer
I r.n c.

"f h"mh

d,lllJ:l~l'

t"

:\:I.'i

I.uilit i

Ik c"prl"",'d proh:lhJlJlI' "Ibehl'lor', 1)l'lil;ht" lLld'l'l

17

.m \\1: rl'cllrd
(;l'IIl'r:JI

Portrait

of a Guy Thinking

About

an Island

2d Lt. Bert Stiles

13
14

h'

!l\llll;

1:-+

rrn uli.rt

nuv.iouv.

Kc-u
More

.\ c()pilot Power
I
!O\\" CJ1]f

~i\"L"'-, or d-, t o tIll.. tll()ll~llh ' To You

w.n

()f

111'111\

.m nir m.iu ill 1!Ie lTt ).

S/Sgt, Douglas t h
L'lll'JII\

11l'\ ILl, :llld ::;,

li.u] 111"kr hi-, crnn i u.rut ' 'cler:JI 1-\ w it ]: 1 )11 .nu] :1111 .oruh.rt Illl"io!l\. 'p"Jl'Il,i1h Ihilll; of Ilf :1 Jj 1I\hl'll

J,

Ingells

I kll{)\I'
\\llh :1:

"C ;llll\l':1
"l)lrll :Illd lill' Iud til

Pil;" DIl!.I"

pl.un-,

1I.l\

l'

~;liJl('(l

;1

l\{}l'''l"j)()\\

('1

CHI

1111\\11l11' .u u] a J)::;

t li.it 11:1\ still ] "11 Illl"IIlII', Spc:Illlll; ill :1 hid till 'dl;,llli/,l!illll CIl:I\!. Ill'\\ III

I left
] \\IlIJld

ov.r
1'111

Interception
()]JJ'

Begins
l'IIl11lil'\

on the
1J:I\l' l:i,;1:

Ground
rl'pl'el for

Charlotte

Knight \\ 11\.

17

\\1'

I i:.:ltflT

('''lltr,,!.

IIlTl'"

Il'lor,k

Key Men \\1:\ Wear That

j,l:tk Lldll) "plLII"r, iun-t II\l' tl](';r 1Il':!d,
iI\

1l111' Ilf IllI "IILldroll" '1111' pllll'd lip 1:; I, ::;\ IlII t!Jl' 1'::I,t t l uur :1(l1l" 1!Jl' ile\\ SLlte,. 'llT"'\ 'I lllllpk III '\l'\\ llIOIJ!!J\ Thi, cn.mc:c. l':JlI, pilill 11l\1I,1r:i1i:l. \'I,Ir:Jlu,
(If

22
\\lll 'I' tlll'ir lilll;l'l'.

Armor! -nil-, m.i , h ],1I1b hnt I" tlu. nuu

111l'\
.u,
III

l lu
Ilt

1"IlIIIl \\l'l'l,

1r:1111l'l1 for

23
t lu hl,t Herbert t li \relic to

tl u-m
tllll'l'

of ,Ilk.
Ringold ,\II:l'\. Davis ('lied,.

C ;'lllll':1 .n! !llW wit l: ;111 :I\Cr;I~l,.'

'!J'prll\iIILI!l'h

\\ it
till

=~

llli..,\i{)l1\

per .urpl.uu:

Lifeline to the USSR I lu \trm lit h"ltlilll: The Man with

Ilcl'l.'''
Olle

24

cli-p.rtch

phlll\ t"

"Ill'

Stl\ld Luther

h 'I

t lu:

'lIllie

oril;ilLJI Ilt

:llJplalll", ur.riut

1:11l;l'

'1IIWIIllt

the

Private
C;111

Breeze
t.ik.: or ]c'l\ c. 1)11t' kL'L'p \ r ntr

Maj,

28
29

prollCll'll(1 .u! Iucl, .u! 1!Jl' Illl'll dl\LT\(' 'I lilt of (I('dit, Co!.

Clllll'l'llled

\ OIl

t-()Il~llC

ill \ our

C. I', 'I
(;:1.

rill'.

CIlIIIllLllldilll;. .

Turucr

Night

licld.

Marauders .vn .ut r-t'. I1llprC\\I"II' in the

Capt. "f "III lir,t ni2ht lJr)]nl>illf; in

Raymond forcl' ill

Creekmore

Ihe

1,It

J.

-Ed,
Disastrous Weakness
1)( .tr J-:dil(lI

The Air War

.\ (illmllli

Southwest

Pacific ](lie
ill thc "c1IClrrcc fr()lll

Col. B, B, Cain '\lll' Cuincr.

30

rl\IIlIIC'

()f .ur ]l()\\l'l'\

Standard
TlIe
I'

Flight
IllI1'

Instrument

Panel
()j h.i-.ic jk,ht

Col. T. J. DuBose

36

:lrr:lll~CIIIl'llt

in-trumcnt

, on .\\F

'lircuft. Mark Murphy

If 11
1 ill'

it

l)(,\\ihk,

lnuu.ur \'.IlIJld

Patton's

It t()()k

Air Cavalry pl.m.. t o jll()k,t

S/Sgl,

54

tl tlillb

()j t!: 'pc'cdill:':

)1,1

\1111'

ill !'J'lIl1l'

\ [1 ~'" \\ I

r..

"l(llIll' ill forJl r.r.il xm! 111I1i Imc h uuII: 1111\ Slp h.'lllhl'l i\\\ll' (Jf \1](

lillil

What

Becomes J !ell."
.u:

of Our Convalescents?
.ni-v cr th,l! ,II()IJI,[ ll\l ,I 1()1

60 ()f
.unlill "itlliul t]lukr\.

J \

]I>\lh

(I,I!Ill' ,illlIl:.:
111(]

III

]'''](CI 111l' hal k \\1111 IIIl

Tlul porlilll] 111(1\

1\ Illl' III t l u

DEPARTMENTS
Rendezvous 1

11l,1:':'l/lIll'

(;1

I,"'.

:I:,I I>JI Ili\ lur 11:\111,'

:...:1....{)11, Ill'''..'ll hi()1Il1l"

11Llklll:-~

l.ft . '1111111]('1 IIl\lh I \\'IlIJld lil.; fldl "l;Jt i"t il" .il xiu! tlUI "~(Jl r)j .t \\(JIlLl1\. Y()11 "l.T I lJ 1\'l' !! 111\ lu.l.l ()f ,'(J1llTti]l~ .t I
]l!I)lllll''>
111\-

ti,,!i,''>
\\, d'lll

:l!)()!!!
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]ll()"t!\

eli,,;\'>!rl)I]"

This Is Your Enemy On the Line Technique Flying Safety Off the 800m On the Alert

20
37 39 44 47 48 Shooting tho

In This Issue Cross Country

Intercom

51

52
53 57 58

AIR FORCE Quiz Training Aids November in the AAF The l.ib r o r-.
Br c-cz o 64'

59
63

I'k.
\

\:1111:1 If:

(,.SI,',I),\. II
'I'

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l)

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I,
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l. with
1111' I"
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Mirrors
"Sl""tlill.~ (h! ())1l']
ill11l{

[j!I)1'.

1"1111 IC)(ll().

I 111<1111_> I,.
1""I~l I),l~l' .f(l 111111,'" I

IlL

()Il

NOVEMBER,1944

REUNION
By Capt. L. P. Bachmann
AIR FORCE Overseas Staff

Airmen just back from Romanian PO" - e~mp' stripped ofT t luir vcnuiundck-n unif or m-, :llld took hot. 'O:Jp' b.it h. Ixfor receil'in~ a fresh issue of elotlling. Vvhil this \I:lS t;Jl,illg pl:iee their dis-

Clrlkcl 1I11ifofJlIS wc. spr:l\ecl wit l: :I lou-. killlll" cliSlllkct;lllt by :l 1 ~t1J .\ir Force su!.;e:lllt. Lile w cr :Illllillc: tile SOllllIlIT' they [J,(lecl lip after heillg sllut (1<J\\n :ltt:lllilig Rorn.nuan oilficlds, AIR FORCE

Property of tlae Library

ARMYINDUSI~jALOOLLEGE he Allie's into German-held

of the

by air

/C~f,~:ki)t.. ..

Cho~:'''''~;;''i::;c p;;:~nh~'~~;

And drowsily Chonka sat up in his bunk, rubbed his eyes, yawned, and inquired, "Huh? ... Mc?" "Darnmit, Chonka, wake up!" the guy yelled. "Something's happened. Come listen to the guards. Find out what they're talking about." .. T/SgL John P. Chonka, 15th Air Force gun ncr, crawled out of bed, grumbling at his ability to speak Romanian. He walked through the barracks and stood for a moment listening to a group of excited guards. As he came back to his bunk the other men crowded around him, demanding a report. . "Oh, they say the war's over," Chonka said sleepily. "Romania has surrendered." . "What else?" the other PO\Vs yelled, pressing closer. "Give out! What about us?" "Well," Chonka said, "they may turn us loose in the, morning." \Vith that, he crawled back into bed. Sergeant Chonka, however, was the only man in the prison who hadn't been thrown into a fit of wild enthusiasm. The other Americans began singing at prospects of freedom and talking about the things they were going to eat. "For months we had amused ourselves by making out menus," S/Sgt. William Mansfield, a ball-turret gunner from Tallahassee, said later. "Evcrytirne a guy had nothing else to do he would make out a long Iist-s-porterhouse steak, creamed potatoes, thick gravy, lettuce and tomato salad, ice cream, and coffcc-United Statcs coffee!" The party had reached its peak at 2 a.m. when a Romanian colonel came into the barracks. "Men," he said, "at last Romania is on the right side. \Ve knew all along that we should have been with the Allies, but what could we do? The Germans were around us, and the Allies were so far away." When morning came the Romanians opened all exits to the prison and told the Americans thcy were frce. The 15th Air Force's great offensive- against Ploesti oil fields, between August 5 and 20, had cost many men and planes. The accumulated losses since August 1, 1943, amounted to nearly 2300 United States airmen held as prisoners of war. Some of these men had been prisoners of Romania for 13 months; some hadbccn held but a few weeks. Among these late arrivals was Lt. Col. James A. Gunn III, C01\1manding officer of a heavy bomb group. an the morning the Americans were released, Colonel Gunn went to the Romanian Air Minister, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and got their permission to establish communications with the 15th Air Force in Italy.
NOVEMBER. 1944

S/Sgt. Eddy Lauary of Lanchestcr, Ohio, served as POW postmaster in the camp where he and 1,000 others were imprisoned.

On the morning of August 26 he was taken to an airport in Bucharest and told that he could attempt the flight to Italy across Nazi-held Yugoslavia. They presented him with a tired old Savoia Marchetti, and, after a brief checkout on the strange instrument panel, he took off. Thirty minutes later he was back. The plane was too old and asthmatic. He crawled out of the Savoia Marchetti and a group of Romanian flyers,sympathetic to his plan, tried to console him. Among these was Capt. Bazu Cantacuzino, commanding officer ofa pursuit group outfitted with Me-l09G's. The captain spoke English and was credited with 64 victories by the Romanian scoring system. He referred casually to shooting down Lightnings, Libs and Forts. Captain Cantacuzino offered to take Colonel Gunn back to Italy, providing the American could fit into the radio compartment of a Messerschmitt, . Within a few minutes an adequate facsimile of the United States flag was painted on the Gcrman plane. The colonel was folded into the fuselage and the panel again screwed into place. As the Mcsserschmitt took off from Bucharest, Colonel Gunn hoped the Romanian ace was completely convcrtcd to the Allied cause, but there was nothing to do but sweat it out. .. Two hours later, as the sun was setting behind the low hills of Italy, Colonel Gunn's home field was startled to sec a Me-l09G glide in to land. It taxied up, and AAF men surrounded it. Captain Cantacuzino threw back the hood. "I have somebody here you'll be glad to see," the Romanian dramatically announced. He then asked for a screwdriver and removed the panel. A soldier cried, "Look at those GI shoes coming out!" Colonel Gunn hurried to Brig. Gen. Charles Born, direc-

~.

'lIl!

"
who arrallf;ed the big rescue, drinks a toast with Captain Cantacuzino who did him a big favor.
Lt. Col. Jomes A. Gunn, III.,

f"
f
k-~--

A wounded

American

airman

lowing his arrival in Italy.

is loaded aboard an ambulance folSick and wounded were rescued first.

tor of operations, and they quickly worked out a plan to rescue the men from Romania. The first phase of their plan was to insure that the airdrome outside Bucharest was still safe for cvacu.rtion and to start the prisoners toward their rendezvous point. If this went off successfully it was to mesh with the major field order. The first phase of this operation began when some p-, I s took off to make sure things were still safe. Captain Cant.rcuziuo flew one of these figh ters-and flew it perfectly. They found the Bucharest airdrome safe and the signal was sent for the second phase of the operation to begin. Inuncd ia tell' several 13-1-:- , hcavilv escorted bv P-, I s. flew s a rescue party into Bucharest. This' party consisted of high officials who knew the Romanian political and rnilitarv background, headed by Co!. George Kraigher, of headquarters, l\IAAF. The Americans met with the necessary Romanian officials, and then the main operation began. ' Back in Italy ground crews had worked duv and night outfitting For tresses with special racks for carrying passengers in the hom b bays. Scvcrul pla nes were equipped for Ii ttcr cases since it wns known that some of the prisoners of war were in hospitals around Bucharest. 13\, the time thcse planes were ready to IC1\T Italy. the rescue partv had rounded up hundreds of American airmen in Bucharest. They were tr.mvportcd to the airdrome and lined up around the perimeter of the field in groups of 20 at intervals of 1,0 feet. There thev waited for the B-I-:-s. In general appearance the nu-n ran the scale from ragamuffin to buffoou. Some wore German helmets and others wore Russian hats, Tlicv were bedecked with J'\'azi Iron Crosses and fullv half or the men had Romanian air force insignia. Othcrs had acquired the extra fancy Romanian paLl trooper \yings. They carried wine, swords and walking sticks, and .ilthouah they had been out of prison but a few duvs, some had the photographs and addresses of Romanian girls. Yet. with all this. there was a genuine American flavor. One prison barracks h,1(1 received a shipment of GI trousers, but they were all size -to. This amused the men, since they had been Ii\'ing on prison fare. The oversize trousers especiallv pleased certain of the 1'0\ V s. who folded the waist band into deep pleats which ran almost to the knees. Then they disconnected their dog tags and draped the chain in a long loop like the trappings of a zoot suit. That was the wav they awaited their liberation. The first sight of Arncricnn planes was a flight of P-51s which swept in and gave them a royal buzz. Then the

fighters climbed up over the field and began circling for the Fortresses to come in. The bom bcrs arrived and taxied to the first group, Twenty Americans sprinted out and tumbled into the B-li. Another For tress followed and picked up the next group. They c.unc in three waves, at one-hour intervals, cutting their engines but ten minutcs between landing .rud take-off. In the first wave were two planes which carried medical supplies, and Lt. Col. William R. ] .ovclacc and "-!<Jjor Ravmond Bcal, in charge of evacuating the wounded. These two officers spent a hectic three hours gathering up patients and transporting them back to the airdrome in time to make the last wave. Thiugs went well with the doctors until, faced with the problem of gettiug 12 miles across Bucharest to a hospital, they were gi\'en the services of a character who had served as Prcm icr Au toncscu' s clra uffcur. \ Vhcthcr or not th is man was overjoyed at ha\ing new allies, or whether he was simply a wild man with an automobile, the two surgeons did not discover. l Ic proved, however, to be the hottest chauffeur they h.id ever seen. Enroutc to the hospital he swerved and whipped corners, blasted through traffic at such a rate the doctors felt destined to end their mission on the pavements of Bucharest. Fortun.itclv. thcv reach their patients and with time growing short dispatched all but three litter cases to the airdrome. As a last resort Colonel Lovelace stopped a truck in the middle of a street and, for fi\'e dollars, persuaded the driver to tukc aboard two patients. l Ic loaded the last man on a cirv bus. ]n ,111, 9:') \\'oundeti airmen were among thc 1.100 men ta ken out of Buch.ircst in the first two clan of the rescue. On the third day the last remaining Amcricnns. and those who had arranged for the cvacu.rtiou, were flown out, In the three davs of the operation. there \\as no man in Italv more pleased than l\!aj. Cen. T\'athan F. Twining, COl1lmanding general of the 1 ,th Air Force, and no one watched the returning men unload with greater satisfaction. "Thank God vou'rc back," he told them as they stepped out upon their airfield again. "We sweated you out a long

J.

time."
As for the men, somc kisscd the ground; others kept shaking hands with cvcrvbodv, and grinning at their comrades in prison; while some were too overcome by emotion to say or do anything. Revealing their morale. the men were outspoken in apprcciation and loyalty to the I Sth Air Force. Of all those (Continued on Page 50)

AIR

FORCE

Combat may make you Lazy

By Maj. Walker M. Mahurin
was a good guy. I'd known him in England and I'd with him. I knew he was a fine pilot, a good flight leader and a reasonably eager lieutenant. But here he was in the States, assigned to the kind of job he used to gripe about not ha\'ing~~l11d he was miserable. :\ lost of the time he was sore, sore inside, and the rest of the time he did a lousy job as assistant base operations officer. Somehow his reports, schedules, forms "ere ahl'ays davs behind; he never could be found when he was needed. A{ter three months in this job he still didn't know all the personnel ,,'orking directly under him. \\'hat's more, the people he worked and lived with didn't like him. They resented his arrogance, his sloppiness, his I' \T- been - wi nni ng -th c -war-and-risking-m y-nec k-wh ilc-you' \Tbeen-taking-it-easy-in-the-States attitude. Overseas, he had been a popular member of his group, ~J!\I'aysthe center of a happy gang in the local pub. Bnt in the States he ,,'as playing a lone-wolf role, acting as though nobody around was worth his time. I'd see him in the PX or the canteen, talking to no one and looking as though he'd snap off your head if vou so much as said "hello" to him. I wish I could say he was the only onc of his kind, but after I had visited ~; few more bases' I noticed quite a few like him. And I heard hints in couvcrsations. A base CO once remarked in my prcscncc, "One thing I don't want ~my more of is gun just back from combat. \\'c have too much work to do to take time off to pampcr them." Well, I resented wh.it he said, uuturallv. But I kncw this CO \I'as an honcst hard worker \VIIO meant nothing spite-

F.

f1O\\"I1

firl. Not that I hold any brief for those in the States who arc obviously in no hurry to fight, although thcy were trained for combat duty. There arc guys like that and there are people who arc just plain reluctant to gi\e a combat man a chance to adapt h irusclf-s-Ctrs who don't want to disrupt their nice, neat little outfits for anvbodv. However, most of the men who haven't been overseas arc kept here because they have particular specialties that make them more valuable behind the lines than in thcm ; ; The CO who made that remark was this kind of man-one of the best~and I thought about wh.it he said. Then, when I got my new assignmcnt and tried to settle down in a job, I found there were certain tendencies in me that I had to fight. I can't honestly swear that !'IT bcatcu them all yet, but at least I can tell you men still o\TrSC1S"hat to be careful of, and I can gi\e you my ideas on why we get that way. First, in combat jobs, no matter how many hours they gi\'e us on the ground gadgets and no matter how many lectures S-2 arranges, most of us don't have enongh to do when we're not fh'ing. Particularly in theaters like the ETO where weather can keep you on the ground sometimes for davs and days, a guy gets in the habit of lying flat on his hack a good deal of the time. \Ve become students of the horizontal. But we know it's all right. We rationalize it to ourselves by sa:'ing we risk our necks and deserve plcnty of leisure when we're not operational. Well, in a com but zone that attitude is all right. Fighting is what we're there for and if we do our fighting OK that attitude makes sense. Bnt back in the States, where there isn't mnch dying tomorrow or even the next d.iv, it gets a little silk The habit of thinking of yourself as a kind of supcrman who deserves the best the world has to offer
[Continued on Pagc 50)

Men back from combat frequently have trouble adapting themselves to jobs in the States. Here a fighter pilot with 17 months in the ETO and 21 Nazi planes to his credit gives some reasons why
TLT.rS1'I:,\T!O:s" HI' 1'/S(;l', D. BUOt'KEI.T.

wu-, producing -to trucks daily for Nazis. Allicd bombers stopped all production for a month,

In April. 1943, Renault faeton

German aircraft engines. desperately needed by LllfhLlffe, were abandoned after all attack on Nazi hangars outside Paris,

four attacks by 8th Air Force heavies levelled the German rail shops at Rheims. Tracks, turnabouts, warehouses, shop buildings, and locomotives were smashed into rubble.

AIR

FORCE

The results of two years' steady pounding by our British-based heavies are graphically revealed in this eyewitness report from precision target areas in France By MAJ. CHARLES D. FRAZER
AIR FORCE Overseas Staff

.....

-; ...

presses and drilling machines, most of them broken and dnsty with disuse, stood in crowded ranks along [ both sides of the Iactorv. Overhead the saw-tooth roof was a dangling skeleton of :,teel. But across the reaches of cement floor not a bomb crater could be seen, Thc stocky Frenchman in black bnsiness suit and beret waved to\var~1 the \\Teekage, "Your bombs were well fuvccl." he said. "One hundred and th irtv br.m b, struck th is bu ild ing. livc were duds. The rcst went tiJrongh one smhec, the roof, then exploded beforc hitting the floor. ]),un:lge to am machines was enormous. It \\:\S work \\'cll clone." This \V:IS tl.c story cvcrvwlicrc. Frenchmen who had seen 8th Air Forc bon'lbarch;lent of target, in the Paris and Rheims nrcax made \arying connucuts. An cngincer spoke of bomb hu,ing, A former French airman pra isccl thc "impeccable" form.it ions. Other men admired the cour.u;c of those crews wh o bad weathered the hottest flak in Emope. Bnt the snm of their statemcnts came to one thing-\\'()rk well done. En'n German officers, standing not only in the ruins of airfields, rail yards, f.rctorics and oil plants but in the ruins of their own military ambition, had charactcrizcd American bomb.ndmcut as a;l A-I job. A description of rcsults achieved in 8th Air Force attacks upon industrial Fr.mcc-i-us found through ground inspection of targets and interviews with French businessmen shortly after the occupation-s--rcqnircs, first, a review of the problem involved. lor nowhere in the world has precision bombing been put to a more Se\'CIT test. French factorics operated by or for the J\'al.is gcner'llly were much smaller in area than those of the Reich itself, and the Germans had gonc to extr:l':agant lengths to fend off U. S. air PO\\'CI'. Pari, \\'as so stoutlv armored with antiaircraft - and fleets of fighter planes that bombers were forced up to 2 :;.000 feet or more. Key plants \\'CTe protected hv fircwalls and other structures. ~ l orcovcr, these factories were situated in thickly popul.itcd sections among people who at heart were fricudlv to the Allied c.m: or seel:ctlv active in it. Alw.iv, th is wus a vital consideration. The Sth Air Force sent oulv picked crews .urd expert born ba I'dicrs on Paris missions, never used incendiaries on f.rctorics (\I'h ich norma llv cause nlJ to half the damage in a bombing attack), and rarely attacked through cloud cover. Whatever the difficulties, however, destruct ion of French industry was essential. for it figured largely in the pl.ms of the German war machine. The success of the mission may
TIlES,

be seen in a few tvpical t,ugcts-for example, the CAM ball and roller be'lring plant. This conecrn-thc Compagnie d'Application Mccaniqucs -\\',IS a subsicliary of the Swedish SKF organil.ation. Its two plants at Bois Colombe and I\TY were capable in pre-war times of producing -+0,000 bearings per day. The wartime production figure rangcd from I :;,000 to 2:;,000 daily. Two thousand workers were employed. From a strategic st.mdpoiut this may have been the most important induvtri.i] tnget in Fr.mcc, ~fanubctme of bearings requires higldy skilled labor and it is one industry the Ccrm.uis could not dcccutr.ilizc. And, while Germany produccd 7:; percent of bel' owu bearings at Schwciufurt, Erkner and elsewhere, C:\\ [ \\',\S counted on for 10 to I:; percent of the total req nircnuu h. C.\" [ m.iclc tapered roller bearings, a product so urgcnt that the CernLlIlS, like a vagrant picking up butts in the street, were s;J1vaging them from all crashed All icd aircraft. 'I'm) attacks were made hy the Sth Air Force upon CAl\l's Bois Colombe plant: Oil September 1:;, 19-11, wit]: 78 Forts dropping 229 tons of I II;:, and Oil December 31, 19-13, with :;7 I:orts dropping I G-I tons. On that Ncv Year E\'e other bombers paid a call Oil the Ivry plant, too. l n all cases 500pound bombs were used against single-story, steel and concrete huildings. The first attack all Bois Colombe destroyed 30 percent of the surface structures and 20 percent of the machines. Practically all roofs fell in, Orv.ir Custaflson, the Swedish manager \vho ran the plants under Ccrmun xupcrviviou, called this a very gooc! result. Since 30 operations arc needed to make a herring, this pcrccut.u;c of destruct ion put the plant out completely for two months. 1':\'('n after work was resumed production never again got above 12,000 hearings per day. After the second attack, Bois Colom he was down for another two months and the l vrv plant \\'as clown for nearly three. At Ivrv bombs dc.trovcd rnauv fom-spindle automatic machines which the Conu.ms could neither repair nor replace. These CA-;\I factories were vcrv small pinpoint targets. Apparcntlv the Ct.nu.ms understood that if A:\lo' bombers could hit the plants twice they could do it ;lg:lin, so in Mnv of this year J'\,u,i officials in charge of C.\\ [ muck: a spectacular mO\T. They undertook to tr.msfcr all usable machines from Bois Colombe and Ivrv into a vast grotto at Tavcruv, just outside Paris, Strenuons labor W,IS involved and the work took weeks. Cold and d.uup. the grotto was whollv unsuited to the mnuufactnrc of hearings, and to 0\'('1'comcth is obstacle the Cenn,\ns instalkdheatinf'; equipment. Thcv also ran electric powcr and oil lines into the caves and built tunnels for a r.ulroad spm, Fvcutu.rllv this f.mtustic fuctorv. occupvins; 2 :;0,000 square feet of cavcrn -10 to 80 yards below ground. was put into operation; but it was then too late-Julv, 19-14. Production of a sort was maintained for one mouth. then ceased altogether on Augnst 12. Quite a different type of plant in the Bois Colombe vicinitv \\'as that of IIispano Suiza. Here Ccnuan-coutrollcd workers repaired airplane and marine engines. repaired f\ lE109 aircraft, and manufactured components for Daimler

NOVEMBER,

1944

1BPOWER

COl1til1ued

BellZ engine,. IInc, too, the j'\,ui, "'CTe put out of bmmes, in late 19'+3. Three attach were sent against l Iispano Suiz. On September 9. a shop for machiuing cr.mk,hafts 11,1, dcstrovcd. On the nroruins; of September I:;, .rclm iu ivt rat iou building, were wrecked and a I it.rl foundrv w.rs knocked out. It is still out. On Decembel' ::1, a tl;ird vi-it dell101IShed the Daimkr unit, hit the foundry again and de,troyed a t \\'ork at Suiz.: was never IT'luned. I':urope's largest nutomot ivc fuctorv is the Renault II'orb at Bill.mccur t, which before the w.rr cmplovccl 2 :;.()()() men and women. I.'ollm,'inr; the Ccr m.m conqucvt of Fr.uicc, t h i-. great industrial unit II',IS turned to the prodnction of materials for thc \\'c!lllll,ICht. Actu.illv, there <Ire hlo Renault plants. The main pl.mt. cO\Tring ncarlv ::00 acrcs, produced t.uiks, aero und m.uiuc engines, trucks. ,1:\IeS and gcns, ;llllonr; other itcm-, a ncl repaired ma nv kinds of Ichicles. Tile Cuudron Renault p1:\1It made trainer aircr.tft. manufactured componcut p.uts for l\!csser,c1l1nitt pl.mc. rep'lired .urrruf t .u! prod uccd automohile ch.ivsis. Buildings at both centers, as in movt French incluxtrv. were of ,inr;Ie-,tor" sted fr.unc construction. although' .rt Caud rnn RC1LIldt ouc hrge shop w.rs huilt of light reinforced concrete xhcl!s. Rcu.rult Il'as hom bed fir,t bv the R.\F. In :\lareh. 1942, a saturation at t.uk hv 222 I~ritish aircraft put the main Renault pl.mt whollv out of production. Germans promptly ordered the beton' rebuilt ,111(1gaIT the Renault man<lr;emcnt ;1 high priority for necessary materials, as they con,
oolvhop. l Ii-p.mo

tinned to do through the war. J'\lllllerous improvements in building construction and machine methods were introduccd. Thirteen months later, in April, 19-f), the Sth Air Force hit the remodeled plant. I-:ighh'-file lort-, dropped 2:; I tons of III<:, usmg IOOO-pound bombs fuzed at 1/40 second tail, de,signed to explode at about floor lcv.l a\Suminr; that the f!u.es were initiated bv the roots. (\\'herc roofs were flim-,v tlii did not .ilwavs occur, ill which Cl'.e, boml penetrate~1 the floor with rcla tivclv sm.r]] ;nclS of (1:nn,lge.) Once ,lgam Renault h.! to be rebuilt. [can Rcu.rult. son of the owner of this cu tcrpri-c. de,eribing th.i! fir,t :\.\1' aSS<lult, stated that SO pcrccut of the pl.mt ', roofs were knocked clown. 20 percent of the ,hops dcstrmul, :;00 111;1chines complctclv dcvtroycci. 1,000 hadly (1:\lllagcd and 2.000 slighth' (hln;lgnl. In September this main Re11<1\1ltf.rctorv was ag'lin hit hv 21 ,Iireraft. hilt as a secondary tnget. Cloud over another part of 1',lris prcvcutcd nne courb.rt "'ing fr0111 dropping on the prim.nv. ,0 furtlnr dcvtruct iou II';IS 'lTo\lr;ht \lpon Renault ;IS it lIas rehllilding. Reconstruction of this p1:111t required sCleLlI month s of work bv all cmplovccs. Among ]]l;ltcri,ds \1lTdcc! were ::0 ,Ieres of gLrss. During September, also, two attlcks were leveled against the Caud ron Ren<l u] t faetOl'\'-one 0\1 Septcm bcr 3, hv 37 lortx, the xccond on September I:;, bv -fO Forts. In the latter m iv.ion. 119 tons of :;OO-pounders fll/ClI at IlIOn second t.i il were dropped and caused nTI' grc'<lt (h111age both to structures and m.uluncs. lour of these boinl, hit the reinforced concrete shell h\lilding at Camlron and clcstrovcd -f::.hOO square fcet of it, better th.m the per ton ,1Ier,lgc. The Cuuclron plant, includint; chassis shops. 11';1, put cut irclv out of production ami is still out. The main works is nearly restored,

PRODUCTION

JOURNALIERE

MOnTAGE CAM IONS

Production chart, t.il:u fW11I Rcu.rult \\"mKs' Ilks. ,hO\I', rcslllh of Alln] hOlllhillgS,-\tLll'Ks ill \1:11'(11 1942. :\pril 19.n. .md Sl'P tcmlxr J'J4,. ill c.ul: C;I,C COlli l etc];' knockcr] out product iuu of p

l\';l/i trurk-, for ouc iuout h. l-'igmcs .rt Idt l'dge of ch.ir: iudrcate tot;I] truck-. producrrl, (;l'nll;l1lS movccl p.rrt of ;1"'l'lllh];' line to Bclfort hilt l.it cr !JOlll]liJ1l;S cut pr nduct iou clown to pcnn.mcut ICTO. AIR fORCE

Production charts show the disaster these bombings brought to Renault, and thus to l\azi operations. But even these charts arc too lenient because, as ~I. Renault observed, they were made by Frcnclnucn for German consumption. All through the occupation, the Renault works was under the rigid control of an able German commissar who was supposedly a civilian but who W~IS last seen in Paris, just before the evacuation, wearing an officer's uniform. Airfields always stood high on the 8th Air Force priority Jist and among the most important in France were those at Villucoublay and Orlv, ncar Paris, and the RhcirnsChampagne nirbusc farther north. Villucoublay was once the largest of all Luftwaffe installations, the sen icc base for all northwest France and a highly active interception field. Its complex facilities included hangars and repair shops for F\V-I90s, JU-88s and night fighters, plants for assembly and service of army cooperation aircraft, a shop for l lciukcls, several others for Junkers transports, a training field, and acres of rul1\\'ays, aprons and dispersals. Eight hundred men worked on I"\V repair, nearly 1,300 on Junkers, plus Il\~Jl\Y other employees. This field was hit four times. In [unc, 1943, B-I7s bombed From n,ooo feet through partial cloud to destroy much of tile F\V-I90 section. T\\"{) months later, 133 Forts returned wit lt aiming points all over the field and knocked Villucouhluy out of effective action for nearly eight months. In JIlly aud AUglht, 1944, the field was again attacked hy the 3th Air Force, tile last assault being made by B-24s to posthole thc field and interfere with German efforts to withdraw aircraft, ;\[ore than 300 tons of bombs were dropped in the four missions and no section of the base escaped d.uu.ig. SOllie rl\l\\\'ays were rebuilt three or four times, Orlv, a field nearby, \\'as not active until the beginning of this year and then mainly as a storage point for V-I and

Y-2 materials. Liberators, carrying ;OO-pounders with some incendiaries, struck Orly in May and July, demolishing two giant dirigible hangars used for housing fly-bombs. Hangars and other installations burned well in both instances and no further attacks were necessary. Photo-intelligence officers learned from French workmen that neither at Villaeoublay nor at Orly had the Germans set up dummy aircraft. Once they had created an entire dummy field a few miles away, complete with fake planes, but had lost interest in their little ruse when the British

'e.

101

~~~ ~
.

Smashed hangars at Villacoublav were part of the score made bv Sth :\ir l-ortc while Cel1nans held the field clur nu; hattie of Paris. Th cucur, had no ch.mcc to sah':lge their cLnnaged planes.

~-"

~'-,

--:.,~

...;:-~~

'.-

'-

......

Renault

officials compiled t hi-, homh plot :rfter Sth\ir Forrc :ltl:1Ck on 4\pril Pcneil lille out liuc fldol\ .rrc.r. doh denote' hitv. Red:lllglc .it left. m.rrkcd "Ccrm.mv.' sho\l's \I.here Ccnn.ius :rd:IJltcd French t.mks for usc bv \\'clrrmacht.

I lJ.+:;,

Thorough saturation of rocket il1\t:r1Lrliol1\ like this OIlC :It Sir:1C0ll1t. Fruirc, ctfcetin'h hLrsted l\a/.i hOlll'S of h:lllllllloring l:ngLmd into sllhlni,sioll.

NOVEMBER,1944

~~B POWER ...

continued

bombed it with dummy wooden bombs. The field at Rheims had been the headquarters of the chief of the Luftwaffe in France. This base, extremely active both as an interception and service center for F\Vs and JU-8Ss, was frequently attacked by the 8th Air Force and finally rendered wholly useless by a June raid which left the field littered with scores of crumpled hangars and shops and enormous numbers of damaged aircraft. Many hangars had been newly constructed by the Nazis and were of the arched-roof, reinforced concrete type, supposedly bombproof. These roofs caved in just as other types. In the spring and summer of 1944, the Nazi oil industry became a No.1 priority with the AAF, Two typical targets were situated at Ccnncvillicrs, on the bank of the Seine. An important producer was the Standard Oil plant (Standard Francaise des Petroles), which had been turning out 2,000 tons of petroleum products per month, including a grease for tank treads. Between one-third and one-half of the plant's total production was being taken for German usc. On June in the curlv e\'ening, 72 heavies. loaded with 100- and 250-pound I IE bombs with instan tnncous and 1/100 second fuzes, c.nricd out ;11l assault ;lg;lillSt the Standard plant and it promptly became a ruin. Bombs landed at

n,

This mass of concrete ncar I'nns \\'<lS one of several flying bomb storagc depots cicstrovcd l bombers. Robot supplies were also stored in [;1\'CS but .urur.rtc bombing wrecked cntr.inccs, rail lines.

..

American soldiers search through wrcckag of German planes at Orlv airdrome ncar Paris. In background arc remains of tiro huge Zcppelin hangars which Ccnuuns used to store pilotless plane parts.

This mass of bllfllcd out t.mks and pipe> lIas once a buvv section of a vital oil and gasolinc storage depot in the outskirts of Pam, hom it Germans moved about 750 tons each clay to ?\'onn;mch front.

10

all key points of the factory's 3-+,000 square yards of space, setting fires which flamed for two days, By sonic chance, the home of the director, George Auclair, who lived on one corner of the property, \\'as neither hit nor damaged, Almost adjoining Standard \vas a gasoline depot once owned hy the Compagnic Indnstrialc M.u itimc hut later taken over by the Germans. This distrihution depot, known as \VII<'O, handled 7)0 tons of gasoline a day for the J'.:or. m.mdv front. Most of its )OO.cuhic meter tanks were .irIange~1 in clusters surrounded by hcavv fircwalls, IIe1\\' born bers, atbcking at the same time as the strike against Standard, dcstrovcd npproxnu.itclv 20,000 of the depot's total 4),000 cuhic meter cap.rcitv. Somc of the fircwalls, cspeciallv those girding diescl oil tanks, cftcctivclv prevented destruction, hut others failed altogether and the bulk of \ VIFO's installations was a mass of burned and wrinkled wreckage. Still a third target in Ccnncvillicrs on that day was the old Ford plant, 110W operated hy the Lnffly concern, This plant had once equipped and m.untaincd an entire Panzer division, rcpairing tanks, halftr.icks and other vehicles. and had asscru bled snO\\'p]O\\'S for the Russian front and Norway's roads. IIere the chid immediate damage was dcstruc-

Allied

bombings

factories.

Porte

forced '\"VIS to couvert Paris subwavs iuto aircraft de Lillas station (ubovc ) produced propellers.

Ground inspection parties reported that damage to enemy installations was even greater than had been reported by our photo-interpreters

lost 29 storage tauks with a total of I i.nnn tom of oil when 8th Air "orce bombs tired the huge Standard Oil pl.mt at Couucvillicrv. Iutcusc heat of tire caused tanks in foreground to collapse. Nazis

d~BPOWER

, cOlltillued

tion of electric pO\\"er. And while the Ccrrnans had already begun to curtail usc of this pl.mt before the attack, wrecking of more than :;0 percent of its facilities ended all hope of continued or future usc, The strategic bombing of railroads, like all foregoing types of bomb damar;e, is a subject for cxhuustivc research, ;\0 definite conclusions can be drawn until the enemy is finally defeated and a thorough-going study is completed. Still, even casual inspection of French railwavs is impressivc, particularly in the Paris area. The French transportation system is so constructed that all troop and freight traffic from Germany to Normandy or southern France normally passed through Paris, and in 1'lay and June, 19-H, a terrific joint assault on Paris marshalling yards was carried out by the RAF and AAF. Murshalling yards run to a pattern. There arc reception sidings, forwarding sidings and sorting sites where trains arc made up. This maze of trackage always converges at one or two points in the yard. Allied technique in blasting these targets was to combine an RAF saturation attack by Lancastcrs and l lalifnxcs with precision bombing by the 8th Air Force against choke points. RAF bombs demolished and burned rolling stock, shattered yard buildings and raised hell generally, while the AAF tore up tracks where it would do the most good and destroyed key repair shops, control stations and other works. Robert Le Bcsnerais, general manager of the Societe Nationale de Chemins de Fcrs Francais-the govcmmcnt-controlled railway system-conceded that marshalling yard attacks had considerable cumulative effect in immobilizing the Germans in 1'Iay. He believes, however, that precision bam bing of bridges and important trackage was even more disastrous and represented a more economic usc of aircraft. lIe cited especially the cutting of rail and highway bridges on the Seine, Loire, Oise and Yonne rivers. Prior to the invasion, Seine River bridges had been cut by the 9th Air Force. Then, after D-dav, the 8th was given the assignment of knocking out rail and highway bridges across the Loire and Yonne. Along the former river, from Nantes on the coast to Nevers in central France, not a bridge was left standing. This havoc, said 1'1. Le Bcsncrais. hurt the German effort incalculablv. Some reinforcing divisions for I\'ormanch' were delayed eight to fifteen days-despite constnnt bridge-mending by those indefatigable rcbuildcrs, the Ccnnans-c-and rnanv were eompletelv stopped. Prcsurnablv, the Nazis had sufficient rolling stock, but everlasting detours made it irnpossible for them ever to get troops or equipment to the right place at the right time. 111e railroads of France were in a gigantic dislocation. As has been indicated, the Germans went underground wherever possible to escape Allied air blows, and an interesting example of their frenzied frustration was found in the Paris subwav. Earlv in' the war, there had existed a French turbomechanical factorv at Eponc-Mczicres, 40 kilometers west of Paris. This plant made compressors and other equipment for French aircraft and had obtained in 19'39 a large amount of machinery from the United States for the purpose. After France's collapse the factory owners refused to work for Ccrrnanv. One man fled to Switzerland, another to New York; a third just staved in Paris. Germans took over the plant and converted' it to the manufacture of shafts for Ratier propellers. In June, 1944, an average of 300 prop

shafts a month \\"as being produced. Just about that time, hO\\"eH.T,1\1\1' bombers clcstrovcd a raih\"a\" station .uljaccut to the factory at Epone-?\lc,,;cres and tl;e Ccrm.ms gre\\' nLT\"OllS. They were afraid that next time the plant would go up, too. Moreover, they were having :z:; or more air laid alerts daily which, as in many other French plants, scriouxlv disrupted production. Consequently, they decided to move the factory into some mushroom caves ncar Poissv. ?\lunv such caves were beinie utilized for manufacture o'f aircr;rft parts, submarine tor: pcclocs and the like. Before they could move, however, the Sth Air Force wrecked a hridge at Poissy. This complicated the transportation problem. so the Germans took a new tack and moved the plant into a branch line of the Paris xuhwnv. To accomplish this, they shut off four kilometers of the 1'letro Paris subwuv on a deep branch line and, at no littl trouble to themselves, moved scores of heavy machines onto the platforms at the Porte de Lilias station, 156 steps clown from the street. Apparently the original idea \\"as to operate lathes, drills and cutters right on the Porte de Lillas platforms. But a fresh difficulty presented itself. So great was the vibration that the platforms couldn't stand the strain. The Todt organization was called in. They tore up the subway tracks, laid a reinforced concrete floor on the roadbed and installed electric current. Additional plants had been moved in at other Metro stations and the plan called for installation of heating equipment. building of a railway connection and similar construction. While this mammoth job of work was begun on June 1:; none of the plants ever did get into operation and the whole project was cvcntu.illv abandoned in favor of a retreat from Paris. Incidcntallv, men who know Berlin say that refuge in that city's subwnvs would be impractical because they arc much too shallow. This effort to go underground, involving titanic labors, is perhaps the most dramatic evidence of the damage wronght by precision bombing in France. The Nazis knew that there was no escape, even for small-size plants-;lnd that what the 8th could sec, it could hit. This damage was done with a remarkably low loss of life among French civil inns. In some attacks, no 1ivcs WLTelost. Of all attacks described, only one could be called inaccurate -an assault upon Villaeouhiay. During one of four raids on that target, some bombs. falling short. hit the nearby villa~e, killing several persons. But the understanding with which the French accepted this uuavoidablc result of war revealed itself in a tvpical and touching incident. A Fortress had been shot down in the attack. The bomber crashed in a field, killing thc cntire crew, and the French people of the village paid tribute to those men bv covering the Fort with flowers. The Germans were enraged. Thev issued an order that the incident should not occur again. under threat of hcavv penalties. Next morning the bomber bore twice as many flowers. Ground inspection of French tariSets disclosed a wide varich' of information. For one thins; it showed that the Germans had consistcntlv been hit where it hurt the most" For another it showed that selection of bam bs and fuzes had been handled with skill. that the area and type of damage pcr ton of bombs had been highly effective and that the bam hings themselves had been extremely precise. Nobodv who visits these targets, who sees the demolished airfields, railwavs, oil depots and factories, could possibly doubt that the \Vehrmacht suffered inestimable blows from bam bing in France. N obodv who has seen the Tavcrny grotto or the subway platform at Porte de Li11as could doubt that the Nazis were desperate and had great hopes and plans for underground production. But it was too late. As usual, their plans came to nothing in the end.

12

AIR

FORCE

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Fortresses took off in the late afternoon, and flew by wings to the west of England and turned south. Out of sigh t to the northeast, there was fighting on the beaches, and many dead men lay in the surf. But the Forts were high above all that. Since the first day, the 6th of June, their job had been easy. Today the target was an airfield on the Brest Peninsula, not so far from Loricnt, where the Forts used to go in the old days. He flew it when it was his turn, and watched the sun slide clown through the soft blue toward the sea. \ Vhcn it was time to bomb, the field was already a smoky mess from the wings up ahead. The flak started just after bombs away. The first four puffs were just outside the window. He could sec the dull flash as the shells burst. The formation leader banked steeply right. The flak tracked along easilv. There was an ugly clank undcrnca tl~ somewhere, He knew they were hit. Engines OK. Instruments reading true. Everything OK. The helpless fear of those soft black puffs tightened inside him. It was always the same. Nothing to do but sit there and pray the luck holds. And thcn they were out of it, turning toward home. "Ball-turret to pilot," came over interphone. "We got holes in the gut." Once you're out of it, flak never seems quite real, till the next time. The formations churn through the quiet sky, and the earth is a million miles low. The formations let down into the darkening cast. lIe leaned forward, waiting for England. England. IIe said it in his mind, and then slow in his mouth, without moving his lips. \Vhen he was eight years old he read Robin Hood the first time. After that he must have read it twcntv more. Sherwood Forest and Nottingham town in the ~la\'s of Richard of the Lion Heart. He'd dreamed of it 'then, waiting for the day when he would stand at the rail of a ship \\'aiting for l<~ngland to come out of the sea, out of the haze. Almost like now. But it wasnt the same. Because now, for a little while, England was home, more home than Colorado. J\lore home than the house on York street could ever be. After the ride to J\lunich he thought that the island had sunk into the sea, and France had SOlUe\VaV stretched and spread on north to the pole. " After Kicl, letting down 0\"Cf the North Sea. he had said a funny knocked-out prayer. Be there, island. Please be there. Be there soon. After Berlin, after the soft acres of death above that shattered town, nothing had ever looked so good as the dim line of surf a half-hour ahead. It slipped in gently, as alwavs, clean and friendlv and far off. That would be Lands End, Cornwall and Devon. The
HE

names ring. lIe could sit with a map and say the names out loud, and never get tired of the sound of them ... Torquay, N utt Corner, Couvcntrv and Charing Cross. The Fort-, hit the coast at 8,00'0 feet. A flight of Spitfires was playing in the clouds at three o'clock low. A guy named Mitchell lav on a cliff above the sea and watched the gulls, and dre~;med the Spitfire. And a guv named Leslie Howard, \\.110 was Mitchell for a couple (;f hours worth of movie, crashed back there somewhere coming back from Lisbon, probably leaning forward waiting for England to show through the dusk. Strange, how any land could be so many shades of green, with the lazy netting of the lanes that wandered cvcrvwhcrc to nowhere. Looking down there, \Var was just a" word, without meaning. It looked so peacefully lovclv, yet the people who lived there had fought since the beginning of time, since long before the Romans. And they were still fighting. He flew his turn, for a while, taking it easy, not trying to squeeze the lead ship any. I-Ie was glad when the pilot took over again. It was better just to look. Airfields and towns and churches and hedges, more airfields and ponds and brooks, and cows. More airfields and roads and train tracks and radio towers. He tried to imagine it as it must have been once. long before William the Conqueror, when King Lear was wandering mad on the heath. IIe couldn't bring it throngh. lIe couldn't believe it had ever been wild. E\'Crything looked permanent, steady till the end of time. IIe was so tired of sitting, he wanted to bail onto Yct he would have liked to fly on for hours, up to the lands of the Scotsmen. Stornawav, Inverness, and the Isle of Sk\'C. Two Lancasters were landing on the cast-wcxt runwav. A flight of P-:;l s came over the top from nine o'clock. Night was slipping mer the world from the east, but there was still dav back at six o'clock. Though 'it was not his land, and although he had only lived there a little while, lie thought he knew whv these quiet Englishmen raised so much hell with anyone who tried to take over. He was tired, saggy tired, starting at the knecs on up to the eyes. But he felt good, just glad to be there, just so God damn good to be there, there were no words to tell it. It was almost dark then, and the stars were coming through.

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~.c:"

........

Ill: report from the Llt,lio dctcct iou ,ta t iou ;111110\1lllTdt,he apl)[o~leh of four uu iclcut ificcl uircr.rft. :'\othin!.; to !.;d cxci ted abon t. Or 11;1\ it:' "Cct nlmin!.;, hovx," xaicl CIPt. ]}I\id I l.ubour. ,t1\ .\ir I,'oree tI!.;hter pilot then on clutv as contro.lcr in the J)"b,\dura tighter sccl or, "here couic the "hole J;IP air force!" '\,or \las he bein!.; hediom--as the next half hour proved. \\'itho\1t a mouu-n ts hcsit.rt ion he xcr.un hlcd cvcrv lighter sqn.rdrnu in his .uca. .uic] even then feared it wouklu't be: 'ttl1ieil'nt oppovit ion to tluow ag;limt the raid that lIas COIlling, li,in!.; his prero!.;;ltile a, controller, Cup t.un J Iurbour gWIlllded ;1 flight of tr.m-port- due to t.rl. otf at t h.rt s.uuc t nuc .md n-ed their tI!.;hter c-cort to reinforce his tle,ignated an dcfeme tighter, for the interception, A]I became of "four \1nidentitiul .urrr.rf t." Actu.illv. -I" J~IP pl.mcs raided ;\llied ,hipping in Ora Huv that tLI\', And -Ih of them were shot clown ;1, detlnites. the other two as probable"~ :'\ot one ship of ours \las sunk or dalllagccL not one of our men \I:\S killed, \\ c 1mt one 1'- :;", Hv all counts this ";IS one of the movt xucccssf ul interceptions in th.it theater. j':ight dal's l.itc-r it lIas followed bv .mothcr. cqu.illv spectleular. this tunc durin!.; the liuclih.rfcu landings on October 22. 1c)-f:;, when all the controlling Il'as clone frum a destroyer acting as "control" ship, The box score speaL for itself: Our tighter, not oul , prevented the Japs from ,inkin!.; a ,ingle ship but nLlllaged to shoot clown 8-1 enemy planes in the bargain.

Interception Begins on the Ground

By CHARLOTTE KNIGHT
AI1Z FORCE Staff

Fighter control positions our planes for the kill -at the right place, time, and altitude
NOVEMBER,1944

11

'l'h is was a YClr ago, but these action, set a pattern for interceptions which proved to he the rule rather than the exception in the month, since then. On June J S large-,cale interceptions reached a climax in the Mnriauas; on that (by, ]\;a\-y aircraft intercepted and shot clown 335 [up pl.mcs. There arc sound rcusons for this success: Added up, they all mean air supcrior itv. Our planes may be better, our tactics may he better. and our pilots may he able to out-flv .md out-shoot the Jap. But it docsut end there. J,'ighter, h.iv got to he in poxit ion to meet the cncmv at the right 'pot, the right altitude. tl. right time, and in sufficicut num hers to des trov h iui. This is where tl;e controller come, in, TIc i, the man who puts 'em there. The ,ecreel' wh icl: h.is xunoundtx! our whole I\';lfning .md control svstcm has h.id its cu- tom.uv effect on the operation', personnel: either they arc never heard about --or if tlicv .u c. they arc geneLt1h' taken for a couple of other g\l\'s. \Ve arc ,peaking here of a fighter controller and not the controller wh doc, ;111 cqu.illv Important job directing tr;lffie from an .nrclrornc control t 0\1 'cr , The fighter controller, hv contr.rvt, r.rrclv ,ees the .rircr.rft he is directing .u] often m.iv he loeated'miles from the nCIIT,t airfield, The '\'StCl~; under whirl: he OpcLlte, i, knOlln v.uiou-lv ;IS fighter control. ili~~ht control. .md tactic,1l control. The tcrm "flight control" wlu-n used in connection with tlu:: 0peLIt ious me;ll1S the S\"itnn of 'ectoring :lircLlft in a purclv Llctica] xit n.i t ion to :1 spccific point, Likcwi-: it i, not to 1)(, confuxcd with th 1:Iis;ht Control s\'stem whicl: prOllc]cs pilots of ;111 hpcs of aircr:lft with I\,Cltll('I', Lmding, .uicl other fI\ing s,lfeh data. The :\al\" \lhich frcqucn tlv Ilses ;\,\1: perS01111CIfor controlling .uu ph ihioux opcr.rt iou-, whcu l.uulbased aircruft is involved. cllb the svstcu: "fightcr-directing," \Vhatcll'r thc nomcncl.rt urc, the principle is the s.un: it means grollllcl control. .\nd it is based on one of the ,trange paracloxcs of aerial warfare that permits a man sitting in a concealed room, somct imcs bel 0\1' gronnd, nine times out of ten to k now more about the aerial situation miles above and a\\'ay from him than ;1 pilot himself in a C:\ VU ski'. Flvcrs who doubted that ;It first have come to hale a hc.ilthv respect for the electronic "seeing" devices wh ich .rrc not limited bv the range of 20120 vision, clouds or blinding sun. "Drumstick leader from Dogfacc , .. lTeads IIp ... Jerries np-sl111 rcadv to bounce vou ... one two zero .. " Pilots fI\'ing into the sun on a fightcr SI\'CCP over France in pre-invasion days needed onlv one such \\';lrning from a controller numv miles hack in ;111 I'~nglish coast fighter-control station to develop a genuine awe of the operation. Now that it's had a fivc-vcar com hat workout. the role of this complex aircrnft \I',lrnil'lg and control svstcm in the ,IICcess of Allied fighter opcr.itious throllghout the world is heginniug to assume its proper perspective. The role ccrt.iinlv hasn't been a wulk-ou either. It is common knowledge bv now that it \\'as this svxtcm which made it possible in F.ngLmd's darkest hour for 50 fh-;Iblc Spitfires :1I1d a handful of l Iurr ica ncs to prO\'c more than a match for the T .uftwaffc's best. Developed bv thc R,\F for the air dcfcuxc of the British isles, it \\'as designed to do ju-t what it ]wcl to do in the Battle of Britain: (I) furnish cnongh ndv.mcc \\'arning, hv means of r.rdnrs and ground observers, of rhc approach of cncmv .rirr-raft to permit the fighters to be in the air rc.idv to meet the Lliclers, (2) provide ;1 mC111S of tracking accurutclv hoth fricncllv and cncmv aircraft and (3) lx: able to lead the fightcrs to ;111 exact mtcrccption with a frcqucntlv unseen foc. It is a tribute to the effectiveness of the British \\'arning and control set-up to .rckuowlcclac that thc\.\F's S\"itcm has hccn patterned aftcr it. So has Ccrmnnv's for th.it matter. For a long timc [crrv couldn't figmc out how thc

British fighters were al\\ays up to meet his bombers. lIe chalked it up to information leaks. Vvlicn lie did find out he tried hard to catch up-and he's been Llcing us C\Tr since, Aircraft \\'arning and control is a complex operation demanding the highest dcgree of tea mwork, split-second coordination, and specialized performance on the pur t of its radio and radar personnel, ground ohxcrvcrs, plotters, filtercrs, tellers, liaison officers and controllers. The svstcm work '0 fa,t that often fighters arc ordered to scramhle with in 60 to 90 seconds after hostile aircraft has been detected. l lc.trt of its far flung network i.s the l nform.rtion Center, known as the "IC" or "control center," where the controller is boss man, l Ic sits on a gallefl'or c;lhl'alk-O\er]ooking the "Ops" hoard on which arc plotted filtered reports from radar and ground observer xt.it ious shO\"ing altitude, num lxr, .md position of aircraft wit h in a gi'en area. Before him arc status hoards listing wcuthcr information, coudit iou of squadrom airborne or on the groulld, and- in certain cases -the exact minntc-bv-m iuutc pictur of grouud .ut inu ill th.it sector. At his side arc li.uvon officcrs for :\,111', .uit i.urcr.rft. grolllld forces, etc, The cont rolkr h,1s 111<111\' lo!JS, of wlurh one - dirccting

Bandits

target.

arc picked np In' electronic devices long before the" reach Lxact m inutr bvminutc position is phoned to "Ops" room.

intcrccptions-c-i mentioned in these p;lges. In It.ilv and in \ \' estern Europe, where the control centers direct air cooperation missions, the controller's major rcspousibilitv is to lead figh tcrs, figh ter -bom hers, and rccoun.i issa nee pln ncs to specific targets and hring them home again. Llscwhcrc his cln tics m igh t he ch icllv to rendezvous figh tcr escort or to control air-sea rescues, or "home" lost aircraft. Surprisingly often, the controller gets saddled with all these things at

once.
The moment liost ilc aircraft is reported, the controller inxt.mtlv and automaticallv becomes in effect a field general whose ~luh' it i, to protect not onlv the livcx of all men in his area hut all installations, ships, and friendly aircraft in a ~il'en sector. Fr om here on the air sho: i, his. 'It's a hot scat .mcl noboclv k uoxvx this hetter than the controller. No matter how g()od the xvxtcm. no matter ho\\' foolproof the cquipmcut. it is no better than the "opcr.itiou.il brain" behind it. The controller mmt m.r]: decisions with li~htning speed .md each decision ]1;lS to be the right one. If he \\',lits too long to srr.uubl his fighters, disaster m.iv descend on his vcrv vulnerable neck. If hc scram hies them too soon, he takes ;1 ch.mcc of their going after a dccov raid while the main strike comes ;1 little later from ;1 differAIR fORCE

18

ent direction. Jf he docs not interpret his w.uuint; rcport , uccuratcly, he'll lc.ul his fighters to the \lTOllg spot, or he nLIY send IIp one sCjIl:ldron to illtercept j 00 bombers. Jf he hils com plctclv to act on the \\'aming infonn.itiou .it hand, there might be .mothcr I'c.ul j l.uhor SOl Il e\l here. \\'hatl'\ er the s ilua t inu , if he dOL'S :1I1V of these things he h.ul better st.ut lookillg for a good direll:diggim; spot, for h is d:lYs as a COiltroller will he over. l\lore importn ut nn tur.illv is the bet th.rt he cannot afford to make :111\' of thc-: m ict.ikcs. ,,'llcre Ji\es .md m:ltcriel arc at st~lkc, he c.ur't illdlll;:;e ill :111\'t ri.rl :1]](1error Llctic; \lith an enemy r.rid COIlling in to wipe him out. Ccucr.illv, he'll get hut one good crack at the el1l'IIl:' ~IShe tne:; to intercept him, The controller has to m.ikc it ~1 fir,t round knockout. The cOlltrolkr's prohlenls arc mallY and complex, One of his greatl"t is the "couun it mcnt of forces," In this respect controlling is \lTV milch like a hridge g~IIlle, You've got so much: vnur opponcnt has so much, You kno\\'-or should know-c whut's in his hand by yom own aircraft \I':llning and intelk;ence reports. Ho\\' von pbv the g:lme depends ent irclv on vour knO\\lcdge of his tactics, This is where the controller's skill comes in. How. for invt.mcc. \vas it possible for Captain Harbour,

\\as about 3U 1I1i1es out .uic] vectored them into the kill." There Illight have been hell to P~IY if the controller had been \\Tong in this Cjuick deduction of tile l'llelll\' ,sltu;ltion. But months of flyillg a nc] cOlltrolliug :lg~lil\'.t the J:lp had gi,en h im a \lorklllg kum\lecige of Japallcsc tactics which paid ofl wlicn it conutcd 1I1mt. "'hcre\cr hc i-. :1 coutrollcr iuu-t Knm\' his cncmv's t.tct icx, for frcqucu t lv he c.in rc.l iu orr iuf on n.i tion from a klJ(JI\-lcdge of Iris nll'lllClds th.m he c.m from Iris dctectors:1Swit ncvs tlie ()ra RI\' r.ud. l'~lrticuLlrk is tlii, true in tho: zones where lllollnbu-lOm tcrr.rin reduces cflcctivc radar 1'0\'cr.igc to a 11l11l11ll111l1. In the Son thwc-t Pacific, as in xoi n c other thcntcrs, the controller \I~IS a fighter pilot chosen at r.uidcnu in tlio:: (b\'s before the A\l'S,\T-trained eontrollcrs .urivccl on the xccnc. The pilot would flv one (by. control the next. Hvrrx cast in this dual role f ound one :IS cxeiting as the other. "After spcnding fiftccn mouth s in 1\el\' Cuinc:I as a fightcr pilot and controller." Cupt.ri I Lubour said, "J (';111 honestlv say T believe [ got a higger thrill out of l11:lking a good in tcrr-cption with 111\' squ;ldro!l'i than dO\vning a J~IP pl.iuc myself." Although pilot-controller tClll1\york lr:11 rcachcd a highlydeveloped SLltC of ahuovt perfect dO\Ttailing, still there arc

Plots

of frJc})dh' .mcl C})C'})II' p];lIles ;Jppc:n

0)] grid t:Jbk.

Controller

Pjlots Like

or intercept

officcr accuratclv

vcrtor s fighters

to a "Tallv-Ho!"

is scored.

O\TT from tllj, point on, as one "Spl.ish!" after another Fighter control eliminates gne"\\ork in interceptions.

sitting in a -:\e\v Cuiucu Ops room with only a report of four unidentified .urcr.tf t to go on, to call the tum accurately on a large si/,ed r.i id? "j,'irst of all," Captn in l Lubour cxplu incd. "J can't sav the r:lid \\':IS cnt irclv UUl'\pcctccl. \\'c h:ld /I1,t Llidccl his hlle of R:dl:1l11 .mcl [ felt he would prob.iblv hit b.rck to S~I\T facc, f kill'\\' he would :,trike around noon hcc.ru..c he had ah\a\'S hit th is \H,ll-(lefc]](led sector .uouud noon before. j''ro;n intelligence rcporh we kill'\\' hc h.ul :1 considerahle uumbcr of clive homhcrs .md fighters av.ul.rblc, .u] since it \I':IS c.i-.ilv assulllcd the Lirget would hc om couccut r.i tiou of shippin~ at ()LI RI\' ~Ind BIIlI!. 1 figmcd he wouk] send all the clive h()]llhcrs he could get off, "J coulc] mnl: ~I st~lh .rt the altitude bee.ruse we knew his clivc lxnulxr, :d\\':I\s CIllle in he!lH'l'n I ;.()()() .md I ';'.()()() teet on the bst le~ iuto thc LIr;:;et , His tT~ICk\I'~IS silllibrh' flgmccl hcrn u:,c .r]] Llich from Rub.ml to this Lngct C;C11l'Ll1h' c.u uc the s.uu \V:I\', SO. when the tcller reported the fir<t plot, even though it said only four nircr.rft .it that sbgc. I kill'\\' it \las the Lnger number of clive bombcr .md fighters c()]lling .it us. a 11(1 I also h.rd a good idea of all the other factors needed to make an interccption. T got om fighters together over Ora Buv, orbited them until the cuciuv forcc
NOVEMRER,1944

times when the rcl.rt iouvh ip is a delicate one. "Half the pilots Imc you, the other half of 'em hate you." as one controller put it. It's up to the controller to stuck his figllters to I)[O\i(1e the best tactical ach~lllLlge. As a result, certain sCjIl~ldroll) \\jJl :lhs'al'S rate the gr~I\Y in Sllell a deal. "1':\Tn if vour \laming rcports arc :lcemate cnough to indicate the ell cm v c()]uing in .rt high altitude, vou'rr Liking a ell~mce if vnu don't prm idc lo: ('mIT iu c.r-c till' 1I1:1in strike comcs in a little l.tt.r on the clcck." .mot lur controller cxpl.uncd. "SO \OU h.ivc to sLick yom pLmes to cope with a 11\' cncmv cvcut uulitv. -"n~I\'S ;n:1Y go h\' :iml vour low-cover pLllles in.rv not ;:;ct a single CLICk at thc b.md its, wh ilc the hOI'S upstairs arc chalkin;:; lip rcc()[d-hrc~lkin<:; scores. :'\~ltm:rlh' vour lowrovcr piloh will gripe like hell .md hblllC \OU for putting thcm therc, Or it \\'(Jrks the othcr \\~I\' :nouncl if thc r.iid is .t lo: ClIlC, \\'hichcler it is. tIle cOllti:ollcr is the f.ill ;:;11\', Bllt the pilot who drew :1 bl.mk tOC!:II' n1:I\' hc top-scorcr !rllll()rrO\\'. .nnl om pilots h.ivc been fl\in; lOll; enom;h to know th('\''c! a whole lot Lither work \I,jtll the control s\'steln t h.m without it. The cl.ivs of the frccl.mc fighter pilot arc over. Om interceptions tod.iv arc svstcm.it ic. scicntific-c-aud sure, Anr] that's the onlv thiug that count c." U

19

Pulling in His Ne-:I:. Reeelit de,c]op1l1ellt'i in the J'1]/s eqmp mcnt, bdics a ucl tlll:lllqllc bl'::r out the conehlsion th.u the air fightillg wil] l: hitter ilS we strike deeper .uul decpn n il o l\ippoll h01l1e (jli,,1 krs. J Inc .u.: S()Jlle dCleloplIlCllts: Stroilg !ic;li Icr oppositioll enc-ountered hv Sllpnfo;'tresscs O\LT Kvuvl.u I',Lllld durlll(' ,I rlCl'ilt ,ltt,lcl~ i. ind ic.rt ivc- of ho: tll'e j,ip,:nC\e h:11 c h<lskrnl t hc iu nrr /onc .ur ddl'lhe at the e'\pemc of tIll' pcrnuctt-r. The enl'IIII' is dl'\eloplll2; lu-, illlhiiirer,lft ddl'mes clo:: to home. Reports inclic.rt tll:lt ;\,\ hilS bccu improved, h::t:1 III \"011l1l1e .mcl ill ,llTlILIc\', JilP tlglttns .nc heillg cquippc] wit l: bct tcr .um.nucnt .md better .mnor. TIle 20 III III .uid the 12,";" 111111 gllm ilre h.'illg suhst it utcd for the 7,7 mill, \Ihich \I,\S onc: of the pr iucip.il JilP .u-ri.r] \leilpom .rt the hegillning of the w.u, \Iorcmcr, the JilPS .uc dl',eloping m orc powcrf ul 20 111111gllm, .mcl sillgle-sltot )7 111111t.mk gllm h.rvc lx.cn mount cc] ill SCHlie fighters. ~Iore .mcl more, the JiiP is eqllippillg his fi,;hters for airto-air hOlllhlllg. h(:ping tl.us to destroy om bomber fo;'nLlt ions hv this (lekml'. \\'ith sonu-wh.r! lxt tcr th.n: u-u.il .rceuriln''Zl'kes dropped 12:; phosphorolls bom l. 011 om form.rt ious mer ')',Ip. Current production elnphasis is Oil t\lin-cngine tlghters. ~ lcrclumt shIps .uc heing .umcd m orc hc.ivilv t li.m ever before. Double- .mcl niplc-lxurck-d ::.:; Illill automut ir .i ut i.rircraf t gUllS, pr<:<!iletIoll of which h,IS bc..u steppnj up sharplv. ale bcing ur.t.illc] Oil 1I1,11I~'1I1LTeh'llltJIIClI.

wcrc 1I11der order, to atLlek our fOrJII,ltiOIlS ill tlt~ lIS 1Ii1 \1,1\', from head-on, I .uul tit ell to t urn .md r.un iud ividu.rl hOIlllJers from lx-h iud . The :'\,1/1 pilot, if still alive, is supposed to b.ul out .rt this point. hc.r, ilv armored. DeviJ's Due. \Vhatc\Tr om pilots gellcr:llh" lh iuk of [up fighter pilots, they ITeognl/,e skill wluu the\ sce it, '(',Ike the Cilse of the J<!P who \I,IS chilsed .il] mer the sky hy four p.:;]s. l l c circled .md c.nuc ill for 1II00T, Thcv coulrl n't get a hcad Oil linu . Fin.illv, ,IS if tired of It. he broke ,11\,,1\' and wcut h()]lIe.' " The P.:;l hOI'S, ildl1littiug tlicv had lx-cu out m.mcnvcrctl, c.unc to know the JilJl respectfully ilS "the coach." Limit: OIlC Squ,I\I'''. Lvrdcut lv civil ia ns .uc npedcd to do a lot of sqllil\\killg chuins; OIH air raids OITr Korea. Lt. Cell. Son.rd.i of the Korc.m Ddellse Cellcr:iI l Icadqu.utcr-, issued h~" radio this stem \lamillg: " III ,!lIY w.n, \I,helleHT il person thinkx, 'Thillgs nrc lookillg hid' or 'Tllis is the end he is .rlrcudv ill\ihllg il losillg \\'iIL \Vhcll \IT arc hOlllhcd there will he Cilses when: nne 111,1\' vel] loud, [n it what xvc: clout waut you to do is cout inuc ydling." Propaganda. OIlC of the current stories of the illgclliollS [up propagilllda hurc.u: is t h.it w.n: prisollLTs t.rl.cn In' the Amcr ic.ms arc run down and s(juashcd by t.u rkx. Seaplane Tactics. \\ ith the J'IP xc.rp l.iuc lllLTC,lslng III IInport.mcc as a factor in the PilCific w.u, the iuvrruct ion-, giH'1l to pilots of tlic-: planes arc interestillg .md re\ l"lhllS;, DisellSsillg the sCilplanc tighter, the J'IP lllstmchons to student pilots Sill'. "These pliines possess the ch.ir.uh-rist ic-, of good obscrv.rt iou. s;ood turllillg P(l\\LT ,111(1 the fircp(l\\Tr of flnihlc .mc] muchiuc gllllS. 'Ilu-v fiS;ht m utu.ill , supported and nr.rint.nu convt.uit .md close l i.i ivon ,IIlIOIlS; thcl1Isches. "lhcnfon-, thcv should rcf r.un from lxcoiu iru; disperscd in the b.rt t k: .nc:i. .md. as thcv possess iI good fll.ld of till' " .. , thcv should feillt thc ellC!ll\' into u n opposite cnurvc .ut iun .urd clr.nv h iin iut o ,I doS; tight." It is poiutccl out th.i t the sCilpl:Jm' !is;llter is flTqllellth' onlv .t dl'COI' ,11](1 "though tluv m u-t cndiuc- th i-; thcv sholild t rv to rcvcr:: tile xitu.rt iou I luriur; l l u: cncn iv to a })OSitiOII fJc]o\\ ,I f ricndlv pl.iuc .... 'Lhcn tlu iuvtruct iou- ildd: "Upon eatchillg o n to tIll' ru .c. t hc tricudlv pLIIlC \I ill din: to the .rt t.uk with out gilillg tllC CIICIll\ ;1 ellilllcc to CSl':ljK'. J Im\'l'HT, III tl u:: Cilses it is not C,'S\' lo 111lT il\\',II' an CIlCIl1\" \I l.o is wi:: to tl. g,lllle, Oil llu: 'eolltLll\. SIIICT t li i-, \I'if] rcclou nc] to our diSildl',llltage, spont.uuous ,ICtIO]] 1I\iII' he
}}]()\t

Crvil i.m ddeme :Ietilitic\ vuch ilS hu ild iut; shelters .m.! tLIIIIIIIS; the popliLice for hi:lcl-,Ollts .md .ur r.ncl-. 11:11l' lll'en intemitied s;re,lth'. ,\nlOlW ot lrcr nccnt iuvtr uct ion, the .\ir Defcllse (;elllT,lf I k'ldqll,~rters 11,:s told tltl' people to pre. p,IIT hre,lkhst .md lunch l':ICIt nigllt for t l: foll(l\\ing d.iv, sillee g,IS iu.nu- .i n: cut off ,IS SOO;I ,IS t lu ,J!1I1ll sound.
Ramming Department. ,\ round.rbout source gilTS ns ,I xtnrv on t lic so-called Sturlll or Ruunn SLdrd of Cnlll,lll fighters. wh o-: job IS to r.uu .Vuicrir.ru he,ll I' hmllbns if t luv hil to shoot t lum d'l\\II. T\ll'III\' CLTlll,l'1I pilots. Illost of 'theill heillg PIllllSk'd for thllig o!lemes, \I ere 'Issigned to t1:i, j:)h. These pilots, 11IIllS; 1'\\- 1()Os \lith cockpit tops imel sides

lllTc~~<ln'."

TIle pilot 'is told tlIilt ill ullderLlkillS; .m .ut.k from a I:llor,lhlc positioll ilg,llllSt ,I superior .mpl.nu, rcpciltnl stecp dilTs .uul skcp elililhillg ,iltilCks slJ<Jlild hc m.u!c. III other (';ISC" t lu illslrmti.ollS .rcld , it is ,1(hISilhlc, illlllledi'lkh" foll(l\\illS; olle .rt t.u-k. to feign purvnit .md att.rck. " TIle pilot is ,I(h ised to lISe his fi'\nl gUllS 1lI,linh". holding tllC flnihlc gUllS in positiOll to lISe at it l:tlo!',lblc 1ll0lnent. AIR FORCE

20

YOUR ENEMY
"On the occasion of cngaging an enemy plane in combat, uvc your tuming .ibil itv to the utmost. You should make it impossible for other cucuiv planes to enter combat. In case the cncmv comes in to attack from an opposite course, it is usually d{sachantageous for one to plan to fight on the opposite course. In this case, it is best to ]m\'cr the nose of the plane and pass the cucmv at fnll speed. Then, without letting him get C\,,'ay, counterattack hy executing a chandelle." Annoyed. [up.mc: air commaudcrs ;HC greatly exercised ahont thc increa:,ing uruulxrs of Jap aircraft destroyed on the ground. A recent order to all conuuandcr, describing these on-the-ground losses ;IS "most rec;;rettable," declared that in cases where shelter imtillations arc not complete, .rll flvablc aircraft must he withdrawn hefore the raid starts. . As for those airplanes which remain on the ground, these measures were ordered: 1. Drain out the fuel, 2. Unload and disperse the equipment carried in the airpluucs. especially pyrotechnics. ,. Disperse the planes, conceding them a\yay from the field.

planking propped in the form of roofs. j\mong other things, this camouflage was designed to gi\'e the impression of burracks of various forms and dimensions. The c.unouflugc color for protection walls was usuully green or some very dark tone. 0:earby roads and canals wh icl: might coustitutc points of reference for enemy attack were camouflaged to alter their width and directions. Another interesting camouflage measurc ,,'as a systcm of dummv invt.rll.u ions. huilt three to six miles from the rca I imtaIL;tions. The duuuuics were equipped to make false smoke and fires. Jets. Here, bricflv, arc descriptions of the Luftwaffe's jetpropelled fighters.' ~II':-I()'L Single-engine, single-scat midwing monoplane. Rcscm blcs an arrowhead. \ \' ings sharply swept hack, short tear-drop fusehtge. Tall single fin .iud rudder. Span ,0 feet, length 20 feet Speed, mer SOO miles per hour. The 16, is rocket type, employing a Sillgle liquid rocket-propulsion unit. The cudur.mcc at full pO\\er is reported to he oulv a few minutes, hut the jet may he used only iu tcr m it tcu tlv. ~ 11':-262: Single-scat, twin-cuginc, low-wing monoplane. \\'ings arc tapered with squarish tips. Slim fuseLtge has a long nose, with cockpit placed mer the \\'ing. Span -f I feet, length ,::; feet ::; inches. Speed, mer::;::;O miles per hour. In contrast to the rocket-type 16" the 262 is a true jetpropelled fighter with two jet units. First claim for a dcsrrovcd ::\IE-262 ,,'as made recently hv two 8th Air Force P-~7 pilots. l'h'ing ut 11.000 fee't ncar Brussels, they sa,,- the i\11':-U12 at SOO feet and at once wen! into a -f::;-degree dive. The German attempted to make a bcllv-l.mding. The 'I'h unclcrholts came in strafing, and the jet plane W~IS destroyed on the ground. ~

Oil defenses. Prior to its occupation by the Soviets, Ploesti was one of Hitler's great pri/,c,. Froiu it, installations the Germans got much of the oil that kept the ]\;~II.i war machine running. ]\;0 "onder it \\:\S a favorite target for Allied strategic homhing. And 110 wonder the Ccnuuus protected it with an cluborntc svstcm of air defenses. Because the 1'loest'i dcfellocs reprcscnted one of the Ccrm.m-,' best efforts, an examination of the measures used is in teresti ng. Act ivc defense \I'as 11lliJt arollllcl fighter aircraft, alltinircruf t hatterics and searchlight<;. Balloon harrages, used to hinder clive hOlllhcr" were disposed in two conecntric circles, one ha\'ing a rudiu-. of 2,';""(]O yards and the o'~;cr about 1,100 v.uc!-. Surol: sereem \\"LTe cmplovccl etL'etivclv hoth duv and ni2:Lt, U suullv. thcv \~cre extended to ;1Il ';Irca J;llleh LIrgcr than that to he defended amI were pLiecd witl: limited iutcnxitv so thut fighter deteme. fircfighting and fir,t aid \\"CHIld not he haud ic.tppccl. Orcli~ n.rr ilv the screen \\'~IS raised h\' fixccl iustull.n ious hut mobile cq uipmcnt m.idc it possible to I challge the area of the screen. e::- ~!-~bg?~---------Passive defense included protcction ,,'alls of rcinforccd concrete, sornc of them designed to make false shadows. Storage tanks were camouflaged, sometimes with light NOVEMBER, 1944

21

When a radio operator makes a mistake, it can easily be fatal

IlE B-24s were about hulf all hour from their brgcts in Italy. The flight h.rd bee II ]ollg ~1lJ(1 uue\elltful.'o the radio operator ill the lead pl.u: took ofF 1m hC~llbet .mr] relaxed. \\'hile he \\'~IS \\atclllllg the sccucrv, the groulld station called with imtrtlctiom not to go <J\LT the t.ugct. Report, had bC<;JY/i'ceci\ed of uuusu.rllv strollg tlgllter opposition, ~n~d'-6rdLTs \\LTe issllL'd to call back the !light. But the radIP/()pLTator ucvcr got the mess~lge, The t on uut iou coutinucrl <J\LT the tlrget .md got the hell shot out of it. "\11 bccau:: a radio opcr.i tor \\'as 1I0t p~l\illg .it tcntion to his joh. . It is ax ioma tic that ;\.Rtdio operator keeps his headset OIl at all tunes. (HhlT\\~5C, he is meless to the flight. But radio operators, like .urvouc cl-c, ~UT .rpt to make mist.rkc. 'lhcv agree, however', that thcre is 110 rc.t-.ou whv the ,allle crror should bccounu ittcd twice, The illcidcllts reported here-as told to.ln .\IR ''"OI(CI: sLilt wrjter- COllie stLlight from the radio. opera tors who otter tlrt-m with the though t that even once is too 1I111eh. //Take the case of the radio operator who \\'as returning ./'from a mission with ~I scriouvlv wou ndccl gllllller aboard. / Followiiu; the correct procedure. h~al]l'll his base with a I request to gct .ru .unbuluncc recut\' .md have mcd ical assistancc 011 hund . But he c:dled-<i!'\ the fixed wire a ntuuua and he h.ul b"is a n tcuu.: ,,\itch 011 the tLlilillg win: position, Naturally, there \\"~IS llo.{ramlllissioll. ]':\IT\' r.idio operator in the air force knows that the uutcnnaswitch should have

flig!tl, and manv others like it, men "ere killed, planes were Imt. .iud the succcss of the mission snious!l' d imini-hcd hccuu:.c a radio operator did not remember thl' first rule of his trade: \ l.iintuin radio silence at .ill times unless the situation I.S critir.il. COIU ha t -wis racl io opera tors report tha t some men have had the cx l rcmclv had h.ihit of c.illius; for frcqucncv checks s!wrt]y ~Ifter lCl\ing their hase. Such .rct iou is completely uuucccvsarv and serves ehiefl\" to w.un the cncmv. The radio operator sl;ou1d kno if his ;'al1io tr.msmittcr is ;)11 the exact f rcqucncv before the take-off. If he has allY doubt about it, he should check bv tUlling the radio receiver to the exact frcqucucv to be monitored .md then zero beat the transm it tcr agaimt the rece-iver. Th is will put him 011 the frcquene\" of the groulld station. Another scrious error reported from the FTC) is the inabilitv of radio operators to ehauge frequenc-ies quicklv. If it is ncccxxarv to ditch a pl.mc. the Air-Sca Rescue must be radioed infonu.rt ion .IS to the 'listresscd aircraft's position, To do this, the radio opera tor m ux t S\\.i tch frequencies-and

KEY MiEN
\
u..

\,
\ ...-............ he~l 011 the fiwd, wire povit ion. nut this 111:111 \\":1S excited ~lJ\(l\,he did 1I0t t'~~!,e tilile to l'~ck Iii, cquiprucn t. .\, ~I resu1\ of t h i-, '1IlIpl~ error. 110 ()jll"~~l' \1:lltIlig to t rcut the "'Ollllt{cci gUIIIILT. Ile\I,I.IIg1It h.rv.: dil'll{zOIlI tlie 10" of hlood before \e go! thl' Ike'''<\1 l'\" ~lttL'lIIJ()jl. ~ ThellliLTl' \I~h t lu rJ~~\() ojll'l.lfor ill IhL' lc:lc1 pl.n: (If :1 fli~ht of 1 17, ~ill:ICklilg t:II~'h ill lr.mcc. 11:1111:1\"hdlll'L'U his 1>:lse ~III thl' t:lrgd, he: ::-r-lJ.,nl grollllc1 ,t:l'tioll for ~I mess~lge ('llcc" JIe- IIllght jll\t ~Is~'lll,:"c 'Lilt a jlLT'Oll:dh" \ \ cl1gLI\l'll I1ll'SS:~' to t11L' I 1:I1lJ!IIII:I~~t thc nc.uc-! I .ut t~\af1e b.r-.c. prL"L'lI 'd his CO,npl II ucu t-. infunucc] I.nu th.it .\111eriull P!:~llc \ILTL' uu t luir 11:1\, .md rc-qllc,tL'(] t11L' l\~1 to pk:l\l' scml ujl II11C illkIlTpler,. 'It .nuouutcd to the s: lie thill;. '1llirll-ti\~\" ]l)()s ~J!LI(lL'(L .,llot clovn t\IO pLt C', fmcL'd hlll"r to tlll~:Jl"k .nl d:llll~lgcd 'l'lcr:d others. It. tltc opiniou of t hc mcu 011 t hc mis-.iou t li.i! the Ccnu.m-, \\"0] never h:llT lxcu ~tlertl'd SO qu icl.]v. or he'cll """ ill a po-ition to ~I ck so cltceti\L'I:", if the r.id io opn:ltor kid ""- not broke-n Lldio ,ilc ". ~J'he lc"OIl of niaiut.iiiri 'r:ldio <ilcucc, except ill clllcrgel 'ies, is one of the lIr,t thill;' tll1ght to rudiomcu: lr.nu the ti c tlicv gd into schooL until their tom of dull i, complete, the import.mcr of kcepillg ott the air Illlle" .rb-,olutcly neeeSS~i1'~~Cpc~'tedly hallllnLTcd home, Yet on this

fast. The fc\\' seconds xpcut ru.ikinr; the proper ndju-tmcnts m.iv mC11l tltc ditkrcllcc bch\LTIl bcim; illllllL'(]i:lte]y rcxcuct] or tlo~ltilll; ~Iuuk"h' .iruuncl Oil ~I r.rf t. TIle x.n u xit u.it iou applil" II ItCIl \\clther mother oh,Licks iu.rkc it illlpo"ihk to c,tlhlish (,()]It:ld \Iith thc b.tsc gmuu(l statioll. To c.ill the ~llterll:J!I\L' -t.rlu m, ~I quirk freqIlL'IIC\" ch:lIIgc IlIU,t lx. 11l~ldc. \Jeu \11j(1 11:1IC s"\L':lkd out th i-, (ljlL'LltlOIl ':1\' t lr.rt it i, C"L'lrll:tI rh.rl the r:l(lio opn:J!or l.no: II()\I to do it wit h IIl:IXiIlIIIlU L'iliciL'lll'\' .iud :1 in ini1111\111 m' of tinu. 1 SOIlIC of tl: Illi,t:Jkc, in.rclc f:tll into tlu: utL-gor\' of plain cl.uuu foo] tm'k" Such \1":1\ thc xit u.rt iou wit h thc B.:h, wh ich \\LTe rdmllillg to llicir h:1'l' dmillg thc h:tftk of SiL'ih'. TIll' kid O]Jl'LI!or c:tllL'(l fm :1 01)\ l. got OIlC. hilt IlC\L'! hotlll'ITd to .mtht-nt ic.rtc it. Tl: cut ire flight went into :1 (;lTIII:11l lIL'ld. Son. sm.ut '\:l/i 11:Id trickcd th.- radio opcr.itor iu lo bc]ic,illi.; th.rt it \1':1, hi, hOIIlL' <r.it iou wh icl: 'Cllt out the ,igll~tI. The (;enll:lm ~IIT \L'n obligilll; ill th.it reg~lrd. A,killg tor .mt hcnt ic.rt iou i, ~I -iuiple mn t l crv--it would seem <uch .rct iou should be pr.rctic.illv .ru l om.rt ic-> hut rejlm\-; ind ic.rtc th.it this m ivl.r]: has been m.rclc wit]: 'eriolls con,cqllcllces ill e\LTY combn t thc~lter. l n the c.ulv cl.tvs in J':llgLmd, a 13-17 flight \\":IS cllleclled bv a Ccrlll:lII r.ulio (COlltillllCd O1II':lgC :;(,) AIR FORCE

22

~ea{ lbat ~{mo{ \

toduv on borrowed time arc ina ny AX", hom bel' crewmen whose [ names on flak and c.uinon shell fr,lgments \\'LTe erased by their body arruor. The good sense which led them to wear Hnk suits and helmets in combat and thus live to Hv another day will likely bring them h011~e intact, ' But there's a touch of that "fools rush in" bu-incss about \\'e,lring hodv .nmor. \\'hile seasoned veterans s\vear In' their issued protection and wouldu 't Hv without it. some of the greener airmen arc foolish enough to go into action unsh iclclcd. It shouldn't he difficult to persuade a man to gu,nd himself against death or a wound which may cripple him for the rest of his life. But some people have to learn the hard \\'ay, and the principal objection to ~ha t kind of cduc.i tion is that graduation usually comes too late. The usual compluiut of the ohjector to flak suits and helmets is that they are too curubcrxomc, thu! their \veight' and bulk h,J111perS his iuovcuu-nts too greatly. ~ luvbc thcv arc a bit inconvenient, It's inCZlll\"Cnieilt to die, too. The flak suit currently in use bv the ;\.\V is composed of O\'~Tlapping pl.rtcs of mang,lIlese steel contained in vests and aprom of canvas. Designed and devclopcd by Brig. Gen . Malcolm C. Grow, surgeon of the US Strategic Air Forces in I':urope, it is intended to provide protection pa rtienla rlv aga inst head, ncek. chest and alxlomin.il wounds from spent bullets and low velocity flak and ::'0 mrn shell fLlgments. whic-h fonnerlv were responsible for S:; percent of all clsn,dties in air combat. The bodv armor comes in several f.rsh ionnhlc ~t\'lcs-f,lshion,lhle for those who want to' see the Stites again, The g,uments arc worn singlv or com bincd, according to the flvcrs com hat post. The \fl vest,' armored front and b.ick, \\'eighs I <j pounrl, 2 ounces, The \12 vest is armored onlv in front and is worn hv cre\\'mcm he is who OCCUPy armor-pln tccl se;lts. The J\T3 tapered ;1]Jron, for crew mem hers \\'ho arc in ;111 otherwise unprotected sitting position in Hight, \\ei;;hs 4 pouncls, I::' (JlII1CCS. The \ 14 full aprou, worn by :?,Imnc!", weighs 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Approximntclv 40 perccnt of com hat wounds received bv nu-n Hvin in bombers are caused hv flak. -W ner~ent hv 20 mm cannon she'lIs, I 0 pL~reeut bv free
\'I:\"G

fragments of plane structure, and the remaining I() percent by machine gun projectiles. '] 'he flak suit will protect thc wearer agaimt ]ou:?,-range flak .mcl 20 mm shell fragments hut not agaimt flak wh ich bursts ncar the plane. USST.\F records on 133 airmen strnck hv flvinu'> Il.ik or cuciuv missiles . of other sorts while \\'earing bodv armor 1'('\ cal that twoth irds escaped injury. The complete percentage breakdown: :'<0 injuries, .... , , , .. '" 6:;.:; Slightly wounded "".' 2-+,0 Seriously wounded " ::',3 Killed '.,." .... " 8,2 Detailed cxpcr ionccs of the 91'S percent who livcd to tell their stories, arc on file. A fL'\\' of them arc quoted here to gi\"C you the general idea: Second Lt. Thomas D. Sellers, copilot, 3SIst Bomb Croup: "Yom flak suits and helmets arc vour hest form of life assurance ... J\ h: wounds outlined the flak suit as if au 'artist had been at work .... To those of you. who may object to the \\Tight, 1 can truthfully say that you'll never notice it in the heat of hatt1~. It gets lighter with each mile you go inside euemy territory until fin.illv you wonder if it is hCI\Y enough to do the [ob .... If you I()\T yourself or anvonc back home, then it's vour duty to wear boclv armor, just as n~uch as it is your duty to have ammunition in your guns." S/Sgt. Calvin \V. Hopkins. \v<list gunner, 401 st Bomh Croup: "A piece of flak penetrated the left waist gun win-

dow, just missing the left waist gunner and hitting the hack of my flak suit. which '\'as the only thing that savccl mc. If .mvouc figures the suit is too hcnvv to wear: he'll take ruv advice and ba;lish that'thought." C;lpt. ]1. C, Overly, squadron surgcon, cx.uu iuc] lIopkins and his R~lk suit wlrcu the gunner rcturned to 11 is base. 'I'hL' medic also ga\'e the suit credit for sa\ing the man's life. S/Sgt. Albert Rilcv, \\aist gunner, 39::'nd Bomh Croup: "I \\as hit bv two Lrge pieces of fl.ik directly over the heart. Although the force of thc blow knocked 111e clown, 1 received JlO injuries except mild hruiscs. I advise everyone to wear a flak suit. I'd he in pretty bad shape if 1 hadn't worn mine," Second Lt. Verllon 1 I. Powell, bornIXlfClier, 41 (ith Bomb Group: "A piece of fla k c.nuc th rough the left side of the nose of the plane, striking the left sick of my head about 21/2 inches above mv left ~'\T. 1 sinccrclv believe the flak helmc't saved my life:" S/Sgt. Fd\\'iil 1\ filler, top turret gunner, 391st Bomh Croup: "I 'vas struck bv fl.rk on mv helmet. The fabric was torn and the ~tecl pbting dented. J\Ty hc.rd was forced against the gun mount with sufficient force to break bv gogglcs. I believe the helmet saved me from scr ious injnrv." Capt. Richard L. Rapport, J\ l illcrs squadron sur:?,con, said: "In my opinion, the helmet saved this man from injury which conccivablv could h.ivc been serious enough to result in his death." 1::r

J.

J.

Saved by body armor when Aak struck him in abdomcu, 2d Lt. C. R. Cole. 30:;th Bomh c'wnp bombardier, later chalked his sentiments on suit. Tear in covcr inj; is circled.

When 20 mm shell exploded :lg:linst \11 vest of T/Sgt, Botl1\\'C1L 94th BClIn], Croup racliom.m. no fragments pendrated, lie \V;]S cnt slightl\' 1)\' lx-nt armor plates.

J. vv

NOVEMBER,

1944

23

Lifeline to the US,S R

BY HERBERT
Air Force

RINGOLD
Staff

1'--+0 \\'as blown into a blizzard hv a so mile an hour wind. The pilot climhed to I-Ul()O feet without oxygen~his pl.mc had no o'(\'gen, Ile couldn't contact h i, hlse~he had no radio, I lc couldn't see~the snow froze to his windsh ickl. lIe couldu' t Lmd~the terra in \I;IS covered hv gi;mt trees .mc] ja';ged mouu tu in peaks. I Ic couldn't hail out-c-at the hriefing he had been told th.rt even if thcv knew where he went clown it would take three montl;s to rescue him, Turning hack I\'as ;111 academic que,tion-i--hc didn't know where he Iyas. There \ya, nothing he could do hnt ,L\\' there and flv his airplane. linullv, after battling conditions as bad as am' ever faced bv American airmcn, he brought his plane into Ladd Field, Ah,ka. lie had completed a flight over the treacherous A'ortll\le,t Route from Crcat Falls, Vlout., to Fa irb.mks. Alaska, where a Russian pilot \\'as \I'aiting to move his plane across Sibcriu aru] into battle. This Il'as I (H2. The wa r I\'as not going according to plan. In June, the [aps bombed Dutch Harbor. Our small defense forces could not prevent them from making three successful landings in the Aleutians. In Africa, Rommel had captured 'I'obruk and was pushing toward Alexandria. Onlv a hnstilv reorgani/,ed British .mnv stood between his Afrika Korps and German control of the Suez Canal. The USSR had lost Rostov and Scvastopol. 0:;lI,i Ccncral Von Bock was grinding up in force for the critical battle of Stalingrad. Both the Alaskan Air Forces and the Russians needed airpluucs-c--and in one hell of a hurrv. Some felY planes were going to the Soviet Union the hard \Yay-around Africa and up the Persian Gulf bv bo.rt and then ovcrl.md across Iran-I1,OOO tortuous miles, Others were sh ippcd via the l\ r unna nsk route. but a m urdcrous percentage of the ships was heing lost to U-boats and i\'orwa\,based Dorniers. It W:lS obvious th.it a more efficient ferry route would have to he opened to Russia. .
lIE

It lIas opened. Bv mid-l C)H. more t h.iu :;.000 planes had been delivered to the Rusvi.uis mer the :\ortlllle,t Route, lrf tv-u inc percent were P-1()s, hut :\-20" p-())S and B,2)s were moved up the run as hst ;IS the Ruv.i.m., could take them into Sibcri. TOc!;1\', deliveries arc heing made at the Lite of one cvcrv h;1If hour. It's an ach icvcmcnt of which Americans can {\'ell he proud. It has played an important p;lrt in the \\'inning of this war. In the heginning, 11O\\CI'er, it was a rough deal. Back in i\'melllher, 1(HO, the Uuitc] Stites-Canadian Pcnu.mcut Joint Board of Defense had rcconuucudcd the development of an air route from the United St.i tcs to luirb.mkx. }<:;nlv in 1()-E, Brig. Cen. O. A. Anderson sngge,ted to the A(r Staff that planes be ferried to Alaska, On June 2(j, 1(H2. a mcmor.mdum from Hcudqn.utcrs, \\'a,hington. to the 7th )-'erning Croup, I-'enTing Division. Air Tramport Counu.md at Creat 1:alls stated: "You will tukc ncccvs.rrv action to org;mize and operate a fern' route between Great Falls, \lont:Jna and Fairbanks. ;\Iaska," It \I';ISll't cnouah th.if we didn't k uow all of the answers; we didn't even know all of the qucvtious that would arise when YOU build .m a irwav from scratch along a route where few Americans had ever Howu hefore. over vast expanses of snowbouud territory that had never been mapped for aerial flight. in temperatures that got clown to the minus sixties, The first problem \\'as to select the route. Crcat I,'alls, 1\ lont.ma was picked as the jumping-olf hasc. It was dcxir.iblc to by-pass the dangcrous coastal run from Spokane into Fairbanks and ncccssarv to establish l lrudqu.utcrs a \\';1\' from the \Vest Coast Defense Area yet close enough to the airCLIft factories. This was, rem em her, 10-+2 and com hat-read v figh tel'S were not pouring out of Culiforn i.: 's prod uction Jines, The 1'-39s, which the Russians used as anti-tank IH';ljJons, IHTe coming from the j':ast, Furthcrmou-. Crcat lull was close to a series of hush pilot flight strips which
AIR FORCE

24

1>

AC

'tile .... if Ille Air TrauSti1l1Cenaud wllo plOleeiedlilt ihrt.I1Iesl Rtllite~~..

won a viclorylbal bas bad aprofound'effecfGllitJij,course

" ...~i~~;;~~~~~i;~T!-.~.... Jf"~'1":

thcn could not Iioncstlv hc called flight strips but which could be turncd into a series of bases linking the United States to Al.ixka. In June, 1942, a group of ofFiccrs, Maj. Lloyd Earle flight corn mnudcr, made the first sun'ey run for the 7th r'errying Group and the route was opened with major stops at Great Falls, l':(!Juontoll, lort St. John, Fort Nelson, \Vatson Lake, Whitehorse, and Fairbanks. When the route ,,'as first opened, deliveries were few and far between. J\Icn II'Cre killed, aircraft cracked up with alarming regularity. Ior a while it appeared that the promised dcl ivcrv schedule would not be met. J\lorc(l\l'r, the winter of 1942-43 \I'as the coldest in all the recorded history of r'airh:l11ks. The temperature dropped to 67 degrees belO\v zero. At some w.r,: stut iou, men lived in tents iu that kind of wcathcr-i--nnd the lutriucs were out-ide. Enginc oil froze to solid icc. \Veatller changed from C;\VU to zero-zero in seven minutes. At Lacld Field, it was not physically possible to work outdoors for Jong periods in temperatures that turned breath into icicles, froze eyelids together, and caused severe cases of frostbite, sometimes necessibtiug amputation. 1\lech:mies took turns running in and out of heated hangars to service the planes. If any part of the body touched a piece of metal, flesh and metal could not be separated without cutting, If a single drop of 100 octane gas fell on the skin, it would raise a blister about an inch high, The fingers of some mechanics were eaten :l\\'ay like the hands of lepers. An indication of the weather is seen in the case of Capt, Thomas Hardy. IIc "as 13-26 Project Officer at Fairbanks and he had two brand new 1\lara udcrs, in tip-top .shapc, serviced by some of the best mechanics in the business. Only four hours of fl\'ing time a month is ncccssarv to qualifv for fl\'ing pa\'. Dming [uuuarv. 1()-f 3, the weather'was so ba~l that Capt, Ll.nclv did not get thing pay, Gradually, with the help of the untiring work carried on NOVEMBER, 1944

(no\\' CC of ATC's Alask.m Di\'isiou) Cold \Veather Testing Unit at Ladel held and the pioneering of Col. Ponton De Arcc, first commanding otneer .it Great I'alls, the principal difficulties were licked. I.lying the route in the early d.ivs presented the kind of h:u,arels th.rt granelehildren will never believe. Along the 1,900 mile run, there were only four radio ranges. Thcv were on the uir oulv half of the time~and then thcv were completely nnreliable. Pilots s.iicl that the best ,,'ay 'to run into a mountainside ,,'as to st.iv on the beam. I ,anding C(Udit iou-, were (l:mgerous lleC:llI~e most fields had oulv sort dirt ruu w.ivs. J\Lrj. Fr.mk Lnrclcut said, "I taxied a 13-2-+ over a culvert at lxhuonton and the damn thing collapsed underneath me. \\Then I parked on the Ll11ding'mats, they sank into the mud." There "as no weather information of nnv kind in an area wlrcrc the only thing that could be forcc:lst \\'as th:lt the weather would be unpredictable. "I had orilv one weather report for 24 hours of flying," said Capt. Fclmuud Avcruum, Pilots took off under perfect fl\iug conditions and ran into a snowstorm tivc minutes out. They just stuck their ',hip" into the weather and flew until it got too t01]gh. Then the trick wns to find out where thcv were and how to get back. There is a vallcv between \ \ia tson I.:Ike am! "'h itehorse which became knil\\'n as Million Dollar V~J1lc\' because we lost more than a million dollars worth of airplanes up there in a short time. It ,,'as easy for cvpcricuccd pilots to gues; whu! had happened. The planes ran into wcnthcr-c--hlizvnrds, thuudcrstorrnx, fog, SC\Tre icing, and ceiling zero in the mountains, In that area, there were ubsolutclv no n:I\'igJtion.rl methods to dctcnuinc npproviruutc pusit iou. Every hundred miles of frozen terrain looked jmt like e\l'ry other hundred miles. F.\Tn' mountain range presented the same ugl\' picture. Radios were usclcss-s-d i-tuuccs were too great to establish contact. The pilots just flew around blindlv until

bv Brig, Ccn. Dale V, Caffney's

25

they found this likely looking valley which seemed to offer an cvcnuc of escape. Then they crashed. Despite all the hazards of the trip, one man made it in a Piper Cub. In December, 1942, Capt. Malcolm Pruitt looked over his insurance records and took off from Great Falls in a Cub that had a range of only three hours. lIe knew that he could not make the 242 mile jump from Edmonton to the flight strip at Grand Prairie without adding extra hours to his flying time, So he went into a hard-varc store and purchased a funnel. Then he scraped up 22 one-gallon gasoline cans and cut a hole in the gas tank whicl: extends into the Piper cockpit. I lc kept one eye on his course and one cye on the gas, EITry time the gas snpply dropped, he heaved another gallon into the tank. After flying ont of Edmonton for four hours and fifteen minutes, he was still nowhere ncar his first stop, The outside tcmpcr.rturc \\as a smart 20 degrees bel 0\1' zero, and Pruitt had no heater. I Ie fiuallv went down into nine inches of snow in the middle of a 'fanner's field, I Ic figmed that he could telephone for help-but the farmer had no phone. \\'heu he got out to his plane, he fonnd that the motor had fr ozcu. Pruitt had alrcaclv had too m.mv troubles to let that bother him, lie fonnd a'\\ashtnb, built' a fire in it, and shoved the tub under the motor, he:lting it np sutlicicutlv for the take-off, After an hour of night filing with out iuvtr umcnts, he landed again at a little railroad t owu in the Peace River couutrv. Fm.illv, he got into Grand Prairie and eventu.illv delivered his plane to Fort St. John, 790 miles from

Crcat hIlls,
Cetting through in those days W:IS often a matter of luck. Some of the most experienced pilots in the Air Forces went clown more than 1\1'0 years ago-and thcv .md their a irpl.mcs haven't been found yet, Because of the lack of radio rangC', it was impossible to not ifv the b.ixc as to the approximate crash position. A wrecked plane was nothing more than a fly speck against a background of snow and icc that extended for thous.mcls of miles, There were no roads, no people, no shelter, and l'Cry little chance of finding food, It was the kind of territory that CITIl Renfrew of the Rovul Canadian l\lounted has never vixitcd. :r-.lam' crewmen \\'1'10 crushed were found frozen to death, There hale been except ions: Lt. Leon Crane got hack after 84 davs in the wilderness. On the other hand, a crew bailed out ,~ithin sight of an airfield-and their plunc is still und iscovcrccl. The man with one of the most unusual rescue stories is Capt, Thomas Dichiara. IIc was coming buck from Fairhanks as a passenger in a C-OO, The plane went into a spin and Dichiara bailed out. \\'hile lie Ivas floating down into that frozen barren count rv, the pilot righted the ship and flew on, Dichiara was vcrv much alone. I Ic had no idea where 'he was, so he just picked a direction and headed off. In 30 minutes, he came across the only railroad track in that part of the world. Fif tccn minutes later, a train which runs only once a week came along and picked him up. Toclnv. conditions in that area have been changed, Where there were oulv four radio ranges, nO\I' there is a range station cvcrv l'il) to 200 miles. With one exception, all legs arc interlocking, Instead of hundreds of miles without a possible landing site, there arc now 13 regnbr landing fields and cight flight strips, a hundred miles apart. The Alcan Iligh\\'av provides a perfect checkpoint with a station eyery 40 miles, An Arctic Rescue Svstcm has been organizcd which has cflcctivclv combatted one of the most serious of all problems faced along the :t\'orthll'est Routc-the question of the mental hazard faced by airmen who knew that in case of AIR FORCE

Ten o'clock of a December morning at Ladd Field, Alaska. There

may he a midnight sun in summer, hut winter is a long, dark season,

26

trouble their ch.mcc. of survival and rescue would he C\ceedlllgh' xl nu . ,\ Lldio nct work i, mu iu t.uurcl .mcl till' ,LIt iou-, hal c .urtru l t :h,lglll'l1 fOI the spccitic jJmpo,c of lrclping III the ..uch .mcl dWpplllg 'UppIIC', ,\ -ur, il:d kit 1r:1' lx cu pcrtcctccl couiplctc dmln to filillg p:lns, 'lI:n: I, a ~,tall(ling rcw.ud of '-,II)ll ,\":ritlng a 1\\' trapper wh o l nru ixhcs inf orur.rtiou IDlrltlllg ill tlu: le'SCIIC of gwulldcd .unucu. Bnt the IIICU wlr II eTC gi'cn the joh of ,ctting up a rescue ~y,telll IILTC bccd with a plohlelll th.it orchn.uv rc-cuc mct h od s could not ovcrcoiuc. en'II' IllTC forecd clowr, ill locat ious illacccS\ihlc l'ICIl to a m.u: dloppcd 1)\, p.rrurliu!c. Pl.iuc cr.rckcd lip in the m i.Idlc of IrUI ilv IIOoc1l'l! forc,b or on the top of iu ou u t.u n pnks, It II;IS of tell nl'CCs\:I[\' to land a rescue p.utv m ilc-, :III':!\' Irou: I!u: -t rirkcu .unucu. Bilt the re,urers could not c.nrv t hc Irun ,led, .md equipment Ilcceleel for the C\ilelwtioll I\'mk. TIlc problem kid 110 .mxwcr until 1,1. David Irwin CIIIIC up witl: tltc ielca of \ISlIIg parapups, Licutcu.uit Irwin Iivccl ill the :\'orth cou ntrv for vc.rrs before the war. I1c xuid that he cOIIlel train hi, dogs sofhat thcv could be puruchutcd out of an .i irpl.mc. 'I'hcu the ,lcd, could be dropped to t hc rescue party .uu! the dogs Iritehcd up . .\ te,t flight II:IS nlaele .ul Licutcu.m t Irwiu urcn-lv pu-hcd the dogs out of a C--+!. The chutes opened :1111<;m.rticallv .md the do"s Lmc1cd without iu iurv. ,'\ml' tltc u-, of parapups i, a routiuc method of 0PCI:::\{OIL l':'l'[\tlrillg has worked without clilficultv except th.it Licutcu.mt l rwi n has been unable to teach his e!og') to vcll "Cc rouimu' as thcv jump. !':\'C[\' time one problem w.rs solved another arose which c1elll:11l~\cel illlllleeli:ltc attention. Thc tOllghcst of :Ill 11':1, tli prnhlcm of \\"interizing t lu: airpl.mcs. I Ivdr.mlic fluic! wouldnt flo.v .it m iuu-, ~O .mc] -lu. Fvcn at less cold ternpcr.rturcs. the fluid bee.nne so ,tiff that airmen !I:ld to sit with thcir feet hr.iccd ag:linst the l:rndillg gcar 0pclating valve in order to lower and r.u:.c the gelL A li,;htLT fluid \\':IS developed that would pom in zero tcrupcr.rturcs. Tl: ,pirrkpltlgs IIOlllc1I1't hC:11. As one pilot jJ!lt it, "Bv the time I got out to the end of tlte run w.rv. lily engine sounde-d like all .r.t luu.tt ic outbo.rrd motor b(ut." .\ new sparkplllg \\',IS iuvcn tc.l wit]: a longer electlodc plotruding illto thc cOlllbll,tioll c11:lllIber') of the nlilldcr\, Tire oil 'lIppll" to tlrc cm;illcs \1':1') Cllt off hCCilllSe lIloj,tme ran clown into tire oil t.mk Slllllp .mtl prOlnpthfroze. I TIIlldrccl-, of feet of coutrol e:lhle \I'LTC Il\cle\') lxc.ui-: the gre:l\e in the ""tUll fro/e a') solid as ('Olll'll'te, ;\ l!llTh:lllic who helped fiek tire prohlcm ',;Iid, 'Tor a \\']Iile t!ll'I"e, we were: goillg cra/,}'. \\'e\1 put the correct tl'Il'IOII on thc cout rol Cilhln to :i/!()II' for :1 telllpcriltll!"C of iu iu ux 1:; dcgrcc" .md :1 drop to miuu-, -10 Cilll')l'll the Cilhles to tiglI!l'n .uul pul] sOllletlIillf; loo .c. Tllcn when II'C t!'\l'll them for m iuu-, -+0, the t lunuouictcr \ICllt lip to 1IliIlIIS 1() .mcl cxp.mviou set ill, \\-e fin.illv :m:lllged a cOlllpliCilted sv-tcm that ,ohn] the problem." One of tlrc problems th.rt ,till h:lS1d bccu complctclv lickcd i, the mu lr.un.rt ic ljllc\tioll of llI:lkillL; :r1!oll'alllT\ for the differellti:11 ill t!u: c"p:lll\ioll .u] cout r.ut iou Iil!io of t lu: var iou-, IIlct:r1\, ,\11111111111ll1Ol'\ llOt C,\P;IIH] .rt thc ',;lllle LIte d :IS eoppcL Copper lias a <1ifflTl'lIt cou t r.utiou r.i l io frolll steel. \\'!rCll OIlC IIIlLri COlltlilctcd, the' eOlllll'C!illg rod, h:ld to he tiglltellcd to :111011' for tire CII:lllf;e. Tl icn the other metal would eOlltT:lct .u] tlu: work !r:le! to be clone :111over ag:IIll, \\'hCll the t cm pc-r.rt u. ('h:III';l'll, one iuct.rl wou]] cxp.mcl. reqlliriIlf; a ]oO\ellillg lip pmcess :111.nound. But t]IC second metal h:d not vct C'\palle!l'll :111<1t hc pmpLT .rllovvanccs had to he made. After this \\':IS workcr] out for minus (Cout iuucd on Pagc -f6)
NOVEMBER,1944

Palm Beach was never

like rhis. ,\'1'(: nuu In thr-: tentwh.if the

'It \\"ahon

I ,:Ike clurius; the winter of '-f~ lc.n ncd

word "mgi.;ed"

menus.

When

you gotta

go, ct 60 below,

lh.

\1:1'

prohlhh

the worlcl'

colde\t

,\ l.rt rinc at rort :\e],oll. Cun.i p1:Jee dming the II inter of I ()-f:;.

Digging

fuel

drums

out

of

snow

iu (,U helO\I

w.ts ,. routine

chore

for 1\'I'C men

at ha\cs

lelll ll'lllper"tme\ alollg t tIl' tern route.

21

THE MAN WITH THE PRIVATE BREEZE

By

Maj. Luther Davis

Am POH.CE Staff

In England, when you're 'got the wind up.' story.

scared stiff, they say you've

Major Davis swears this is a true lies in his teeth

Major Davis frequently

like t h iv." ,~lid l'fc, Ceorge Opfel of ]:2 'is Bloo111 Street, l'ithburgh, PUll], "1 lIa, \\~mt gunner .mc! m inding Ill:' own businc-.. ,\ftLT \\l' LTO', the eO~I,t I ,ee a 'peek in the sun .md ] ,~In into the mten'onl, '\11,:.] (1) ill the <un .' :'\ot that I kn,;\\ ih .m \11:-] ()I), hut it ,(Jlmch good, "Vvcll , e\l'r\"lllllig', quiet for ~l fe\\ nuuutc-, a ncl then] sec t hi. ,peck eOllling closer like ~I b.rt out of hell. So I cIIb into tlle intercom, 'Llcrc he comes!' ;\11(1 right then i, when it happened," The c.ipt.nn doing the interrogating looked interested. "It \\;lS right then the wiud st.nts. At first] figure m.ivbr fl.rk ble\\' ;I hole in the fmelage, !\ot th.rt I seen ;111\ flak. Turns out later there wnsn't auv hole, But the wind \\~IS terrific, It blO\\s out S0111e 111;1g~l>ines Tvc heen s;l\ing, Abo a Spam sandwich which \\;lS prettI' hcavv, It's a hell of a wind. It almost blows the o~ygen m.ixk off 111Ybee, But 111e, I'm busv trying to track this \11<:.109 which t urns out to he more like ;I Heinkel something or other. Onlv he doesn't make a pass hut pulls off about twn thousaud yarc!s to the sic!e and just looks at us, "I turn around and I sec Th~lt Jerk-S/Sgt, :\ I.uion C, \bcKemie i, his name. Stiff sergeallt 110 le". ]'-re,h out of the Stites and he's a staff sen;c;mt. ]'-lying his first m ivsion .md he's ;I stiff serge~111t." "(;0 on with the storv." "Oh , \Vel], I turn around .md sec The Jerk h;lnging onto hi, gun for clear life, the wiud \\hipping hi, wiutcr fh'ing suit pr.rct ic.rllv off hi, back. And ] think it's f unuv he's get, hug more wind th.m I ;1111, Then I notice another thing. The wind comes from the \\Tong c!ireetion. Frrnn the t.ul toward the nose, \\'e1I, I t;lp The Jerk on the xlrouldcr .md he looks at me with such scnrccl cvcx I'm sorry for h im . 'Relax,' J tell him, "lh.rt Jerry ;lin't gOillg to attack. I Ic's just ;I snooper.' A, soon ;IS I sav th.it The Jerk looks less frightenec!-~mc! the wind dies down." "I see," said the c.rpt.riu . ",-\lld the s.uu tl'ing happened ht::~ ,\\'h~'n you ;;l're attuckcd af tcr lel\ Illg tlie, t1rget;" 111~lt x nght, "I l.ivc \"(IU ~II1\' theories, Opfcl " "I think;' s.uc] Opfcl d.uklv. "you hetter tIlk to \ Lie Kcn-,ic himself. You wouldn't Ix-l icv c 111e if I '~Iid it." A fc'\\' minutes btn \ LlcKcn,ie CIIUC in, 1 Ie \\'~IS ~I \IT\' th in xpccinn-u with a couc.tvc chest. ] I i-, e\l'S \\CIl' enor111011S~111c! ind of r.ibbittv k looking, "Yc sir;" he ,~Iid, lc.ming hcavilv o n the "xir." "About tlr.it wind," x.ucl the clpLlin. "Kuo \\llat CIU'l'<! it? " "Ye"ir. J c!id," "110\\;" "I jllSt couldnt help it. I!one,t it i'II't 111\' f.iulf . 1'1111 lxl icvc me c101d :ou;" ,\, h <.uc] tlli, 111\ \oice qU;I\ered, .\ xuclclc-u hurvt of wind \\llippnl through till' otlicc .mcl hle\\' e\lT\,tllim; out of tile cl]lLlln's "111" hl,];d, "It ~il\\'~l\, h;IPlll'll'," ,~tic! \LleKen,le m ouruf ullv. "I get 111\' wind up too cl,ih'," The CtpLlin g;l\e up tniug to ,;\\l' hi, P~IPlT' .mr] imt let tlum bl:v. "S~I\' th.i t ~lg;lin, ,erge;\llt, S;I\ th.rt ;lg~IIIl," "I gl1l',S J jmt gd Il]\~ vn] lip too (';I,'ih'," "1'011 nu.m .. do \'011 uu.m \\']1(11 :(111 get ;1 wi r] lip, \'011 rcall, get ~I wind IIP~" \Lieh:emie's e:es got hio.;gn, "SIIIT." he ,lid, "])oe,Il't vcrvbrxlv? " Alld t'h~,t i, the true ,to]\ of \\11\' S/S~t, \ l.uion \ l.rcKcuvic. (1:22 lust 40th Sired, '\c;\, YorL Cit ,'. \\~" ITmoved from fl\'illg st.rrus ~I, "unht for comb.rt." 'l'oll'll filld the whole thillg ill hi, ,e]\iee rec-ord which hen, the crvptic conunt-n t , "'('hi, m.ru has his (1\\11 hreCle, SI](]1l1el he kept outof-doors." 'I::

"IT's

c:.

AIR

FORCE

..
The Marauders

took

off fOl their

first night

mission

in a cold, ;ll>tI

r.un

SOIl1C IK'''illll'h

predllted

t lr.it a third

of t lun

w oul]

Illd

ict u ru

Drawings By Capt. Raymond Creekmore

f\U{ FOJ{CI-: Staff I IE Xlaraudcrs. once condemned as too hot to haucllc. were the first Amcric.m bombers to make succc.sful night-bombmg missions in force from Crcat Britain. striking first on ~Ia\' 22. and the fifth time on [ulv 7 when nine were lost. ;\'e\\'s of these operations \\'as \\'ithlteld for ;1 l iinc since the iirst four \\TrC made without alms. ,\11 \LiLluder 11Igllt missions \\'CIT led bv 9th Air Forcc 1'~ltllfinders \\lliclt m:rdc possible bombil{g tltrouglt xolid cloud cover TIIC If'tontlts of night training paid on gcncromll' at (1:1\\11 on [nne () \\'llcn tlte first '\ornl~Ill(II' landings \\'l'IC prelTdl'l1 III 112(, alLlCks. the pLrrICS LIking ofF in tltc cl.uk ,

German

searchlights

clllght

Cl \Lir;llIder

ctlkd

"I IOIlll'sick,"

and

Cl gllllilcr

IUS

wounded

bv

fr'lgillenh.

Bornb.u dicr

gal'e

NOVEMBER,

19~4

2!l

"WI.\\

THE
AIR WAR

IN THE SOUTHWEST
PACIFIC
By Col. B. B. Cain
Far East Air Forces

111come buck and make the J.lpS P,I) a h uud i eelfold m death and dcvtuu tiou." 'I'ha t \\,IS the glllll plcdc nuu]c 1)\ .1 h.mcl iul of vurv 1\ ors of the pnn~ U, S, I, ,J[ Lastcrn An I. orce that lIas all hut wipc] out in the Ph il ippincx. Today one emhodiment of that pledge is the mighh' lar I':ast Air Forces. comprising the U, S, 'ith and ] )th Air !"orces in the South\\est Pncific, which. under command of Lr. Ccu. Ceorge C, Kenney, paid the first inst.ilhucut on tll:lt deht on the night of ,\m;llSt :; wlrcn a 13-::-1 on :1 ITcounn issa nee III iss ion born bed Sassa a ird rom e north of Da \";]0, The present contraction of the [np.mc:: air force into their Philippines stronghold is the action of a beast th.it knOll'S it is hurt and about to die, cornered but cLlI1gerol!\, Rcc.rptur of the Philippines to the Amcric.m miucl is almost an end in itself, a matter of national honor. \\'hen the day comes that our planes once more take off from Nichols and Clark fields, this time with homhs for Tokvo. we will he compcuxatcd for the long and bitter strtlgg1c' :dong the road back to the Philippines across the South\\'est Pacific from Auxt r.iliu , At the heginning of the war the [ap.mc:, m ilit.irv machine \\':IS an almost perfect offensive unit. For years the lap had been tr.iincd in offense, I lis whole movrrucnt \\'as baxcd on advance or die, and inasmuch as he had been convinced bv these teachings that death meant a beautiful after life, he \\"as quite ready to die, and apparenth' still is, The speed of his uclv.mcc after Pearl J l.rrbor heeonles almost hrcathlcs when one realizes that \LiniLl fell on [anu.uv ::, 19-1::, and tbat ] S clays LIter he \\;Lssoftening IIp Rab.rul, in 0:e\\' Brituin. Rab.iul fell three cLI\'S later and bcc.unc the Jap's principal forward supply depot,' Duriiu; the next month thc Japanese stc.nurollcr O\Tr-LII1 Borneo, Timor in the Dntch !':;l.st Inches, .md Sing;lpore; tlIe rest of :'\C\I Hrit.uu CIIlIC into [up possession, .i ncl from hlscs clptmnl :It Lac .md Salaln;llla ,dong the cast coast of 0:el\' Guinea the ];'P II:IS bombing Port \/oresby ;Inel tllre;ltenillg .\ustralia itsclf. Lnh' in \ lurch the laps rocketed into ';1\;1 on one sick .md oCCllpied Boug;lin,iJle in the SO]OInollS 011 the other, Their t;letics .mcl str;lteg\' \HTe superb: bold lc;lpS. terrific shock, \Icc,ting more opposition than .mticipatcd at am' one s]Jot. thcv II ouic! ])\-P;ISS it ;Inel tlkc .ruothr. fln;t1h' <urrou nr] the point of stubborn rc'sisLlllee ;Ind str;lngk it into -ul: mission. ,\ Ltlge. flrst-eLtss mcrcha u t iu.uin e;lSih, sllppliceI, ~;Irrl'olll'd .md ;lSsistcd in cou-olidat iut; Ill'lllI c;lptmcd tcrri tr nv, 'J'IIc 'CISC \Iith Illlich t lrc ';Ip;nlc'se uurch.mt m.uiuc plied protl'cted ',hipping l.mcv. cntirclv cO\'Crn] b\ Ltnd-b;lSecl .n r cr.rf t. lIas h;lekfilnL h()\\l'ICL ;IS it m;lde nlllleel'SS;IIT till' deH,joplnclIt of an .i ir t r.m -por! S\Stelll. 11lsk;lcI till' ~'lltI:l j;lp;lncsl' .urrr.rf t iud u-t rv II;IS dl'\otccl to COlllb;lt ;lirpLllll' pro.Iuctiou. \\ il h such ;I Lipid ;ldl:lncl'. ;111\tIling but li'!ht inn iu lcna ntc II;" inlpo"iblc. hut th rl'Sllltilig 1l';lsl;lge 11';1' onset I)\' ;1 cout inuou-, f!O\I' of nell .urcr.rf t. In th~' spring of 1()-f2, wit h the Auxt r.il i.u: continent ;IS .m ohicctil'l'. the }:Ip Inc! :I stubborn poin! of rc,i,t;lllce tk,t lie could not afford to b\'-pas,--J'ort "Iores]n', 'Ilpied };ljl;lncsc "PLll1 A," wh ich h;ld worked like nl;lgic np to thi' point. 11';lS put into cffcet for ih capture. .Yn .ur-covcrcd. amphibious action supported bv strong n.rv.rl forces sct out with the intention of s;liling through Ch iu.i Str.rit around the southeast coast of ~el\' Cuiuc and taKing Port" l orcsbv b~' vurpris. For the: first time. hml'l'ler. the formula f.ulccl to work. Instead of a smooth vict orv the }:lp met ;I serious defeat in the B:lttle of the Coral SCi which \\;IS fought \!a\' -I-S. ] 94::. The score: Ll [ap.ruc:: vessels sunk to one AIR FORCE

30

Jap camouflage on this Sallv didn't fool lOll" tllill~ St h Air Force bombers dlHin~ their .rttrck Oil Old :\:nnka .urdroruc, Bocruc l-J.md.

landing cast of Llc .md the p.uutroop operation at l\ad/,ab. After that, strike followed strike ill Lipid succc-viou. Sul.rmana \LIS capt urcd , :nHI b.rttcrcd Lie bee.nne ours on Scptcmbcr l o. The Kcnncv air thrust secured liS all .ulv.uicc airdrome lip the .\Ltrkh:llll Vallcv at Kui.ipit on the :::Oth. foll owcd xhortlv aftCl"\\:m! hv the clphlre of Clhap .ul Tunipu. An :nllphihiollS bndill~ at l'imchhafcll Oil the 2:::11(! completed the rout of the J;IPS Oil the IIII"n l'cllin'IILi, })millg Oet"ber Ittll;11I1 \\:h bcillg sqllce/cd clrv of air .unl shipping tan,;ets. ,\ perfecthpl.uuud and executed l)(llllhillg attack on October l::: ucttccl three cnCII1\" dc-I rovcr-, three brgc car~o \ e'scls, -f ') sllLdl clrgo \'csscfs. -;-lJ h;"lrhor craft and 1 :::(l uirpl.mc-, e]c,!Tm eel. Anuthcr .rtt.ick. Oil 'smel1l. her 2, pcnu.mcut lv put Jbh:nl! out of the rnllning as a b.r: of ;111\" importmc to the J:lpS. This bleeding white of the cncnr, air forces and shipping in the Sonth\lc,t 1';lcifie ITsltltcd III lii-, in.rhilitv to m.unt.un sufficicul lv stroll'-; .iir PO\\lT at ;111\ one of his f:n filing m.melate bases to jeop;mll/c oper:\tiom of our smLlcc fmces :Igainst h im . .\Ltkin .md TaLI\\':1 were occllpil'll III u-, Oil ~mcll1her 21, The .\llstr:di:m ()th Divivion had pu-Iicd the

Alternate

oil dump l;0CS "P in xm ol: after

hera hlands, NOVEMBER,1944

last Jap bastioll bct\\cCll

B,25 .ittnck on I Ialma :\ell" Gnillca and Philippillcs,

J;lp:lllesc lip to Sate1berg, and I (H 3 \\':IS closed with a suecessflll landillg at Cape ClollcLster and the capture of a I"I' hlse at Ar:l\\"e. '\C\\" Year 1(),H \\:IS cclcbr.rtcd one duv l.itc with a LlJIdlllg at S:lic1or, 'sC\\" C\\111ca. . \\'herC1S tlu: Allied Air hnees under Ccucr.r] Kcnncv were fllllCtiolllllg with ele;ldll' dficiellCl', the enum'" org:lI~ivut iou had become d ivruptcd to the poi nt of relldering his order of butt!c useless for t.ut ical pLilllllllS;, ;\ 1;lpallesc striking forcc of 100 pl.mcs h.id hccomc comp.rr.rblc to the PO\I"(,T of 25. The cncmv \I'as definitell" in retreat. ,\lthough Ibh:;ul had been '!llutr:ilized, it was still too strong for \IS to chance a frontal attack. As an nlt cru.it ivc we cnpturcd Crcen Ivl.md to the cast and cut off a possible avenue of esclpc, This move also cut off am' chance of the [upunc:: forces cscaping from Bougaimille or other parts of the SO]Olnons. Om next need \I'as n n airb.rxc from which II"C could strike at the cncmvs I\:el\' Guinea flank and complcteh" bottle the Ibhlul-Kal'ieng area. The Achn ira ltv IsLlllcls were iclcJ! for this pmposc and would also gill' us a valuable base for deep rccouu.uvs.mcc to the north. Om objectives, 1\ lanus and Los l\'cgros in the Admiralties, \\'LTe garrisoned bv some -f,OOO [ap.uic-c troops. On \ larch I :; a rccouua isvancc p.ntv in force, cOllSisting of a fClI' hundred rifles of the 1st Cuv.ilrv Division, l.mclcd at I.os Ncgros. Ccncr.rl .\ lac.Yrthur \I"as uncxpcctccllv on the scene .md went a-horc with the troops. I Ie SIlfIT\U] the situation ~lIlcl ordered the troops to remain in occupntion. Th u-, \Iomote airclroinc \1:1S c.ipturcd and om perimeter \I"as reinforced jnst ahL'ad of [ap.mc: n-iuforccuuutv. This I\";\S perhaps the mo-t import.mt opcr.rt ion ever concluctcd in this theater. \\-ith air CO\CL\gc a\;1ihhle from .\Ionwte \\T were ill a f:ll"(lr:lble position to begin 1cap-froggillg operations in l\eIV Cui nc.r. It II:IS no IOll,-;er !ll'ceS\;trl" to attempt a bndillg c.r-t of the lap:lnese stronghold :It \\"CII;IK. In-tcad a bold Strohl' \I;IS pl.inncd to b:"-p:lss this hc.rvilv defendcd section and l.uul at Hnllaucli.t, to the 11~"t" Oil .\ l.uch 2() .u] ,lJ. hcavv bOlllbers covered l loll.uuli with a perfecth" pl.uiuccl attack, de,troling a c"nsider;I1J1c part of the J:lp;IIlL'se .nmv air force in :\CII' CllillL';l. Oil tile follml ing d:II, IIghter-cOIcred stLlfers f()IIOI\'l'd lip n nc] c(llnp1cll'hwrecked cncnrv .iir facilities in till' a rv.i. hurnt out l Ioll.iudi.: .mcl clc-trovccl fuc], ur.un hn.mrc :llId '-Ilpph" clmu p-; ])mill'-; t lu. ;IH;I'cks more th.m -fl)[) cncnll :mpLll1cs \'.LTe :ICcOllllted for. .md there i~ cvid.ucc th.it the J:lp:lllese .ur comiu.md ill the .irc.: \I;IS rcliCled in cli'c;race, 1 lnll.mdi.r. .mcl .vit.ip to the CISt. \1"L'I"eoccupied wit h o ut \lIhsLlnti;il resi,Llnee on .vpril 22. CIJttillg "IT the lap;lne'e 1<--'tll .vnuv ('(IlICclltr:Jtn1 1I1;111I1I" ;It \\ cluk :ll1d the I Lm -a !~:II :lrl;1 .urd gil illg liS :Iirllelcl~ wh i.l: illclT:I'ed om hC:I'v hOlnl>illg LIl1,-;e to ;1 '1lTL'pillg :Ire tli.rt inc1l\(1ccl S()eLI1J;lj;I, 1~;rlikp:IP;Ill. ])al:J() .uicl S;lip;llI. The I blnLdlCLI\ werc open to .ut.rck :111(1;llrdrcllllcs of thc \"o'-.;e1kop :1I\(1 CL'lillllk Ibv ;II"C;I, ClllIC willuu ran'-.;c of on r nu.d iumv. ThL' .uri.rl blit/ :lg;lin,t t l el\('IIlI"'s hl\l'S ill the \'":Ikde l vl.md- b(''':llI OJ! \[;1\ (1. :llId nc.ulv 1,1)[111 t,,\IS of h'llnb, II'('IC (1roPI-wei on t1le" :IrL';1 fr()JlI th~'lI unt i] \h\ 1- wl nu .\llIeel f"rees hl\(1cd ill !lIL' Toc-iu sector "11 t11C I)IIte11 'sew Cni1ll'a m:llllhllei oppo\itc the isl:lllds" Olle i\hnd of tIle gronp \\";IS occupied, follOl\"l'd bl ot lurv, \\"ith our sel/,nre of air Ltcilihes in the \\'Ikcks, the IIIJ{I1c eLih"r:ltc Sl"stell' of 1:lp ;lirc1r"llles ill \\T'klll Dutrl: 'sC'11 (;lline:1 \I:IS in jeopard,", 'lhr m ovt clivt.mt ;lirfle1d at [cfm.n: II;IS onll" -f()I) miles ;1\1:11, l';lsill with in IIg1ltcr r:lnge. \1c:lllIlhi1c. :dthongh s(lllle cnctuv resisLlnce ,till \I;IS be, ine; CnC(lllntcrn] .rt \\':Iktlc, Ccncr.r] Kennel \lon1d not h;dt his schn11l1c of .icr ia] :lCh":lI1cc, Progrcssin'h" he:I\\' air atLICks IITrc hcillg d ircctcc] ;lg:lillSt Hi.i]; in :1 repeat pcrf orm:'lICC of the death b]0I1 dealt :It ll olln nrli.r. (Colltill11Cd on P'I~e of'))

35

I Airspeed Indicator Indicator 3 Flight Indicator 4 Al t imctcr 5 Turn and Bank Indicator 6 Rate of Climb Indicator 7 Clock 8 Air Temp, Gauge 9 Carburetor Temp, Gauge 10 Radio Compass 1 I Suction Cauge 12 Volt Meter 13 Am meter 14 Localizer Indicator 15 Oil Temp, Cauge 16 Cvlindcr Head Temp, Gauge 17 :\Iagnetie Compass 18 RP\l Xlctcr 19 I\lanifold Pressure Gauge 20 Fuel x I ixturc Gauge

2 Turn

STANDARD FLIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL

By Col. Thomas J. DuBose
Deputy, Asst. Chief of Air Staff, Training
this year, the Am1\' Air Forces adopted one standard arrangement for the grouping of the six basic flight in st rumcnts on the instrument panels of A,\F aircraft. The new arrangement, known as the Standard Flight Instrument Panel, was made official bv Technical Order No. 01-1160 dated \ Iarc'h II. 1944. The Standard I'light Instrument Panel has the six basic flight instrumcnts arrangcd in two horizontal rows, one above the other, with three iust r mucntx in each row. In the upper W\V, reading from left tn right as vicwccl bv the pilot, arc the airspeed indicator. the tnrn indicator (dircctional gno), and the flight indicator (;\TO horizon or artificial horizon }. In the lower row. again reading from left to right, arc the altimeter, the turn and bank iudic.itor. and the rate of climb indirrtor. If, in addition to the six basic flight instr utu cu t s, the cross pointer and the radio compass arc installed in the airplane. tlu-v arc placed one above the other to the left of the two TO\\'S with the cross pointer in the npper position, "'o\\' whv \V;IS it ncccssarv to adopt a stanclarcl .u r.macnicnt for the gronpin; of these inst rumcnt s? .\nc1. if there \\'as snch a requirement, wliv was this particular arrange, ment Iinullv adopted? As regards the first question, up until this new panel arrangcment \\'as officially adopted there were, in the various aircraft of the .vnuv Air Forces, some ..j 3 different official or c[nasi'offieial arrangements of the flight instruments. At one base it was found that there were four different arrangements in four airplanes of tIle s.unc model operating from the base. Obviouslv, such a condition was cxt rcnrcl ,' llnd:.:~i:-~1~)1c.

ARLY

The Armv Air Forces considers it essential that its' pilots be able to flv on invt rumcnts. Almost cvcrv combat mission, trans, port. or domestic 'erosscountry flight demands skill in instrument flying. Flying on inst nuncnts in modern high pcrfonuancc airplanes demands much of the pilot. Bdore he c.m bec-ome an instnuucnt pilot he must succcssfullv complete a stiff tI:li"il'g cou rxc. Before he c.m become a tru!v c.rp.iblc instrument pilot he must eont.nuc to practice iuvt rmucnt fll,ing if he is to rct ain his skill. For s.ifcrv. cfficicncv. and ccouomv e\'Cnthing possible muvt be' done to simplifv his task. not onlv clurius; the trail:ing period, but thronghont his instru111Cllt n~.ill~ career. From the: training angle alone. the efficient mass prod net ion of pilots, able to flv on instrumcnt s. demands st.md.mlizat io in all phases of instruction. Sneh standardization is imposxiblc without a st.mdurd arLnH.;ement of the fligl't iu-f nnucutx. liu.illv, the LIck of uniform itv in inst mmcut p,inels means just one more unncccss.uv complication in the alrc.ulv complex problem of mass production of aircraft. .\s regards the second qucstiou-i-whv the particular arrangement finullv adopted:~the .:vnnv Air I-'cJrccs started workius; on the devclopmcnt of the Standard Fhght Inxtrumcnt Panel uc.irlv !\\'C) years ago. To the office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Training, was given the responsihility of detcrmining [ust what was the most acceptable lay-out for a standard panel and of monitoring the project through to completion, The modern concept of instrument flYing is based on teaching the student to visualize

the attitude of his nirpl.mc from the instrument readings, By learning to do this, the student mukcx the ncccvsarv corrections from his visual izntion of his airplane's attitude, rather th.iu mcchanicallv movinr; the controls so th.rl the pointers of the instrument dials assume the proper positions for the at tit udc desired. To do this pr oporlv, the stu dent must learn to ut il izc all six of the basic night instruments. The skilled iustrumcut pilot, traiucd in accord.mcc wit l: this COli cpt. can instnntant-ouslv and nutomnt icallv create from the instrument rCldings a mental picture of his airpl.uic attitude. '[,his, then, \\as the basis OIl wh ic]: the St.mclarcl Flight Iuxt r umcuf Panel \\':IS developed. For nc.ir!v I S months, the officers of the \ latcricl Cc;mmand and Training Commancl charged wit l. clcvclopuu; the p.mcl con, duttrcl studies and cxpcrimcnt s, iucludiui; cxliaust ivc tests under actual invtrumcut conditions. of v.ir iou-, gronpings of the flight instruments. In c.n rviur; on these studies and tests. the .idvirc :1;](1 :lssist:llll'e of opcrut i;lg uuitx in the ficld were solicitcel and ob t.iincd. Both tr:lining aud operational COlI, sidcrat ions were c.ircfullv weighed, Fiuallv. there was evolved an inst rumcnt :nrangeincut \\'hich seemed to till the hill. \ lcdicII research In' the office of t lIe ,\ir Slllgeon in connection with the tests on tks proposed lavout substantiated its desirahiJit\, from the .t.mdpoint of minil11iz.ing fliglIt Lliigue. This 'Irr:lllgcmcnt \\':IS adopted as the St.md.ml night l nst nuucut Pane!' The major aclv.iutugcs of the standard p.mc] arc: 1. 'I'uc arr'lllgement meets tr:lining requirements in t hnt :111 six b.i-,ic flight inxtrumcuts arc grouped together. 2, The airspeed indicator is dircctlv over the altimeter which is ncr-css.rrv for aeemacv in homhing operations. . 3, The turn indicator (directional gno) is clircctlv over the turn and hank in dic.itor \~'hieh allows for vcrt ical sight, ing bv the pilot and his immediate perception of failure of either instrument, 4. 'lhc airspeed indicator, the altimeter, (Continued on Page 44)

36

AIR

FORCE

A MAINTENANCE

ROUNDUP

PREPARED

IN COLLABORATION

WITH AIR SERVICE COMMAND

AND TECHNIC.~L INSPECTION

DIVISION, AIR INSPECTOR'S

OFFICE

crystal gazing sergeant :II :111,\SC dcpot in J-:1li;Lmd forcs:m th p,mihilih of sah'a~illi; t lu. hii;hh' SCIISlti\l' 'lILntz cleIllClltS ill 2(1,(!(1I! il"lcl i\l' Ll,ho IT\'SLIIs stor:li;cd for sllipmcllt hIck to the P, S, lie is the proud l)Jo2I1o,stic:ltor of :1 eli1lOdc LI\' IILIChl1lc which vivu.illv tells t lir plccisc fr'C'lIlCIICI of a clIsLII .ul .rt t hc S;III1C t in- illdiellcs its :rhi];'h to wit hvt.mr! the tlCIllClldoJlS vibrut ion of a pl.u n- ill fli~ht. Tho clc:nhc:ldcd cl.urvov.mt is T/S1;t. J;mlcs T, )Ohll"l1l of \\'cltherforcL 'lcx.iv, on clut v ill thc rcsc:nch dcp.rrtuunt of thc dcpot's Sii;lLJ! \LlilllclLIIICC Section. who without lxucfit of ou ij.: ho.u d or :lstro]0i;i,:Il aid, allcvi.rtcd :1 CTitiells]lOILii;C ill thc-: vit.il I:lclio COlllpollcnts .u] solved ;1 ticklish problem ill Il'st c'lllipIllCIlt. It SlTlIlS 11"lt t lun- \\';IS red d;lIl~er of 111 a 11\' .-\lIleric:11I pl.mc-, hcilli; i;rollll'lccl for bck of Si~ILIi cquipmcut , :md thc clenLmcls from Ili;hter ;llId bomlx-r u n il x ill 1':II~LIlld rosc to :I four-motored pitch, The .\ir Scrvicc Conuu.uid inn ncdiatt-lv hU';:11I .m ill\l'stig:ltioll 10 clctennillC thc' possihilit\, of injcctilli; IIL'\\ lift- int o "Cl.., 2()" r.ulio CI\sLds t h.it ~\erl' ;I\\;lilillg dch;nblJolI .md liouor:Ihlc disc]"ngc, :\clillg ;d'"lg t hc-.c lines. .Vnuv t erl mici.ins sllCcccckcl ill s;J\mg II LlII v \l't'CLIII CT\sLlls from t h igllOlllill\' of '[Ilict rctin-mcnt. hilt fonllcl tli.it t l: in-olubl kcv to the whole plOCCSS \\;lS ;I Icli:lhk IIll'1hod of g:mgillg the cx.ict cOllciitilJ1l of t lic CI\sLds .rf tcr ICact iv.it ion . Llch 1I11it. ill melcr to be clTcc-

'A

t iv.lv IIsccl ;lg;lill, \\as rcquirccl to f uuct ion .rt t]IC r.u cr! frc'lllcnc\ origill;llh spccif'cd bv t hc m.muf.rctun-r , .mcl uulcvs this s;lInc frc'l"CIIC\, \\':IS m.unt.nucd af tcr ,,1I';lging, the CT\sLII would 1LIn' to be Llppcd Oil tlu: dlcst .nl pronnunrcrl unfit. It \\;IS nCCC'SS;lll', thereforc, to find out to \\']Llt cxttnt t hc Lld;o (T\'SLlls l"ld been ;lffcctcd bv t lu- rcchm.it ion I)Joccss, hilt ill'lnirics to t lic SLIIcs rcn'aled th.rt 110 iu-t.mt.mcous met lrorl of testIng crvst.ils for ;ICCIll:llc o-rill.rfion \\':IS av.ul.rblc. Filter t l: t.rlcntcd t cch. III :1 1I1OlIth's t iurc lie' perfected a crvst.il testcr th.it lulped to return ;I high pcrccIILl[;c of former}, ITjcclcd CT\'SLIIs to .u.t iv dutv. ]-'C\\' np.ur jobs h:ln' f.nlcd since his app:n;ltns h:LS been ill usc. and lip to rcccnf lv he has assist eel in t lu: rc.ut iv.rt ion of :;(1,I!()() (T\'SLl!.S .rt ;I subst.mt i.rl s:l\ing, :;(l,(l()() (T\'Stals cant be \\rollg, .u] elils for till' m.u.hin ;lIC hcillg Iccci\l,d from .iircruft rtp.ur dcpols :111 on'] t he world. ,\]ICI,h', hHJ of the machines .irc in opcr.ition in India, Sergc:IlIl JOI"l\OII <t n.lic! r.idio clI~illccril1g .u Tcxas Cluivti.m Uuivcr-itv alld prior to enter ins; the .Vnnv in :'\on'1I1ber, I 'H2, \\as ;I civil rvirc radio tcclmici:lII at Fort Sam Houston. Sail Antonio, Name. rank and serial number of the oldcst ]', ,.') in nct ivc service in thc Sonth\\l'st 1';ICitlC is rcported to bc :'\0, .f: 12UJ-f, ::lIs\\l']ill~ to a dIJZCll ddTelTlIt nicku.mu-, iuclnding SlICe! Lip-, Rut h II .mcl Trudv.

Sill(e joillin~ t hc 1 'Ih .vnnv .Vir Force hICk ill :'\o\'l'IIIber of 1'H2, shc has put ill 1I101e th.in ~(I() homs of .l.rv .mcl lIight fli;hti"g ()\TI Cll;lchlcall:J!, \llIlld:l, Klhili .mrl .lbb:ml. .nul h:ls 111 OIL' Ihall sc\er:J! [up p1:lllCS to lur credd, ,\t v.niou-, times dnrill~ her (Olllhl! life shc Ius floxvn wit l: the SlInSctters, \ ':lIllpiICS, Dirtv DO/clI .mc] l'ightillg Cocks-;1l1 SCJII:lClrollS of t lu- l St h J\\]-' Fii;hter Conun.nul. Rank" \\'clL this Li1;htlling LltCS xkvllii;h wit l: crcw chief S ISi;t. Duane E. Sluunw.rv of \\'illSlo\\', :\riz .. '
When opportunity knocks for most of us, it uxu.illv \\'c:rrs rubbcrvolcr] shocs and carrics a fe:lt her pillo: ill caeh 11;111(1. But for S S~ts, lr.mk R, \l:1t;rrcsc. Hurlinaton. ,\, J. .md vvilli.un 0, l l.uroll. Orl.uulo. 1"1:1. bot h at an ,\'I'C: base in Indi.r, opportunitv c.uuc rii;ht ill .md made itsclf at llOIIIC, The occasion \\':IS t hc difficlllt\' cncountCIccI In' n1:linfC'll:IIICc men in sep:rr:1tilli; airpl.nn- t irc- frmn their lilllS-oftCII :1 time\\':lStillg operation t h.it Iitcrallv "t in-ri" the nun out. The two scr"C:lllls roll.rbor.itcd to elc\'ise ;1 n1:lchille t li.rt fm('cs tircs f r om the lilllS of 1:mdini; \I']ICe]s bv bre:lking loose both sldcs of t lrc '<slloc" ,sinlllitallcoll,sh,.md wil! h.rudlc .mv xi:: t ire from the sl;1:111 type llsed In' Ii:liso'n pLrlll'S to the killgsizc n,2') b.illoous. \ Lldc from "Ikli;cel m.rtr-r i.rl at ;1 cost of ;;ppro',:I1Li' "21111, tl',(' IILIChillC hilS a ,,]]]:nc f r.nuc of II iron. wit h " CilCld:lr rim,

";\ l.ikc m inc ;1 cloulilc shot" m.r, he appropriate phrasing under ccrt.un condition. but pllotogr:lpllicalh' spcakmg it mcrclv iud icutc-. twice :IS m.un m.untcu.mo; misf:lkes, The serge;int whn drC:ll1In! !IP fllis' COCkf:li1 of errors cLiillls that he nllXC'd se\en ingredients of poor pr:lctice in e;lch of the pi\, But don't tmll thc pa;,;c for ;1 peek :It cohulln three llntil :'ou\c prmul tlr;lt he nceels ;,;1:15'0' Pictme A shOll'S a
in

13-1 ~\ top turret gun hung iuvtallcc], wluh- in photo B the lmnT hili turret is hcing rl'lllmeel for 01 erl.nu] , SCllin;,; the conc'lctwll in orrk-r to clCllWllStLitc \\,hit! not tel do, ;lre (pict un: ,\, left to light) S;,;t, Fr.ml: R ll.rlurtv .mr] S/Sgt. Jolin II. Coopcr, hoth of +]()() :\\V Bli, Jllcl (photo 13, left to ri;,;htl Sgts, COOpLT "nel IlJlILT!I' :Ind S;.;t. \\'illialn R, Kin;,;, +()()() AAV 13U, Vligh t Section, P;l!tcTson I'iclc!. Oh io.

It 1<; niouutc! OIl a !Iim;cd pl.uform .md is r.nscc! or I,m Clnl bv a bomb wiucl: to the !lcight required Ill' 'the sizc of the tirc. :\ 2111011 \\ illg j;lck is IIsn1 to exert prcssllle OIl the circul.u' lilll 11,1 !I forccs t h;: bC;ld of the ill tire ;1\\;11' frolll II,c rim, tliliS l>1c:l!,illg l.ot h sidc<; of t hc tirc from tl,c rim .i! OIlC I';ckillg. 'I he rnt ir Opl'l:ilioll InJlllll's 01111' IIIC 111111. lltcS ;IS COlIlP;llCd to till' plCliom tirc lll:lllgCS II!Iic!I COllSllllll'd ;111\IIIIClC from t hirtv ruinutcs to <;i\: hours. ' ' .vf tcr ;1 dClllOmtralioll ill 1IIIich t!Ic 111:]' c1lillC brol- dO\\11 1\\0 tiles ill t lncr .u] OIlC. L:I1f nuuutt-, C:IC!l, till' .ipp.uat u-, 11:ls w.nin11 ;Ipplm l'd Ill' t l licld's tcch Impcclors ~illd engineering officers.
The critics raved IlllCl1 t hc l lolluudi.: in. vnxion proH'd .m illllllcdi:ltc <;1l1;ls!I uit in the Sout h ]',lciJic t luut cr. .u u] the hrill i.mt plT f0r111;lllCC of I!lc \ \I: ,s!I:lll'd top billmg II it oot work of )(lldill:ltcd :II IllS, Hut b;lcksLIgl' t lu. sllpporl illg Cist II:lS raisillg tlll' curt.uu OIl :I lit t lr dr.uu.i of its mIll. , .. SOIlIC tunc lxfor "opcllillg llig!It" it II';IS discmcIcd t h.it ;1 bn;c uuin lxr of I' )0's bcillg readied .rt ;111 ;l,h';lllcc 1l:lsC ill :\CII' (;llillC:l l:IeKl'd sntlieicllt Lillge to ;ldCljll;ltl'lI' cover the bOllIllCls listed on the progLllll, ,\ 11 111'gcll t ;IPIK:I! \\ :IS ut to ;1 ot h .vir lortc Scrvirc COIIlIl1;II"] .kpot OIl t!Ic m.unI.md for t l: pns"'lllel .uu! Cljlllplllcnt llcl'llcd to olltllt t hl' lig!It l'IS II it II ext r;l LIC' torvm.idc Il'illg t.ink-. I l crc, \L1j, J;1\' II. St.rlcv, StCCltOll. ]':1., officer in C!I;Il~C of uiod iticnt iou .uicl crcct ion. seleetcd a detail of <;I\: 1I1Cll llc:ldcd ]11' \l,lSgt, \\'ilLl1<l I,;lllglc. Cimiu u.u], 0 .. .md huvt lcd them into a 11;litillg pl:IIIC for a lligllt to the Illnglc airficl]. For Cl:IIS t hcrc.rftc-r Sngcmt I,:lllgle nnd Ilis men 1;'orKcd 1 (, to 1" hnur-, nut of CIC1\' 2-1. C01!lC lunt. eOlllC r.un , ill .in eflort tf) meet the cle;ldlilll'. 'I!: Ilmllg II':IS rc rout eel throllg!I hot l: IlillgS to the pilot's C01l1P;11t1l1Cllt, '\l'll', k:IKpwof plllmbillg \\';IS instullcd. The strCS\(S .mcl xt r.i in-, dc, vclopcd 11\ the ;Idditioll of t hc Willg Link II'eTe OHTCOlllC. ;md :Ill intricile sip!Iollillg problem \\,;IS soll'clL In :lddition, e:lch pLIm' \',;IS cljllippcd Il'itll a W:Illlillg lii;ht Ilhich tlJs!Icd ;1 sigml to l!Ic pilot flllh' lil'e 'llilllltCS beforc it \\:lS tillll' for him to <;\\'itch to the nCII'h' iml;dled LmK, ,\s t!Ic s!Iips CIIIlC off thc lillc tl,CI' lITre tntllml'll 11\' Co1 Ld\\:m1 \ I, (;;11;11' or hI' llis ;hsist:lllt: Lt, (hlCll \1. \\'o]f, :Illd CIlT;' I'-)S ill \lIC grollp II';IS llelill'rcd OIl tilllC ;111;] ill IIIstel:I" cOlnlnt cOllditioll, T!Ic dOllghll' IllCC!IS II!IO "KCpt 'cnllll"
h the vm l: ot lur

rcp:lIls ,,('IC IIl'ld III poslllOl1 I" tlu: Lid SKid Iestlll:'; OIl t lu: 01K'11 CTO\\11 of IlIe j:lCK, he Found l li.r! IllmCIIICll1 ],1' nu: hs ilhi,k t hc pl.mc ol l iu ('llhlel l l. 'Llil SKid 10 liouur 011 l hc J:I,k, d:llll.l,;ilig t l Illlder,id,' 01 the fllSel:lge .u] lIlll",\1i :11IIIg nll'mill'shcd. mct.il lep;lil \llllk, hcsldes elld:lll:';lTill:; t hc lower ],:t11 111]ld, \\illI tim III iuind. \l:ljm \IIcre, dCliscd ,1 t.ulvk i.l ll.lelk \\ll,led trt nu ,;dl:ll;l'Il sln,l, II h ich ,SCIT\\' lilm'" inl o t lu: j:ICK Ill' Illl':IIIS of:l t\\O iu.l: tllll',lellei xl ct n , ;Iill] clIc'cllIl'h' PICITllts thc lail 'Kid [i om sllpjlillg off t hc I:lCK, II is Ill.lelC 0111 of 14" t ln.k mclnl, \\CIg!Is niuc pOlllleis ;Ind Its ho\: sh:ljlcel sidcs ille hlo illclIcs !Iig!I. \l:lJor illll)lml'lllcllt: \\'c'rc not mcrclv jlllllllillgI

WHAT'S
IN PHOTOS

WRONG
ON PREVIOUS PAGE

1. Psst! TIel', S;m:;c, ~et t 11;11 cloin aw.iv from its plnarlolls perc !I, ,\I\I,lI' place dOlllC c.nctull, OIl glolmd wlu! invt.il l
lll~ ~o gllll\.

ll: phcr lUPl)\' sergc;mt II ill pmL uiu t lu: sokllillel clLk If ],e Kel'ps up In- Imc 10 l ml.cr .ul rvil nv. C:mrcd pro' ccelme: Ilg!I1l'1l tillS lllllliedioll 1", h.nul. T.sK' TSK' 1:lnd,k elrilc e;I'hles c:lld 0pcLlte 11'],Cll OIlC IS IllJllKCel LCllC;II!I the cover pbll' .n u] 1\\0 otlur, .nc \\r:l])pu[ .u ou nt] t!Ic Cllillpl1lillg si;;l,t Dou't get vour ;ILh
i

\\-Jrc~cfo\\l'd.

nuu'

-I 1'l.IISe t!rc J.m,L Lilt elllll't P;ISS t hc .uunuuut rou-i--v rr S,lktl rul.-, fell lOll not til ui-r.ill .nmuo whil \\ mK:ll'-; Oil t urrct. 0, Roll out tl,c b.unl, .uul put It IllIcle il will do t lrc 111",1 gOlld, .vpp.inntl, t hc lllcchs h.tvru! uoliccd thnt b.mcl iu glill at left is ,\ \\OL (I, OIlC of om tilkr caps is missill;;, , , , \\';Iteh for it-, PICSCllCC ill till' LrC:ltlIl'l Clip ill daih' impnliom, C:;I]) prclcl1ls du-t .uid elirl from gctlill'-; iut o hv dr.iul. tllliel, Stop~ TI,LTc',;I lim it til Ll':ltill'-; piu-, out 1111t lic l inut stop, lu ilur of lllcch:lllis111 11;:11 CIII\(' gllllllcr to lire int o pl:llle<S fll.,ci:Ige or structurc I'ricllelh tip: Follow T,O, I 1.-IOC 0, eI:lled JUllC 311, 1 rH-I, 1. llold that turret. pulLl:ZI:~ lu. cornctlv supported. as ,IIIl\\'Il, it 11];11' f:dl :lg;lillst sielc of hoist .nu] Lc d:llll;lgl'd, CliceK ,\'\ 11-1:;(;1, ,bIrd '\IJlil 20, l'iH, SLTewdrinT .nt ivtrv is o nlv :1 11':ISIl' of mu -cl wlu-n IClllmlll~ Ilrc cutoff C:l111 , I !cre's !I,m' to elo it: \\'iI]' turret ill stOl\cd povil ion , gUllS [ullv elel;lted ;IIllI POilltill'-; :lft. sllppmt opeu ellt r.mrc door 1", st r.rp to prevent ,Lllu;lge to llillge or \\crllll'l stilI" piu,-;, IZclllmT t lu- eigllt Lolls fr0111 c.uu br.ukct aud rill'-; gC:lr. \[on: t lu: t urrr! in clcv.rt ion Ilith h;111d (T;lllk unt il OpCll eloor pLTIllits rcm ov.r] of c.uu [rrnu lurrc! IlclL ), You J1lT,111't klloek Lefmc cuterin,-;, LIlt ;It k;lst refLlill fro111 k:lllill'-; on till' till' rd cIIfLlllce door. '\l'\'lT ;I]'ph' prcssme or Hlll Ill;II' sprillg Ihe ],lllge ;lllll door Il'on't tit propcrh' ill enel",urc, -I, TlIe OITicc of I'hillg S;lfctl, Ilollld g:lsp iu ],orrm to scc t !I:lt "Ikl': Lclt elr:l]Jl'eI :llTllSS tlle glill OIl Illl' Il"m ,fllll":rollllli TlIc gllllllcr Ilill le-cl 111ig!ItI, mK"d if it', f,w:ol Ie 11, 'I'(), 11-1)(; 1 rcc'o111111Clllls th;lt it Le left illside t hc t mrl'!, 0, Olle f:ll,e lllmc ;Illd tlIc 11];111 iu tllC 111 iddle llLI\' step 1111l!Ie plni,~l:J, of t],e clld Lell ClP, \\'],Cll Tl'lllll\i"'-;S111II ile111s, pl:Ice 111('111"Ile-h' Olltsille t IIc \\mKillg ;IIT:1. (1. Spe:IKilr,-; "f u"cli\ciplilll'd size cll'lcus, I\hl' kilC a S2,\()() COlllplllillg si,;llt 1:11illg ;Irlllillel II IIere it lll;II' Lc LloKcu c:Isih': \lld lIllI' llot 11IO\'l' j!Ic' glln 'lilt of tIll" 11:11' so lllCll won't tlip OIcr it" \\'c're lllinking of d:lllJ:lgl' to tl,e '-;Illl, ll:llllLIih" ..., 1 )'"I 't lOOK 11m\', Imt :1 tlc,iLk caLle h:ls 1,cell left ;1If:lcl,cd to tIll' CllillPIIfillS:; sig1If, Better pLlC licl' is to eli\ClJlllll'll :111 tlniLk caLks froIll t!Ic sig!It :llld le:II'C thC111 ;1I1;lChcd to thc tllrrd, If lClllm eel fW111 tmre!. clhlc 11];n Le Illispi:Iecd dmillg re' p:lir of t!Icsi;;ht auel htter II ill Le i:Jstalkcl 111iullS a cahk,

Somewhere
s/l:llfelcd hOl]]hcr

in Italy a gi;l]]t cr:llie lifts the :11,,1 stlippcd 11111k III a hell\' :I]]d '1,'i]]g-, ]t Illlto a pile {Jf othe:r ,II:lttcred :llld Itlipl'cd IllIlkl tll;1t lr:II'C hcc!1 uJI/.li:';lled to tile "III-:ll;e 1;lrd fm recl;llJI;I' ti{Jll, Ilere<S a gr;II('I;]]d ilr:,t l':lIS jt.s {J\I'!1
fur f1:_;llre" in

,,;n',

tJI(.'

deprlt

cll[;illccrill~

jllcli(.]tc tll:1t m('r ~lliI h;lttlescmed :lirer:dt ;1 ll!lJI'tll In ti,e \!c,!:tcrl:I]]Clll TI1c:!ler arc 1ll:Icle I\lj()le ;1:';;li]] \\'itlr ,\:I1I':I:.;e, Rosie the Riveter II'olI1e1 ],lTOlll(' gra". sl.rillcd \\ ilh l'II\\' if sill' \\TIl' 10 lI<ljl mer to :111 \tll ,\n lOll,' S"lli'l' ('''llllll.lllei SI:II,llll iII r-:,Il;hllel :Illd Ill' til,' hlill<1 rild glill ell" \Ig1lCd III Sect. \If,,eI C, J):lllllldl. \ hOllll I" slill'! Iltll.t1 111('11 \\!I" fmlllClh1",,1 [0 p"l'l olT I:llecC ,,'cllom "f slll'd lllCL;l (;1' "kill ill order to ~ct to tlle ilJ"id(' or Illllierslllf:ll'l' til 1,lill rin'ts Illllll p,iI,llill:; fhk hole,,_ 111c ::"~llll Ij()\\' l1L11-,T~ \"lJrl(>Iill~ lilCIs illill i'LlCCC"ihk sc(lillll' (;f SKill 011 he:II'I' LllllIill'rs ;1' C:I\I' ;IS llllllr("/ fWlll hOllIe, \lsill:; f:lpcrcd ri,~'f:; Ilil], thc brgc Cllel illScrkd illio \lIC o"cllill'-; :Illd Clll':h("] 1", a closch' lit kd j:lCKCL ;1 lUlld l'I)('I:1I,d LellOlls t\pc lel'er plllls I],c ri\'l,t fmm imielc to Ollt,
fOI'cill2; ih ~rT:lfl'r di;1111l'tcr ~I~llll",t

,,!7ile

ill~"-l()ll~l'r.

,\"('fC,

hc\idc\

SlT~(,;lllt

T,;lll~lc.

T Sgt, ,\rthm :-;/Sc;t. \'cl1lon ;olll] J'fe, John

\',

J.

\ TilTH'\', Sgt, ]01111 \!eill". r.. lL1I1c;, Pfe, Fch\;ml I.C\\' Ts:lillkcrfms,

They tell us \l1;I! c,pcricncc is tl1c ],est tc:lehcr ],ce:lllsc lOll elld Cllt ch"cs, ,\lllI ,,!ICll tllc \:iii SKid of :I Il 2-1 SLllts slidillg off its j;lCk Ilhile 11l:lilllcll;lllCC Il'ork i, ]'eillg dOllc-II'cll. ],mlhcr, 1'011'11 KIlO\\' wlufs lllC:l1lt 11\' t1IC scl,ool of'll:1111 knOCKS, .\ st:n jlllpil i, \hi, Joscph T.. \hTrs of Brookllll (olle of om ;I11ics) '\J, Y., h:l11g:lr l1l:lilllcllalllC dlid at ;111 :\ir Sellicc Com. l1lalld clepot ill tlle British Isles, '\Jot illS that Liberators llllclergoillg l1loclilie:tt iOIl or

the
Il'hich

j:ICKCt. thlls np;111dillg it illto holel, tlll' ri\d \(TIIICh"

a 1\':lshcr

38

AIR

FORCE

technique

The A-26 ... Our Newest Attack Bomber

By Col. V. R. Haugen,
SCCtioll, Proieet Officer

XA2("

Aircraft ;\ TSC

Proiccts

EIl;lJIecrilli;

Di,'i,ioll,

Out of this war has come a new respect for the att.rck airplane, The bo~'s whn come in low, hit hard and getthe-hell out, have chalked np an enviable record agaimt the cncmv, The G~rmans started it with the Stub dive-bomber. But eventually the Stub died O\'lT the western front and Britain, Although it did a devastating job against nndefended targets, its lack of defensive armament made it a clav pigeon for fast Allied fighter'>, Om own A-2-1s met a similar fate, Yet, the mission for wh ich the dive-bomber was intended-to knock out gronnd instalbtions p;l\'ing the way for troops-still was
NOVEMBER,1944

important play in the game of modern war. There was hilt one nltcruativc-c-fu-t light bombers with hCI\'Y firepower ;lttaeking at low altitudes, an adaptation of attack aviation wh icl: the AAI' had originated years before with the Curtiss Falcon and the A-17, Thus did the attack bomber come into its own, In England, Africa, the Sonth Pacific, 1\-20s and Beaufighters strafed and bombed the enemy and fought their wav hack to bases. Then came the A- ")0, a rcv.unpcd J\ r nstang used as ;111 attack plane in Sicilv. 1\ "new terror" they called it. Other types of planes soon pressed horne the new tactical offensive: B-2os with a dozen gnns skimming low on sneak raids, B-2 'is with a 75 nun cannon smashing [up shipping, even B-17s used for low-Hving attack missions in New Cuinca. (Cout inucd on \,'l,,,t Page)
;1Il

39

, , ,CO:-iTI:-iUI:D

pacbgil1'-; ;111 the improvcu.cut , po"iblc from excxpcricur: \1 it h thmc fightlll'-; pLII1C', ((mIC' the 1\/\)'''s ncwcvt, t!,tc,t .u u.l clc:ldlic,t .it t.rck bomber .. the 1\-26 Inv.rdcr, \\ Inch 110\\' i, 'lTil1g action, The Invader i, the h,tc"t bomlx r C\Tr built in this country. It ix n hopped-up. tou,-;h, big brother to the Blhh)]] , Speedy and nirnbk-, the i\-:::(l CI1I xl ril: from tree-top ult itudes :J11e1 prcscul ol1ly- a fl.r-h npo"me to ack-ack fire, It i, e1e,igneel 'pc'Cifictily for opcr.i t iou-, ;lg:limt cncmv .urcr.rft on the ground, n.rval \T"eL, Limlll1g p.nt ic-; wlr.rrvc, to\\"11' harhorin,-; cucm v troop', auti.uur.rf t cmpl.rccmcn tv. ,upply dumps, t.ml., ancl troops on the m.rrch or iu bivou.ic. Doughs Aircr.rf t C(J111P;lI1\', wluch bthereel tlte A.:'.-f and 1\.:'.0, now !LIS the nrw bombcr in IILI,S proeluetion a]](1 h:I' made po,'ihle il x rcm.uk.iblc potcuti.rlitics bv me of ,0111e cxccpt ion.rl e1e,ign fc.rt urc: The l nvudcr is e1e,igneel to c.irrv an cxt rcnu-lv Ilc-x il.lc selection of gum, CII1I1(J1ISand bonib-, or fnel \\ h ich sll oul d IlLIkc ih offemi\'C ,trikil1g PO\\'lT adaptable in :t1mo:,t :lllY comb.it sit n.rt iou, It is exeeptiol1:ilhclean ;\erodvn:\1nicllh', emploving the recently clC\'Clopecl I\'ACA ICl\\'.drag (Lamillar 1-'10\\) airfoil \\ing sect ion, It is equipped wit]: twiu :'.,OO() 11OrsepO\\LT ]\.:'.SOO scric-, enginc', It 1Ia, a ne-w double "lotted Ilip \\hich rl'ChleeS Lllleling spcccl and a"i,h Llke.otT. Anc] the entire' .urp l.inc e!uplO\, fCltmes of m.uurcu.mcc ,implificltion stre"iug acce"ihility to all pur t s.
t cuxivc

]'\o\\',

Anv ground crewman accustomcu to work on the 1\-:'.0 ,houlcl he able quickly to adapt him-elf to the l nvack-r. 011e mcch.uuc on the line at \Vright held CJuipped: "This b.iby is a rcp.unu.ms dream." \ V c have lIlany reports, from pilots wlro have flown the ship dming te,ts, on ih flIght chur.uh-r ivtics. 1\11 agree that the A.26 is one of the IlL'st fhing :Iircr:,ft they ever hale flown. It i, cxtrcuu-lv cl'y to h.md!c, ILlS \\cll groupcd controls, comfor tub!o sClting, good m.un-uvor.ihilitv .md is ell" void of ;I11~' vicious tricks, There i, no tcndcncv to ,nap off into a xpin , and the pl.nu: performs hC:lntiflIih' in a st.ill. \\'J,ile sccuri lv prcvcnl s a ele'LTiption of the l nv.idcrx ,t:ntlillg pertorl1l:lnce, we em tell y011 t li.ir CO!. J, IT. ]):I\ies, who !LIS h.rd cx tcnxivc cxpcricucc fll'iug '\.:'.4s, g.:'. 'i, .iud ,\.:'.()s agaimt the J:lpS, recently h.id (hi, to s:IY ~Ifter lie h.ul lest-flown the luv.ulcr: "'1'11\, uirpl.mc, if properh- e1llplo;l'c1, can l,c the grclte,t striking arm of the Air lorr:c." \\'e \\110 helped engineer the l uv.idc-r into rc.ilitv arc d.ulv m:lking improvcincn t-, in .um.muu t. pcrfnnu.mcc. m.uutcuuucc, ut ilitv aud cockpit .ur.uu.cmcn! to make that prophecy conic true.

Heated Wing Anti-Icing For AAF Planes

Ile:lted \\'ing ~llIti.icing svstt-ms, long under stuclv bv :'\'\C.\ .mc! ;.,l.rtcric] 'Cmllm:lnel, arc heing :ldoplc'd on B.:'.4h B.32s and all future A\j, aircraft designs, Other present production aircraft will continne to he equipped wi th de-icer hoots. Limitat ious of the de-icer boot svstcm have been its [.rilme to break off smile tvpcs of icc 'and its in.ihil itv to prevent icc build-up. \\hich di -t ributc-, smooth a irfloxv mer the \\'ing, before breaking it ott. The heated \viug svstcm , cffcct ivc in IHe\cntin;:; icing of ;Il1V kind, ;11,0 provides hc.rt for anti.icing the .urpl.i nc'x \\'indshield, I,'or summer operation, ducts, heat exchangers and the cloublc-skiu leading edges of \\'ings c.m he removed. The new Thermal Icc Prevention Svstcm utilizes a series of ducts which pipe heated air from the cm;ines to lc:lding edges of the \vings, empe1111:lge and the cockpit windshields. Cold air is scooped in through the cooling system of each engine, dueled to ;1l1 exhaust hcut-cxchanacr, then to the \\'ings and empennage, In the 13-24, inbourd engine heat exchangers ,upplv heat to the inner wing panels, the empel1-

Duct

(AI shoots hot air between inner and outer skins of wing (B, C), through holes in spars (D) and out slot near aileron (E).

A change

in design now permits the heated air to escape through perforations in the skin (D) instead of traveling through wing,

40

AIR

FORCE

nagc and windshields. wh il outboard c:\changcrs heat the leading cdgc of the outer \\lIlg panels and \\'ing tips. In the wing scction, hot air is forccd bctwcc a dimpled inner skin and the outer skin of the \\ing's lcading cdgc, then through holes in the \\lIlg spars and out of the truilnu; cdgc of the \\ing at the aileron hingc line The air is sufficicntlv cooled lxforc passing through the \\ing to cl im in.i tc dangcr to either gas tanks or st ructurc. ,\ir IS clischargcd from the Clll]Jl'IlIl;lgC through pcrforatio!lS In the h orizo ntul and ILTtica] fillS \\hLTC the cloubl SKin IS [oincd. The origin;tl 'I'Stelll for hc.itcd \\ing aliti-iClllg of 13-2-h \\;IS dc,c]opcd h:' thc ;\nlcs ,\LTOII;lllticd 1,;l!wr;ltorl' .rt \Ioffet Ficlcl. Calif. Thc CLTIl];llh \\LTC t hc tirst' to ut ili:: a heated \\ing method of ;llIti-icilig for coiu b.rt .urcr.rf t. .u] installution, 011 tlu jll-S" were ...uclic! III '\\C\ t ;IS p.ut of th;lt org;llIi/a!iOIl'S nkmilC allti-icillg J'( ....c.ncl: progLlll1. To ;l...i ... '\.\C.\ , t III flight testlllg v.ninu ... allti-iullg <v-t cm-; t l: ,\\I"s \LitLTicl COllIII];llId ill 1 ()-f 2 sct lIJl ;1Il Icc Rl'\C';IITh lhsc. uuclcr contract wit l: :\ortll'lcst ,\iriillc -. at \linllc;lpolis, whcr ;Itl'lospl,nic cUllditiolls .uc hI 1l)':lhk fill' icillg. J-'.:\kmilc flight test-.. \\nc CIITil'd out OIl ;1 B-l-, 13-::';. B-::'h. B-2-1-. C-;, .md C-()O throllgh t l. Inllst icillg coud it iou-, th.rt could be fOlllld ill th ;IIT;1. DIIl'llllg. clouhlc-vk in StlllcturC .i nd t lur cCjllipllIClit \\nc' ;lcLtpkd to tlll ....' pl.uu-, thnlligh l thc C:\tell ... I(' rl"l';nl'11 ciT')r(s of .urcr.rft nLlliuLlctmcr I .u rc] Fquipllll'lIt 1.;I!)()Lltol'l' CllglllCLT .... "\ltliollgh tlu hCltnl Ilillg h;/S cffectilch' ... hcd tl: pro] o lems of \\ing icing. it docs not gllaLllltTc cOluplcte s;lfch of flight throllgh ;111 icins; couch t iou. l.os,s of pOInT through propcller icing still run;\im ;\ thrc\t, hut thi ... betor i... expreted to he OILTCOnlC ill the nc.rr future.

the

flOInl ;IS tr.mvit ioual truint-rx. Removal of turbo iutc rcoolcr .mc] allied eqnipuiont provideroom for .m extLI cockpit \I'hich ha ... stallcLird iuvtrumcnt-, .md controls. .\lthollr;h S;ICIIIll'illr; high .rlt itud pcrlorm.u.c. tllc .nrtr.rf t rct.iin. Its IIlr;h SIll'cd .md IlLIJll'lllcLlhili1l. The 1''1' 2:; ha ... hccll comerted to c.mv two litter p.rticutv. tllllS hCCOlllilli; the Iirvt ir.uncr to lx: rc(lesi!.;Ill'C1 for OIerSC:IS n t ilrt v. COl1IP;lct kitchcllS, ('('1l1plctc wit h vtc.nn t;lhles. h;I\c hCTII luult fm t r.mspmt ill hrr;c r;lidcrs .... r.;111IIClrics.il-.o will hc .urliornc ... \ port.ihlc "\I;lsl, .l.rv" uu it . C111ISI,tl1lC: ;I \\,Iter plllilp. lu.rtcr. of \\',I,her ;1I1d l\Tillr;er. .mc] 1I1l1 l.v ;I <m.i]] motor IllJllh hllm ... avi.it ion r;:I'ol1l1c. lits sllll!.;h' ill-;I C-+-. It (';111 t uru out -+, p1111llds 1lf \I:"h CIerI' hour SlIl;ill fill'] 'erlicil1!.; t r.ulcr-, wit h jc'cp \lllccls .u] .m cllr;illC pO\l('ll'C1 plllllpillr; umt ;il," ]UIT been (leslr;IIl'cI for ,lliplllCII! ill ;1 C-+i. .\ I' :;\ Jus hccll c'lllippcd \Iilh thc hi~11 'pc('d 'trip (';llllcr;1 \I lu.h tlkcs S!('IC1lSC1lP'Cp'ctIllCS. .\ li(lIllll; invt rn mtut in. (1I1)(1I;1! ;1 1lJll' !I:I1f '1IlLicn] iuinor ;lllci 1\l1l p1lLlroid lilters Ill!.; l;lc',lfh' ill'lH1l1c,sterc'1lSC1lpic illterprdati1l1l 1lf "1.11k ;1I1d \\hlfe' 111 color tLIIl'p:lrcllcics. I\c"llit i, :1 t hn cll1l1Cm1<lllpict un- \lith till'~ .kt.ul. I'uuor.un Il C;IIIl('l:I' fitkd \I'it h roLII illl; ICIl'cs ;lrc' hCIIli.' Ilscd I'm pl1lttlllr; :Iirer:lft flir;ht p.it lr-; h1l1l1" .md p;If;ICllIlfe' tLljl'Ctmlc's, . .\Il :111!.;1e rt n ;111:ICIIIIICllt 1l1l h: =-+ mu aC'[Lil (';I1I1C'[:I\pC'III1If, ,h1l1llJlll; 1lf 1lhli'IIIC pictmc's frolll ;1 vcrlied (';1: ncr.t SLIII<1I1. '\C\lcst lllappilll; C,l1llCLl \1 ill h.ivc shlltter Lllll;C of from 1 (,11 to 1/:;1111 pcr sccollcl .unl \I ill he u'ed from old s1lk rillr; iuouut. \l:le \\'Clts 110\1' h;II'(' ;11l :1Clclitioll;11chill <t r.rp .rtt.ichcd to the llpper infl.rt iou tllhe which fmcl's it to 1111;;ill' 1I'(';I1C'['sIlcck t .n] prelcllts him from rollillg out o hi, hce. I.il;hlllci!.;ht fllilll; sllits arc hcillg 1lJade of nvluu, Thc ';IlIlC l;0CS fm h.nu IIl1lcb ill Ile\l Cllll'[;;CIlC,\, kits, Jitters ;IlICl. csperilllellLtlh', new life r.ift-, SilllC it is Ji;;htcr t h.m IlIh"eri/c<! 111:lteri:ils 110\1';Il IlSC. , .. SpcciaJh' trc.rtccl milkweed tillers .nc hcilli; Ilscd to sOlllldproof .nrxr.rf t (';1"illS. I'lavti lellses wit li hir;hr;r;ldc clcnvit v h.iv lxcn fitted to ghsscs for pilots alld airercw 11Il"lllbcr.,. 'I'hel' permit SlllI SCIll' ning Il'ithout clllLlllgering thc ell"s. Crccn Cll\(lplCS alld \I.illd shields \I'hich \lTre uscd to elimiuate glare ;Irc bcing discardcd hccamc thc'\' oHer poor I'isibilill ill t\\ilir;ht or IIIth night illumiuation .... ''1'011' targc!s madc of tluorc,ccut dlcd ;ICc!;ltC ,satill !.;ilT alltiaireraft gunllers ;In casl.-tospot t;lrr;d. 'Cloth i, so hright that d:nk glasscs must he \I'orn Ill' those \lho work \lith it. Tclescopic alnminllm h:llldles. imte:ld of usn;ll \I'oodcn oncs, arc hClUr; testcd for a 12 pOUIll\ \ !cdical Corps litter. .... \cromcdlCal c\pcrts hall' cnr;illccrcd I C1lIUp;ld. mobilc dell tal tr;liler I';m. cOlupkte \I.itli dent;i1 Ch;lil. .\n c'\pcriulcliLd ;dtitlldc \I':lrninr; sir;Il;i1 SOlUI(Js ;1 horn ;It 111.2,1) fec!. rClllilidilig pcrsonnel to dOl1 \lIaSKs, a\\(l agail1 at fl). ,I)I) fect. si;;Il;i1lillg them to usc prcssllrc dcmalld o,\\'gcll e'luipincllt. Quick 0pcllillg tri;llIr;uLir pilot P;IL]('lillte ... h;IIT becn tcsted fm personncl chutes. CIIlIJ:illC chalts ;Iid ;Iirmen in detcrJIlllllllg proper cOllJ!lIliatiO!lS of flllllr; sllils 1l1' dil'iding the c;l1th illto sClcLll c]otllillg /OIll'S for Jiglillll"i!.;ht. illtcrmcdi;lte ;ind hC;II'\' fll'ill;; r;arb. :'\c\\. innersole for fllillr; hoofs is made of asphalt ;md hlll-kwhc;lt hllSb.. . ThreellLm cmerr;Cl1C'\'tcnts halT bcen dniscd for !lSC in tlie arctic. 'I\-pe F.2 hclJl1h:ndier .... clse is :J small (';Illl'as bag \\'liich (';In l;c ... lnllg O\er thc shouldcr. i'r

I' -+ -s .irc /lcillg

New Super-Fuel
.\.\1" l\;/S developed a supn-fucl for usc in R20 and 13-,2 humlx-r ... wh ich \\ills;l\c up to 10 percent ill fuel convum p t iou .uid pcruut' incrc;l.silli.; the lxnnblo.rd of the hig plancs bv sClcral thou-uud pound .... The secret of thc lIC'II' g;lsolinc is a rcarrangcmcnt of molecules to produce a more powerful au t i-k uock chciu ic.rl solution. Thc hoost conics from a challgc in ru ixt nrc of the r.iw gasoliuc and witl: high octane hleuding agcllts. :\ lore of thc LJ tter ;\1'(.' lIscd. Prcsent st;\IlcLml fucl uscd hy thc ;\AF is ratcd as 100/ l,O. \\hich IIlcallS thc gasolinc' has an octauc rating (autiknock I;I!UC) of 100 for crnising aud a Pcrformancc \.'umhcr rating of 1,0 during takc-off or for comhat rCSCTI'C POl\"Cr. Thc high ;llIti-knock ehcnlical contcnt of thc lICI\" fuel rc duccs thc tcnclellC'I' of thc g;lso1inc to detonatc. thus pcrmitting morc cfficicut cnginc opcLltion. Produccd hy thc n;ltion's pctroleUTll inclllStn' to spccificatiollS ;lnd rcquircTllcnts detcnuincd in te ...-.. hI' Air Technica] t Scn'icc Command chcmist-.. and po\\'crplant cngiuccrs. thc supcr-fucl has thc highcst rating of ;111\' ;I\'iatiou g;lsolincs no\\' in usc. But to takc full acll'antagc of it-.. pOInT. tllc cngines \\'hieh it fccds must hc strcngthcucd aud thc:' requirc miuor intern;d modifieatio!1S. Although thc supcr-fuel is hcing uscd in limitcd qmntitics. its productiou i\ a major prohlem for fcar of impcdiug the SOO.OOO haITcl\-;I-d;l\' prodnctiou of prcsent s!;l11clard fucls 11CCCSS;Jr\' for fighting thc \\ar. According to R. \'. Kcrlcl'. ATSC fllcl speci;dist. productioll of onc gallon of the ne\\' fucl \\'ith prcscnt limited facilitics dclan prodllction of hm gallolls of 1DOll ,0 fucl. Vast nc\\' rcfillcrie ... arc hcing set up to perll1it m;l11ufacturc of thc supcr-fucl in largc quantitics. Jt SOOIl \\.ill hc in comhat the;ltcrs. The fud has a stronger odor than other fllcls hCClllSC of its Ill'\\' chcmical content. hilt it is not lI~lllseating. Aile\\' coloring has bccn ;lddcd for idcntifieation purposcs.
NOVEMBER,1944

Thc

41

technique

CO]\;Tl:"UED

New Method of Static Testing

By E. R. Weaver, Fuginccring

Di\'ision, ATSC

As larger aircraft with more criticallv designed wings have been developed for the AAF, methods of ground testing the strength of the planes under simulated flight conditions have undergone radical changes. 1'\e\\est method of static-testing aircruft structures climina tes the tradition;!! S~'stclll of pil ing shot-hags ;llId 1c;!d ,,'eights on \\'ings, fuselages and engine mounts to measure critical loading limits. The new system ntilizcs rubber-tometal adhesive tcnsiou patches that enable engiueers to simulate and measure flight stresses and strains more accurately. Actt;al loads arc appl icd by series of adhesive tension patches on the top-side of an airfoil and soft sponge pads on the under-side of the \\iug. l Ivclranlic jacks then proportion the applied loads through a system of heams and 1cn:rs to the patches and pads in accordance with the correct aerodynamic data for the airfoil sections incorporated in the specific design. Essentially, the tension lifting patch is a flat or curved plate (depending upon the surface to which it is applied) of steel, dural um in or plastic material. It may range in xi:: from a. six-inch square to a 6 hy 24-ineh rectangle, or even an irregular shape. One surface which is applied to the structure under test is covered with a piece of tough, high te!lSile, rubber or neoprenc sponge. The thickness of the ruhberized patch or pad varies from YI of an inch to I ~~ inches and forms a lifting element on the structural skin by adhesion. 'The lifting pads or pressurc pads arc the same size and composition hut they arc applied to the underside of the airfoil. II und reds of tension pa tchcs and pressure pads arc needed to run a single test, far less, however, than the number of shot-hags required for the dead \\'eight method prcviouslv used. A single operator can load and unload the test struc-

turc in a few minutes. By comparison, it formerly took days to pile on the shot-hags for simulating loads, since an average of 27 different tvpcs of tests arc required to static test a military airplane completely. In the test of a C- 54 airplane, for instance, 300 tension patches and 300 pressurc pads were used. By this number of tension patches sufficient lifting forcc was exerted to cause complete failure of the wing. The adhesive tension patch docs not reinforce the plate stringer combination of the wing surface. \Vrinkle patterns clue to shear lag, which form under the patches in their natural ,,'ay, can be visunlly inspected and photogmphed during the tests. The sponge adheres tighth' to the surface deforlllations anc] has no influence on the structure. This method of appl~'ing load is purticul.ulv effective in the testing of cmdings, canopies, bomb doors, hatch doors, trim tubs and control surfaces. In testing a curved surface the patch bases arc moulded to the curvature so that the sponge sheet distributes the load cvcnlv to the structure. \\'ith cements now in usc it is possible to develop a load c.rpacitv of 2,000 pounds per square foot on any structure for nearly fi\"Chours. \\'rig!;t held's Aircraft LilJOratory 110\1' has tIHI of the new static test machincs-one with a lifting capacity of 100,000 pounds, the other with a lifting capacity of 1,000,000 pounds. The smaller machine is used for testing trainers, fighters or small glidcrs, while the larger machine tests aircraft with gross wcights cxcccd ing 1"3tons. By employing the new system, the complete airplane structure including the fuselage and horizontal tail lIlay be tested simultaneously. Controls and control surface operation em he studied during tests since there is no dead load inside the fuselage or piled on the wing to endanger personnel and interfere with control ,,'iring and operation. Absence of dead loads in the fuselage 111akcs it possible to inspect visually the stress reactions of the fuschge inside and outside during tests. All hydraulic lifting equipment and beams, lever systems, electric dr ivcn pump, high press nrc hvdr.iulic cylinders and auxiliary pumps and gaugcs arc portable. and thcv can he rcnclilv disassembled and couvc nicntlv stcnee!. . .

Shot-bags and lead weights were piled on wings. cn!;ine mounts and f11ScL1~cs to UW:l'\UT critical lO:ldin~ limits unclcr the old mot lrocl of .,t;\tic tnt iu~ .iirrr.rf t struct urc-. The operation was a tedious one, several da\s heing required to test an airplane completely.

Rubber-to-metal adhesive tension patches and prcssure pads, used with new stat ir-t cst machine, enable ell~illeers to measure flight stresses more .iccuratclv rh.ru thcv could for nu.rlv. Speed, too, is gained. One m.ui can load .md unload test structure in few minutes.

42

AIR

FORCE

Rotating Information Chart

Pilots clearing the ATe's (Jth j'ern'illg Service St.it ion at "\J1cghcll\' Countv Airport, l'ithlJllrgh, I'u. c.m o!Jtlill cs-cnt ial flight (Litl b~' a flick of a finger. This is m.tck. p(h,ible by u n im provcd roLiting inf or ruut ion ch.nt. (!c,iglled bv S/Sgt. Arnold "'-I. Crccn .md imhIlled ill the oper~l!ion', officc,

direct

I'igurcs on tower frcqucncv. and true cour-;c, rcl.rt ivc

d ivt.mcc hy .urw.rv. divt.mcc to .urficldx to wh icl: flights

hsulated Battery Pack. \ 1: 1 : pound b.ittcrv pack for t cvt~II~ thCrlllOillcteri, oliuu-tcrv, t1,l\ldl~hh ;Iud other "uall electric urut-, in cxtrcurc cold, i, elghteclI iuchcs IOll~, iix illlhc' wide and can bc c.uricd OIl :1 shoulder st r.ip. It 11:1, been ckvclopcd 1" \\'ri~ht Field cqurpuicut l.ibor.rtorv . 'I'l. p.uk cout.uns III'() do/cil I I 2'Iolt clrv cell b:lttellc, \I Iliell CI<:Iblc 1lll'ellilllic' to test a1l\ cledril'iIl unit wit h in a I'()llilgc r:nlgc of 112 to ,(1. \l:Jde or' pl.rstic, the p:lek ha, :1 oncinch \1;111of imlll:itill~ powclrr to kc.p the hiltteric' .rt :111 OpCLltillL; tcuipcr.rt u: f rou: ei,-,:ht to t w cnt vfnur hours, dcpclIdill~ OIl the lI'pc' of b:ltkric, used. Lightweight Enginl' Cradle. ,\ 1ight\lci~ht ellgillc cradle. Tvpc 1\ I, m.nlc of cluom molvhdcuuru tuhillg. ha' lxcu de-veloped bv the \\'right 1:;c1d cquipmcllt l.ibor.rtorv. \ 'lK'ci:Jl bracket. ;llt;lChccl to thc rc.ir cllgille support rillg. l'clillih invt.ill.rt ion of ti'T radial ell~ille tvpcs, the R] S,O, R:OOO. R :WO. R.:SOO and R,":;O. lour rctract;lhle '\I'ilTI l':I,kr, Oil t lu: lIC\\' cradle permit c;l\\' tic dowu in :IU .urpl.mc. Oxygen Mask Heater. To keep frn-t .u] icc from forllliu; imide o'\\'L;('u llla,k" purt icnl.u lv in tire O'''gl'U iulct port. an clcct r icallv hc.rtcd cover 11:1, hccn dniL;lll'll bv t lic aero-medical l.iborntor, at \\'ri~ht Field .iud t hc CCllcr:Il Flectrie Co. for 'l\pc ,\ 1-+ lll:l,b, \ !:Idc of hC:11'\' cloth, it tit'> 'llu:;h' O\Tr the 111:1'1. .md ,uap' togethcr around thc hmc, Slll:IlI \lirc' ill the lillinL; ,npph' the Ilcat. Counceted wit]: the clcctric:dh' 11cakd xu it. the m.r-k h:li a 'pcei:ll plu~,iu 'Ol'kct wh ich permits u-c of heated gO~L;les, Chute Harness Adjustment. .\ ncxv. ,illlphGl'd p;lr:Jcllutc h;lIllc" adjmtiu:; dCIWC, lTCl'Uth' 'LIlIlLmh/cd .if tcr k,t'> bv \LIkricl COllIIII;ll"]'i C(luipulcut labor.rt orv. Cllilliu:lks thc tu; .mc] tI,C pull UO\l' C\IK'l"kd I", .uruu-n in ti;hteuiuL; .nul lomcuillg t hc pre-cut ,tde lr.rr nc-. I'r iucip.rl COlllpOUCU!\ :11T thc ";Idaptor," 1.1I11rled ,lid ill:; bal. .ul thc Llh for lomcuillL;. both :llLwlrcd to tire IHt:ulgular h.r: pl.rtc. '10 tighku thc lap har1]('" xtr.ip. t l. ri:;ht li.md pull-, t l. frcc l'l"1. To loo-:n the J<:IfllC". t h .ul.rplnr LJ!1 i, pulled up 1", thc kft h.md. liither .uljuvtrucut CIU bc :11'(llIllpli,hl'll 1", o Ill' h.mc] \I it h ,light dlor!. Thc ihoul(kr h:lIlll'" :ld:ll'\or opn:lte, ill :1 <im il.ir iu.uuur. wit]. onlv :I ,light pull rcquirc.l for :ldjll,tIIICUt. Intermediate Flying Suit. .\ icicu!il,cdil(k,igllcd. cottOll "dl'l'lI. ;Jlp:ICoI l iiu] HI illg -uit for \I(,lr II\n c!c-,trl(:llll' llC;lted xuit-. or unckr hl':I\\, III Ill; l'qlli1'll]('llt h.i-, bel'll 'lillld:mh/cd, Thc 'Inh, \I hilh ;IIC k:ht\lclght .m.] CIlIllfllll.lhlc. wi]! rl'phcc t hc hC:I'\', lu.lkv, ,titT lr.it lnr 'Jllttit, t h.it I<:Ill' pllI\Td illCtTiciCllt 1Il cxtrcn: cold.

iu.mds

information chart. ill u .c "t t hl' .vir Tr.m-port COll1' (,th !"crn illL; Scnill' SLit ion , l',thll\tr'-':Ii. 1':1" i, depicted ill t lic above dr:l\\illL;, Clmcllp ,hmn Ili:;ht cl.it.: ])[milkd invt.mt lv I t lu- huudv dcvi.: to :1 pilot cll'lrill:; t lu- 'Lltioll for \\l"\<1\lT lu-l.l. Rotating

made most frcq ncnt II- from provided iu-t.mtlv !J\' tlIc device.
Inc

the

PittslJllrgh

stl hou, n n.

Thc chart, II, '!lll\\ 1I III tllc IICC()lllpll\l\'ing (lr:I\\illg, COll,i,h of !I\O ronccnt ric di,c" c.uh e<lll']'n! witl: II lH,,!L'cti<.,' IIl\Tr of pk'\igLIS, 'I () me the dc\i(T, II pil"t t urn-, ))1< j unt il it-. .uro indicator poinh to tIle li'!ing of IIi, de,tinlltion on the border of ))i,e ,\", 2, Till' c1l',irnl tliC:Il!' iuforni.rt iuu t lun IIp)K:lr, in a ,jot in the .nrow. VIII" tmlLT' .uc: (k,i,:n:lkd In' a d:l,llnl r,d l iuc t1111l\lgh tIle frequency re:lding. .

""'0,

.\lthough tIle i(k:1 for tIle ch.u: i. unt 1\l'\\', Sngl'llll (;reen's dl'\iee i, helil'H'd to he tile tll,t t o inclildl' rl':\ellll'.';' ..n t owcr frcqm'n('\', \'111' Imel true cour-.c. For the hl'm'llt of ot iur :lirfl"I(h \\llicll might w.iu! t:> 'Iclopt tIll' illJprmn! cli.ul , it IS poiIltn] Ollt th:1f \Ihile Di-: 2, lIS ill u -t r.i t c]. i, dilic1cd int o -:-2 'l'Ctor, of till' clci:ren c.rch , the ,])l'citlciliom (';111 he .rl tcrccl to tit requirenun tx. The Cllt:I\\:I~' ill the dr:I\\'illg ,hm\, II o.v tIll' in h um.r-

"0.

t ion is plotted. The 6th I"ern'ing Sen ice St.i t iou oper:I!i"!l\ office :llhi'l" that the ch:nt shonld be Ill:ldl' ;1' Lnge ;1' p,,\\ib1c 111](1 readih' IlcC'c\SibJe. Its 0\\\1 cll'\iee i, ]lOJtn] to tIle elll\1lter ,It \\'h'ieh pil"h till lI\1t their elcllr~\11ee p:l])('rs, l'igures Oil to\llT fr('(lIll'I1(,\'. r:lllge :\11d e1l'\:ltio\1 appc:ni\1g on the bee of Disc ;\0, j, II' ill\1strated, Ilppl~' to the Pittshmgh s ta tiO\1, --:'-':

Jeep Flat.top. '\CI'.T,t :ld:lpr:ltion of the \nIn"s most \'LT,"dde Ichicle i, t hc "jllllL;le jeep.' ]}C,i':lll'll \lith :1 flit pl.it [ollll invtc.id of 'c:lh. \lit h thc CllC:illl' Illldl'luC:lt 1>. tlli, IThilk C\ll CUTI' C,()ll pOIlIlds of j)l,\SOIlIlCl. C:JfL;0 or sllpplics ill ;1l(':IS ill:lCcc"ihle to 1:Jrl;lT trllcks. ,\ IllotmC\''k hpe h:lIld tlllottle aIld a h:JIld opn;lted len'r hr'.lk(' :11(' IIlOllllted OIl :J s\li,c] tilkr !J;lr th;lt re1'];lCe, the ste('liIlL; \\hecl. T1:i, :lrr:llli,,('llll'llt ell;lhk, the npLT:Jtor to kIcl. fo]]o\\, or ridc tlle \Thicle on'r lOllL;h
terrain. ~~:

NOVEMBER,1944

43

INSTRUMENT
(Continued from

PANEL
Page 36)

lind the turn and hank indicator, which arc primarv emergency instnuncuts, arc placed adjacent to one another. S. Thc m.mitold prcssmc gange can be installed ucvt to tlu: flight indicator (gITo horizon) with rcsulting ackmtagc of ha\'ing pO\\Tr inst nuucnt adjacent to at t it uclc iudicating inst nuncnt for powcr-att ituclc setup. 6. Vvit h the manifold pressme gauge installed next to the flight indicator. the pilot with one horizontal s\\eep of his eves can go from pm\'er indications throngh lateral and lougitudiu.rl attitude iudic.rt ious and hv continued glances check the other 'flight iustrumcnts. 7. Beeanse of their central location, there is no p.rrallc error in reading the turn and bank indicator and the turn indicator. (Parallcx error is that resulting from reading the instrument from the side, thus gil'ing an untrue picture of the actual position of the indicator pointers. ) 8. 'I'hc rate of climb indicator is in the least conspicuons place. (Instructors waste mnc-h time tcaehing students not to usc this iustrumcut except when estahlishing a desired rate of descent and, in a few instances, a desired rate of climb. If the instrument is in a promincnt position, it attracts the stu dent's attention, gi\'ing him a tendency to attempt to usc it to flv le\'el.) ;\ Iodificat ions of the instrument panels of aircraft alrc.ulv in service so as to incorporate the new Stn;dard Fhght Instrument Panel arc being carried ont in thc field as rapidly as possible. New aircraft will conic off the product ion lines with the panel iustnllcd. Further, bv approval of the Joint Aircraft Committce, thc panel is now standard for all svnthct ic iustrunu-nt training devices. It' is .rpprccintcd Iullv that this new panel :nrangement will not satish' cvcrvboclv. l Iowovcr. the Standard Fli~ht Instrument Panel represents the best thought and cx pcricncc OIl the subject available in the ,\:\1' and, as such, is presented wit hout apology.

Flying Safety
Suggestionsfrom the Ollice 01 Flying Safety, Headquarters, Army Air Forces, in the interest 01 accident reduction
THESE lTE:\IS ARE FOR EDCC,\T!OX,\L PIJRPOSES AX!) ARE XOT TO BI: COXST!CUED AS IJlIU:CT!I'ES

Bail-out Training. I'hing cldets at :\ lar.ma Annv Air Field. Ariz.. arc getting realistic practice in bailing out of fighter planes along with regular flying training. Cadets jump from a mock-up of a fighter cockpit mounted on a platform about 2U feet high; harnesses arc attached to a line from another tower ncarbv. After falling free for I () feet thcv 'lie je'rked to a stop bv a countcrbalaucc.

on status of runwavs. Diagrams of the field's ruuw.tvs arc mapped OIl siclcw.ilk, outside operations office exit. In addition to showing transient crews the CXJct location of all runwavs, construction \HHk and other hazards arc marked on the map, A quick glancc tells the storv of the fIeld's condition. Mauv airl;ases rubbcrst.uup a diagram of the fiel~I's runwavs on the back of Form 23, Any help offere~l to rn.ikc t r.msicut pilots more familiar with a field's lavout and current condition contributc to s.ifcr opcrnt iou-. Fighter Safety Club. To sf imulatc pilot interest in fl\ing safctv and to reward safe pilots with clear accident records, the 72d Fighter \\'ing has organized a I'ighter Safctv Club, Pilots receive leaves of two to five days when they become eligibk for three tvpcs of club m cruhcrvh ip. ,\ pilot who flies fighters for marc than :;1) hours without an accident can-ed in am' W,I\' bv pilot error is eligible to become a "pilot mcm her." Reward for this accom pI isluucu t IS two dan ICI\'e. "Senior members"pilots ,,'ith'morc th.m 7:; hours accidentfrce time-get three d.ivs leave. "Command nlcmbers"-thosc with more th.m 17:; hours -mal" take fin; d.iv-. leave. The b.isc fl\'in~ safctv officer suhm it-, names of pilots when thcv bccome eligiblc for varioux classes of mcmbership to the comm,nHling gcneral of fhc \\'iug, ;\f:nncs arc checked against accident records. If pilot-. arc qualified. they mal" take the appropriate leave as soon as it docs not cxmflict \\Ith training or other sclicdulcs. .\11\' disciplinary action agaimt a member of the safctv club, rcvult iiu; trout carclcs-, or ncgligent fhing, unuu-rliatclv nlccls IIIS mcm hcrvlup. and he must start OITr agcIin,

Tower on Wheels. Advanced trainees at Shaw Field, S, C" receive landing instruct rou and advice from a portable control tower parked ncar the III 111\ aI" in usc, The 1S-foot tower is completeh wc.rthcrproofcd and wired to pIng into the night lighting circuit. :\ lounted on four discarded BT wheels, it was constructed of ordin.irv lmuher by the sub-depot from plans submitted bv the operations and communications officers. It is towed bv jeep and mal" be rcIIIo\Td from the fl\'ing field when not in usc, "Three million, five hundred one, and two, and three ... thousand !"
--F.

and
rx

\\' I L 1'\.1 ;..:~\

Runway Status Diagrams. Safctv-rnindcd officers at Langlcv Field, Va., have devised a novel metho'd 'to keep .urcrcws informed

Safety Award. :\ fern'ing group at LO\'C Field. Texas, stimul.rtc-, interest in aircraft accident rcdnction bv awardinr; this fl\'ing safety plaque to the squadron having the

AIR

FORCE

he,t mont hlv s:Jfeh' record, ,\II:ml is made on :1 h:l,i, of the lc";I,t munlxr of pilot error ;'ceident, per 1.1111(1 hom' of fl',in;,; t imc. The plaque i, IHe'ented to tIle winuinr, "In:ld, ronx couuu.mdius; otTien .rt ;1 rC'I'icII' hdore the entire group, It i: t lu di'pl:J'l'll in the Officers' Clnh, Servicing Hints. Com hat rrcw trammr; school at Clovis. :\, \ I. forhicls seT\'icinr; of :iirpLmcs dmin;,; SCIl'le s:md or dust storms, Static clct-tricitv huild, np on .ur pl.uu and sn"icinr; equip;ucnt to :1 i;rc:lter degree clurmi; these st or m-, .md "md .nu] i;rit .n c more likely to get into fucl aucl oil ,y,tems. Careless Gun Handling. ;\t:1 wcvtcrn training field recenth', :1 B24 t.ril turret gnnner \\':1, prdli!:;hting hi, r;nns on the LImp before take-off. ,\nothn B24 II':IS parked about I (1(1 feet behind. ,\ sudden hurxt from the tail i.;nns hit' the p.n kcd pl.rnc, .mcl the rcsult iiu; fire dcst r ovcd the cockpit .md fk;ht deck, Two crc-wuu-n \I'orking in the .iir pl.mc II'CTe injured scr iouxlv. , The gunner h:ld '!:Jikd to obscrv local and trainim; ,,!feh' regnhtions, Ill' had placed a round of'li,'e .numunition agaimt the cartric1(;e stop :md \\'as preAighting the gnns wit houf fire pin rcvtrictors in place. :\ court martial helped the r;nnner repent for his error, but the cLmJ:lr;e \I':IS nlrcadv done, Common sense safet\' precautions prevent this type of accident. Airfield Housekeeping. Bits of metal. snell's. stones and other debris scattcrccl on airfield pavement c.ru-.c scr ious dam:lge to airpl.mc tires and mal' result in covtlv airCLIft :lC'eiclents, To correct the problem, the Chid of I'm:;ineers has directed post engineCTS at ;\,\1' st.rt ious to require frequent clc.mins; and policins; of ruuwavv. t.rxi strips .ind :Iprons to keep them clear of mutcri! which might cut or bruise tires. Two-Way CrClsh Radio. Cr:l,h :lmlmLmces at I Iuntcr Field. Cu., arc equipped with rcchimed two-wuv r.rdiox to !:Jcilitate dircrt com m n n iCI t ion 'hehn'Cn .uuhu ];mce,. opeLI' tions and the hospitul. If infonu.u ion or more equipme-nt is nccckd at the scene of the rr.ish. the .nnbul.mcc r.m t r.mviuit direct to the hospital. tOlITr or .nr pl.mc. New Flight Control Center. The- Office of Fhmi.; S:lfetl' opened its 24th j.'lii.;ht Control Centn ;11 \li:nni. Fl.i.. on ,\ni.;mt 1 () <imnlt.uuouvlv wit l: the e't:Jhh,lnnent of ;1 C.\,\ :\il\\:II' 'Tr:lffic Control Center. The ne\\' c cnter, IITrc opened to !:Jcilit:lte control of ()ITrsl':IS ;md ]';m ,\meriC:ln :Iir t r;lffic for, mnh h:mdlcd hI' OIerlo:lCled J:lck\oll\'illc centers, P.40 Backfires. n:lC'kfircs in 1'-40 engines can cUlse pknh' of tronhle if thel' :He I'iolent. .\ recent :Iccident report concernini.; :m eni.;ine !:Jilme on 1:lkeoff rC'l'eakd th;lt tIle hot :Iir door in the cnllllretor :lirsC'Oop II':lS j:nnmed completeh closccl. The hinr;c pin II'a, she:Hecl. ;Ipp;nenth' lA :1 hacklire, makini.; control impossihk, 01 'S recommends a clrdnl in'pedion of the ;Iir,coop :Jftn b:lckfirn eitllCr on the ground or in t he air. NOVEMBER,1944

Plane Boners
TIlE l'i{!\I:S'T!():\
PI\'lS!():". lIC\::'\
()I.'S. .\:\D

cockpit erc:ltccl ;1 dr:dt, SlICking ille R:IIlICI in :1f<II!Ilcl tile pJl"t \',/li1c tic strlli;g1cd \litll the s,detl' helt :l1Iel slI<JIII,1cr ,str:ll's. RO\ll1LllS, \fIC!!, - The pilot of a BT 1:; hllcled II it h the IIO'l' high, The- pl.n. dropped ill .nul i.;f<llllldl"opccl. CLIlIJ:lr;lll;'; the gell, propeller, ellglllc .md 1\lIlg, OFS CO\I\Tr,,'T: TlIi, pilot \1';11 :1Il C": pcrielleeel fern' pll"t \lith 22 II\1)lIth, of traIll' port tlllle hclIilld Ililll, I Ic ludll't ROlli I a 1"],,]:; dwill;'; tli;lt tillie, Thi, ;Iccielellt il fmther proof th;lt 110 lIlatter hO\l' i.;ood :1 pilot is he call i.;et fl1,II' if lIe fail, to keep "l' \I'ith the eC/lliplllellt [: Ilsel, :\ Illore curciut lall,lill;'; dlcc/.: al1d :1 litt Ie le,.I\ cock ~mclIe" l1Iight h:II'c prel'elIteel this :lccic1elIt IIFR\I.\:\:\, \10,-,\ P 40 11';11 [lown low OITr thc \ I ivsour i RiHT t li.it the pro pcllcr st ruck the water. hrc;lkinr; the sh:llt, Th pilot .it tcmptcd to pull 111' .mcl bell, lund in ;1 nc.u hv fielel, The pl.m cr.ivlu-d ancl burned. The pilot 11':lS killed,

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\IERRI.\ \1. K,\:\',-.\ B ~4 on :1 ron tine tr:lilling flight er:lshcd into ;1 rnidclltial sec' tion after t hr pilot IJll/lcd lli, Ilife's home aud Stllllted over the ;Hea for :;0 minutes. Three (Te\l' mcm lxr , wcr killed, three others injured .md three civil i.mx \I'erc scri011'11' hurt. (Jlle lion-: 1\'1' burned to the grOl;nc1 .md selcr:J1 otllers lITre d;lllJ:li.;cd, 'I he pilot who survived the er;lsh is crippled for lrfc. OFS CO \ 1.\ IEXT: Xo 1Ilattcr \I'hat pllllishllIellt is lIIded (lilt tm ]'is t1:Jgr;l1It I'iob, ti(J1I of regllbtiol1S, tlli.s pilot "ill earn ]'is scars ;l1Id ,I ],e'I\T cOllsciellee to his gr:I\T, 1,1)1" filillg ;l1Icl ,1](J\\'illg off C:1Il res lilt in ollh' one thing-trollh1c alld p1c1l1l of it, The (J1Ih, pl;lee for 10\1' filing is in !rJ\\,lcI-d l'CJ1Ilhat 1IlissiollS, It sec illS pointless to risk airere\l's alld 1';l111ahle properll' ill thi,1 COIIIlt rv iust heC:lIlle a icv: hot piloh feel t hcir oats :lIld ILlIit to ,lluJ\\' off likc SllLlll hm's,

'0

OFS CO\I\IF"-T: :\l1othcr case of ;1 pilot Sigl1il1g his 0\111 dc:Jth w.rrr.i! Ill' il1' dl1lgilIg iII foolish al1d I1II:IIltllOrized [ov. fililIg, A 1Joard fOlIlId the fatali!." occurred not iII lilIe of c1II!.",

LO\'E FIFLD, TFX,\S -,\ gll:Hd on clutv on thc Lllllp C;\relnsh' drOIT his [ccp into the t.iil of a parked ,\T I, J);nnagc .uuou ntcd to SeI'CT:J! lumdnd dollars and m.mv I'aluahle m.mhours of rcpnir t imc.
OFS CO,\I\ IF"'T: Hcrc's one th;lt calllIot he hlallled OIl :1 pdot. The gllard ad. 1Ilitted tlut \I'hile dril'iIli.; :Irollnd the pl:lIlCS ],e \las ,Illppmcd to he pmteetillg, he looked Ihe other \1',1\' iut :1 III01llellt :lIld eraslled illto the tr;lill~'r, BeC:lIlle of Ilis bek "f :Jlertness, the gll:IfC] \I'a,1 fillcd :md rest ric/cd hI a SIl1llIll:lf\' eomt, Proper lIotation of tile proceedillgs II':IS elltered in his scn'iee record,

\\ "YO,-Thc nose wheel of :1 wh ilr: it 1:lxiec1 clllsilIi.; major d:IIII:lge to the nose section.

C\SPFR,

P 2-+ coll:Jp'ed

CO\L\IJ::\T: [lI\'('stii.;:Jlors fOlIl1d il1 the ,hil1l1l1\~ el;llllper ;JI ,lel1l1Jh, had hecII i11\talled h:lck\larel, \\ '!JCII ;1 tl1flJ \las ;lttel1lptcel the lin}: 1Jm/.:e, allo\l il1g the lIme \I,heel t" ,,!Jil1llll\' al1d hreak off, (;rc:lter c.irc 1J11 tile P:llt of 11l:lilItel1:1I1ce J11\pcdms \I'(JI1Ic1 h;IH' prc'I'el1ted this ;ICci dCI1t. :\:\F I1l:1il1tCII:IIICCII'( Jrkers I1Jmt LIke cvcrv /JrCl':l1ltiol1 to ,l;lIe ji\'es :l1lel l1l:lIeriel. 'lIlJI kiwi of "goof off" d"cIll't help,

ors

t h:lt a lilIkage

CI:'\C'I'\:\' \'1'1. 01110 - The pilot of :1 I' :;<1 h:likd Ollt hCCIlI'l' of ellgllll firl' Thc jlllllJl II:IS sllcce"flll hllt the pdot \las )JI1fl11 selTreh Oll his hallds :md !:Jce, CO\1.\ Ir,,'T: If tllil pilot had 1111f;lstclled Ill' s]](IIJlder II:lf1JeIS ;11](1 s;dc!1 helt her"re jettisollill;'; tIle door lie I'ri,J):lhh' I'ollid not 11:1\'e hccll IJIlflJcd, Tile 0pclled

'\I-'\\',\RK, '\, j,-Pilot ill ;1 P:;1 took off wit l: :1 h.ullv II(HII t.nl II hlTI tire, \\I':lll' of this COllditioll, he ;iltelilpted to nllkc ;1 Ilhecl hlHlilli.; :It hi, dC,till:ltioll, 11I'k:1<1. llC hroui.;ht thc' pl:JIlC ill 011 thrce poillts ri"ht 011 the elld "f the lIIll\\:II', TIll' lll;lill I'. lIce]' re:lched the p:IH'lIlellt 'but the 1:111 v,hce] ,tfllck the l'd;,;c of the cOllcrde ;llId coll:Jpsccl. The :lirphl1l' thell bOllllced :md Cline in on three poillts ;1i.;:lill-hl'O l1I;lill I'. heel, :md thc propeller. '\0 injmies rc sulkd hut thc ;lirp!:Jl1l' 11':lS h:lelh' el:llll:lged,

ors

OFS CO\I\IF\'T: Tlli, pilot's tecll1lic[1le 1I0t ol1h' \ll'lIt to prJi-llC !J:\(I 11lmc tlJ:lI1 ](I() !Joms iII p,:;I,-hnt lie took off \I,hel1 he klIc\',- }Iis C'/llipllJCl1t 11;1.1il1 :1 d:IIIi.;emlll c('llditiol1, 1:\l'l1 nperiellccd pilot,s i;et il1to tr"II1Jle cllITil1i.; ;1 111011ICl1t:JII'l:Jp'c "f :dert 11C1I, 'Ilic 01111,:IIIS\ler i,l c/cfll:ll C:llltioll, ,J"

45

LIFELINE
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TO THE US S R
from P:lge ::-:- i

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the P(J\\'lT ;11 10 th,' 1),0lll'l

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::0, thc te11lper;lhllT IICll! 10 iuinu-, .+0, then ;.'ero, thCl1 pill' ;-:md tl,,1I', the \1:1\ it wcn! :i11 1I1111er. The filet II"" lIe .rrc: dclilerillg .urcr.if t to .m ,\111' \1110 doc, not 'pc;lk our LIllgll;gC IJrc,cnted vet .mot lu-r problem, 'lh.: Rcd\ir "()fCl' ptlot, l"ld ne-ver bdilic 'lT11 tlu pLl1Il'S II Ilicll HILT "1,Te to tl\ :llId t i: LlllgII:l"C dil1ienltie' wc: enonJ1o;IS, C;1jlLlin \\ o]f'Oll rcplllteel his npcricll(C wit h thc problc1n of elil'cKmg out t lu- Rus si.m. "\ vou nt; SO\id pilot wit l: ;1 girl in. tcr pr ctc r C:II11C ovcr to 1111 l' .. f or :1 lhCl k , HI 'I'lu: Rux-.i.m cLnlill'(1 inlo t h.. COCKpit, t hc ;irl got Oil (JIll' \\'ill~. .m.! I ~()t nu the ot lnr , 1lc :"ked U1C oulv fOllr 'JIIl"tio", ;mel t lun took olt, l:ir,t thing he II;llIlCel to Kno\l' 11:", "I loll' do IOU st.ut II" I tolel the' ",11. ,II(' to\l him', .ind lu "lid J);I-~IZn";,,n fill Il'S, "lIu-u he ",ked fill t hc n1;I~iIIUlll1 prc"lllC .uid the fjllU f or t lu: t:lkc ott, IIi, next CjllCStioll I\:IS, '110\\' do v ou keep tile oil temper.it nrc .uu] the cooLint tCll1per;ltmc up:' hn;tllI, he w.rul c] to k no: hO\\' to operate the r.ul io. Then hc t ook the pLi11C up for ih Ie,t 11111. ,\l1d he kUl'll' 111>1\'to Ill- it, too." 'C;lpl:lil1 \\'o]f,OlI's e~periel1ee took pLicc before ;1 rC,;I1Lir ,,,ten 1 fill ehelli11g 11111tl:l' Rlls,ial1s 11':1' ;lelopleCl, \ l.ij. j'reelm'k Kuut-, opcr.it i0l1s officer :It lacld !-'il'I,1. 11';1' 11l chargc of that pr ohlcm .n! he ,ohed it li.mdilv. "For ;1 whil.-." ':liel \Lljol KIlll', "II'l~ ll'eel interprcllT' in on: bigger ,hip" but that didn't work out too we-ll blT;111,e therc Il'CTe 100 UI;II1\' tCcllllic:tI (er:n, \\Ilich the: interpreter, eou!d not be e~pccled to unclcrst.uul. So we fell hl('k on I he u nivcr-,ul L!1lr;";lgc of :111 ;lirllll'I1~.'li~ll". III .\-2tl\. :1 Rll"ian II'Ollld lie prol'c In till' P:lsS:1ge\l:11' dirl'l,tll' in hiCK of thc pilot. \\c' \I'old;] point to thl' ;1)',jrlll1le1It rl'Corcli1lg the 1n:llll fold pll'''U!l' 11'ed for ti,e t;IKe off :1l1d the Rcel ,\ir !"enee flier I\'(lltld 1l1C111lllir it, If

Rendezvous
(Continlleel fwn' l':lge I )
tr.ms

vcrv

well.

"I'or lighler p1.llle" \IT ",,'e1 l lu- C<lckpit ('1:e,1 .u..l 1"l'II1),", S1I111l' of our 1l1,'1l sllilke IZI""i"ll :IW.l t Ill'l' horl' the lnuut of' 1111, I' .uk. \11' 1('('Ii (>rel'T' \lere t r.mvl.itcd i11!,) ]ZII"i"ll .nul 1Il1l11l"gLlplil'C!. "( Iiu. of "IJr 1110\1 1l11ll\11:J! xitu.it iou-. m'. CIIlTed l'.llli till' t"""' ..T "plT;l!ions, Thc SOlids h.! ucvcr 11\[,d r.r.lio .ont r ol before. Tliel' s"id th.it if l'\lTlthing \1:1' clc.u, thel ili,t C:I::1C in, \\c' "'pi:JIIIl'CI t h.it om rU,;IlLltio11S dC111:11)(led Ih,' II,C' of r.idio c,,"lro\' .n! t licv lc.un.] It om 11':11', :'lh;1! g:lle m " p;"bleln ill the t owc-r , Our fl'll' IZll"i;ln.spe;lkinl; men h.id l1l":e iurport.mt thi111.;' to do t li.m to heeo'lle to\ler "]X'LI!OI', \\c found " civili.m \\1:11 ('",;1d 'pc:lk hot h 1:Ill~Il:1f;e" but h.. diel::'t KIlOlI' ;1111I liillg ;t!)():Jt .nrrr.tft prmeelllle, \\ lien :11l :Iir],orlle !\ll"i;lll c:t1lc-d 111 for " blilling clc-:ILln('e, t he civili.u. npLlilled \1:Llt 1\:1, w.uit cc] to thc to\l'cr chid, he outliucc] tile IleCC",lrI' proccdllrc, ,llld bilck 1t went ill IZ'I"i,11l t o t l pilot. :",,\1, of course. IIC ]LIIC lots of pl'oplc "P t lun: \I'ho t.rlk b"l Ii
bll~\l;I;CS.

gl"lc p:ltli l r.mvm it trr ;1' t lu. loc:din')' uut t or ;llld the l(lc:t!i/LT f r.mvnuttcr r;i1clc p:ltl, tr:lm1111!!c'r. I'fe, I, T. \\\Iie, :llld l'fc.\rthm Sell;t!ll"", (;,l'("11I\01)(!. S. c. R ::J:.
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"Smokey?" Dl:lr hlltor: , III rer;:lrd to tl1c cover pict urc of t lu: ;\llc;mt i"IIC of ,\111 I,'ol(u:, I am ccrt.uu of t lu: "Ie 11 II' of the p.rr.rtroopcr. ti It i, h t. Rolxrt J " "SlllllkCl'" '\ooeh', of ,',;('11' York, of thc S~d \irbor"lc ])ilisi,;n .md II'hll h.r-, lxcn ;l\\;ndcd t hc Bro11/C St;lr ill :"or. iu.mdv. 'Ihc pict mc 11:1' 1I1adc on ])C];ll' bl'fore i11l;hioll and \1;1' -nt to 11lC bv I'r i1:1te '';ooch' :tftcr I,i, rctlllll to !':lll;lallci. , .. Cat her inc Bulowvkv, Ch.rrlot tc, N, C. --[d, Mistaken Identity Dear J-:clitor: On page ~-f of
vou r

"Tho'c RllS"i;lm .uc f;ood. Relllelll])('r, t hcv h;IIC " ferl\1l1g proble111 :1' (,olllplie:lte,1 ;J, !JIllS, or wor-.. Bill t hcv ~ot t lio-: pi:Jn,'s to t hc b.rt t icf rnut .nu] m.k. "ood u-.c of t hcui." Tod.rv. the '\ortll\\l',t Rou! i, nothinr; more tli.m ;1 ruut.uc fl'll\' !J(lP, But m.uiv good uun w.r killed bdorc t hr trcmcudous problc-1l1' IITrc licl.ccl. ::\0 OIlC (';111 Sill' to II lr.rt extent the p1:l111" ferricd "lonl.; t hc route helped t ur n tile t"le .rt St:llill~r;ld .u.d e:lubled tilC I:,'i.'iR to tllrOll' b:l('k thc CIlC' mv, The IZI1"'LlllS KnOll' ICI'I' IITll th.it in hr'idgillr; the g;lp hclln'cll (:rl':lt 1":ll1s .md J":lllb:mb, 1n:111I' ,\1lIeric:11ls dicd for thc S:llllC PlllPO\C ;IS thc eldcnelcr, of \10\(011'. ,\s onc SOI'iet r;ener:t1 ,:lill, "Tl1erc arc r;r:IITs of t liO\c lI'ho died ;1111<l1lf;the 'nOli', of thi, )(lllte 1\llll'h n1e:1n :1' 111llch til U, ;1' thO\c ;It SlllOlemk, St;1IillgL1d, or Sn:l,topO!. \\.c fcel thn clied Ilf;ht111r; IK',idc 11S," ~,,,

Septc1l1bl'l, i"llC of ,\:1{..... loi: von hall' idcu tillcd t hc .urcr.ift Illl t lrc right ,iele of tile >,\ll.i--:'>U! lILTl\' pilgC ;" :1 tvpc Bl'.TTY wl u-n ill rculitv it 1\ ;1 tlpc S,\I,I,Y \I.\IU: Ill. ,\, Idelltii'C:ltioll m-t r nctor. 'pcci;di/,in~ III J:lp;llIc,c\ircLlft, of t ln: \\ill IZor;cr' licld CCTS (I'R), I \li,h that ill 10m next issue IIlIl would 1I1aKe t he 1ICCC'\inl eOlllTtioll ;1' :,11 niv xt udcnr pilots Inc ;I\'id ~Cilder, of l'OIl[ jJllbliC:ltioll. , , , l.t. I1:1\ ell \\':llers, OKbhOlIl:1 Cill', OUt.

1lJ-H,

.if." ,/'

Dr..

, I,d 1ne be OllC of perll:!])s sCleLll tholl'illld Ilho e;tll YOllr attclI!Jllll to the in correct ide1IttllC:ltio;L UlIk" 1'111 lmi11l; 1111' lllilld and c\csir;ht. thc p1:l11e i, bc\'C IIIII c1llllbt S,\!.!.Y. ,\, tllc Ilr,t photo illlcI I'rdn Ililh thc ;th ,\ir ""JllC ill tilc S\\'I'\, I ,11:111 'Kin forr;d nil' dlar friclld, BI':TTY :lllei S\I.I,y, \l:tj. J. ],'. Sn1ith, \11l\Kor;cC, OUL \lc()[dill~ til tltc' ht ,',t inform:1tioll \lC lUll 011 till' '1lhlce 1 of ;lircrafl rccoglli lillll :Illli ieklltil,cil!J01', Ihis p:lrliellbr p1:1l1C i, the S,\!.!.Y. I\'t. h 11\; If(1 IZ, ,\'1\1jll, Tw:!>: ]-,Jcl., \\'is, \11 lnor \1':1, i11lllll'<1i:""h' l1oted, , , , \':11,] I', 1"1'1, Sill'\IlI<llIlO, 'l'e~a, ll"c
./n.

1/IJ!:!il:,:":
,,//!,,,,

.1

1!lLcJ,/!

di),~I./){jIlJC

pic//!}','

tor O!(I -LI.

Costume contrast, scellc at Lleld Ficld

note thc Fairh"nk"

hoots alld 1'1111 O\'Cr tunics \I'orll 1n' Rcd :,irmcn in thi\ I\'pica! ,\lllerie:11l (ermi11:l1 of tlll' '\ortll\\'C,t fem' [!Jllte to the CSSR,

Excitement ])C:lr J-:chtcJI' , , , 011 Ihc imidl' h:lck c()\er of t hl Scptc1l1bn i"llc Ilf \1 [( J-'<l)((j.: appcared :1 pictmc Ilf the IIOlllldcd iu ;1 C -f-:-, T\\1l of (Colltilllled Oll I'ar;e :; I I

46

AIR

FORCE

"OFf

THE BEAM"

by CAPT.

WILLIAM

1. lENT

"Pink dep/Jants. snakes, gremlins and now British tea!"

"1 don't knoll' II'het/ler it's a restaurant ~~ thearer. I'I-c bcen in line only an hour,

"No, it isn't your mustache,

1\1a1eo/m,

it's just dosing tune."

fCr9t
.-:::::.'
"1 can remember when it was fun to run out of gas on a date," NOVEMBER,19n

41

F\lr:RCF'\~CY

FOUrp\lr:,\'T

luvpcctiou of pLlll;; to insure- th:It t hcv .uc stockld II it h all aul horl/cd l'IlIClSCIlC\ eqllipnll'nt nv.ul-, nothinr; if ill in~ IXT""l1ll'! LlI! to t.rl;c :llh:I!II:If;e of s!llh f:lcilitil's wluu :1 m i-h.ip OClln" T:,),c the CI\C of Ihe\lhed fighter pilol forced down ill k;lll~;ll()() .iu.l l,nlI:li i;",IS\ uiiu iuilr-, trnm his SOllth !':ICille' h:ISC, \pp:m'l\l 11, Ill' tll;mcd I hc h il: luck woulc] hl' :1 cinch. for he st:lrkd out m inu-, his \'elY pistol. elllCll;ency r.tt inu-, and ot lu-r l'qniplllent fmnisllCd h iru for jlht SlIC11 :111 neCaSlOIl. \ -c.nch p.ntv f"nnd hiu: ,(, hour, l.u cr in :1 sll:llnp IllIh Ilakr "P 10 hi, ucr], .u! 1l1(l\\jl1J!OC\ c()\.l'1"ill~ li i-, t.r.. J Ie II:IS too e,I':lllsted to uu rv c. '\:III\T tL"lCls cnrinl h nu b.u k I" till' 1>:1,,',
,\1,1('

the Alert
TIMELY
Administration
I

* Supply and Maintenance * Operations and Training

an.t
<ill' 1,"/

ADVICE

FROM

THE

AIR INSPECTOR

lJ

Till' pilnt shollid hc' prcp.rr.! to co pc wit h dilllcll1lIC' :lIiSlIlS trum clIl;ine :1I]l\Ie or tl.rk
(LllILl~C

to ~;l\ LIllK\.

FYL'Il

\yhl'Jl

(jill' Cll~illC

i\ ]()\L \t-Ll~g1ill; lxlni! :1 fOrJll:ltioll :l\(lIded if llllTl':I'C'd pmlCl i, IItdlil'd ckhl,

C~1l1 he
\1

it l.out

'1 \'\~/( C\/ZS i\'\D

IkclII'e .ivi.rtiou LIC"it,C' .irc Ll\l'll :11,,1 t uu], . ,llolild .ul rlk:lseel,

T!Z(lC/(S

~ooc1 size loop of 111111 sholiid bc kit b,.', hllTn Ihe IJ\llchille' to (Olllp"Ils:J!C I'm 1',1111' t ion ill specd of the hlo dri\inl; tu ot or, III :lrC\IS whcr Ail''; :lllcl ~lLlt" :lIC nruuvrn.r-. ;1 elll'CSl' cloth "t nun.-l," I:lf~l' ellolli;h to :1, C(lIlIIIlOl1:Ite tlie loop, sholild he 1I'C'd k', Illl'cn the' dfll'rs hec:lIlSc thc lill11 l'III1;!'''''1 r- 11,":111;-!:Iekil',1 .rt t h.i! p"illt.

i;:Jsoline tr.m-port.rt illll to the limit . t.iuk l:lr' be prm npt lv 1I11111:Jdnl

nrS.\BTLI/Y FPl:r. TIU'\~SI'IIZ

Ihe

PI:'\~SI()'\

SYSI 1:\1

of forced bnchlIss dne to lIl:iI f uc! I ran-fer "stelll h:" l bccu reported, IllITstil;alion h:ls ITIT:Illd t h.it in muncrou-, Clses p,!otS nu;kctnl to check II,e "stelll 1l1It,) shortai;c of fuel pre vented contiun.rurc of flil;ht to .m ackqnate airport. .vll t.uik-, :Ind fllcl t r.m-Fcr snIT'n, shollld hc chccked hefore re:"I"n~ the "point of no nt uru."

.\ iuuu lxr

f unct Ion of

1,',:lCh enlisted 11\:ln who is c1isch:lr~nl for diS:lhilill h:ls t lic m;ht til tile :111IlpplicltHll\ I'm ])",""hll Pemilln. The :Ippl;e:lt IOU sl\()llld be Ilk;l before lliseh:ui;e, II'llik m'leS' S:IIY elinic:11 and other records :Ire rc:"I"I' :,,:;iLibk for tr:lJ\sl11itt:l] to the \'cfn:lIls\d, m uu-t r.rt uin. (Sec. IX, \\'1') Cir. :<J" l<J44,1

\1 \1L ()IZD/</ZIY
!'nill!]" t h.rc i, J\O more i.u por t.u rt link the ,\nlll's cut ire m.iil "'kill t li.m t lir ui.ul mckrlv. If lu dOl"Il't pnfllnll lii-, dllh ]JlIIIll'rh, Ihe .vnuv P"'I:il ""lktil poiut-, mil, all I he p1:Inllllli; .m.! effort th:!t ll:!s ~;lIlle into the h:l11cllillg and disp:!teh Ill' llrlil :Iew" thoHS:l11ds of miles bl Lind :lnl\ :m will h.iv hccu
PI

.\llZPL\'\!:
JiICllTl'\C

crUSll

lil/Zl

.Vt tcn t ion "f .ill c"ncClned is invitr! jo '1'\[ ::;, l n, ".\irpbne Crash lur h~ll!ln~," which elisen"es ell\\lplIle\\t, fne and rese\\l' h.iz.mls. crash opcr.it ions and tr:lininl;' ()ne sentence in t hc nl:llln:Il-"There is 110 xul: st itutc for common sense"-larrils vohmu-, of sound :l1h,icl,

I [()\';r TO ,\lAKE TIIl'; F.'\'1i\lY / UP!'Y

S:ltire I\';IS J\seel to improve .\,\1' motor whick in.iiut ennnrc in Ke\\' Cuinc. Posted Oil the bullet in board II';]S :I letter of COl11, iucuclation from "II'!. J :lp:l11ese ] m pori.il 1':':lt\ '\cst" to "Pcrvoum-l 11'!1O :.;i\'e heroic .nu] coutiuucd iu.rttcut ion to 1st .md 2el J:cheloll \'ehicle \!:Iintell:mce." The letter cites I'm spl'lil1 praise such llc:.;li:.;eJ\ee :IS: "Failure to have oil c11:l1Jgecl :lllCl ,'ehic!cs !)J0l'erll' l;rcJ'ec!. This re",1l, ill m.mv lnunc! out p.nts .md gl'llCr:11 clctcriorut ion IIf vchir-lcs. Vclly good! ''F,Ji/lire to e!reck inR:Jtion of tires. This resnlts in premature II'clfing out of scarce ruhlx-r. The Flllperor is rc.illv I ick lccl about

JEl'lnZS

()J: TTZ\'\S\/IIT.\r.

To consel\e nl:II'pmHT .iud p:'1"'r, eHTI effort slioulr] 11e ninde to rlnu in.it kltTrs of tr.mvmitt.rl for forms and reports 1llll'nCll'l icasiblc. Part icul.tr attention should be elirected toward ol im in.rt iou of ktters t r.m s mittini; routine m.rt cr i.rl. (Sec, Ill, \\'l) Cir. 310, ]l)++')

I'ROPI'IZ
uuut

P.\C/(I'\~C

I"

Snbst:lnti:ll c1:nn:1l;e to m.itcricl in Sl1iI" is clue to improper palkinl; and Cil !<l:lding .. \Itention is iuvitrd to the prmi sions of s. vi. \\'l) Cir. ,le" l()H,

BO.\TI3FR CRn\,

TTl'S
D/ZlT\C

Each cre\\' member should ll:ll'e a thor' onr;h kIHlIIkdr;e of his p.uticul.n section of the plane so that in .m emClgenlT he cnl inuucd i.rtclv inform the pilot of the cx.ut nature of the trouble .md also m.ikc rcp.ur-, if neeeSS:lrl',

.\FIZL\L

FIL\[

\\'hen :Ini:ll film II'Old dn dur iur; :1 tou tplctc cvclc thr ouah the .\::; or :I snn il.u inachine, usc of two .lrvcrs in t.mdcru will solve the problem. ThIS advice is p:lsscel on bv a field nir inspector. wlio w.nu-, that ;]

is. 'Tl1ilurc t o keep II!Jed lm;s tic:"t. The cxtr.t wear on tire and \I,heel he:ninl;s as :1 result of this practice keeps the m:Jc!s to the rcp.ur shops hut auc] also warur-, the hc.u t of Tojo. "1"aiJmc to gil'c prompt attention to small repairs, This necessitates parts rcplncemcut wh ich could have been al'oickd hv c.n licr .utcnt ion. The nell' parts oeenpl' ~hippin:; ,'I)lICe that ot hcrwi-,c could be \\Sec! for mail .uicl food, "Dril'ing like hell. Enough broken spriu:;" mangled fenders, cavedin l;rills, and torn,

48

AIR

FORCE

off door handles can equal in e",1 1he de -.t r uct iou clllSed bv an .nr r.iid. The thor. ollf;lllless of this c:olltrihlltioll has lxcn C';'
ccpt ionullv
notcwort

AIR WAR IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

',COIl!llllllcl frum Page 3),' \\'ith the ,tagl' <ct. the fllSt act of !:Jcking force. Tlrc m.rjur rc-.ult (If this the pl:n for Bl:d, CIIlIC Oil \I:r)' :::7 wlun ;lll;l('k 11;1\ ]Jot thc ;Icilial c1nITIIl'tIlJl! of AJlinl IToop' est:lhlished heacldll':lds on cncnrv .urcr.ift bur thc f:td 111:lt it fmccd the i-Ln]. .\lth(lIIgh the l:rll(hng, were thc J:IP I CI .uu.rt to thc Pirilipplllc's 111:ldc at httle- eost. Stiitellllig ell('llll rc'- ,til of his :IiI' ,trcllgtlr c'\ccpt t h.i t Ilc'ldul ,j,I:11Ice iudic.i tcd the ):Ip' h:l :1 ,t!OIlg tor illllnnti:lk cic-kllsL', " \ Cist liu.-c] Il[l luck of tl: he:[('lles to '10 till' sOlltlr. IIIL' f~ILt1 skp ill the KL'l'P 1lS f ioin ,te:t1iilg ll, SIIOIl, J:lp rd:lklllg of "\CI" (:IIIiIC:1 C:lIII,' 1lI1 JIlII' :111111.md 11:111'.urtr.if t 'Iele rllShnl hur:;i) 1,IrC'lI :III ,\]]IL'" .un ph i l nou-, fOlcc riLClk to the 'sccnc .uul t!. iu nnlxr of lIith ',trOlls .ur COl cr I:lllrinl :It S:IJI',;IPor III thc \'ogLlkop .uc.i . "lh u-. \ l.m.ro].f;gltt~'is Illtl'lCl'ptillg 0111 :ilLlc!..' dOllhle(l. '{ h irtccu enl'lIlI' hOlllhl'l'. of IIllich Sl\: I', .ni II:IS :Idded to till,' III p:lssl'd rmter. vcr (le,tloITd: hOlllhl'C1 :llId ,tr:lfcd ,\llc:llili:; :1 hp g,lI'JiSClIl ot \lIIIiC 1 ;.()I)() dfl'ctin'hcut (dl, l:oll(lIIillg th i. oched gl'"l1ld' pO'ltiollS, Oil )IlIlC ::: there IIclC 13 CIll'IIII' bomlxr r.ud . \\'c h.! cup.rt iou. onlv tokell CIIL'IIII :111 .utivitv :t ,trollg CI\t i'n till' :IIL',I. too, hOIlCI cr. \\:lS cncoun tcrcd in the 1Lil;II:lhcLI\, an~l :tlld :;l) ):Ip pl:IIIC'\ IIcrL' de,trtllnl, wit h l hc i-J.mcl-, hC'l:lIlIC a It:IPP) hlilltllig 1 :; Pltl!J:1 hle-\, :;rolilld for ,\llicd pl.uus. Di'pl:lling :1 uu.ivu n. of his former Dlllillf; .\llgIIS!'. our lxn n lx-r-, p'lIll1Clccl (Ltlim;, t lic )ap :tlknl[Jkd to rcinf()Jec llir!iclds .u! Sllippillg in tire i,l:tllcls virQ, \flls! Ie!tch of ll'COlllllll'lId;l!ioll ;lC Bi:lk 011 )IIIIC ,), 'I'll () nlli,n, :llld tllc ill;ilh' ;It Ilill, Dan lIellt )1\' "i/Lollt :I C(JlllP:Ill\' :11l :lpp\I<;III(lli for (lllillT ulldld;lte sillgi'c C':I,C (If illt~TferClll'l,' Sllip' .md clc-trovcrs hcading for thc i-Luid were ;ehoo]" sileccssflllh' :ltLlckcd ]1'.' 11) B-2:;, n()Jth p:lr)..n] pLtIlC\ were: clcstr()\n] ill qllall.\, Letters of recolllmc'IH);}tioli .m: lI(l1 IC, or \'ogclk:,p, One (k~troln 11':1\ <unk. till' I\ith Il'l)' fe'''' lm\cs on our p.ut. 'Illlled In' currcut rCf;IlLitiolls :md t lu. .uc :',llotllcr II:IS left ill :1 ,illkillg coud it ion. TI'i\ Ltek of oppmition COlltillllcd cOllsilkrClI llIIllCCC,,:IJI' .u] 1Il](!",iLlhk, ;1 t lurrl II':IS ScTIl hl:lzillc; furiou-lv .md a into mid-Sclllc'lllhl'l. CIl'1l ov cr the (ScC'. I, \\']) Cir. :;]tl,1 CJ-H,) sOlltlll'rn J'lrlilppillCS wlur our hOlllhs f'lIilth :r1so II:IS 'd :~tirc', 1,:ltc that Ili:;]lt, tlu: rc-m n.mt-, II'CIT oh'l'rlnl bc.uh:] lll'g'l11 to f.ill wit l: rcglll:tritl, Tlu-u O. ])oes:1 provi-iou.rl unit, :IS ,killled I", Oil Scpklllhcr ] :;, "it), ;dlllmt IIlOllotO\\]) Cir. ::'.fJ. J 'H.f, xuluni! :I ""J1I1!1I~ i1!:'; 1)()ltllllC't. report , (:l'II('I:t1 Kcu u.-v'< tcclmiqu.: of prc's1I0llS rqll'ti ti Oil , .m ,\llil'd .uuph ibiou .\, '(0, Persollllel on clnt v wit h prnviforl'l', pll'('l'ckd Ill' .i ir .md 1l:1I:!l boiui1!C; 0111' g:lill wh il p:llill:; thc' 11:11 for ,iOll:J! un il s \\ ill he c:lllied Oll dd:](hcd l iu: Ill",t il~nl[l lias l'lldcllcnl I)\' a hold h:lrdllll'll!, Ltlldcd Oil \Iorot'li ill the 'l'" icc bv t l, orf;:llIiz:ltioll to whicl: th"1 .uc All iccl .ur att.uk ag:lill,t tIll' [cfm.muortlu-rn 1J:dllI:t1ICLls wi t h ou! opposipcr ru.uicut lv :1"i~IICl1. The p.rrcu t or~:IIIIZI' SIIILlte arc:1 Oil JIlIlC ] II, Seventeen ti.m. 'sot:1 SJ11gle ):lp ro: to quc-t iou l ion will SIJ!"lIit '!Iell!;!h IdlllllS for :J!I ;1" B,2~s witl. fighter COITr dcstrOlcd llI()JC our d(lIllllI:llll'l of tIll' :IiI'. si!;llcd persollllc1. \\\1) Cir. ::'.fl. ]<i-H, t h.m :;() l'IlCIlI)' pLlncs in com bat .md on Th lIS. ) :lp:IIICSC Lldics .uul xt r.: tC:;I' 0111 h.] hccomc .iu :11mmt unf.rt liom.rh!r 0, \\'herc :Ire '1ll:J!iIICI!iollS olllJ;llCd fUI till' glollllcl and "lllk sCITral ships, lis.;lttl'ls cvt im.ttcc] t h.it there h:] been p.rt ttru of c(llIfllSccl cldcllSC, \\ it h thc :I\\;-rc1> to uiot or vch iclc drivcr-, :llid nu: ch:lIlic.s, Ixl wccn S:; :nld <)() J:I[J pl.mc- Oil the h's J.,'ri:l of :I iu.: II ovc.rt urn i IIg turn iturc :\, III s. IT. \\'1) Cir. ::'.f';. ]'H::', Tllis groll11cJ, 11:lilinf; to illk'ilsih' rcsi,t:IIICC ill tl: p:d!1 (If :1 pllrSlilT ;lr<lJlIld :1 l(lckcd circular should he cheCKed bv couuu.md.r-, room, thc cnciuv h:ld cou t inurcl to ;It Bi:lk. Thc pl.m \1:1\ nippcd in the bud cOllcerllCl1. lll'C:lllSe IlLII1\' 'I1;:tliIICll .Irivrr-, throw rcillforcillf;' troops into our lillc .mcl .it Hi.rk thc cnd 11:1' ill si:;llt, DIll:md lJIC'CJ';lllic.s h:IH' lJot rccc;led :1\1:11(1, fOI ill:; the IITCk of )IIIlC 2+. air Bi:lk airof .ulvaucc. kllO\lillf; hill wcll th.rt thcv which thcv .irc eJ;!;;hk, iucvit.iblv \\'olild hCl'<lI1IC 1mt b.itt.ilion. tields were oCCllpil'<1 111 the .vll ic. and to lllakc things l'Icn lllorc difficillt for isol:ttcd :md str:mglcd, O. Is thc 11'(':llill; of :1 lllill;;ltmc :l\i:I!i'JlI tIll' lap to sllpph' aIld rcinforcc his hltThc J:lp o1niollsh' is hllildil1g for :\ h:lJ[;c :llIthorizeel" tncd g:lrrisollS. :;th . \ir l,'orcc sc:nch elcSplT:ltc sLlnd ill thc Philippincs 1\'lllTC :\, Ycs, \\'ith the nlc\,tioll of llic;ht 1IlIISt'S. persolJs :lIltl",r;zeel to \lc;lr the :1\;;" llliits Ilnc rCf;IILirh- kllockillg dOIl!l Ilis 01111 RdJ:lld pmitioll is rClcrscd, tion h:lelc;C lJI:II' In':lr 011 thcir ,hirh :1 Ill;lJi:I' (IlCIlI\' trallSport Our ])II\CS IIrC elLlll11 illto :1 thill lim' pl:lllCS 0pcLltinl'; :llollg tllre h:H]f;e. :Ippro~illl:lteh' !lI'O illehes fr(llll tltc f(JrlllerhS:lfe rolltes hdll'eCI1 thc "hill' hc h:ls thc frcnlolll of dispcrsal lip to til'. if thnso desirc, (\R hiill ", Plrilippillcs :lIld sOllthcrIl arC:IS, Oil :1Il IlIlJilllikd 1l11J11hcr of Ilcll stockcd Ch. 1. ::'l) Jllh l<i-HI Om persistent :Itt:td:s in thc J:lp's :lIld nlilippcc1 :lirhlSCs, Ili\ illternal hlcb':1 I'd p:1 icl ofF Oil ) n h' 2 "h cn all 'Ilpph' lillcs :nc IIC1l cOIclnl hI' LrlldO. \[;1\' Inse Ililits 11;I\'c :11l ill';!;lIe of l\lliecl :ll;lplrihio!lS fmce 1:Jlldcd at hlscc1 :lIiation, th~r O\\Il' occllpling K:l1l1iri airstrip. Yd. clcn Ilith :1 Lrrc!C concclltLltion ,\, 'I'he :Ielop! ion of :In ill'i!;llc ]n :111\' J'\oCJ11foor. Lick of ;,ir oppmitioll COI!lcl lllCIII ollh. (If ;,ir P()\I'lT. good C')}llinlllliC:ltiollS :J1Ic1 ,\,\1" h:lsc Illlit \lith ,J!]otted enJ;skd slrell~lh of ] ()() or 1I1ore is :lllthmizeel. slIhject tf) th:lt thc CnCllIl' ]Llcl :It Lrst COl1cccJcc1 :1 hlttlcfielcl ill his blor. hc h:lS thc (le-:lpprm':11 of the C(JlIlIII:lllelinf; Celleu1. \ \Ii (ldc:lt ill II'l"tl:rn lJllteh "CII' Cliinca fellsilC :lttitlldc of :1 l)(':ltell lllall, Di\The insif;nc 111;1\'hc lIseel on :Iirer:lft \,cr. :11Il] lI:lcl :dlalll](llIccl it:ls IIJJtl'luhlc, (in;alli:ccc1 :Jlld c1eTlIor:I1izcc1. llc i, hl'illC; 1Il:lllCllth, :1"i~llec1 to thl' 1>:1'e llni!, (Ill :til(lIIl'l] 1I0 till1e to (!rL'" hi" II'OllllC!s JlIh' 27 \:111 tllc first of om IlIcclillJ11 p:ltches 'to be I'.om Oil po(lds of lli~IIf' :Illd (j~hter lInits ()\cr tIll' ILilnI:iller:l\. ,'.11d rl'[;:lill hi\ l):ILtIlCl'. ;:Iekch. field i:lCkch. ('o\'(T:Jils :11") \lork 1I1l; \\ hlll B-2:;s joim'cl tighter-c()\l'lC'l1 B-:::4\ \ s110rt tillll' :1~O. tllis ,t:lkllll'lIt \\'as forms, Oll 1IlI(ltllci,J! ,ted ;OlllJ'l :11,,1 ill ,kco' lIc:llcI ()\n tllc J:IP;IIIL\l' J)Ollll'i r:ldi<l' :Iirclrollics in tIll' r:ttill~ 1l'(TC;[ti()lI 111Iilclill~', hIILI,k, :11"\ ill :111 :lt1:lck ag:lill,t isLrllcls, Th irtl' l'm)III' pl:tlll's "'l'll' elc"l"r:l11kh', thc 11:11' ,iftl:Jti<J11 ill thl' 1':1JIlC'S julls, (\\/,' Ttl', :;:; .fl,. 1\1I~lIst ()]] thc f;IOl1lld :1l1d I:; ill thc :IiI' cific is llot f:ll'm:lhk to tlll' Jaj1:1Ill'sc," l'H4. SlIhjed: "lll,i,;lIi:1 fm ,\\1' 1\;I'e ,t!()\cd 1"1':111];1\,. I\'C :Igrec, ~ll1ih,") ,'I: :lg:lillst :\ loss "f t\\ll pLrllC\ fm thc athv."

o and

,'?

NOVEMBER,1944

49

COMBAT MAY MAKE YOU LAZY

(Continued from Page :;) without '\"Orking for it pcrsists-lll1t the reason is gone. It's d.un ncd foolish then for us to he on our backs and pretend we're '\inning the war just by ,,'earing om ribbons. Another thing. \\'e sometimes have chips on om shoulders for iucu who h lIe lxcu in this country sl\eating out gasoline r~ltioning wluk: wcvc hccn trying to de-tuft the Luftw.ilf. \\'e clout rcali/c th~lt ~1 lot of these gm's arc honestly :1S sore :IS boils bccnusc thcv'vc been stuck in thi, countrv whcu t licv wanted to he doil;g whnt we were. Also. we xccm to forgc:t that sou: of the jobs in the State, arc damned liard work. \Vell, it"" thcir chance now. If there's any real justice in the A.\I<' rcd ist ribution progLlm or in various pcrsouucl rot.ition projcct-; combat men h.iv to he able to take mer jobs at horne wh ilc tlio:.c who h:IIC been here all the time go out to meet the:\: ipx, This ,1101lld he a good thing. It giles people with lots of missions lxh iud t lu-m a cli.urcc to sclt lc clown and live for. ever, frcc t rr n n t lic d:mgers of com but. It gi,'es men 11110 have lxcn griping their heads off in Kunsns a cluuuc to col. lect a couple of stories to tell their grandchildrcn. And it should he good for the 1\.\, ''. Cetting people wlio know what it's all about, who nndcrvt.md the problems, into train. mg and achn inivtr.it iv jobs shoukl mc.m th.it thovc jobs wil] be clone better. Com l: t c:\pnicncc will hale a chnucc to get into the nooks and cra u nic-x Ilherc it never \\;IS before, But obviouvlv this cut ire pl.i n f;ills ap;n'! if cvcn a smull pcrcentagc of the retmnecs .uc uu iutcn-vtcd or b/Y. Their attitude \\'ill work a hardship on all of lIS, iucluding tho-: who cl.nnuc! \\ell would lil: a chance to spend xomc tunc ncar T.iJonc ,tc,d.:.s .md ch oeoLi te mil ksha kcs, 1'111 tiling to Liy oft preaching hut, as I sec it, those of ns who meet this problcm h;l\e just got to settle down. grit our teeth .md go to work. \\'hcn we were aviat iou cadets we had to do a lot of dull, rout iuc, irritating things. \\'e wanted our \\'ings and we took wh.it \\as dished out in order to get thcm . :'\ml' we're big bo~'s and mall~' of US have om \\ings pins :1 fell' Jerries or 1\ ips. And we've got to go to IHJrk again. Thi, tunc there i,n't a p.rir of ,hiny \\ings hlnl[,; out ahead of lIS 1ike a frankfurter in front of a bulldog, but there's plcn tv to he g:lincd ucvcrthck-ss. As for the ground men wi th mLT,C';I, stripes, they can writc their own analogics. This goes for tlrcm jllSt as much as for nircrc: mcmbcrv. The kind of work IIC c.m do-thme of us who have "had it"-is shm'ing np at lII;m~' airficlds in the States where rcturuccs h:lle rollc-d np thc'ir ,lcTITS .mcl performed to the hest of t luir .ilnl itv. If it's a llC'I\' outfit heing activated and organin'd, a m.i n 'h;lek from OILT,e;IS c.m help cnormouv]v. l Ic knows \\,hat's import.mr and \\,hat's not. \\'hcli vourc mer,e;l, I'OU h.itc to think th.rt somclxxlv :11 liou: {night hc doing 'a hid joh because he read sOllleplace th.it the w.u: i, mLT. \\'c.ll. 110 m.rt tcr II,h:lt the newspapers ,;1\', \\C k now thne'.., plcnt\' of w.rr st ill to he fou[,;ht. Those of lIS who kilT tallgled with the cncmv should know that better th.m and}()cll clse. Yet the allla/,ing bet i, that iuu nv of t liosc ler~' com b.rt llICIi arc the worxt offcndcrs "he;1 thcv get hack'to the St:ltc,. \Vhen '~'C-lllrct uru, yon will he well treated, prolxrhlv will h.ivc vour picture tukcu .md get a nice, lOllg lc.rvc. But after the shclliting i, :ill over. yOiI will find there's a lot of work to be done and vou'rc expected to help do it. In other word, von still h;I\T a \\;n to fight. Sorrv, hut that's the gcn, CC;lnhat m.iv m.rkc you l.rzv. If ,'on'know that and w.itt-h it. m.ivbc vou'] l have an easier time than some of the rest of us have 'h:ld. Good luck.

Cpl. Max Finkelstein of I,m\ll[;eks \OII'l'd he woulr] kiss the first \ 11' hc s;\\I'-lf he got b.uk safe, \ \;IX did .mrl this is his proof.

OPERATION: REUNION
(Cont inucd from
'1110

Page of)

c.nnc hick, fe\\, could put it better than T /Sgt. Peter \\';list gnnner from San Diego. S:lld Peter, a Slll;dl, hlue-eled <;111'. "The United States vrnrv lnoks after its hOI'. Thel:e isn't'a one of us who doesn't Jl':di~e wha! \\as hehi;ld this rescue. Till' 1 :;th Air Force h:icl al\l':11" gin'n lIS cxtr.i good c.uc. :111([ wh ilc \\T were in prison we kne\\' tlicv would get us out somehow. For the oncs 11'110 needed medicine, it r.nnc on the first plancs. There's llO other air force like the I :;th, and no other couut rv lil: ours." As for the m cu who lCII' the 'jO() sortics of the main operation, nne I<'ortress pilot spoke for all of them, ''I'd like to do it cvcrvd.rv," he said. I Ie gldped slighth-. but he \\':IS]]'t elllharr;hs~cl. '''Did von sce the look on the faces of those gl1\'S when thcv stepped out 0]] om field? 'I'ha t made it the best mission I ever fle\\'." cA(
Hcvcrk.,

S/Sgt, Frlwin

Kicking off his shoes al1d socks to d.mrc Oil tricudlv It.rli.ru soil. Braswell of Nort l: Carolina is sec II truckuu; on c!Cl\\I1.

50

Rendezvous
(Contilllle<1 from P:I~e -f(,) tIle wounded men ill thut picture arc now p.rt icut-, III t h i- hospita}. ()l!l' i-, lt . RIChard S:I11<1O/ OIl the l(J\\'e,t huu k ri;ltt. Il,ho 11:1, :I\\':nck<1 the Purple I lc.nt . The othe-r one i, \ I:I1Icei \ Iortcn-cu , 1'/:;, IYItO i, jmt :Ierm, tlte :mk troiu S:IIHlo!. Tlti, pictur c l':lll'l,<1 great cxcitcrucnt ill om hospital. ... Oct.rvi.i j(ellill, S:lllt:1 lie, N, \1.

The $100 Bet

Dl':lr Lditnr . ... \\.c :Ire 'cll<1ill; the cuclo-ccl letter vnu ill the hope t h.rt von 111:11' he :Ihk lulp Lt. Sko;'hl'l';.' . to to

"Centlelllell: "In orclcr to ,ett lc a lx t of S 100, please t t lc tim qlle,!Joll .urd sub nut tire proof. l-:lIel"'e<1 lOll \I til tilld :1 -t.u npc]. 'e!fad. <1re,se<1 ell'elope for 1'01\1 eOll\T1\ienee. Be. ,i<1es the S 1(11) bet 'this i, :1 qlle,tioll of pre,tige, so plc.i: am\lTr it prom ptlv: "'1'11'0 pl:tne' arc 11100'ill; ill !lte <1ireetiollS ill<1il':lte<1 III the arrow. ( p.uullcl I, at tlte lll<1icate<1 speech. sCj);llatl'<1 III t he inclicatcd di,t:l11ce. .\ gllll wit h :1 I11lll/k n'locih of \110 feet P'" ,"'Colld IS lired from pl.me ''1'11'0' at pl.mc 'One.'

Om covcr ::;irl this month i-, a houcv. :1, all the hOls Ilho It:lle L!ken her' np II ill tcs. t if v. She", ;ot curves jllst whcr von w.ru! t hcm. :llid sire I' f:1,t cOlnp:llll. Tlti, IJ:l1l1' is the Lrte,t\\j' 'pLIIll' to go into eOlllb:lt. .md von l':lll properh rcfer 10 her :[\ the "Invader" II.hClI 1'011 aren't \~lyin~ .\ -=.c1. You prob:lhh' kuoxv another pl.mc, the ,\:;(" :IS Ihe 1111:I(kr. IIl'lc', t hc npLllIa. lion. It '"'CIII, t h.rt Ihe u.uuc Inv.ulcr II'a, re,ellcd for the ,\:(, hI a lTS,Briti,h subcouuuitn 011 .urpl.mc l'I:lllle, b.uk <J11 [anu:11\' I:; of thi, vc.ir. \\'e \:11 "re'encd" he. c:;II'e at t h.it ti;ne the ,\:(; \1:1' :1 cLr"diec1 .urpl.mc. .u] the u.uuc COll1dll't he all.
nouurcd.

fiu.illv found

it :rll l':nlloltfllgcd ill t hc 1100(1.' wit It ':] hunch of Cis 'pLI"led 011 tlte ;L1\', e:ltlll;, 1 kept :I,klllg lite Illterc:lhollh of the PRO (1l1l':111111g J'llhlic l\eLttiom ()ffice, of cour:.c I .md 11,'1, fllulh dirccted 10 the llledicsi [uvt wh.rt tltme (:luLlcters thOlI;ht I 11:1, clOlllg rnsltill; Ill' t lur .rt lti;1t noon witl: :111 cklcrlv, hur auncl , colored w.rr cor. rc,polldeut ,'111('1delll:;lldil;g to he tixed up, I'll ne-ver kllOII -," \ I:lj. \ \ 'ulkcr I. "Bucl" 'I!:rhmin, author of "Coiub.ir \Ial' \I:rke You LII.\'," P:rge :;, i: ouc of the ,\\V's Ic,Hlillg fighter piiot-. '\"'1' COlIIllI:Illder of :1 ii;hter '(/ll:rdroll ill lIoric!.r. \ l.rhnriu flell wit h the Stlt .\IT l'mee\ I.uncd ZC1nke CrOllp, which .rt thr t in: numbered Bob )oltmoll .u] Cubl C:lbreski :UllOll; it, other "hot pilotx.' Regarded :IS :1 pcrfcct iouivt ill the art of li;ltter w.nf.rrc. the <lender. e:l\\ going \1:1 luuin in combat \1':1, quick to l':lpitahl.e OIT :111 opellill::; .uid ,IlI:rrt ellollgh to wit hdr.iw wlu-u tlte xitu.it iou ,km:lllded. \ l.rhuri i, 1I0! 'llper,titioll' .md ncvcr .rrrnx him-r-lf wit l: t.rl i-ruau-, hut likr 11I0,t ti~ltter pilot s he .rt t r ibut c. :1 lot of Iii, SITC n'" ill the .iir to pille 111Ck. "You've g"t to hl' 1mb ill llti, hu,ille"." Ill' \:11'. "Othu\li'e. 1 '\loltldll't he herc 110\1'. ' I\T 1I1:It!e too m.m , Illl,t:lkc' to let mv-t lf lxlicv th.rt I'ITI ;()(}(I." Co!. B. B. Cain, .mt lmr of tlte .u t icl Oil S\\'I',\ operatioll' Oil page :;11, is one of t hc 11I",t experienccel .ur otTicer' ill the 1':1 cdic Before goillg to .Vu vtr.t l i.t ill .Vpr il 1(H: he 11':1, :rtt:ICItCel to t he 1\,\1,' in En:.: bud. III the P:lcitic :rlthollgh not :1 C0111 hIt officer. lIe flew Oil in.m , m iv.ionv. Ill' h:r, IlIOIT t lr.m 1111) COlllh:I't thillg 110l!f', took p:lrt ill tltl' lli'lll:JI'(l SC:I h:lttle. .mrl [('lei, cd t Itl' \ir \ Icd:tI I'm OIlC .rct iou Jll \llti,,1t Iii, pl.n: \:1111..:[ ):[P w.uvhip. ,\ ITgl1 LttiOlI 110\1 fm1,id, him to tl\ COI1I],:lt; he', too l:tlll:I],!c a lIUll to ri,k t It:lt \1':1\'. lJC\'flke, of llolllc cool..illg liLlI' \I':lllt to IITore ahou! tIle 'peci:tI eli']1 fe:ltmed ('11 IIIl' im[de hlcl.. (0\('[ Ilti, 1110ITtlt', 1':[" It ()ll (:irl i, )C:IIIIll' ('Oll!:['!. :1 C:'lIIOITI Jll,,,I,1. )C:[IIIIC i, fr0111 IZoclte,t(l. '\. Y .. i, :(1 IC:lr, old, :; feet, ";' illclte' l,i:.:1I: IITlgh, 11:;' POllll(!\. :llId Itu 1)\\ II 1[]C;I'IIITlllellh :ill' :;4. ::;, :;:;. SI[e h:I' :.:rn hillc l'I(" :llid <I:[rk I)f()\lll 1t:I;r, If 1011 dOld kllO\l' 111t:lt 1)\\'11 11Ie:III', kick it :[rollill] :[\lltik. 1'011 1':[\'e :1 friellel \1110 \I ill 1..110\1'. '\0. C,lpl:lll!: not }JO\' \\ '!J:ltt:1 Ilo1lc\!
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".\"llming there is no .ur rcsistancc, and I/O \I,inc! I'reSSIl/e, will tile "1111 he 'I"ltkd dircctlv on tlrc t:lf;et, or "'\I'ill targ:t he gin'n lea <1 .md if '0, It 0\1' I111ICh? , ".\rthm '1', Skog,hcrg, l xt Lt., Si;nal Corps," TIll: '\ 1\1' Y()I'I( '1'1\[ I':S Illfollll:ltioll Burc.iu Accordil!,'.!. to rl; c I/J: FI,!!,"!,/.' 2 i}/ ] (l!t! I lill(, of "illl lor i/lc I,{c/';c:!
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\\'hik the ,\ :(, \la, under IIT:IP', the .\.:;6, developed from the 1'.:;1, 11':1' cvt.rbli,hing :1 good rccord a, all .rtt.uk boiulxr. Over in .\fril':1 ,Ollie of t hc bovx \1110 Ilcw ,\:;11, tholl;ht it .lcvcrvcd .i n.nnc of its 0\1 I!. Thel' (';Illle \11' \Iith the n.unc of 11lY:ldu :l1ld it l':lll;ht 011 111 a popular lint llnoffieial ,ort of wuv, So 'tlte ,\:(, i, the Inv.rdcr 1" prior cl.um .mc] offici:tl .ut inu. Tlte ,\ :;(, i, otTici:tlh the \In't:lllg, s.uuc :IS the 1'.:;1. Olltslde of th.it, our cOlcr girl h:I' fell' c omplir.it iou-, a, t lir article .ilx.ut her 011 Page :;9 ,t:lte,. For the photogr:lph we arc indebted to t lu. nOllgl:l' .vircr.rf t Co .. 1lllic!r built the ,\ :(" ,\lld it', onl , f.ur to tell vou that :1 piece of .mu.nuc-nt h:I' hcell rcm ovcc] f rrnu the cover photo :It tIle di. rection of tlio-: old LI'(';I" in the ccn,or", office, Spe:lkin; of the .\:iJ. our picture editor in :1 frantic l.ivtm inut.: ruvh to m.ik de:ld, line for thi, i"lle C;llllC :IlI"'S 'Olne new ,llots of t l: .rt t.ick hOnllll'1 Ikc:I[I'e \Ie p:[,te IIp om dummv I.tv out , 111!h photo 't:lt, ! lilted 10 plOper ,ill" of Illc pilot'" to be n'cd. lie r:11l froln cditor to :Irt dc,
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l'tlorilL ec. !l,e Tbc {{{III.tI lpeu! 01 !Ill' 1;lIlld (onditio}i.l lcoulj 1:(

.tlll! ((/lI.1! /(j r"" tic !./F.:,!..c! /L/dil.J.'..!. I"" .flU! I', !t(!ori.r!1l .!.!,ller /"(loci/) 0,+ !ll I/IIIIt! .,10II,'.!, p.I!/) ,!.!,c.

dcred tlte ,\:11 l'ltot",t:lh. Tltell Ite '\le:I~,'d Ollt their retlllll. l,'ilJ:J1h thcI l':lllIe. 11\ '1'" ci:ll cOlllicr h')]11 tIll' pItO!"'!:lt lOllIP:[III. :mel tlle pictllle n]l!m tore opell tltc p;lck.o:.:e \I Itile lite :[rl dil("tm 'Iood 1Il':lrl". ,!roolillg for tltc\ 2(, IILllcri:tI \\'l' l\'ill lIC1Tr qllitl' 1I1:cll'1,t:llIel Ilh:lt 11:lp]Jl'[lcel :il tltc pl[oto,lil (OIli]1:Ill\', 'lite P:llkl:.:e (llIl~,lillcd :lh'lIil tlte ri:!ltt 1111111],cr of ",llts." ],'11 IIOlle of :m ;lirpLtlle. Tltc'\' :111 1\(le of l'rrol ].'1\1111. From SiS:.:t. \f:trk \llllpl1\, O[lr (one 'P0ll(]cllt ill !-'t:lllCl' \I 110 \I Irele"ed tlte IT. port Oil P:lttOlr\ :l!f '1\pjlmt (1':lge :;4 I. comes a lettcr rc1:Jtillg Iti.' d:rrke,t m011lClIt il1 the J."I '(), I Ie \:1\'\' "Soillell,ltere lle:lr the frollt I h:lel :1 m iddle:l;cd :md sJighth' pecllli:rr 11':lr corrcspondellt II'i,heu 011 mc. \\'e II'CIT ]Pokill; for :1 cert:rin outfit :rnd lIT

800'.' 800' Th<rc!IJ1'(" II,,, (olll'loil 1'1111 I, C If Ihe defendin/!, gl11111Cr .limf dircO/) al Ibc l.ngU .lir(J,llt ((/.~(/ill 1,~lIlJ1'lIlg ,~I',I/i!) ,lJld Imllet,loll' dOl/'Il), ' -Tod.

,I

!rjj .

,n.f!tlllcd

\\.c' J(:l1h, d<J1r'! ;I,k \Oll fm 1IIITCIt. '0 I,hell Ill' \:1;, \Ie ,till lIc,d ('opie' of J:llllL11'I' :md Fc],m:I1\' 1<)4~ i"lIe' of ,\lll V()I\C1 for om file, 'lIT hope \'flll'll ],e :I],!c to dl; IIp S(1lI1e for us :rud ,elld t ItC11l Ill. ;,':;

NOVEMBER,1944

51

CROSS
of the AAF-including the hundreds whose lives he saved, though they never knew his nan ic-e-owe a debt of gratitude to an officer of the Corps of Engineers, whose death has recently been reported. IIe was Lt. Col. Linn Farish. who parachuted into the interior of Yugo slavia for three different ninety-day periods during thc last vc.ir to plot "escape maps" and layout improvised airfields for Allied .urmcu who had cracked up on Balkan mis sions or been forced to hail out in enemy territory. In a~lditiou to the technical data he compiled. Colonel Farish secured the cooperation of \ l.rrsh.rl Tito and his Partisans in rescuing flvcrx who had fallen into enemy li.md. or were hiding ont in the countrvside, IIe person all v led several expeditions to repatriate men who were hcing sheltered by fricudlv Y UgOS]aI'S, hut whose injuries prevented them from reaching a field from which thcv could he flown out. On one occasion. in' com pam' with I.t, F.li Popovitch of Chicago. he made a fivcduv trip on horseback to hring in a wounded f1ITr, crossing cncrnv lines lurlf a dozen timcs during the [ourncv. On au other, the two men saw a B-24 f;llI in a mountain area, and spent two wcck tracking clown the survivors and mol" ing them out in ox-carts. Colonel Farish was killed in a plane crash late in Sept em her, and it was only recently that details of his work were taken out of the "secret" file in wl iirh thcv had been acclm\lI1ating since he bcg:m h:ick in Scptcrnbcr 194). Some idea of how he felt about his job mal' he gathered from one of his reports in which he wrote: "The United States of America is mentioned in the same breath with Cod in YugosLI\'ia." If it is. a large part of the credit is oll'ing to such officers as Colonel I,'arish.

COUNTRY
in each phase of tr.muug have been drawn up and go into effect on October 16. Physically qualified Regular Army officers of troop age who have served two vcars in st:lff or overhead assignments in the can. tincutal U. S. without overseas service since December 1941 will be released for assignment to command positions in the U. S. or for any overseas assignment, according to a recent directive. "Troop age" is defined as 42 or under for a major, 4:; or under for a lieutenant colonel, and 48 or under for a colonel. It is planned th.it all will he rcassigned bv Jauuary I, 194:;. The directive is not inflexible, since in some cases the efficiency of an office might he affected. I':xceptions must he submitted to the Deputy Chid of Staff for his personal approval.

EN

x '-

labor as regular routine, but when a man shOll'S a rc.il desire to bchnvc and improve his situation, he can get out quicker and be a more useful soldier. A reservoir of male pilots bcing available for all f1ving assignmcnts at home and overseas, all \\' ASP personnel will be in-activated on December 20. In place of an honorable discharge, to which \ V ASPs would have been entitled had they been on mii1tary status. each will receive a certificate of service. Thcv will return to civilian life with the knowledge that they played an integral pent in shaping the A:\F and have demonstrated, in the words of the Commanding General, that, "Women have the abilitv and the ca. pacitv to perform the most dii!icnlt jobs in

flying."
:\ len whose dnty assignments will keep them in Army of Occupation posts after \'-E day comes or who will be alvaiting their turn for shipment home will benefit from an extensive educational program now being shaped bv the \\'ar Department. To the extent that the military functioning of a unit permits, part of the duty clav prcviouslv devoted to military training will he utilized for academic or vocational work under qualified instructors drawn from enlisted and officer personnel. 1\ len will be encouraged to pick up their schooling from any point from the sixth grade through the first tin) YClrs of college, thus preparing them for continuation of their cducat ion at home under the "GI Bill of Rights." The eontcmplatcd courses will cover science, pre. professional and liberal arts, with free choice to the individual in liue with his pmhl':lr plans. "" Usc mal' be made of some edilcltional beilitics overseas, and there mav poxsiblv be a provis ion for studv at for. eigu universities.

If you've been seronnging through cap turcd enemy material in search of a "dud " shell for the postwar mantelpiece-don't. :\ \\'ar Department restriction now prohibits bringing or sending .inv explosive items home :IS souvenirs. Firearms arc also taboo, :IS arc nameplates from captured equipment, or anv articles whose value for service rcsearch, training or ser:lp outweighs their charm as trophies. In anv case, an enlisted mun or officer hrinl;ing a nv so uvc n ir s home must have a certificate, in duplicate, describing the article, and signed bv his superior officer. Theater commanders wil l determine what items m the various areas have val uc for military purposes.
Further details ou the demobilization plan to follow VE cby arc sparse. hut cvideuce is accumnbting on how the \Var De partment is dealing with the general prob lem of getting men back to civilian life as \ lu-v become surplus. Disnbilitv or COll\'enienee'oftheGovernmcnt discliargcs can now be obtained In' enlisted men who do not meet present minimnm phvsic.rl induction st.md.mls .md for IdIOm no appropriate assignment is available. The new mling :Ipplies cquallv to men slT,'inl; OI'erSClS or in continental assigmncnts, The l\ lcdieal Department will p:1SS on the phvsic! st.itu-, of the man involvecl. .mcl the CO uuclcr whom he is scrving wil] determine whether or not an appropriate :1SSignment is re:lsonably available. Veterans who arc cligihle for disch:lrl;e after hospiLlliz'ltion .m: gelling active assistaucc in seeking Federal cmplovmcnt under a new 1\.\1.' progLml. Local Rating Boards for civil xcrvic examinations arc beinl; cxtal l ixhcc] at :J11 station. regional and convalcscent hospitals. Under this progr'nn vctcr.rus

A special effort is being maclc to get men out of the gU:lf(lhouse and hack on the job. Ccncral .\rnold has ordered a rch.rbilitatiou program for garrison prisoners-those confined to hlse or post gU:lrdhouses-and one big reason is that the fullest possible clutv performance is needed from cvcrvbodv. The program is uuclcrwav at 110 U. S. can. t iucnt.il hases. under the supervision of the Office of the .Vir I'rO\'ost :\larshal. .\ prisoner who shOln proper spirit is gil'en extra pril'ilcges-more freedom, less gu:nding. pos-rblv different quarters. IIe is gin'u refresher eOlIrSes and shown how to keep out of trouble in the future. Special training suited to his needs in certain militan' occup.rt ions is gi"en and a record kept of his progre'S. Special schooling is gil'en those having little cdncurion. Se]f,gOlernmcnt nuder <upcrvixion is enconraged. Life in the lockup won't be luxuriouv, of course. Cunrdhouscs still will he places where self, respecting CIs won't want to he, There still will be strict discipline and hard

Our correspondent iu a recent addition to voc.ibul.rrv OITr there ncwlv au-thorized I;old service (one for e,1('h spent outside the U, S,)

Britain sends alonl; the enlisted m.ui's tlicv'rc calling the stripes for ()\(TSCIS six mont hs period "I Icrvlu:v Bars."

-tr
\\'ith combat losses 10lI'CT than nut ici pared and Allied air supcrioritv manifcst in all theaters. pilot trainees now will get an ac1clitional five weeks of training prior to gradmtion. This means that men who were scheduled to gLldmte on October 16 will not receive their Ilings until November 20th. Detailed curr icula for the additional time to be spent

52

AIR

FORCE

mav be cx.nn iucd .ul eertil'led loc.illv for Federal Civil Service poxir ron on ;1 countrywide b;l,i, prior to le;l\ing the hospital.

i'J:
High oyer the Aunuonink oil refineries at \ lcr,erbnn.;, Ccrm.mv, OIl September 2S, an :\:\F bomb.u dirr pre"ccl a button. ;nld that I';as the nulliout h ton of bombs dropped bv .m :\,\1; plane in 00 rnont hs of w.rr. In recording this inikstou. General I I. I I. :\rnold noted th.it it luis "cost ns men and m.ttcr ialx." RIttle casualties of the 1\.\1' xinrc Pearl I Iarbor st.u] at 72,000 (dead, missing, prisoner, of w.tr ant] woundcd ) pIllS 5,000 non battle casual tic" A total of 14,600 have been lost on combat m isxions. .md the training of 100,14'7 pilots, 31,290 bornbarclicrs and 31,<)06 n;1\'ig;ltors has cost us 1,000 planes ill fhing accidents. Four thou,and more have lxcn worn ont and 2, :;00 checked off as "110 10llgcr fit to flv." The breakdown of A\illg hours shows that 4,342 hours have been A0\\'11 doiucst ic.rllv for c.ich plane lost or \\'(HII out. while the fatulitv rate, in training, of 2(;,- means that OIlC man is killed for c.uh 2,-00,000 miles AO\m, a distance equal to 100 trips around the world. ,'y Recent shifts in command assignments in the A:\F include the appointment of Brig, Ccn. \\'m, w. \\'elsh as :\ssistant Chief of Air Staff, Training, and the assignment of \Iaj. Ccn, \\'m, 0, Butler as Commanding General of the 6th .\ir Force. A former incumbent of that post. \l:Ij, Ccn. Ralph \\'. \\' ootcn, is IIO\\, Commanding General, United States Armv Forces, South Atluntic. As of ulv l , I0H, a 50r!r increase in pay has been authorized for officers, warrant officers, nurses and enlisted men required to participate in frequent glider Aights, but \1'110 arc not in AI'ingp;IY or parachutejnmping status. Such increases shall not exceed S:;O per month for enlisted men, or 5100 for other personnel.

The Intercom
As a medium for the cxrhnnr;c of ideas, Am FORC:E presents these a nvwcr s to its Ql1l'Stlllll of t hr \ lont h. Replies ;IrC those of personnel recently returned from combat duty in the areas indicated.

QUESTION: What was the worst boner you saw pulled in combat?
T/59t. Burton Eaton. radio gunner. Southwest Pncific: "I \\'as ch;mgiulj t lic fecd svstcm on the \\"aist gun .uid I stopped to go clown to the strip .md w.itth some tighters conic in. 'I \\"(1 other men said thcv \HHI1d fix mv gun for me. That \\;IS inv llilj mistake. I \\"as lead radio man on the ucxt mission and I didn't get a chance to check mv guns until I\"(' were ~ attacked. That was another mivtakc. I opcned up on a Zcro .md nothing h.ippcncd. Somebody had put mv belt switch in backwarrl-, I rcallv learned ;1 lev.on from that. From that clav on. noboclv touched m~' guns but inc." Lt. Donald Ryerson. navigator. Fnglancl: "On a bomb run over Osn.rbruck. one group was A\inr.; about 500 feet bclo-v another group. Thcv s\\"lmg O\Tr undcrncnth the liigh group during t ln: run, There should have been inter com commnnicat iou to warn the bombardiers not to drop their bombs until the path \\'as clear. And some of the other mcm bers of the crew should h;1\T informed the bombardiers not to drop their born bs. But e\cf\thinlj went \\Tong and a bomb hit the \\ing of a plane in thc lo group. tore it off. .i u d t h c sliip crashed. It never should have h.rpprucd." 5/59t. James Moore. gunner, It.ilv: "On :l mission to \ Iarscillcs. I ueglectcd to check mv suit he;lting equipment. \\hcn \\T got to I :;.UOO feet I started getting cold. so I turned it OIl. I turuccl it to :; .mr] nothing happcucd. I raised it to III and no results. 15, 20-thc more I turned the colder it got. It wouldn't go :1I1Y higher and I \\'as frcczing, I found out later that I had a short in mv left glO\'c and left elbow. But I never knew it. 1 damn near froze to death. That \\"as one mission I didn't sweat out. It happened on mv l Sth mission, too. \!\' own fault, thongh.''Hubert Green, C-4'7 radio operator, l-.nljl:md: "On ]) plus 1, \\e \\TrC to drop supplic-, to t hc p.rrutroopcr in Fr.mcc. 'lhcr \\as .m cxtrcmclv licavv fog-\yc could bareII" sec am \\ing lights, About 1U minutes onto the radio went bad, the fog closed in, and \\T \\"ClC in the ski, wit]: hunclrcds of other pl.mcs. I got excited and ncglected to check the simple things in mv radio set. I couldn't find anything \\Tong. :\fter the mission was 0\"('[, I discovcreel th.it a switch had been knocked out of p!:Iee-au casy thing to fix if I had followed ordinary procedure. It could have been fatal." Lt. Robert Parke. bomber pilot, Eng!:Ind: "\\'c made a four-hour mission in the prop wash of our lead group. \ \ -c \\LTC Amn; in the low squadron of a high group on ;1 raid that called for climbing to nlr itudc on the wav to the target. Our group leader didn't climb fast enough to keep llis low xquaclron out of the prop wush. Radio conuuunicat ion \yas poor and we were bouncing around. \\'e had no control oyer our planes. Fighter op' position was hca\'y and t he leader wan ted to present a solid front but he stayed dircctlv behind ;mel on lcycl with the lead ships, It . \\as mighh' rough.' _ /) Kenneth Reavey. gunner, England: "C hLT Dunkcrquc om high Aight rom into flak .md broke up, Thcv took individual l'\";I,iIT action .md made thcrusclvc-, excellent fir.;hter bait. The 10\\ Aight did the right thing-lIe staved tor.;ethcf. Yon arc just as hablc to run into fl.ik when Hill peel off as YOU arc when you stick t oucthcr and Yon . '> bring the added disndv.mt.rgc of opcuing yourself up to lighter attack. There's no sense in inviting troubleour low squadron stuck togct her and we got through the flak belt but the other boys got jumped and they lost a couple of planes." 5/59t. 5/59t.

'i'J:

f~
Taking note of some of the strange and wonderful desigllS that have been etched onto field jackets and fatigues, the \\'ar Department has directed that t hc practice be discontinued inuucdi.itclv. Dra\\'ings, dcsigllS. mo'ttoes. names-thn"re all out. Onlv autl;orizcd nnd prcscrilx d clccorations mal' be worn.

i'-{

Rcversiru; the custom.rrv, the editors of FORCE have a eh;mge of address to report to its renders. From now on. it's the :\1H FORCE Editorial Office. One Park Avenue, ::--':e\\' York 16, New York.
AlIl

PICTURE CREDITS THIRD CO\TH: T/Sgt. R'lgU Coster, AIR FOR(T Staff Pbotog r aphcr : Conover model. 22: Am FORCE staff photograph. 19: DougI:I<; Aircraft. 57: AIR FORCE stall photograph. All other illustrations secured through
official Army Air Forces and Signal Corps

sources. Requests for prin t s of photographs tor official use and publication appearing in AIR FORCE should be directed to the AAF Phottlgraphic Library. Headquarters, AAF, WashlOgton 25, D. C.

NOVEMBER,1944

53

__ tton's Air Cavalry

B Y SIS g t. MAR K M U R P H Y
the'mll-it:IIT m:mll:ils wil], ill the coming yea;'s. doubtless devote IIIl;ch spacc to Lt. Cl'll, Ceorgc S, Patton. Jr,'s drive across I:rallcc und the part that Brig, Ccn. 0, 1', \\eyLlIld's 19th Tactical Air Couuu.md tool, in it. III the Third /\rll1\''s furious (Llsh, air pr111'cr II:h u-ccl wirh :IS llI111h or more illlagination than it kid ever been u-cd lx-for. .md a brief rcvic of lIlilitary tactics lila:' hclp a little to cxpluiu lust IIJut II:IS done. lrm u the tnuc of Phihp of Macedon. nnuv couuuunclcr h:II'C worried "bout Il.ink, simpll' because most of the tunc all arlllY is mucl: longer than it is wide, To the rear of all :Hlll\"S front 11l1e arc reserve troops and supply depot, couunuuic.rtions. i\ st.mclanl mcthod of winuiur; a C:llllpaign is to -trikc the CllUlIY's Il.mks. destroy his suppl, routes, and cut otT IllS hont hill' troops from support and materiel. III past w.n. cllaln often was used to protect the fl:mb of .u i anll:', III the present confhct, the Ccrm.in, frcqllentJ:' han; cmplovcd armored patrols for the purp(he. Tire rmillg c.ivalrv or armor would cover its own flanks. spot am cucmv strcngth .md ellgage the opposition until support univcd. Patton, ]W\I'e,,'Cr, lwei another idea. IIe II':IS in one hen of a hWT\. so l. called ill \VC\-l:lllcl and gal'C him the Llsk of proteet1l1g all exposed flallk-not the flank of all .um , iu ovinf; llletirodieally across known tcrr.un, but th:lt of a mcch.mizcd .unr, 1Il00ing with incredible speed. 1l0\1 in one clircct iun. no in another, dcstroving the cncmv. hcadillg ever to\U I'd tire Cerm:11l honicla nd. And so for the first time in historv, air, in addition to its clut icx of columu support, rccounaissuncc allel all the oelel work of a tactical force, \I',IS gil'en a task which uut il recent mouths in this war had been a ground job. This \I'as no mere reconllaiss,lllce ,lssignmen t. \ V cvlu nel 's forces were cxpcctccl to cover the exposed area and handle all\thing that del'eloped. Prcviouvlv. armies had 1ll0\'CC1 so f.u, stopped, regrouped .md moved on again. Patton, confident that hi, air support would protect him, kept on goinf; for weeks after

In. ]~rhO:S-':cl

'lIIcl

it II:IS expected he would stop, l Ic and \\'C\bncl took on :1 job requiring nerve ami skill as well as ilnagination. Tile J WII Taetic:il Air Comm.u! ,1IId the Tllird Arrnv were kept under IIT:IPS UU til Augu',t l . :11though both ha~1 been :Ietilatcd fur S01nc t n nc. and the 19th kId done a lot in the softening up of the lrcurli coast prior to I)-dal, ] .atc in July. there was the business :It St. 1.0. the breakthrough allel ,Ollle feillts \\hich e:lllght the Ccnn.n nc.rtlv The British were left to hold the pivot at Cacn, their troops ellg:lgillg the bulk of Ccrin.m units in the :nCI, \\hile thc Amcrir.ms cut loose on a wild jaunt through lr.uicc. Although take-of] of the 19th on Augmt ] wns clcl.ivccl until late :Iftemoon because of bad wc.rf hcr. the Third .vrmv had launched operations bright and cull', .md. in the hours relnaining before cluxk, the airmen were ahle to klloek out .umor and trucks. After the ground forces broke through in :1 clrivc past Avr.inrlu-s. the ] 9th rcallv had its work cut out for it, Croups were assigned to h:;ng O\'lT the .muorccl eolunlllS of the Third Armv, to prevent :ltt:I(-!..: In' cncnr, pLllles amI to knock out stuff holding up the columns, :\rmnl rccounaissanec squadrons had the long rangc johs of isolatinf; h:lttlefields, whicl) is a rn ilit.irv \\:1\' of s:ning the\ had to kill .nr, troops coming to the support of the cucmv, to spot .md break lip an:' conccntrarionx, :lnd to keq; the cucnr, constantlv off balance. ,\,\F pilots I\:ere told not to buxt nnv bridges hecll1se th.it ll1ight hold up the progress of the Auicric.u: :1r111icswh o were dcfinitclv on their 11:1\'. If there were no targets for the col ullin-supporting groups, the\' were left frec to 11:llldcr :;() miles ahead in search of objectives to borub or strafe. Fighter Control stations kept track of wh.rt II:IS going ()!I .md often sent squadrons out to hit t:rrgets noticed oulv in inutcs before hv recon outfits. ' l':ltton moved his licnclqu.utcrs, .md the 19th T.\C headquarters moved. too. The couun.mcl's tlsk<., grell' d.i i!v. In addition to gi'ing thc Third Arrnv anllcd sllpport hI: COIlElderly French woman IX1'-,<.,,'S \ITccbge of C:CJIII:IIIt.urk . ill t lic streels of Ronccv, 1\'a/is were driven from area during St. to OffClhl\'C,

U, S. troops whirh liberated St . Divicr on September I found these i\':l/,i pl.mc-, smashed hI \lIicd :Iiruaft that preceded the :lCh':mec,

.I
....

The 19th Tactical Air Command covered the flanks of the most spectacular breakthrough of the war

ducting reconnaissance missions, there \\as the job of protecting a bottleneck at Avrunchcs, through which the Third Anny's men and materiel were pouring, and some work to be done on ships in the harbor at St. 1\ lulo. Pilots were going on three and sometimes five missions a dar. Almost daily new groups were being added to the 19th as its functions were broadened. In the first five davs of the Third Army's drive, the airmen flew I,OS8 sorties "and lost only three planes. They knocked out 2::;0 motor vch iclcs, 12 tanks, nine horscdrawn vehicles, four IOCOIllOti\"CS, nine railroad cars and two naval vcsvcls: cut fiye railroad liuc-; destroyed 17 gun positions, seven fuel and supply dumps, i\YO marshalling yards, a gas tank and an cucmv headquarters, and attacked 21 troop concentrations. All this \\'as in .ulcl ition to ceaseless P~1rol and rccouu.r is-.uncc. t The enel11)' \\'ithdre\Y to eoncen tra tion points at Brest, St. :'-Jalo, Loricut, and on the Painpol I'cu insul.i , and the Third Armv, finished witl: ::\orIn;lllch'. had overrun BritLillY \\'here'the fields .uid weather \yere better for air operations. The enemy tried to cut our traffic through Avr.mchc.. .mr! Patton started cu-t in a m ovc thrclteuing the Ccnu.uis Lleing the U, S, l,'ir,t Army and the Briti,h in the area of \lortain and Virc, :'-Jcll1\yhile continuing the Brittany campaign, Patton xct out to get the river Loire for hi, right fl.mk. The 19th T\C \\'as as\igned to guard this flank. and dispatches of those days r.:] something like the description of a character of Stephen I ,eaeoek's who jumped on his horse and rode 011 in all dircctions. 'Vord from the Third \yas received at the 19th's headquarters that "movement cast, south and west bv ground troops was greatly facilitated." By the end of the first week of the campaign, the J 9th I\'as in full strength, and some of the Lufh\'at1e got up to he knocked cl 0\\'11 , 33 enemy planes being destroyed on
Fighter-bombers

at Chartres derailed kcv cars (right) in :\'azi ,np' ply train so t h.it gronnd troops. clu-e behind. could sall'age cargo.
Sharp-shooting fighters choked off snpphes for '.;'lIi .un uc- with attacks like this one wh ich ninde locomotive look like uprooted tree,

August 7. Patton kept moving his headquarters close to the head of his columns. But 19th 'I ',\C headquarters had communi. cations troubles. The farther it moved in. land, the farther it \\'as from its airbuses. Cencral \\'e\Lmd, however, flc\\' up to confer with Ceneral Patton ncarlv cvcrv day, and operations continued lmccasingh:. Planes blasted enemy armor and guu povi tions, fle\\' over areas that the Third Army might move into, bombed and strafed tar. gcts thcv found there ami wutchcd O\Tr the supph' rontcs. Vvhcn the Germans used our color rccognition panels on their tanks, the 'L\C pilots would fly low and look O\Tr the vcluclcs as carefully' as a six.mile.a.minnte speed would permit. Then thcv'cl zoom upward, circle and come back clown to pelt the cncmv with horn bs and lJ\lllets, Thc Ccrmans had to usc horscclr.twu equipment nuuh of the time, and our fivers killed a lot of horses, some. thiug \\'hie'h bothered them couvidcrnhlv more t h.m killing Ccnu.mv, wl: needed it. Durmg the action wliicl: closed thc Argcntan trap, some of the I CJth's 'Ih nndcr bolts pounccd upon a coutcutr.rt iuu of ncar. lv 1.000 cucmv vehicle, and dcxtrovcd at l~ast half of thc:lu, . .\t this stage of the campaign, cncinv gronnd troops beg,m surrendermg to the T.\C flvcr-; One unit of .ibout --100 Ccrmans ",'l\Td wlut c flags at a lIghter squadron which \\'as lining up for a stralmg attack, The squadron reported the location of the troops to hghter Control and w.ntcd arouud until some ground soldiers rounded np the Bochcs. An 1 S'lcar,old bov among the prisoucrs said the field kitchen of his outfit had been bombed and that he h.ulut had .mvthing to eat for four clavs. Our planes then dropped leaflets ontlining the aell'anLlgcs of \ iclding and thousands of Cerman troops capitulated volunt.u ilv. Germau couccntr.rt ions were falling one 1)\' one, and on .\ngnst 1 S there \I'as a liarvest of 7,000 jammed vohiclc.. Because most of thc cncmv cquipiucnt \I':IS in the British sector. the 1 'Jth \I'as denicd the Jack, pot. \\'Inle the .vurcr icau flvcr were creelitcd with a fe\l' hunched t ruckx, some tanks .md r.ulro.rd rolling stock, the score of the R,\]o"s 2nd Tactlctl COIIlII1l11H! \I:IS 1,1 'iC) motor t r.m-port s dcstrovcd and 1,-;-24 dam. aged; 124 tallks destTO\ed .ul ')(, c!:;;Il::gccl. \lcall\lhile, the .\Ihes h.! landed in Southeru I"rance am! \lTre :;1) ulilcs inLind, The Cemlans \n'lC \'ell" unh:IPP\', I.ate III the month a cold front cnt clO\\'Il flling time, :Ulel on seH'lal d:ll's the Third \lIll;' sent its o\ln :umorn! p:ltrols :i1ong its Iii;ht' Ibnk on the lim' of the Loirc, There \las little cLillger, though, hce'llise the 1'Jth I ,\C h:ld LIken e:lrc' of I hc elillil' :,11 :iJong that 41111mile streilh. \\hell the p::lnc.s \I ere fllillg, t hnc \I:IS cithn 110 :Iir oJlposi. tiou or pic-utI' of it. thc c'ueUII' plclcrrlllg to jUlllp om I' :;..,s, I' 4-s '1:lel 1':, I, \lhcu it h:lel :11l ciglil or teuto onc :1l11 ::ul:l'~C, ()m semcs 1lS11:i1h LIU about, fom C1ICIll\' craft dcst l\)' cli to O;\C of oms Ic"t. Oil onc oecisioll, c'ight I' :;1s elisperseduHHc Ih,lu SO (;nllI:11I plallC'S, ,\nother d:1\' ci:~ht P,4-:-s, jmuJlcel h\ t\lehe \ll-:l()l)s :md t\l'C'ntl' 1-'\\ I ')11" got six :11,,1 el'UII:lgcel ouc fm all ,\mcric:ul lehs of t 1\0 pLillCS anel pilots, In a

broadcast to its troops, the Ccnn.m high command declared that the Luftwaffe while outnumbered, realk wns doing something, even thongh Gcrman soldiers "tied to a single front" might not rc.rli:. it. :\s the cncmv tried to cross the Seine before the fall 'of Paris, the Thunderbolts made things miserable for him. There were practically no bridges left standing. and some of the Germans were tr\'ing to swiu: across the river. "lost of them were using ferrics, and the 19th, making things worse. put de. laved action bombs in the fern' slips, Pressing ever onward, the .\mericans skirted Paris on two sidcs, leaving the 2nd French Annorcd Divixiou to occnp\' the en, circled citv after the French Forccs of the Interior I;ad a field dav ronting Ccrm.ms out of their fine billets. On .\ngmt 2:;, the Luftwaffe took a tcrr ific bcating, \ Imtangs and Thunderbolts of the 19th and of the 9th Tactical .\ir Command of the 9th .\ir Forcc dcvt rovcd -;--;- cucmv pl.mc-, in the air .mcl :;lI on 'the grouncL got 11 probnblcs .md eLnnaged :;:;, The total .vnu-r ican loss I\':IS 2 -; .urcr.rft. Over Cellnal1l, Sth .Vir j"orcc lIghters .mcl bombers accollllted for 11 in the .nr and 411 on the ground, The Ccnn.m bllnchcd a fe\l' jctpropcllcd rr.ift which tr.rvcllcd like hell but never got .mvwlnr ncar om pl.mc. The 19th's assignml'llt after the fall of Paris was a tongl; one, calling for wiclclv dit1uscd action, l'ut ton \I':IS I.rr across I-'LIIKe and the T.\C \I'as supporting him, .Vt thc s.uu time it \\,:IS bombing Brcst .mcl other c ncmv targcts in \\'cstern Fr.nuc. \\'hen these coastal invt.ill.it ion-, [innllv capitulated, Vvcvland \I:IS 'Ible to clcvot hi~ Full strcngth to the canlpaign in t hc List, In September things bcgall to slo\l' dO\I'lI. althongh in the middle of the month the 1()th herded in 2l1,ililIJ CClIuallS to xuncnck-r in one of the oddcst actions of the war. These troops lidded to wlut .nnounrcd to a couple of platoons of inf.uitrv .mc] a bat. t.ilion of \IPs bronght np for the pmpme, .\ \'onng inf.mt rv officcr arrangcd t lu. sm. icndcr after cl.ivx of ncgoti'ltions wlun he t hrc.itcucd. :Imong other things, to h.ivc some circling p.4-s couu in .nl bomb the Crnn.rus. The Thuudorbolt-, bad been at. t:lcking t liciu for \lTcks and t hcv clicln't w.mt another minute of it. Crounduir lOOJlCLltiOlI hctwrcn the 19th T\C ami tl: Third .Vriuv relchcd :\1\ all. t iinr high a fe\l' \lTCk.s :Igo." if Ion e:m go for the f:mt:Jsti,' stem' thc\' tell :It T,\C he:lel. ciu:lrters, It's llb,iut a ;'oung :nrJIllm, :1 hen. kn'lllt eoloncl. \lho \\,:IS fmccd to b:li] ont bchind thl' Cerln:m lines, .\ecording to the Llk, I,c 11id in a to\1'l1 for t\l'O d:l\s. \I':liling for Plltton's colllnlns to :Ippro:lcl; the :lrc,:l. \fter :1 l.'rcnclun:1l1 h:ld SIW:lkc,d hilll :llTOSS the lim's, the I'o]onc] rc;wh('(1 Thirel \nll\' hC:ld'llJ:lrtcrs, \I'hclc hc dc'slTlbcd thc Cllc'ml'. helel to\l'n :llId its defcnscs :llId sllggested th:lt it bc LIKen inlnlc'di,rtc!l', "Cill' mc :1 fmh' lilT :11\('11"11 t:JKC it Ill\'. ',ll," t hc' tller is "lJ(1 to h:II'e ,01ulltl'crcd, The co]n",'] 's cut 11I1Si;\SIlIis supposcd to 1,an' so pk'l'cd thc h\oglln nlllny to \I'hom llc \I'llS rl'porting, t lut h:IH :U\ hom bttT. ,\II\('ri";IU 1111L, ,,,lk'] illt" the tOIl'll. I~' eet'(hllg' Oil Ildn!111.!li')]1 :m ,\,\1.' olTieer h,,! o bt:1 illcd on fl\\1\g boot rCCOlm:1iSSlmce, {:{

KEY MEN
(Colltinned from Page 22) operator when someone failed to ask for au, t licnt icnt ion , The cuciuv is tr ickv enoughdout fall for his obvious attempts. It is not the purpose here to level the tlnger at radio operators and place all the rcxponxibilitv on their shoulders, :\ lauv times, the mistakes thcv make can he pre. vented by cooperation from the rest of the crew. \\'hen the navigator or pilot receives a bearing from the radio operator that secms to be out-of-line, it is their dutv to question it. Radio operators arc willing to admit their mistakes, but they Si1\' that too often the pilot docs not even consider them part of the crew. One radioman justifi.iblv com plains, "I made 47 missions with my pilot and I swear he docxnt even know mv name," Pilots should understand the radio opcrators job .md sec t h.it he attends to it proper", In the folhm'ing case. the fault \I'as the radio operator's, hut the pilot could huv prcvcutccl it had he t.ilkcd the matter over \I it h his r.rdiom.m. ;\ B 24 \IllS Ihiug from I talv to .\frica to get supplies. The radio operator h.icl forgot. tc n to get the letter of the cl.rv. It \I'as his Job to get that infmm:ltion, but the pilot could li.rvr: chcckcd him before the takcotl. .\s it was, weather forccd the pbne dO\1'l1 to 1.()()() feet and it p:lsscd over a fr icncllv con, \ 0\', The racho operator reports, "T'hcv blinked the letter of the d.iv at me and I couldn't allS\I'C'l. I shot b'lck the colors of the cl.iv, hut thcv kept after me for the propcr code letter. I''in.ill,', three planes look 011 from some habv flat tops and 11Il//ed in to look us O\Tr. \\'e did cvcrv tlling but sing the Star Spllllgied B:mller to indicate that we were fricudlv. 'lhcv must h.ivc been slltislleeL for thcv di~l not shoot at ux. Hut it \I'as awfu! clo~e and the wliol tiling coulrl h.ivc been serious. I was at [.mlt. of course, but the pilot could han' :l.. keel me .rbout it before \IT left," 1Zadio operators arc cxt rcuu-lv importunt men. cspceialh' in 'Ill clllcrgel\l'\", \\'hell II pl.mc is lost, or is about to go cl 0\\'11 , tIre quick work of a good r.ulio operator call oft en save the lives of the crew. ,\s a B.2() radio opcrator put it. "\\'c thrive Oil a crisis, \\'hell cvcrvboclv gch ncitl'lL it's the radio operator vho "hollLl kccp cool :mel get thc pwpcr Illc",',:lges thronglI. \\'elL one timc I \I :IS tltc gl1\' \I'lto got ncitcd alld \l'e damn Ile:n \lcnt into thc oCClm I)('eallse of it, \\'c \lTre retllrtliug frolll a Illission \I'ith a bad cngille, Thc pilot \I:lllted to elteck his POSI tion :(ild :l.skcd me to get a 0'1'1':. In m\' cxci!enlellt, I lnislllllkrstood h'-;-;I :Illel I got :1 \) J) \ I illSk:lcl. \ \ II h Olle cllgille Ollt. lIlld tIle dall[~lT of t]IC secolld OIle g()in~. \\"l' cLdn't !un: :Ill\' tilllC to erllise :mllllld \I'hile I ree!Jceked all'd got tlte sil;lI:I1 he hOld :J.s!.:c'd for ill Ille ilrst p!:Iec, I rc:I1;/e 110\1' thllt \I'!tell lie ::;:I\'C mc his illstl"\]ct lOllS 1 should h:ll'e repCllted tlIc'll :md h:ld hilll gi\'e me II l'lml1rmlltinll. B\\t I 1ud o\\C cye Oil th:Jt hill engine lIlld :mother eye Oil the \1':lter, so I \I':ISIl't ]l'l\illg much :lttcntioll, I II1l:I1 did !I' get t]le \)'1'1< :Illd \lC got' hick \I,ithout too Ililleh trouhle, But I lute to think of \lh:i! might h:IYe ILlppencd if th:lt second enginc

56

AIR

FORCE

1',C1It hid wlul I \1:1' \\a,till~ tilliC i.;dtilll; l l \\TOII; ()IIC of t lu: l.;IC:lll',t C:1l1'C' ()f erlor, lIlalk 1>\ Lllh() ()pn:ltor, ruuu :1' till' rc-ult of t luir d""irc t() ICI:tc\ hef('ll' t lir llli"i()ll' :IIC l'('lllpkt('(!. 'lh LIN' ori~illalh' eilt'd ()f thc I:ldi()lll:lll \1 II<) I()(!k (;t'] II" IIC,ld',d dmilll; a Ik~]il i, .iu l'\!lellllll l()IIIIII()1I ""I1TC of !J(i1lhk, 1''111.111\ uuport.ur: :lll' tltc r.i.!i ()pl'I:llor, IIII() '()llIl'!lllll" tOIl.;,t ti"Il tluv 'Il' :l!"o oS;l1l1iIC!"\. 'Ille]'l \\-:h t l: Llljj(l opcr:ilor III till' S()IIIII\ll"t 1':llilll \\ I,() IlltI():ldl'l1 I", ~III" II hell Ill' 11,1' pJ:lelie:tillll<lIl1l', 'Ilu(11,h i, tll:Il Ill' \\:" ()1Ii'. IJI,lctiC:l!iI hllllll'1.,,1 :lLlII:tlh':l1 hi, h:l'l' \\:llkill~ :111:11 tr.nu hi, pl:IIIC, ,\11('1 hl' Illll():ld('(1 I",' ~IIII' ::'11 1I1111111e', t rou: II" h()1l1l I,Cll!. hl() l'41l'llll' pl.n. att:lll('(l :llld ktll('(1 tl. 1\lli,1 l.;IIlIIIU:, t 'lllo;ldiIlL; ~llll\ i\ ;\ qllil l, .ru.] l';l\~' 0peLlt ion t h.rt ,h,"tld hl' l()lllplell'li :dlu t lu: I:llIdilli.;, 'Tl u- 1I11"1()1I i'ld' ()\l'I 1I111t1 a IC' pori i, iu.ul t() t h; ilill'llll.;l'lll'l' ()ITil'cr. I'rcc.mt i()1I' :1~,IIIl,1 I II" j)()"ihilih ()f iu.ikill~ m ivt.rk-, (':111 he Llkell Oil tlll' ~nllll\{1 .rt I hc h()IlIC .nrficlcl. I'\pl'licllll'li r.u lio ()PU:IIlll' rccouu ucr! till! tli i.ulio t r.u rvm it t cr hc lhcl'Kl'l1 .ul c:tltllI:II('(1 \\ith :1 hl',!IIClll\' nrcl cr .rt houu,'. .uu] ill I IIc .ur whcu IICl'l'" '111\' to 11ll':IK r.u ho ,iklll c, 'Ihc r.ulio t r.m-, u nt tcr i, /I'l() 1"':11 :I~aill't t lu: frc'IIIClll\' nutcr. If t lu: hl'lllll'lllI IlIl'ter ~()C, lk:ld, till' .unr.if t ,Illlltid Ill>l 1e:1\(' t l. Ilcld uut il :1 rc pl:ll'CIlICllt inct cr i, oht.uu.d. ()I t lu. mct cr i, :ldjll,lcd, It i-, \iLtlll lIl'll',,:m t h.rt t l: hc ,!IIClll'l mct cr cunt.uu fll',h j"ltll'lic', Itldi() l'lllipllll'lIl llll"t hc l'lll'lkcd .uid ill'pccll'd hI thc r.i.ho ()P"Lltor d:IIII' I() ill'IIIC l()IlIIIlII' ()II' .iud rcli.il.k- i.u lio l(lllllllllllil:I!I<)II\ "'1\. In', If tlu-: Pll'l:lllli()1!\ .nr ()\nl()()Kcd, it 11I(:l1l' tJ(lllhle, 'll., troubl.: l':111 I", piC vtut cc] heforc ! hc Illi"i()1l i, .urbornr. it C:IIl. nut hc ()\l'll'()llll' :Ifln t lu: .nrpl.inc i, t:lll;d. bound C\l'Cpt I" ah()11 illl;, \ I i,taKc' h.iv lxcn m.rd .md will l()ll. IIIIIIC t o hc m.uk uuti] t lu. luuu.m l'kllll'llt " rcplaccd 111 :1 "'ll'1Il wl unl lIlcch:lllIc:t1 IlICIl C:1lI flv .nr pl.mc-; l l ut il t lun. thc <m.nt thillg t() d() i, lc.nu fl()11I thc llli,t:IKl" ()f ()tlln, .uu] dOld rcpclt errorprcviouvlv made. Thc ncxt e-rror 111:1\ hc t lu f:i1:t1 error. ~l::
u: intunuut iou."

WHAT,ISYOUltA1RFORCE:

I. 0.1
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n:ltioll h IIIdu, l.:1'lc'" 1l:J1L", :llId Tluj. l;l/ld II, Cllill;1 1:, TIIC S(lI()lll(lW :I/ll] I],c lli'"Llfck ,\Ielll] n. I11di", 1\1lIl/11. T!LliLI/IlI :Illd thc B:I\ (If Ikllc;:ll 11. ,\ ;r()Jlp counu uuic.rt ion-, oillcer IS el:lssifIl'C1 nuder ,I, S I 1:, S:; H, S -f I' S 2 12 .. \llinicill .iirpl.nu h.rv never lxcn o]ll'r:Ifc,1 ill lcm pcr.i t urc-, of m inn- ()O dcgrl'C\. I T,"c II J':II,c 13. ],']ight nur-: , OIl 11'.lll;,; st:lt\l\ dr:l\\I' ntr:1 P:I\' of I, S(,I) I'CI '"011111 H, :;1) I'crecIII ()f h",c I':n' 1:, S-:; I'er IIIl)IIt1, D, " 11)11 I'cr ,"1)/11], 14. .vuu-ric.ru troops l.ruclccl

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,\lIll'r}l':1I1 Illclter 4. \!:JthlT l:ield i, ]oC:ltnlllc:lrest 1,1" ,\lIc;dc', edit, II, I'mll:III(1, Ore, c. S:ler:llllclIl(J, C:dif. n. .\11\1 jll, Tn:l'

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5. \\'hell pullim; the rrp cord Oil vour pa r.ul n rt c. vou vliould .v. [)r:I\\' \()III kllcc" t(J)\llld \ ()III cuc-: H, s,llc:lil \ (Jill' Icg' \\,dcll- :I]url I: 1'111 \(1111 fccl 1(I',;clllcr :llId \(1111

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pro-

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6. The IT, S, S;I\illl;' BOlld wh icl: is c:dlcd thc' (;1 BOlld hCC:I\l\c it isold ou!v to milit.uv per"ollllci 11;ls :111 isslle price of 1,"1\-:; cS:;-:;
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rctmll t() Lt, nilc IZich:1Il1 SOli, I'ost I'alal'llllic Officcr. \lercctl .\rml' .\ir Jo'ichL \Iclccd, Calif. :\0, 4::':; :;l)"I)~, cltc,t IIJll'. ]O\t :I! B:lgg:li;c R()()]ll, :;-"tlt ,\,\F 1)\'. \ 1IIIIIUp,II \11 port, 1-:1 I':l'(), Tn:I', 2(1 SCjltcmiJcl, l'H4, Rl'llllil t() 1,1 I:' 1', \\iIlLI1I1'()II, ScciiOlI ,\. !lm :; :;(1, ,\1'111\' ,\il I\:ISC, ,\I:tIlI<)~(ll'll(), :\C\\' \ Ie",

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7. Thc rcciprocnl hc.ul ill; of :1 cl ir.-ct iou.i] eO\1J\e of -;-() dcglee' \lollld he \, I SII dC!.;lcc' C, !I,I) dC!.;lcc' B, 251) dcgrccs D, IiI) dcgrccs 8. The
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H, 1-':II,c 16. Under the oflicial po in l s\'Stcm for scp.rrut ion f roru tlir Ar n rv, the num her of dccor.i tion, .mr] uw.rrcls won will rccellC llO v.iluc. I, '/OIC H, 1-':II,c 17 .. \1111\ Seri,,] '\0,1 i, hc-lcl hy \, C;~'IICI:II C;C"I~C C \ L,r,II:,11 H, CCller;/1 I IeII " I J. ,\rll()ld 1:, CCllcr:11 ,,,1," I, l'er'hilll; n . .\cT() oue 18. A lll:ljor gcm'r:ll ill thc ,\,\1,' rc.

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9. Tbc first :dL\\F hOlliher :Itt:lck llJ:lde Oil Berhll took p1:ICT (m \, "()\', - 1'J,n 1:, ';111, I I, I(),n H, ,\l:Jr, -t, J()-H n, OC/ :;,I')-J)

celll'\ the \lIIIIC' b:1\e VI\' :llld O\\':lllC'e\ ;1 S :I Iiell tl'1l:lll t ;ellcLII. I, TIIIC II 1,':II,c 19. A cllitilcI IT \IllIg Ju, A, 'I':ll'crcll cd~cs :IIId c"lerll:l] hl:Jcillc; H .. \'() c\tcrJul hr:/cillS-; I: ,\ dillcdr:11 :II'~1c t() IIIC Iwcl:Jc;c [) SII:lic;llI cdc;c, :I/Id 11" c"lcnul hl:llC'
;111

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NOVEMBER,1944

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'If

TRAINING
l'Iiavigation Training En Masse. The Dead Reckoning :\aYigation Trainer. Tvpc C2. a composite assembly eomtmcted in the form of a classroom, is now being distribu~nl to Training Command na\'igation schook Stu. dents using the C-2 arc eoufrouted \\'ith tvpcs of problems cucou n tered during act n.il flight and arc required to work .it the s.u nc speed as thcv would be in an .urcr.rff . The c1a"room a"embhconsists of ;lecounnodations for 4S ,tmients and one instructor. The st ndcnt .' poxit ion-, arc cousrructccl in the form of n:l\ig:ltiou COlup:lrtmcut s, each equipped with a complct c .ur.iv of simulated }Ll\'ig:ltion iuxtruuuut, .mc] conncctcd with controls located at the iu-t ructor's desk, Problems set np bv the iuvtr uct or are indicat cd at each of t he student posinons. I'mgress of c.ich stucknt is c!cl:(,!ed on a sep;n;lk chart hv a tLl\cling recorder or crab. \ 'ar ious factors involved in dead reckoning navigation, inc1ndillg nlcehanical and instrumental v.uiat icms, iu.iv he incorporated in the control and indic;;ting circuit of the C-2. Manual

AIDS
Iuform.rt

11111

All navigation instruments uccclcc! a sllCl'essfnl mission arc included studcutx booth of dead reckoning

to make: in this trainer.

on AACS Procedures. An ,\,\CS ,\. ~o, but, as in au airplane, skidded turns cau be made with rudder alone. Ilowiou Vile has been published to pro' vide comolicLlted .md st.mdnrdizcd referellce ever, fll'iug studcut arc taught the principle materi;i1 for control tower operators, radio that tur nim; action depends upon the augle of b.uik wluch is obtained liv coordiuat iut; 0PCLltorS and lTlptographers in the .vnuv ,\11'I1:1IS Crnn m un ic.rt ion-, svstcm sClying air rudder and .nlcrou. Hence, in order to erell's'in cvcrv t lic.it cr of (JpeLltions and in in.iint.riu corrcrt fll'iug habits and prevent eoutrol .rbu .c. the pr.tct itc of coordiuating the United Sl:ltes, It also is intended for u-. as a training rudclcr .nid aileron to start t urus should be c.uricd out in the Cun.iirvtructor. tnt hook, Thc ]o",c!caf llle is dil'ielcd into seven Q, Docs tile student's pl.mc :IPI)L'ar to be scdimlS: ()rgani/ation of the ,\,\CS, Cout rol 1110\'illg ~idl'\\.<.lY\? T'lIIer l'm('edllles, \\'e:lther, .Vir TratTle .\. Illiisiom of t1li,s kind Cln ],C produced Rllks, .Virw.ivx 'lr.iffi Cout rol , ltldio Ibllge bv iluproper oper:Ttiou ou t lic pent of an un.iu.] ,\il'll;ll <. The Pllhlicatlml \\;IS 11I1'1);lr",1 skilled invt rurt or. 1l\ ,\ \CS'lnd puhhshcd hI \1'''1' \D, DesigO. I, tllnc a llleaus for the iuvtructor to n:ited\ir l'-orel'S \1:1nlul ~o. II, it is dlsch:Zl: the \hlC!cllt'S r:lugc c\iilllalioll: Iril)Jlk,1, tlJr()Jlgh elunncls, bv .\\CS,\she,\. Ycs. Four m.uks ou the screen where yil!c,~. C. . the ring of the gllmight appears to the CIT of the student gil'e the inst ruct or a uicusur Films for Electrical Specialists. 'I I\"O training dCI'ice hv whirh he c.m estimate rauge ing flhm portraling the fUIlClalnenl:ll t licor ic-, in the -.un m.unnr as the student. I Io\\'ever. these four iu.uk arc some-times difficult of clcct ricitv .u! c!cctronics h.ivc bcen pre p.m! hv th~: \\-:Iit ])isucI' Stuclios. TIre\' arc to sce agaimt the const:mth' shiftiug terrain .\1",21 ~,\-B:lsic I':lectricill' and .\1,21 ~Bprojcctiou. .u! a IIl'II' .rttacluncnt for this Ibsie I':ledrouws, . pnrpose is under experiment. "'iele distributiou of the films has been Q. Is succc"ful opcr.it iou and instruction made iu line wit l: a rccounncnrln t iou of the affcctccl Ill' the skill .mr] interest of the .Vir Teclmied Selyinl COlIIUI:lnd that cvcrv inst r uctor? electrical speei;dd in the ,\,\1' sec the fllm's .\. Dccidcdh'lc,. 1t c.m be expected that at least once, am' trainer will be operated badly In' an unsl..il!c-d or bv a CHelc", though skilled, in. Gunairstructor Answers. The fol!oll'ing stmctor. questions .md aUs\lcrs couccruuu; the Cun.urvtrurtor are jlubhshn[ as a matter of interTrainers vs. Training Aids. :- lanv personnel est to persomrel at imt:lllations usiug the in the fickl h.rvc lxcu iucluu-d to look upon trainer. The anS\\'lTS II'LTe supplied Ill' offi(rainiug del'iccs a, rcprcscnting pruu.mlv the cers t hoiouahlv familiar wit ]t the clcvic. means of cnuhlins; st uck-ut-, to t r.un themQ. Can hits be scorcd wlulc slipping or selves. Ccncrullv spcakiug, thcv arc not de. skidding: sigucd for such a joh, ,\, Yes, on the older machines. Xl orc 'lhcv .irc incant to he aiels in training. recent machines, however. arc nl'lipped wit h Thcv do not suppl.mt the invtructcn; t hcv a delice which Ili11 prevent llits when con a"ist him. 'Ihcv :ltTord the invt nutor a more n ol-, arc iuipropcrlv coorclin.tt cd .md shOll' efficicnt mCllls' of deulonstelting particular the inst ructor th.rt the student is miug improblem, .mcl their solution. proper coonlin.rt iou. Q, ])ocs the del'ice require rudder to Shark Info. .Yn iuform.rt ion bullet in on m.unt.un a turn" sharks has hccn publisllcd 111 ,\I'T,\D for the ,\retie. Desert and Tropic l ntotiu.tt iou Center. .\Itllough pointing out tli.u sharks. a:i a \\'aler h.rz.u]. h.ivc call'l'd more nu.nt.rl discoilifort f h.m phl\icil injurv. the bulletin di'Cll"eS the v.uiou-. kindof sh.rrk-. and otTers lU:1UI' u-cful bct> on 11011' to avoid them if ;ltLlcknL The p.n nphk-t , listed a, ,\DTIC Iuform.: tion Ilulletill ~o. +.111:11'bc o!Jt:liul'Cllhr()Jlgh e!rallllcls [rm n \1)T1C .. \.\',' Tacticll Ccn tel', ()rLllldo. Ill. .-':

WHERE
Information on the films and film strips,

TO GO
availability of training aircraft recognition me-

terials,

training

devices

and training

publica-

tions may be obtained from the Chief, Troining Aids Division, Army Air Forces, I Park Avenue, New York 16, N. Y., upon request

Connected to each student's llal'igation traiuing booth is a "cr.ib" which records progress of the mission, The inst.rllat iou -howu here. iu usc at the :\,\1" i'\:al'igatiou School, Selman Field, \Iollfoe, Lu.. is arr:mged for CISI' checking on iudil'idual xtuckr I!> bv the k:lcher,

through

channels.
the

AAF

Regulation
of the

No.

50-19

explains fully Aids Division.

functions

Training

58

AIR

FORCE

Official Pin Adopted For NAAFW Members

At l.ivt the woin.m \OU left be. hind c.m \\'C"lr 'I pair o( siln-r \\'illr;s for )'OU without running af oul the mvriad Annv rcr;llbtiom forbidding civilians to wear III ilitarv imir;m;1. :\ m-w pin. desi!;lled to be worn bv the wives. widow-, mot lurv. d8ughtcrs. or sisters of A.A.F per sonnel. has been adopted as the official badac of tlie National :\WI' ciation of Air Forces \\-OIllCIl, '111{; onlv qualification is that the wearer muvt be a iucmbcratlargc of the N:\\F\\'. The win!;s arc of stcr liru; <ilvcr witli all en.nne! center (actllal sue abov I. Thcv 1I;1\T been ordered ill qn.uit itv ;!lld c.m be obtained tlirough :\,,\\F\\' hCl{lqllartcrs after November 2\1. I'crvonncl. both rn {,1 S, and overvcax. who wish to purchase these pius as ChristIllas gifts for the women mern bcrs of their inuucdi.rtc falllilies c.m do so bv t.ikuu; ont Illelllberships in their names anrl ellelosill!; .mnual dues plus purrhasc price of the pill. Send the name. .icldrcvs. and rcl.rtionship of the worn.ui \OU 'Irl' cnroll ius; IU the a\So(latioll.' together \\'1 th vour seri;ll nnmbcr. to: :\'atiollal :\\SOl'ia. t ion of Air Forces Vvorucn. j-1l2 K Street. x. w. \\'ashillgtoll 6. D, C. ])\l('S for nu-mlx-r-, .rt large arc 5100, Price of the pill, iucludillr; postage. is S 1, ,Il plus 30 cents federal t:Ix. \\'olllen who w.int to purchase the wings rhcmsclvcs muvt cnclosc with their rcm it t.mrc-, the n.uuv. grade. and serial iuunbcr of the :\.\F m.m to whoin t hcv arc related.

NOVEMBER
.. before December 1898, NOV. 9: 1918, NOV. 4: 1918, NOV. II: $60,000.000

IN THE AAF
7, 1941

Construction of man-carrying power airplane authorized with allotment of $25,000 to Samuel P. Langley. appropriated for Air Service.

Armistice. U. S. Army Air Service units participated in 215 bomhing raids. flew 35,000 hours in combat, shot down 7; 5 enemy aircraft officially confirmed. Brig. Gen. Wrn, Service, 3rd Army. Pulitzer Trophy Mitchell appointed Chief of Air

1918, NOV. 14:

1920, NOV. 25:

tance: 132 miles.

1921, NOV. 15: First ship.

Race won by Lt. C. C. Moseley. Speed: 178 mph. largest American semi-rigid

Dis.

flight of Rorna. is made

air.

1922, NOV. 14:

Unofficial American non-stop distance record is set bv Lts. Kelly and Macready. Distance: 2060 miles. Night photographs magnesium bombs. J\lcdal backer of Honor for World taken from bomber, using 50-lb.

1925, NOV. 20:

1930, NOV. 6:

is presented to Capt. War I service.

E. V. Rieken-

1931, NOV. 3:

Cross-country flight at 20.000 feet from Selfridge Field. J\fich. to Washington. D. completed by 94th Pur, suit Squadron, all pilots using liquid oxygen. Flying time: 2:0;:00.

c..

1935, NOV, II, 1939, NOV, 7:

World

record

balloon

ascent

is made.

72,394.795

feet.

Mackay Trophy for 1931\ is awarded to 2nd Bombard. rnent Group for 10,000-mile flight from Langley Field, Va, to Argentina, Total of 71,133 miles of night flying is reported by the Air Corps Advanced Flying School. Kelly Field. Tex. First navigator training Barksdale Field, La. Hq and Hq Sq, Hawaiian in Air Corps schools begins at

1939,NOV,20-21:

Answers to Quiz on P2ge 57

-:-.IIIIiI,l1i1i1 =-.(11111 feet 0, \ (I Sen'iee m the' 'lfliled forns outside of tl: cout iucut.rl l imit-, of the l'uit cd SLiles ou or l.cf orc Dcccud'er i, ]'Hl 4, i (I S'ICl:IUIl'lltO. Calif. i (I Put \ our feci logl,ther .iuc] \IlII" kgs' stl:llght 6, illl"-.,11 ". !l\,=~lllkl;le'l'S ,~, III 1 Comlc]LI!J()1! lJ, Ill' \l.lIlh.l. lC)H 1 II. ill I ludi.i, Ilmma. Tl",iLmel .uul I he H:I\ of lklll;,d 11, (( IS' . 12, III 1'-,I1'.l' 1 '. (,\1 Sh(l per iuonth 14. (Ill "member ': I 'H2 1,. (A) 'I'm", ](1. ( n : 1:,l1se 1-:-. (() CCIllT,J1 John Pcrshint; 1 S. (A I 'I'm", 1(). (ll I :\'0 ntem,11 br.-Iciug 20. JU~)S
(Ill

I.

I (I

1940, NOV,:

1940, NOV. I: 1940, NOV, 19:

f.

Air Force,

activated

..

GHQ Air Force removed from jurisdiction of the Chief of the Air Corps and as an element of the field forces, is placed under the command of the general commanding the reId forces. Hq and Jfq Sq, Panama Announcement Canal Zone Air Force, activated.

1940, NOV, 20: 1940,NOV.21-23: 1941, NOV. 21:

of flight tests of B.25 and B.26 is made.

First of 16 B.24s, the first tactical planes piloted to overseas destination by AAF personnel, leaves Bolling Field for the British at Cairo. 35 heavy bombers, all B-l7s, now III the Philippines.

1941, NOV. 22:

J-

NOVEMBER,1944

59

arc not going to bubble over with a lot of cflcrvcscent fizz about 'How to Gct \Vcll in Ten Easv Lcssons.' You mcn cntcring here have seen too "much blood and muck to swallo: such lines. But von can be sure of this fact: every eby mcn who camc hcr~ shot to pieces walk out of this hospital ready, able, and cagcr to compete with anybody-s--bc it for a civilian job or a blondc." This is the straightforward introduction to the AAF's convalescent hospitals that overseas returnees get when they enter, wounded, ill, mcntallv and phvsicallv worn out. And the hospitals make good thcir boast with thc most farsigh tcd com bi na tion of medical, voca tional, anel cd uca tiona] rcconditioning vet developed. As an outgrowth of thc Convalescent Training Program inaugurated in 1942, several AAF convalescent hospitals throughout thc country arc now rccciving thc sick and wounded from ports of debarkation, redistribution stations, AAF station and rcgional hospitals and Army gcncral hospitals. Administered by the ncwly-organizcd Personnel Distrihution Couuuancl, thcy arc stratcgically located at these points: Fort Logan, Colo.; l\fiami Bcach, Fla.: St. Petersburg, Fla,; Albuquerque, N. l\1.; Nashvillc, Tcnn. and Ft. Gcorgc \Vright, \Vasll. In addition, a similar convalescent center at l'~l\\'liug, N. Y., now under the I st Air Force as an adjunct to l\fitchel Field, soon will be absorbed hy the Personnel Distribution Command, along with several others, Thc Pcrsonnel Distribution Command also has established liaison with ASF gcncral and AAF rcgional hospitals by assigning cspccinlly trained liaison officcrs and NCOs to 120 of these instullutions. 'I'hcv perform 1!oll-lllcdical service for AAF casual tics destincd for future assignmcnt to AAF convalcsccnt hospitals and rcdistrihution stations or, in rare cases, for return to civilian lifc. They assist hospital staffs in handliug AAI' puticnts' problems such as records, pay, awards and dccorat ious, aIilll.oricntation prior to proccssing for future rcassignmcnt. Suppose vou'vc hccn a patient in a station or gcncral hospital. Unless vou'rc returned dircctlv to dutv or to civilian life, chances arc that vou will cntcr onc of these convalescent centers. If VO\\ conic home from overseas suffering from combat fatigue; voull prob.iblv lx: scnt to onc of them iuuuccliatcly upon vour nrr iv.rl in this couu trv. If vou comc from a prcvious hospital, von arc noxv over thc acute phase of vour illness. Your dcfmitivc mcdical trc.rtmcnt is concluclcd and vour spccific injury or ailmcnt has comc to take on sccond.irv import.mcc to vour O\'cr,J11 condition. Also, bv nO\I' vou arc .unbulatOf\'-\:ou arc ahle to \valk about, if 01'111' bv ;\sing crutches. C;J\\q;lete medical rccO\cry is thc chIef 'aim of the convalcsccnt program, hut medical officcrs know this means both physiological and psvchologic:d fitncss. As a result. thc SOl' of any of these couvnlcsccut hospitals is a skillful blcnding of medical care, supervised, though not rcgimcntcd, exercise. hcalthv pbv, academic and vocational training-all aimed at the rccovcrv of the "wh olc man," "One hoy hack fr(lm the ETO camc to us with a serious ann iujurv-s-piccc of flak O\'Cr Brcmcn got him-and hc was fa\'Cning the wounded arm to thc point of not using it at all," says a convalescent training officcr at Pawliug. "lIis

"WE

medical officcr told us he must exercise those muscles or they would atrophy. \Vcll, the boy had signcd up for our farm projcct so we decided to han; him dig those post holes \\'C needed to fence thc livestock corral. That's one job you just can't do with one hanel. In a vcrv short timc even the 1\10 was astonished at the ituprovcmcut in the condition of the arm, \Vhcn we had run out of post holes to dig, the soldier volunteered to help us clear a section of ncarby woods. \Vhile he worked with us he learned a lot about the farming business-so much so, in fact, that he has decidcd to go in for it after the war." "\Ve had a licutcnant here a couple of months," says the shop forcman at lr. Ccorgc \\fright. "Llc'd lost an arm in a hoobv trap in It.ilv. Before he went into the AAF he'd had somc cnginccriug experience anel our mach in shops intcrcstcd him more than anything else. I Ie c.uncaround one duv to ask if there \\'as auv machine hc coulc' managc with rust one hand. So I sh~l\\'CCl him how tc operate a radial drill prcss. In a week's time he wa:: \l'Orking it like an expert. It did wonders for his self. con ficlcucc." A corporal who had injured his back in the Southwest Pacific signs up for courses in wild life conservation at Nasll\'ille. I Ic plans to enter this field after thc war and thinks it would be a prac tical idea to learn all he can about game preserves, bird refuges, and stocking streams ' while lie's recuperating. ' Before he joincd the AAI', a captain now rccovcriug from leg wounds was an aviation companY' executive. \Vhen he goes back to his job aftcr the war he figures the com pa ny's business will takc him to South America, so he uses the ..
<!

"Se Habla Espanal" in this Lmgnage.: class. one of 20 or more varied subjects patients Gill study at <\.\/<' couvulcsccn! hospitals. AIR FORCE

60

Anyone in a combat zone may be a casualty. Anyone in the AAF can have an accident. If you're one of the unlucky ones, with a long period of recovery ahead, here's what probably will happen to you
weeks he must stay at Albuquerque to learn Spanish by the latest couvcrsationul methods" This is tvpical: yom llledieal officer orders considerable exercise for those stiHelled fingers. You 'vc alwuvx wanted to pL1Y the piano, but vouvc never had time to learn. This is a chance for \OU to do both at the x.uuc time, and have a lot of fun in' thc bargain. Or if the piano class doesn't appeal to you, you em elect typing iuvtcad. If you have lost some Engers in combat, that needn't stop you. An instructor at Ft. Log.m, for iust.mcc. can rattle out 100 words a minute through a s:"stelll of his own which uses only a few of his fingers. lIe has taught the svstcm to several A1\f men who have lost fingers and they are becoming nearly as proficient as he. Where possible, this same principle holds with recreation. "It's much better to have a man ride a bike around the PO\t than it is to confine him to a bike-machine in a gnll," says the CO of one convalescent hospital. "We'd rather have him row a boat on one of our lakes here than make him spend a couple of hours on the rm\ing machine." \\'hat do you h.ivc to do at the convalescent hospitals once you land there? \\Tell, there's vcrv little you lizvc to do, and therein lies OllC of the important rules that go\ern the program's operation. But you ma:', if you wish, climb mountains, paint landscapes, brush up on yom radio code, operate lathes, learn the inside workings of a propeller, take courses in navigation, play golf, milk cows, go fishing, or train pigeons, Added up, it spells thcrap\", It means faster recoveries, physical and mental stimulation, overall fitness. It docs not mean job-training, for that is not the purpose of the program; what it docs mean, however, is that the convalescent can usc the wccks-i--usuallv six to ten-he's at the center in work and studv that can i)e useful to him when he returns to the Armv or to civilian life. The program is not "fixed" in any sense of the word, nor arc its supervisors smug about any of their accomplishments.

The

"milk

run" is a good antidote

:1

all corners

for com hat fatignc and gin's chance to leam the practical aspects of dairv fanning" 19 U

Training in manv types of mach inc work speeds convalcsrcut time and equips paticnts with valuable skills thcv may be ahle to usc later.

N D.VE M B E R.

61

support; injured legs \yhi1c tl,is cr h.u mucr s :,\\':1\ al :1 h.mdsom .rlruuuuuu tray he plans to send hon: when finished.
A

wood

block

Highly-trained

physical

therapists

cific exercise

neecss:ny tor lOllceting

outl inc to paticnt; the SjK' their p.ut icul.u eoulhtl"ll.

They admit all the problems have 110t yet been solved and they welcome new suggestions from their p.itirnts. "'" l.ivbc vouvc figured out a new angle on limhering up a stiff [oint.' thcv S'I\', "Dont be hesitant even if it sccius to li.ivc that !\ul)e (~o]dherg touth. Dnclop it in one of our 'shops' here, let lIS know about it, and wcl l wor]; it out with vou ." "This is stili the Armv amI vou will still he able t;) di::; IIp some gripes," men ,{re tol('l npon cntering, "The di( Ference here is th:rt mayhe we c.ui do somdlling about vour gripcs. There is auot hcr difference between this and the rest of the Armv. \\ c arc not greatll' interested in Cpl. J. J. Joncs AS'.; I lH:;(I-;-S-+. \\e arc a lot m orc intcrc-tc! in an imli\ iclu.rl. Joe Joncs. wil l: a persoll:t! problenl we .irc going to work out with him." The solu t ion of yom pcr-ou.il prohlem hcgins with in 2-+ hours after \'CJl1r .uriv.i]. You will h.ivc coufidcut i.rl mtcr\ic\\s with y'our voc.itionu! specialist. persoll:d alrairs officcr. illcdicd-surgical officcr. and cducutiounl ofFiccr. There are plellh of the iucvit.rblc nulit.uv fomls to he filled out l)I\t-this comes as a distinct shock to SO;IlC-\OII wont h.rx c to do thc paper work. The couvult inr; st:tf( docs it for \'011 .uid in e'lsy sLlgc,s-h\' mcrely asking \'011 the lll'CC\s:ny (' llC\tion-. You \"ill get, of CO\HSC. a cOl1lplete 11lCtlic'll cx.u n in.i tinu , .il tcr which \0\\ .ur. :I"igned to a 1"light Surgeou. vour "pcrvon.i] pll\\icLIl!." That's prcciscly \\11:lt he wi]! he, too, for the d ur.itiou of vour st:t\- H)lI[ doctor .urd one who, lil: voursclf, h:IS :tIs;) seen l~len't\' of ()\crsclS .ut iou. The conv.rlcsccut hospit:tIs li.tvc horro\\'cd [rom civi] life the idcI of the till Iill' doctor to get :IS f.rr :1\\:1\' :IS pos\ihle from the clinic.r] impcrsonnlitv of the USI\;t! p:!tICllt.lllCdICII oniccr rcla l ion-h ip. I Icrc one cloct or is 'I"igncd to a spcedle group of mcu. I Ie \I:I\'S witl: them until t licv IC:l\ c. Your doctor r~'\in\'s vour CI\C, (leci(:~'s wli.r! kind of treatmcnt \'011 xh ould 11;1\(:. cxpl.riu-, e\(']'ClSCS \'"1 c.m do for voursclf, thosl' vou m u-t clo un.k-r supcrviviou , and a(!lises certain sports that will help vour p.ut icul.rr condirion. IIi, report also goes to vour voc.rtioual .mr] educational officers wit l: rccOlllmclllLlti,;m about the kind of cLtsscs tll'lt l1light he of spccd hcm'!lt. B\' .uir] LHgC the decision ,IS to \\'hat classes \'()U attend wil l be yours. l Iowcvcr. if vour phnicr1 conditio'n indicate: that \'(JIl will, in all proh:lhilih, keep vour ori~ln:tI \[OS. vou wil] be ~l(hised to t.rl: refresher courses in that field . . C!:lsscs in 20 to 00 different subjects is ubout par for one of the cOl1\alcsccnt hospitals. YOII l1la,'sign up for art in the nlOrlling .md journ~lli\m in the afternoon or \'(JIl 1lla:' spend the entire eLtss time from OSO() to 1()OO in 'the aireraft repair shop. The fact that von arc a novice, t h.if vour oulv cxpcricucc in woodwork was \\hittlin\'; a piec\.: of \\OOl\ on thc front porch. or that the closest you ncr c.nnc to radio repair \\:1' rcpl.rcius; a hurncd-uut tube. needn't deter "OIL YOII'II have pkntv of C01npal1\; thc nr.rjoritv of the xtudcuts in these chsscs arc rank hcginners. Your iu-tructorv, both C[ and civil i.m, wil] he p.i licut .uid indnh;ent. "Trv it a \\eck", tlicvll \;1\', "if von don't likc it, ch:lllge to son;cthlng cl : ncx t i\eck." , "\\'e m.rl: no at tempt to throw the trudc-, at the'c students." sa\'s au instructor at l'!. Ceorge \\'right. "Fir-t thcv become interested in 1ll:lking ,ol1lcthing thcv ucccl themselles or woulc] like to gi\e to their girls. '" l.ivbc it's 'I steel fIshing rocl .n] reel. or SOlne a\h tra\, m.rd from coudr-uurcd piston he:lcls. or engr:l\ccl tr:I\'S from ser:lp' of mct.il. You ought to sec sonic of t:le rc.illv tlnL' steel kni\cs made 11\' men \\ho h.rvc never t ouclicd ~l lathe before. Bllt 1\'1lJt st:trt-; out purclv a, a liobbv ell! c.ivilv turn into :1 desire to continue the same tIring Oil a scriou-, scale. \nd so, in purely incidental f.ixh iou , we arc opening a Icw AIR FORCE

62

post-war work OppOl tumtics for them wh ilc they arc here." A patient is allowed to make anything he wants toand docs. The completed article becomes his own persoua] property to keep or send away. Ba hy cribs for G I ] unior, for instance, arc among the most popular items in the woodwork class, and billfolds have top priority in leather work, If you sign up for motor repair. you can learn how to repair that car you've hrought to the center with yon; you can even gi\'e it a paint job if yon want, On the more serions side arc courses-hoth bcginner and refresher-in physics, mathematics, na\'igation, meteorology, electronics and a dozen others. If you heeome a qualified radio operator in the time vou'rc at the hospital, that aohicvcmcnt is credited Oil your official service record. Linktrainer time is l ikcwi:,c chaiked np. Farming offers a perfect comhination of medical and vocat ional rchubilitat ion, and xcvcr.il hmpitals arc making the most of it. The first-and still the most cxtcnxivc-cf.mu project in the i\AF hospital program is the one at P~l\ding. In the heart of the Fmpire Stare's fertile Dutchess Countv, the hospital's :;-+O<leIT brill i' quite literally what the doetor ordered: fresh air. suuvh iuc. healthy exercise .md a chance to learn the brming bmine,s fr()];1 scr.rtch , It is dra\l'ing ~1Il incrca,ing uuiu lxr of paticnts, both former agriculturc st udcut s ~lIld ~l ,urpr'i,ing muulx-r of cilv dwellers who have loug d rc.uucd of "settling clown and running a chicken brill when 1 get out of the .Ynuv." The,e clay, bnllillg i, a, scil'ntifie and wc.ll-pl.nuu-d a, a homhing miS\HJIl. There's plcnty to lc.nn ahout the intricacies of agricultural ehemi,try, crop rot.it ion, breeding, or dairy~ brmill"-~IS :1111' hrm ,tmlent wil] tel] you. The ~. . Pa\\'lillg f.um giles vrn t thi, kuo ..h oxv ill the movt p"~leticJl \I'a~': bv letting von help run the brm while vourc at the hoxpit.il. You'll run it ~ISa huviucs, and voull w.rtch it P~I\' oil. Ruunim; a f.mn in the A.\l! ho\\e\LT i, a nc: e'.pnienee and not without its d iflicultics. I':\en pigs and t urkcvs come in for their share of red tape. "The wh olt: Annv is run bv ARs, hut so f.u there arc no ;\Rs \lllich CO\Tr the l1;lInber of cgg, a hen xhoul] l.rv a month." moa ns one of the f.mn officers. "\\'e arc attached to the Iioxpital and while it \I'as quite all right to request a qu.mt ilv of pills, it \I'as something else again to have a load of fertili/er appear on the requisition slip. The first time we wn nrcd to sell a calf, we had to send a formal military re([uc,t through channels to 1 st Air Force headquarters. Bv the t inrc it finallv cline hick to us, with seven iudorscmcnts, our calf h~ld l;ecol11e a CO\\'." \\'ell, vou'vc been at the hospital for S~I\'. two months. YOU\T worked, rested, exercised, eaten well, you're keling strong in mind and bodv, vou'vc learned to pr oducc again, and your doetor decides it's time for you to appear beforc the disposition ho.ircl. You'Il sit clown with vour vocnt iun.il. educational. medical, personal affairs, am!' cLtssification officers to decide on your future assignment. \\'here possible, \,(1l1'1l be returned to your previous dutx .. If yon cannot do th.rt job 110\1'. the boar.I \I' ill ITcommcnd a ditlercnt :'-IOS. In cight CISCS out of ten yon']] return to some Arrnv :lssignment: in thc other two C~ISCS yon will gct enDs for vour return to civil i.m life. \\'hiche\Tr it is, vour outlook h:1S nnclergonc :1 prcttv complete challge since von entered the huspitn]. If vou'rc 1I0t aware of it, all \'011 have to do Oil vour w.rv out is look .it tire IICW pat icn ls comin; in. "Do vou thini.:: tho . ~n\'s .irc 1I0t fccling 10\\' wlu-n thc\' hit here"" :lsk the pro~r:l1n" directors, "The\' ~nc dis~lISted \lith hospitl1s: they :JrC dis. ~:mtecl \\'ith tltcmsehTs: the\' ~ne drippini; \\'itlt ('I'nicism. \\'e dOIl't kid ourseh'Cs into t:lkin; credit for tlteir rl'('O\crv. Thc rca 1 \I'mk, ~11ld the re:rl s\l'l'~ltini! is done hI' tltc in<1i\iclnal men \I.lto \1:111;ont. .\11 \Ie do"is c;i\e :1 fe\\ tips." ~'; NOVEMBER,1944

Each mont]: ill tIris sccticni i\1R FORCE prcsents new titles ;I\'iatioll suhjects ".IricIr arc ;j\'ailahle to Ai\F petsounc! tIrrougIr tIre AAF Field 'lccuuicu! LillTarv Service. Tllese 1Il0IltlJ1\' hook lists supplement tIre Selec'tecl Bibliography of i\l-iatioll appearillg iu tIle Official Guide to tIre Annv Air Forces awl are compiled hy tIre Headquarters A.\F Lil~r;lTY,
011

ABRAMS, TALBERT. Es\cnti:ds of .\crinl SUT\'cI'ing ;mcl Photo In. tcrpretation. x. Y" x: (;R.\\I"IIILL, 19-H. The methods of aerial phot oaraphv and the coustrurt iou of Illaps and mosaics. AYLING, KEITH. TlIcI 1"h. to Fight. thc StOT\' of Airborne DivisioJ\S. x. Y... \l'I'I.F.TOX'lT:-;TUI(Y, 19++. An account of the trainin" and combat funcl ions of .urbor nc inf.mt rv men. COOKE, DAVID C .. \lodel ]'1:I1IC AnIJll;ll, )')-f4. x. Y., ~IC BRIIl!':. I ().H. )ll r.. :'\c\\. annual publication of thc st.md.ur! vc.ubook. CRAWFORD, WILLIAM, JR .. and SAUCIER, TED. Core :I'nc! C)OT\. rn I I..\ll I: 1.1' II 1.\, \IC ].;.\Y. 1').H. The st orv of a Fort revs pilot of tl. 1lith .md 1:lter thc -1-'rd Bomh:lrd:nCllt Croups. FRIENDLY, ALFRED. The ems on tl'e CWlIlId. x. Y., I\(;I.E BOO].;S. 1')-1--1-.Tribun- to the .\ir Scnilc Counu.urd (;['s. GEMMILL, CHALMERS L. ],IJlsiolog.l ill 1hi:ili,,,1. SI'I(\:"<:lll.l.n. ILL .. c. C. 11IO\t.\S, I 'J-+). J-:Hcch of flight OIl t l 11l111l;1I1boclv. GENTILE, DON S., and WOLFERT, IRA. OIJC .\[;,n ,\ir Fcnc. x. v., I.. H. F1SUII.R. I 'H-1-. The life rccord of nl!C of om top aCCS. GRANT, HUGH D. C]oIJd :l1Id \"cathcr l\tlas. x. Y.. CO\\.\Rn ,IC C.\:":". 1'H-1-. Photo record of .ill cloud sLiles wit h their wc.it hrr illlphcalioJ\S noted in the cxpl.niut orv tnt. GREENHOOD, DAviD. ])011'11 to 1'::lrtl" .\I:tpping for I':,TT\boc!l. x. Y., IIOUn\y HOI'SI:, 1 'H-1-. The f:lets of m;lp re;ldillg and m:lp 1l1:ILlIf.; for thme \\ho kuow not hius; about tile "'''llTt. 'GRESORY, H. F, .\lI\tl,im;;1 l i cit-: CllJ ])0. x. Y.. 1(I:Y:--:lf. ,\lJIT(IICO(].;. 19-1--1-. The h ivt orv of the dcvclopunnt of the hcl icoptrr. IIC\\' ellOlli;h to illcllldc the potcnti.ilitic-, of the :\.1\ c,. HEINMULLER, JOHN P. V.. \Lill'S J-'ig]1t to 111-, ]-',IllIOIlS "'orld. [\cemc) ].'lif.;l1ts .mcl .t CllfOIJ())Ogl' of .\','i;lti'JII. x. Y., 11':";( ,\ w.v.x.vr.r.. 10-1--1- \ll album .md hioi;raphiC:11 rccord. .. LeSOURD, LEONARD. Sh-1JclJt, Letters of :1 lkdtee. BOSTO:--:. BOSIO:--: 1':\'I\TI(SII Y l'IU:SS, 1'H,. Lct tcrs to t ln hnmc tOl\'11 p'ljlCr Oil the c.irccr of :1 draftee throllgh cadet tLlillillf.; to \\'illg'. OLSON, EVERETT C., and WHITMARSH, AGNES. ].'orcif.;lJ .\1:11'" x. Y., 11.\1(l'll(, 10-1--1- \ r;llj(k to torcil;ll .. 1l1:IPS prOlidillf.; :1 kcv to l:iJli;Il:I~CS .nirl sviubol th.it :Ippcar Oil llI;IP' of forcigll :Igcllcic,. OTT, LESTER. Tr;11JI1"Jrt .\irer;dt of the "'w),!. x. Y .. 1l(\:"].;1I:--: \I'.\TTS, 1cH-1-. III1IStLItiOllS .md br icf dcslTiptiolls of today's .md touiorrow'< frcight :llIcl P:I>SClll;lT pl.mcs. PAUST, GILBERT. Ilerc', II'J\\' to I'h'. x, Y., I:SSI::--:II:\L Jl()O].;S, 19-1--1-. Ekmellt:ll\' prcxc nt at iou of thc basic Ltets of flir;ht, .md the tcrlmiqnr of small pl.ui operation. .RAFF, EDSON D. "'e Jlllllpcd to Fight. x. Y .. 1:,\(;1.1: BOO].;S. ]9.+4 . .\ Couuu.urdius; Officcr's .ucouut of the tLlining .md the first combat experiences of the I r S. Puratroopcr-; STERN, MICHAEL. Into the J:l\1'S of De;ltlJ. x. Y., vrr: BRInE, 10-1--+. .\ collection of firxt person u.ur.rtivcs of \\',IT .nt iou. ml'lllchlll; reports from SCHT:il of the crc.v of \ l cm ph is lie-lie. STEWART, JOHN 0" and PIERCE, NEWTON L. .\LlIillC ;llld ;\ir .\';l\'ig:Jti'JII. BOSTO:--:, (;1:--::--:,I'H-1-. Sca and air pilotinf.; text. VAN ZANDT, J. PARKER, Ceogr;lpln' of "'or)d .\ir ']'r:11JIport. \L\SIlI:--:CTOX, BROO].;I:--:CS I:"SITl\TTlO:--:, 19-1--1-. S 1.00. The !lrst volum ill a scrics \\'hich \\'ill cxplor from :11l CCOllOlllic point of lie'\\' tlll' world possibilities of the new aviation, WAUGH, E. D. J. \Ve.\t ]>oilJt. x. Y, \1\(\IIf.I\:--:, 19-1--1-. The United St:ltes \ l ilit.irv .\c;lclcnl\'s hi-t orv illcllldillr; :1 brief ch:lptcr on the bllilclillf.; of Ste\lart l-'il'lcl :l1ld ih import.u. WILSON, GEORGE E.. \ireraft Idclltific:ilioll f()1 l-'i"htilll; .\ifl)ll'll. :--:. Y., \IC L\Y, 10-1-) .. \n iclelltif1caticll h:lllclhook h:ISl'l1 OIl nllllti-1 ic\\ pCllcil (lr;I\I'inl;s LIther t]l;llI )-I'icw ,ilhlllll,ttc,. ZWENG, CHARLES A. ZII'l'ng ;\,i"fi'J11 DiclillIl:III. '\OJ(TII IW1.I:Y\lOOll. L\1.II' .. I'\:--:\,\II:IU(-\:" :--:\YICc\TIO:--: SII(\ICl. 1 C).H. \11 cll. Clllopcdic dictioll:lr\, \I'ith clefillitio1Jl :l1ld biof.;rapiJlc:il clltrics. ~'.;

63

Burma. A Japanese light antiaircraft battery, hoping it had solved the problem of rnohil itv m this area, mounted all its equipment ou the bro.td backs of elephants, .\fter month-, of intense training, the unit set out for jnngle maneuvers. Thcv made an imp"cssi\'c start, wit h a brass band lc.idins; the clcphnnt herd, and the local cit izcnrv cheermg them on. TInt again the [ups had outsmarted thrmsclvcs .. \ week later the batten' straggled back to camp, tired, hnngn', cml:' ing one lone Bofors barrel, but ot hcrwi-,c gunless, cquipmcur k:; and clcph.intlc-,s. The Japs had failed to takc into account three vit.rl factors: I-The prcsence of CO\\' clcph.mt s in the column. 2-That there is a ccTt:lin, definite season in cvcrv vc.ir. from an elephant's point of view. 3~;I'he po\\i hilit\. of CTTcoTTntering \lild bull elephants in the jnTTgle,

seemed quite satisfied with his decision. So "Itistlccl. in fact. that he didn't realize how his next couun.md would sound: ".\II right, girls, 0:011' you can let your pants down," England. In the 9th Air Force is a B,26 whoso nose will probnblv never catch up wit h its tail. It h.rppcus th.it a plane n.nucd \lartv \lar:lUder collided wit h :1 plane n.uucd Coutee I Icll. The no-: \I';IS ,hC:llL'C1from one aircraft, and the tail from the other. \ lcch.mics sk illf ullv put the tim ends together to produce a B,26 now known as \larty \ laraudcr-Coatee Hell. The n()\e has made 51 missions, the tail is credited with 57. England. An /\.\1' lieutenant had golf clubs, but no .golf balls, Taking his problem directlv to the English public, he iuscrtcd a w.mtad in :1 local ne\\'Sp:lper. lie reeeil-cd this rcplv: "Dear Amcnc.m officer, I am Peter Turner, aged 9. I will trade m v four golf halls for two p:lek:l[;cs of Cindy 'or chcwint; gnm. But if vou Ill- a B,I7 or a B,2-f. you c.m h.ivc them for nothing," The Jap hattle flag \I'as soiled hands, and in one corner there II:as a sm:ill pat-ch which looked im prcssi\Thl.kc blood. The tr.msicnt colonel. \I:lltmg for the next plane, w.uit cd the flag to rcmind him of his twelve hours on this his, torie gronnd. Something nice to have, a [ap b.itt lc flag. The officer h:m;:lined shrcwcllv, secreth' \lilling to P:l\' whatever price \I'as fin.illv asked Lvcntuallv he h:lgg1cel the price clown to 52:;, .md a fc\\' hourx later \I'as on his \1':1\' hack to the Statcs. On the plane he di-pl.ivcd it proucllv, uu.rw.irc of the kncJ\\'in.g .glanccs which p;1"ed behn'en nicrnhers of the erc\l'. Back in San lr.u.ci-o. the colonel sllO\lTel the fl:lg to a friend wh. ironir.rllv, could reael [up.mcsc. He happil\' l r.ur-l.it cd the ;:Ip cluLlCfcrs t h.it tile C:I jokeskls li.rcl prinled on the counfcrfeit flag, "Souvenir of Yom \ 'isit to Boug:linl'l1le." Bougainville.

crews in his outfit to read the weekI\' in, telligence summaries. I Ic tried lcaviru; them around the d.ivmorn and he cvr.n tried put ting little squibs on the covers reading: "Studv this. It mal' save vour life." That didn't' work so he tilOnght ':md thought and fiuall tore the covers off popular magazines and pnt the summaries under these. That clicln'f work either. Fin.illv his sergeant snggested an answer. And it worked bc.mt ifullv. \\'hat tlicv did was get big reel covcr-, m:nkcel "],'ORTIIE CO\I\I:\:\'DI:\'C OFFICI.:R'S I'YES O,\LY." Then t hcv liicl them in the hottom .sheke.1 of thc S 2 li))I;IIT, Now they have a loorio readership,

Ill' mudclv

England. :\ colonel wcut on a misvion as an observer. 'I'l: flight ran into serious oppo-.itiou from both fighters :md fbk over Iurop. .ul the B,I7 was hit. .\ 2lJ n11l1 shell struck the top turret, and thc gunner fell to t lu: floor, covered wit h blood, The colonel rllShcd b.k to gi\'e first aiel, saw thc bo\''s still form and thought he 11':lScit her dC:ld or clme to chillg. 'I'l. officer \I':lS .rbout to ad, Jilinister :t lllpodcrlllic whe-n the .gllnner "pcTTcd his cn's. Thc coloTTcl bcnt over 111m, pLicillg .m c.ir close to the boy's hps, expcct mg some l.r.t, fceblc word. "C :Cl'l, Col.nnl.' the g"lTTcr said, ''I'm bcginning to think there's not much [ut ur c IU this r.ukc t ." Australia. \\-hcn the \\',\,\T-'s (\ustr:Tli:m .ur \\:ICS) were first issued shorts, a comIILIIllhllg olTicer not iccd th.rt the lICI''- g:lriucnt-, \\TrC gCIlcLdly too ]o1lg. lJ;l1J~ill~ r.r! heT s]o['['ih- below t licir knccs. Iloplllg to

England. A major we know h.] hearcl a Jot paratrooper friends of his about the jOls of jumping. "II's a fceling of complete freedom.' one enthusiast told him. "Like s\l'immiTlg naked in the moonlight." So the major, 11'110happens to be a .great lp\-cr of swimming naked in :lIll'thing, .rrL1l1geel for his first parachute jump under the tutelage of the lieutenant 11'110had sold him on the ickl. "lhcv l.mdcd at the edge of an airfield. The licun-n.mt got jauut ilv to his feet hut could sec no sign of movement from the major. l1e r.m to him and imnicdiat clv nolieeel the smpri',ing bet that the major's leg went in OlJe dnection, his ankle ill :mot her. "I Iuh!' s.nd the m.ijor. "I .il.c swimrninr; n:lkccl in the moonlight, is it?" "\\'ell." s'lid the licntcn.int shakilv, "w.r.nt it~ Before \'OU hit, w.r.u't it'" ' ",\11 I k now." said the rn.rjor with great c1igllih', "is th.rt in the fnlme I'll contine m'.sclf to t hc cr.rwl." \ vl nrcupou he IJ:I\\cel out.

f i om

flud

,,0111C

~()11l! ion,

the

~l'ntlcIILlll

l':liL,,!

(Jilt

:llId lillcd tlum u[' for :111 cxpcr iincut. lie ;lskeel sc\er:l! of th nior.: :1[" P,HCllt CIsh to fold the legs of tllelr Sllolts up to v.niou-. len2ths. l--ilLJ1h' i.. (k,:dcd u['on the mo-! suit.ihlc length :ITTd Iud ;Ill lite' girls fold t iu-ir shorts to liTe, s.n u.; 1c-::gtlJ. The otTiL'er t}:n reviewed the rcsults and
t lr.. gi:ls

India.
(rcllt

,\11 S:. \l1j() c<Jnsi(lers himsclf a stuof lt un i.u t u.rt u n-. ("olddll't ~,~.t till' air-

U.S.A. The h.iz.uds of flight inrrc.,:.c rather tL:1n e1inlinish .mc] H2') sidc l;nTlIllTS :lrL' n()\\' enjoillLd to kcep t licir P:IL'.llllllcs OIl :It all t inu. SCC'ITISt h.it :Tl1\' slld,]cn lc1c:ISL' iu pr:'ssme Tl1:!\' hl()\I' thcn; clc.m out' ()f t iTe: pl,llJe:. This iT:lPPClJu] ,,'(cl1th, to S::;t, \\ . h'. 'Iilm.m wlul OTI a fr:linill::; flil;llt .rt hi::;h alt itud. The eh:llll;e ill prL'S\!Tre \I':IS so xiul c~e:n t lr.it llis ellS \ILTe: stoppcd IIp for cLil's. "Couldn't heIr :I thing," he S:IYs. ":'\ot even Ii.u px.' ,':{

64

GOT

ANY

GOOO

STORIES?

SEND

'EM

IN!

AIR

FORCE

\"

.. .. .. .. .. ....
'~

'

..

..

, ,

"',

Months of training shot to hell. Tough on his crewmates, too. lessness, a replacement is lost-needlessly. Corelessess and thoughtlessness-on gunners, needless more dangerous chances because Or off duty-are

.~H7-

---,-

~,C"= =~=.~7~~
_._. __ ._;~

....

_ .

...._._---

Because of his Core.

is Aying in ~is spot. Some of the perfection of teamwork

more dangerous to them.

than enemy Don't take

more men are exposed personal

with your life or limbs. Observe

safety rules.

r:.

Rendezvous
Mother Beckham's Boy Dear F.ditor' "Tho B29 and You"-a yen' enhghtening st orv. but II hv not mcut ion the good!ooking felloll' in fhing togs 1I'!IO.se P"> ture appears aloug with a picture of the B29? lIc is none other than \laj_ Vvaltcr Carl Beckham 11'110 is rcspousiblc for blasting I R [crrics out of the sky oyer Emope while flying a Thunderbolt with the Sth Air Force, en! had been reported mlssIllg Il1 action since \ larch of this vcar and is now interilCd in a Ccnu.m prison for American airmen. Carl and I h.rvc beeu friellels since children and haH' shared '1 secret a IIIbit ion becoming millionaires. and if things didn't go too well ill that field, AI'iIlg woulr! do. lIis parting words to me 'HTe: "Coodbvc, Claude, wish me luck and perhaps I'll become a hero." The Icadini:; tighter ace in the ETO at the time, he was shot clown while strafing a Ccnu.m airfield. lie is prob.iblv better rcmcm be red as the ellOlI' 1\"110radioed to his l\"Ing m.m to "take the bovs horne. Ceorge. I can't make it. l""e been hit," after his pl.mc was OIl fire. For the benefit of his IIIa nv friends, "\ lot her Beck ha III 's bov" is cloing' all right for himself in prison. \\. /0 Clancle E. Jenkins, S'III Antonio, Tex. Instructors' Grandchlldr.n Dear Ld itor : ... "'hen I'OU sal'. on the back coyer of yom October issuo, "Let us hear from I"OU," well ... just glance in the mirror and see how far vour necks arc extended' So I ,isk: ""hat about the armv of Air Force Instructors, a len" import.mt part of the top cream of I'oung .-\mericI who are helpiug to win the war. but who will have Ilothing in particular (so t hcv bemoan) to tell their grandchildren? , . Audrey ""alls \ loslcv. Tulsa. Okla. h ai:e missed the article "Un c 0/ .l[r [Jon," b v Cllpt. N. IT'. Pinnrv, ] r .. an .,I.-IF instructor, in our .1/1/\. ]1).14. issu c, It rrports ulur! on r inst rurt or h as In t cll his grandchildrcn .-Ed. You must Parting Shots Dcar J-:ditor: In the \ larch 19'H issuc of .-\IR FORC!' vou publishcd 'Ill .u t icl on p'lgc (i-] cnt itk-d "Part im; Shots" in wluch SiSS;!. Bcu B. Colecehi is alleged to h'IYC cout inucd firius; at J'IP Zeros after thc tail section of the B 2+. on which he II'as the tail gunner. was completeh' severed [rom the rest of the airplane. That statement has aroused much cur iositv in mv mind. and I turn to I'OU for an cxplauation. . r Ilan: clOllbts as to the pmsibilitl. of such .ut ion, .md \\'('fe it not for the orelers COli.DECEMBER,1944

Vol.

27

No.

12

December

1944

THE

OFFICIAL

AIR FORCE
SERVICE JOURNAL OF THE U S. ARMY Mo;.

AIR

FORCES

Back to the Philippines 1. The CIs Corne If. Our :\ir Task

Herbert

Johansen

TllfOll;It-'lr'llll:l Forcc-c-l.o

Oll

t lrc 'trip

at LCI"te. it functions. capers after dark.

4 7 8

it", orr.mizcd. arc cntting h\ pLn1c:

how

All in the Night's Work Our Black ""idoll's ovcrsc.e, Human Picl.up Snatch a man off the grollnd

xouu: deadly Ilere's

11 hoiv it's clone.

Capt. Greer Williams

The Careless Die Early Listen carefully to your PI.:O. Down to Earth The do's and don'ts of strafing

16 18

111' adl1C<: may III some

S;lI"<;

your fighter

neck. pilots. 31

top I'TO

Striking Oil Evaluation

of a grcat campal;Il

1I'lged 1)\ our St h and l St h .vir Forces.

Sgt, Samuel W. Taylor

Portrait of a Crew Chief I Ic gl\es his ti;htcr II1Il;S to th and '"C'ltS Sansapor The Stopover capr urc of a stepplll;

38 50

It back to earth told

a;ain.

,tOll(' to the' !,hillppines

in plltures, 52 questions. 54 fronts. 56 it must be done, 58 62 It In.

The ABC of D.Day Statistical Control Blood Plane These C~+-;-s bring

has a rea,h lIfe itself

.n r- cr for 'I lot of tongh on the European sometimes

to womuk]

Demolition at "" rcckini;

Hengyang our O\I'n ficici, is 'I gflln were rmlnnl; redllCed out

job. but of fuel.

Combat Express "'hen the fighters

Capt.

L. P. Bachmann

the bombers
Capt.

bronght

Weather or Not These aerial wc.rt hc-rnun

abortln',

in the

\1'1'0

E. E. Churchill to a miuiuuun.

DEPARTMENTS
This Is Your Cross Enemy Training del'elop 41 12 21 Country Comblllm; the scrv ur features "f On the .\lert, I, hill; S,Ietl. .\icls and The 1,II)rd[\. plus (Omhdt sldeltghts. organizatiOlul mcuts, personalities and other news items on the 1\.-\1'.

Technique Com hining the tee h nicul fea tures of On the Line, I' h mg Safctv, l'r.uuiui; ,\J(!s 'md On the .\krt. plm mfofln,ltlon on nell' pl.llles ,1Ild e(jll1plllel1t, maintenance tips and itcm , on om combat gronnd uuu.

FEATU RES
How Sharp Are You? Off the Beam AIR FORCE Quiz
Authorization
\JI: .\.\F H~';,;. ,~)-I; (I; j.n: .... 1U.l'1l1.
FOltl'L lilt'

2 30 53
.\/," VI/ICn

Intercom December In the AAF Shooting the Breeze

r
S.\\~
'ow
),1"11/")) J-. IUll/,'d )!!l'llllJ)y

55 61 64
lJ.\" ,IIHIWl'it\-

'It"
1111'

:-:l'pt.

1:11:':1

\yuh

,qllllOl:l1
tltt'

l tur r-nu

or

I lit'

Blld.C:d, till'

L~t'l'\lli\('

nllit'l'

of

Publication

.\TR

FORcE
.\It'.

i"
);,.\\"

llt1'lI'" rnu- lt.uk Stru ubcl , .\t '"

Im1Jli,..;lt('{l In' \(,rk If:,');.

1". :-;. Army

Y. :-:.. \.

Ai

tl ru

For(,(',,; at
ectnr

awl

.vrn Editor :

1.1.

FOHI'E l:llilOti,J! Col. .lann-, II

Eo m rnunlcatlonv--Dln-cr
;lfld

cornmuni.-atlon with :hl' ,\[n FOJ{("E Edlt oria l Offi('l' i..; autluulxr-d Oil editort.r l di .... rc.dlll!Wf( !tr;t!{I'h . \ddr('..,,,: .\11: FO/(l'''; Edilil/"!ul ottkl'. OUt' "a1'1-\ .'\\'I'IIlH' .','11" )"url. 11; !l'll'!lll(lllt' \11'II:lY II ill :, l~l..d; It'kl,\llt' 1 :!.-,:;II, Hr-n ur-h (litil'l'''; ;It JIll". A"\l'~" \\"a..;11,11~'~"II. II. I'. Ilt'!ell!tPlI\' H,'pl1hli(' I;'jllll, Ext . 'j.t;:I;~' and al \\"ridn Fil'ld, l ru vt ou . Ohio tl,'lt'1JllOlll' Ivc-umo nJ~Xt. ~~Il:;,j),

x.... ,y

n u.

Participation

.\Tn FOBI").: i~ tuiiunrilv a uu.duuu fllj' tit!' cxcharuof ido.r-, :\l1l1 lutortuatiou anuuur ,\I'lll\' AuFt'lt'l',~ IJ\'r ... uuct HI'adt,l,,, an' t'llt"'llJ',I:,.:o-d 10 -utunn anit'I('",. <luut "'l~hjl'(.t .." pllntu~lapll .. , :111 wc.rk . .\11 cout r rtnulou-, \\111 IH' mvvn t-ou-tdvrutlon: ,"IIg'!.:!'''t](llh aud ('l"itwl'III" art' \\'l'1l"1l1L\"1. IljJI1)I"'h ('\I')t,,,,,,,,'r! )n indn uluaI r-rurtritnttru , d.. )H.l.t.':--,;ll.J!y rt'l\tTI Ill,' (Itlil'ia! a ttlt udv uf tIu\1"111\' .vir F"l""'''' "I' "I' til,' \\'a" l rnu-nt , .\Ia\,'l ajuu-uriuc; ill .Yll ; FOIU'E h not III h\1 ["j'pn,

duccd wi thuut Distribution--.\Tn

wru

in lnl1k 0...:1 r i puu-u I...; 011 n nro-ratr-d h;l." i." to all unit" of tlu.\lllly .\11" jo""l't"\" I Jll'''ll:.:l]''ll! rlj(' \\1l11d, III t fu- ('uilt'li :--1;l1t .... a('l'ulr!ill:.!: 1(1 Iltl' pltJ\j...it)ll" t'f .\.\f" l.dl,'! ., 11 I~] (kt"lI,,!' 1~(111. and !,\('r",':! .. ill <l('n,r(ialll'(' with tln-ntr-r j)olil'.\. In uddltiun. LJt'l""tlual Cilpil''' lit' .\llt FIIHI'I': nu.v h(1 I'lll'l'!la,";l'd 1Jy military IH'r"tlllll('1 and r-l vllinn-, rrom tilt. ~Illl\'rilll\'l\tlt'llt f li.u-uuu-u t ... ; ~ltl~lt, (,,,pi I', ~I) ('1'1l1". aunuu t subscnutiuu {1~ umnt hlv i... 'illt's\ '''~.llIl, Illt' ,",II11,' ruu-, al']JI.\'jtl).( to AI't) and 1,'II'pI I't\:-.t (Itn,.!, addl"I'''"l''';. (Inll'!'''' ,,,!lnlltd Ill' pla('l'd iII wrttiuc allil rt-uut t u nr-r--, mad,' 1\1 Ih,' ~lll't-rillll'll(\toll! ot I )ncllll\t'Il[". COn'rHIJlt'1l1 1'1 illTing" Ot1i,'!,. \Va,"h ill >-:1 11. ~,-l, I). 0 c' I 'Oil!!" will ll"r h," mail.-ri uutlt r.-nut tnn.: ... ;U'I' tuadc: jlo"lap' -tanu-. aHI! toroi au Illtlll('~ an' not at't'l'!Jtahl<l'opit,S )lr1UJ' ro thtl lh'c"]Jlhef 1~1-l1 i..;'''\ll' an' Hot alaJlalJle tcu- pur.-h a sc

u-n 1Jt.'IIILi~,,,iull. FOH('E i" Ili"lri1l1lt('t!

u-uur

.;: U, S. GOYt,

P'ir,'ing

Office-S96129-P,ic'od

in U.S.A,

Rendezvous
(Continued from P;lge I) mending Sergc;mt Colccchi I shouk] disreg;lrd the .n t icl .md cl:t,s it ;1, fiction rather th.m LId. I do not cl.nm to hc anv form of aut horitv Oil the COllsolidatcd t:lil tnrrct mou nt cd ill a B 2-t, hut I did ,tmh' it ill guuucrv xchnol .md h.rvc fired from' it and t.o IIlI "dIO'.llcdgc it woulr] he impos'ihlc to liTe the gllll' if thc r.ul sect ion I\;IS com, pletC!I' brokell ;1\1;1\' ;IS 1'011 s.rv. The glllll arc h rcr] III ;I solelloid mouut cc] Oil C;1Ll! gllu .md tli;' COlllllTtIoll hct\l"l'cll the triggcr but t ou ;lJI(I tlic solelloid,s is cnt irclv elec. tricul .ruc] rctciv its elllTgI' from the 'CClltLI! power ,,"Stelll of tlic .urrr.tf t .Yl-.o. bccuu-.c t hc gUIl~ arc mouu hc] out vidt- the m.un tur Id liou,iug, it i, nc.rrlv impossihle to fire them Ill' h.u] without 1e;I\'illg the turret. PerlJap' m inc is ;I C;1,c of ;I little kllllill~ helng ;1 d;llIgcrOll\ thing. but I l.,\lg~l'\t yon look into the m.rt trr ;1 httle mon- closely .u] if the ,tOll" i, .mt hcut ic: .md ;ICCIlLltl' cxp;md UpOIl It';I' I illLlgillc thLTC ;IlC m;m; dlier' who lI'()]]ld likc to know just hOl\ the fc;lt \1';1' ;llTOlllphsllc(l. Sgt. Lclw.rrcl IC Dahms. Alcxandri.i, La.
SO",,,
(J

TI.21 t ail t urrrts

mcrlumisin,

0/1'

"quipp"d
.\1[(,11
(J

ioot-Iirino

If

ll'ilh turret

ncrc /Jr()/,TT1 (If) lrorn t hc rc! of lilt' plan, il rouli! /,,' fir"d i ndcncnd cnt l v 01 ili aitc ru l t' cl cct rita] svst cm, ,..,'ill('t' Ihl'" o m mu nit ion fcct! cliut rs 10 t hc rear t u rtet uould l.e iu ol.c n oIl ulso, t lu: n u m ln:r (Ii round" I{'oldl I)(: li mitcd lu II/(, amou n t of ;lfJIfl/unilion [(_ m ainin g ill I/,e brol.cn ofj feed chllle.-Ed.

Aid Society

Dear l<:ditor: ... I .nn a corporal ill the :\ir Corps. I w.mt to he xure t h.rt ill (";Ise so,ncthillg hap pl'm to me. Jl11' depelldellts will be eligible for helleflts from the .\ III iv .\ir Forces. \;,1 Socict ,.. \Imt I become ;; IlIemhLT of tJle
socictv?

Cpl. George

Smith.

Chiclgo,

III.

HOW ,SHARP ARE YOU?

A 'hoto
Test of Your Ohserva,tional

Accuracy

How much do you see - and after you've seen it, how much doyou remember? Look at this photograph carefully for 60 seconds, then tum to page 29 and see how many questions you can answer about it. Study it carefully; remember every detail you can; they're all important. Each question answered correctly counts ten, One hundred is perfect. Twenty-five AAFofficers and enlisted men selected at random were giventhe test. The average score was 60. The high was 80. The low was 30.

Since Y()U fir" 0 IIJ('IIIIi"r IIi t lu: ,,'.IF lamil v, vou r d cpcrul cnts wil/ IiI' ,:ligiiJI,: IIII' /;':fI"fils IIf II,,, Silciel\' al t cr t lu: uar. ''1'':;/ Ihoug" you ilo not [oin, T//( ........ 'ociel r uill rrl i crr dist r css of A,-IF m-rsnn nc] un d t ltcir r!c!Jent!,'n/\, including dcpcn d cn: oj h on orahl v rt'lin'tl, discharged an d deceased Iwr:wT/IlI'/ uit hout rcea n! 10 m cm lrcr .. lip in or conttil.u ri.ms to J t lic Socictv.i-Ed. That Cover Girl a

Dear Editor:
. . . I owned

HOW SHARP ARE YOU?

Turn to page 29

m o d o l ;]i;ellcy in Philadelphia for three IT;]rS, hut never. never h;ln' I seen a girl ;IS beautiful as the one Yon luiv Oil the frollt ('OIn of the October i,slIe of .\ lit I,'oHcL. l'rofcssion.rllv, I dealt with SOJl1e of .\Jl1LTica's ollbtalldillg COler girk hut not OIlC of t hcm (";Jl1 touch the bcautv of vour flight IIl1!'e. COllgLltulatiOIl'. The photograph is one of outst.mclun; workAIR FORCE

m.mship which can compare wit ]: the best in the business, If vour photogLlpher-or that girl-\l':lllts a joh \dlell the liar IS over. please ask them to get in t outh with me. pfc, bl\lard hJhin, Scott l.'ielcl. Ill. Dear Editor: ... I h.ivc never wr it tcn to the editor of a maga/ille before, but 1 felt this t imc I should. I'd like to kuo who the 1'0011lg l.rdv is, whme pict n: covered vnur October .\IR FORel: i,SSIlCand wlut hcr shc's .ictuallv a nurse or not? Her u pt ur ncd C\CS arc st rictlv mellow looking and her hI'S 'look so soft and luscious. That's rc.illv bcautv, not to mention her hair. ' . I ccrt.unlv hope nHI k u oxv her. !'It: Jalllcs" lartill, 1<I:;1inheld, Fl. Dear I.'ditor: , , , "Fes wonderful. BOI'! ccs wonderful!" :\nd that's oulv the beginning' "'hen I saw Lt. Fr.mcc-: T, Sandstrom Oil t he cover of vour October issue I thought. Oh mv Lord. surh poi.c. c!cg:IIlCC, such dignit\:, sllch a cute h.urclo, 10l'Ch' cute 1l00e, those CITS; how I' d 10l'C to hole!' such w.mu tenderncss iu mv arms .urcl he carried out of this wor ld 1", juvt beillg ncar her. I'll stop going on like that but I don't w.mt to :md I'll :IIlS\ler vour qucvtiou. Oh sure I agrce that thc ncvv ele'sign wit h all the ,\\F p:ltches better ref]cct; .md so on. \lcg:l\\'Cl man' Aucl I'OU .ivk abollt the patches while the bca;,tI' of all he:lIltl' is beside it. "Oh ccs \\'oncle-rflll'" I'm just a little tech scrg(,;lIlt .n] rill not wort liv of :1 gLillec from her I k uow, \\'hcn I walk d 0\\'1 I the street the \I'OIlIC'n scream .u u] the hr.rvc men turn pule. so that brillgs Illl' to about 'Io(/r repillsil'c and :;r/r obuoxiou. But she doesn't [i.rvc to know .rbout it .md t hc LIct th.r! I'd gin.' von mv blood for a picture. origill:Il tvpc, , of the one on the cover, .md if lOll could get her to autograph it put t inr; "juvt a little 10l'C" on it I'd gi\'e \'OU a mortg:rgc on mv soul. That and tell inc more about her, Is she m.irr icd? Oh. I know she must be. but please sal' she isn't. :'\'ow lvc told vou the trut h about e'TII" thillg wl:ro do i'oll \I':lIlt lIle to selld ni\'

In This
T!Jc flf;htcr pilot on our cover this month is Lt. Vernon R, Rieh:nels of Fcit \Iills, >:, Y lie loob tireel .md he has a right to he, The pictur was shot .it the ellel of a SCITn hO\IT escort nnSSIOiI OITr CerllI:llI I', On the b.rck of his hand is ClPsulc inform.it ion f.rm ih:u to :;11 lighter pilot s: t iu. for St.rrt lingilles, T:lkeoff, Set CO\ITse. Rcndevvouwith the hig frienels, .md the course for ] IOlJ!e, It em be rubbed or lie-keel off in case of b.nlout over enellll' tc-rr it orv. \\-hen this pict ur \\':IS taken. i.t , Rieh':IfC!s \I'as crcditcd lIith five ":lIi pl.mc: two in the air .md three Oil the grolilld,

Iss u e
.mcl trv the 1lI eve-hot: the "J low ,Ippclrs this the seorcs, .rrouud here innov.rt iou on cvcrvboclv with Lltest uproar \I':r~ c:n;sed hv Sharp\re YOIl:" test wh iclr mout h on Page 2, Jilelging f roui a coupk- of pks .md majors onght to trade pl.ucx.

blood?
TiSgt. J, Brooks Bode, [r., Harv.ml, ~eb, P,S, Oh, if I \\'('[cu't so repulsi\'e alld she \\asll't so IlnobLlill:lbk; I'd he IllOre illlplllsi\'e :md make her u:lllle ch:mgeab1c,
Sht'\ .. rllflrr/ed. And sht'
saL'; '!OLL ('(UI ....,end

,"ur

hl""d

t" the Red

Cr,,-,-,.--Ed,

Flaherman's Complaint Dear Editor: , , , I ha\'c rcad alld re-read with COIlsiderahlc intercst the article cntitled "The I'hing Dntchman" \lhich appcarcd ill the Angnst issile of ,\m FORCE on paf;es 2S :mel 29. Qnite like]\, it is nOlle of mI' hnsine,s. but having lived all of mv lifc in thc neighborhood of Cloncestcr, :\ fass" alld havillg owned and operated varions tl'pes of crafl there, one thing in the article jnst doesn't jibe up right for me, In the ont]inc gil'ing the standard pro(Continlleel on Page:;:;)

If vou have glanced at O\IT table of contents 1'011 m:I1' h.ivc noticed a few changes ill on; linell!;, Thev appear in our departmental setup. \\-c don't w.m! to bothcr "Oil wit h shop talk, except to sa\' ill p:ISSing that this challge clim.rxc a serie' of rcfiucrucuts ill presentation inangllfatcd 1lI recent is-uc. am! to explain br icflv Illl:lt the challge is all about. I\ll{ !-'O\{CE h:ls grollpeel its dcpart nuntul material into tInCT pacbges - This Is YOIlf blellll', nneir:llIf;eel except th:lt it has been incrc.ivd bl' two pages. Cross Couut rv :md Techniqllc. \lllich !I;JI'e bcen cxpuudccl to niuc p:lges e:leh. Cross Count rv is our geneLll infon n.rlion dcp.rrtmcut. covcr n u; as m.uiv as 6:; different items of interest and nuport.uc to :\,\F nu:u. It imlncks non technical snbjects of thc type fonnel ill the former On the .Vlcrt. ],'hillg Safctv .uid Tr.uniiu; .\iels dcp.u tuunfs. plnx :1 li,t of extras, It also has fom special scction: a review "f _\,\1' policies and proeeelures. a listing of new tr:lilling aiels al':rilabk to the ficld , two CO]IlIlrI!S of fll'ing boners am] COrI!uuut-, 1)\ safetl' experts, .u] a listillg of nell' al'iation boob, Techniqne is Ollf teclIII ica1 dcpartmellt. :rs ahl'a\'s, It noll' cOI'crs the mailltenance :llIel s'l)~ph' as \lTlI as the delTlopmellt of aircraft :mel eqniplllent. It indmks the teehllical \lIaterial fonllerh' fonnd in On thc ,\!crt. Fhillg S:lfch', Trainillg ,\iels :md On the Linc, :md also has fom spceial sections: a report on IlCII' tcchnical e1e\'elop\llents, tips on nl:lilltellance, cxpenenees \I'ith l1lechs arolnlC] the \\'orle!. :\lIel the old sL\lIcll)\, \\-h:lt's \\-rong with This l'ictme: This nel\' clepartl1lcntal pattern gilTS ns more flexibilitl' for halldlinf; snbjeets that deseflT disellssioll each \lIonth. permits ns wider cOI'Cf:lge of :\\F aetil'ities, anel, lI'e trmt, makes for grclter rcaehbilitl"
\Vhene\'l'r we start a ne\\' featme in the magazine. Il'e tnrn the premises into :I gnineapig stl' (is that thc right \I'eml?)

Onr OI'erse:rs staff hac] their hands well into this iSSIlC, l-'irst of all. \ l.rj. Herbert )oh:lllsell. om sLitT corrc-ponclcut in the SOlltllllTst J':lcitie, Il'as ill on the Philip piuc-, inv.r-ion. l.mdiur; on .\ plu-, 2 wit li the hrst ,\ir T:lsk l.'orcc Oil Lcvtc. lie proiu pt lv put his notes together ahont the initial .ut iou 1)\, ,\,\1,' \lI ell , .mc! the' reslllt i, the !call :Irtiele "Hack to the Philrp pines," which [olumvcu cabled from Lcvtc. The .rrt iclc "Striking 01'1." Page ') 1, called for colluburat rou Oil the part of two of our ()\TrSeaS mcu. From Crc.it Britain st:rlt c'orrcsponeknt \ l:lj, Charles h:un sent ill his rcport on tlie ,~th .\ir lorrc l:nllpaign a;ainst >::l/i oil t:ngds in north em 1-: mope, and from ] tu lv stuff eorre spondent Capt. 1.:11\TClICe Ibehm:llrn di,s patched his report 011 tile ] oth ,\ir hrrcc' C':llnpai;n ag:linst the I'locst i rcfincricv. In like m.uincr. lin 1 other staff men, altholli.;h sC'jJ:lr;lted 1", xonu: ] IIJHHl in ik-s, ]lilt their heads togethcr for the artic-le ",\11 in a "ight's \\ork" 011 Page~, .vf tcr recei\'ing om C':I]] for COInbat cxpcncuccs of the nc\\' P-()l ni;ht fl;hter, corrcvpoud cut S/Sgt. Vl.rrk Vl urph , ambled over to a Black \\'id(lI\' sqlladron ncar the front lines in Bel;illln, .unl climbed aboard a I' (,] for the' night mis-.ion report leading off thc article, In the SOlltlmest Pacific, correspolldent Capt. Vl.mfor d Susuum hur r icdlv pnt together :1 cable- Oil some ex periel'ICTS of the ]'61 in that theater be fmc takillg off 011 a mission into the interim of "e\l' Gninea which we expect Ium to tell Yon about in a future issue. St:ilT .irt ix! Capt, Ravmnnd Creekmore, jnst :rrriling in the Ccutr.il Pacific, barclv had lime to scratch off the Black \\-ido\\, c1ra\\'ing whic-h accOlnp:mies the night fi;htcr .ut iclc. .mc] add the little sketch of the l l ick.nu held "creep" Oil Pagc 2,<; of the nc-v Cross Countrv clcp.rrtmcut. Youl] sec nlore of Creekmore in fntnrc issnes, One of om f:II'orite .\,\',' charactcrs is introdnced in this iSs/Ie', llc is 1I00ner, Capt. Bill Lent's hilarions prgeOlL Bill sal'S he got t lIe idea part]\' fr01l1 the (lctober article on "Our Pigeo1\ \ir I.'orce," parth' from an inC]l1isiti\'e ]ocal bird that lands on the \\'indo\\' sill no\\, :md then, looks ;It the cartoons Bill is \\'orking on, and then flies saelll' a\\'a\', shaking his head and m1\ttering to himself, \\-hatc\'er the origin of 1I01ner, so far as \\'e're concerned he's a dream bird. Y01\']] fi1\d him t\\'ice this month in the Cro,ss Conntn' department. I"'ext month he']] be flapping aronnd again.

DECEMBER.

1944

..

'

Back to the Philippines

PART I: THE GI'S COME THROUGH
BY MAL
-By R\DlO ..
fRO:'! THr:

HERBERT
AIR FO/\CE
PHILlI'I'!:".ES'

O. JOHANSEN
O\TTSeaS Staff . f.mt rv and ar t illcrv of the Sixth Annv <lowlv pmhin~ the Jap, 'hack hcvoncl 'il sniper-wide pcruuctcr. To c.rr ncr-bavcd planes had been assigned the role of ,uppll'lng aIT cover for the firvt fe\l dan of the invavion. \\'ith the 30Sth had come no combat pLnies, hut with it \1;1, the operational and planning organiziltion, the br.i in and ucrvc center that would fm.illv direct the land.h:l,ed air a<,<,ill11t ilgainst the JilPS, OJ; ,\ plus S, 'lncloban st rip \las the onlv LInding field available in the area. Aviation engineer, a<'<'igned to the Air '['ilsk lorcc had been workiug on it feleri,ld\' for three davs, On the night of October 24 it \\'a, deCllle~1 to wide-n a;ld raise the runw.iv. All night the engineers uulo.tdcd hundreds of truckloads of xof t dirt idong the length of the strip, Furlv in the morning their hCIII' Seril\KT, and hulldo/,ers were in a fncr of .ictivitv. It \I;IS a rush job, The strip had to he made rc.iclv to receive ;\,\], fighters that were due two days Ia tel'. ' Thcu. sh ortlv before OSOO, their control with the 7th l-Icct fLr,hed a'n urgent pr ioritv me<,<,age to 30Sth Bomb \\'ing, 'I here had been .rn curouutcr off Lcvtc Culf with a [a p.mc:, Uill;d tu-k force, ') 'hrcc "jeep" c.nricr-, \lLTl heing -hc llccl. The cnr ricr plancs opcrilting in the air h.id no place AIR fORCE

he rc-cstnblivlnucnt of the AAF in the Philippine, I\'a, ullheralded Ill' the "roar of might\' plane" of homhing .md ,trafing, "A-da:' (ml"a'lOn clav) \I'a, October 20, On ;\ plu- 2, a Coast Cuard LST 11O,ed shorcw.ud and dcpovitcd on \\hite BCleh, Lcvtc. pcrxonucl .md equipment of the 30:-'th Bomh \\'ing (1/), wh ich coust itutccl the First Air 'I ask hnee of Lt. Ccu. C, C, Kcnucvs lur I':a,t ,\ir ':oree<, The oulv ,\TlII\' .urpluuc ill ,ii.;ht '\I ere two ',.;, .iud one L.-f-illld .n thr'ee of tlu-sc were in crate" lor priletieal rCI'OJl<" iue]lI(lmg the important clement of,mpri,e, land. ha'ed .urcruf t were not cmplovc] ii' a prelude to the actual LIncli ng, But the role pLI,'Cd bv ,,\'clting Air Forc: CI.., iu a frantic, Jlerle.\lTaekillg. flle.hom enlergeuC\' grind on the 'lnclob.m ,trip ncar Ll':'!c Beach will become a ch.,.,ie of the Philip' pine CnJlpaign, It h.rppcucd on A plus S, For three cl.iv the ground echelon of the 30Sth h:] lxxn ,LlIing through the tur moil and eonfmion of a hClchhead lauding, the battle of tr ucks and )Cep' \I ith mud .n] m irc. the threat of air rallJ., wit hout mc.m , of rct.rl i.rt iou. the utter dependence on the in,

The gallant part played by the ground echelon of our First Air Task Force on the strip at Leyte is one of the most dramatic stories of the war

to L11ld and those still on the carriers were taking off immediately to escape dcxtruct iou. They would shortly be out of gas, lxnu hs and .nn m mnt iou unless they could come in at 'I'nclob.m strip. The other nltcmativc was to crash land at sea. The first dcmonxtrnt ion had come that the Jap was going to put up a desperate fight for Lcvtc and the Philippines. Due to the night's work on the strip, it was in no shape to take planes of an:' sort, but the best had to be made of a cri t icu I si t u.: tion. The engineers did wh.: t they could to work over the rough spots. A service squadron of the 5th Air Forcx: \\~IS c.nupcd along the beach \\"aiting orders to move forwnrd to another strip the moment it was taken from the J~IPS, Its personnel were alerted, Refueling units, crash trneks and .uu hul.mccs were mack ready. Intelligence, supplv and operations officers scattered O\Tr the area to unearth bombs and .numunition. A radio chief of a 5th Air Force hghter Control Sector and another of the Army Air\\"a\s Connnnnieations Svvtcm ruvhcc! to the beach and set np'their portable com ruu n icn t ionx oquipnicnt to guide the planes. In 15 minntes after the \\'~nning had been flashed to the strip, the first plane-a torpedo bomber--circ1cd O\Trhead. The elnergeney couuu uuicut inu setup did not 11;1\'ehis frcq ucucv. The pilot c.nuc in unassisted for a nerve \\Tacking but mir.rc-ulouvlv s.ifc landing, l Ic related how he had imt DECEMBER,1944

return cd to his carrier when the shclling had begun, taking off again without refuelmg or bombmg np. As he announced that the other planes would be arri\'ing any minute, a roar came out of the north. Ten, twcutv. thirty :\avy planes appeared. The sky \\'as full of circlins; fighters and bombers. The first pilots had gi\en their radio frequency, but before conuuuuicat ious conld be established several planes, their gas exhausted, came in one on top of the other. Soft spots on the strip took their toll of planes. '.Iost of the pilots and crew walked ;1\\"a1' from their wrecks. Crash trucks raced up and clown the f1lll\\"ay while crews hauled \\Teeh.S ont of the wav under the wheels of other incoming planes, Flares \\'('IT sent up to m.u k the end of the strip, r-.!en fr.inticnllv waved wh itc flags to indicate bad spots and to w.un incoming planes of the dehris m their path. Cr.iduallv some sort of order came ant of chaos. Planes \\'(TC being' brollght in at the rate of about one cvcrv two minutes. Then all hell broke loose as the Japs st:Iged the first of several sneak air attacks. The planes aloft were helpless-their guns empty, their gas tanks almost drv. Still, amid [up strafing and solid curt.uns of ack .ick. thcv cnntiunrd to l.md. Crews on the ground refused to be turned from thc t:tsk, A plane would h.irdlv m.mcuvcr into place ;l]ong tile ccli;e of the strip be-

Tacloban

;mel skidded

strip \\";IS not sC'ITiccab1c, but O\Tr 100 pLlIlCS bounced in 011 the roJ!;h field. some cuelit!; lip like this \\"ildcat,

Frantic activity on Tucloh.m strip is shown ill this taken In Vlnjor [nh.mscu who .ilso snapped other photr.

Oil

photo;uph this pa;c,

---,~
Sunbaked engineers \I"orkCl] flil!ollsh to IJII"h t hc: strip in t inic fm t l. tirst ,\,\!" LlllelillL;s, Photo shO\n joh just about complctcd.

fore a refucling truck "';IS alongside, Senice crews "'CIT on the spot with boml and lxlt . of :;0 edI!llT :1 III III unition. Others pitched ill to m.ik elllergelle\, rep;lirs to d;lInagcd "heels and "ings, ;\rlllorers (lehl/ed bombs in crashed pLlIles cvcu ,,11I!e they hurru-r]. Vvhcncvcr there "as a br icf letup be!\lecn Lmdings, engineers went (lilt aeross the strip wit h gLiders .mcl rollers, pulhng off nlv "lien the \\'heels of iucomius; p]anes touched the ground y:mls a w.rv. ,\n cu urgenn' eoutrol tower ,,"as in operation less th.m two hours .iftcr the i onvtrucr iou h.rd heglln, VOl' more thn n five hours opeLI tiollS personnel S:It :1 top the u n protected pLI tfor m ignoring ack .ick and enelllY strafing, '1'0 gct them in and get thcin into the air again in fighting condition "as the ,illgle thought of hundreds of ",orking CIs, and they did, TIle tIrst pl.u: h.id lauded at 0830, 'I'\H) hours later 'iq planes \\"LTe reId:' to take off :Igain. gas tlllks tilled. np.ur: made. with boml, .md .muuunition for their guns. Duriut; a period of less th.m 20 homs 'l'aclob;lll strip, which had bccu declared u nscrviccablc th.it morning. had h.unllcd more than 20() Lmdings .md t:Ike-offs, But there ":IS more to lx- clone h:" the .rvia tiou ellgil1cns who had lost :1 d.rv in aclcl it iou to tl u: sdhlck eillscd bv the \\'ea I' .mcl tca I' on the strip, :\ nother II iC',ht of h hor faccd thcin. with the t.i -k of bnllg SCICLI! tlJ()I!S;lnd fed of l.rnclillg nLlh th.it h.ul lucn ru-Iuxl :lsllorC from sllips in the hurbor. '\01' \\':lS there rest for the slTlicc sqlLldron :111<1 groll'lld erc"s, '\ umcrous pLlIll's h:ld still to hc 111:ldc rc.rdv for tlkc-off, m:ljor rcp;lirs cfkctnl. p;lrh s;lh:lgnl frolll \\Tccks to p.rtch lip thc less seriolls,," d:lIl1:1gnl, It \I:IS a gril1l l1ight, for repmh C:\l1ll' ill t11:\t the 11:1\;11 hlttle still LIgl'(\. If tIle J:lp;mesc I:lsk fmce got tlmlllgh it migllt wcll h:IIC seriou-Jv imp.urccl tIle cutire Pililillpllll' bllding OplT:ItiOl!S, 'Il: '\:I\\' pilots .md tllcir erCllS \\erc grilll too as tlicv took their first food of the cl.rv "t till' :;O'-,th ml'SS, Tlrcv "erc liLItdlIi for thl' lil'Ill'rllIlS r:itio1!S of wiu th;lt somchow ll!:lkri;Iii/cd fro 11 I 1l0;1]ll'IC, :\ot OIlC of tlll'lll bl.uuccl the COlldItioll of thl',trip fm thcir cr.nl.upv. 'l'llcir "polog\' \\';1, t lr.it Illmt of thclll h.] not u-cd " l.uu] strip for - rx m o n t h s or nu irc. The uu.m imou-, conuucn t of .ill tl: ,\\1" hoI'S \\:IS, "Thosc '\:11\' gll\', xure c.m h.uullc thmc pl.uux." , 'Ilr.tt \\-cdllc,d:I\' .md th follOll'illg d.iv I\"LTC nuport.urt OIll'S ill the P:lcific \\";11'. :\:11'1' pilots rdmlling from missiol!S at sca the second d.iv reported that the Jap :\:l\';l! Task Forcc had been turned b.rck. b.ullv h',lttl'lCel, Om hold on the Philippines \Y;IS xurc from SGi attack. Fridav moru inr , October 2-;-. \Y:IS n not hcr d.rv of tncmorablc uctivitv for 'l 'aclobun strip, The last of the \':l\\' pl.mcs had taken off and hcndcd for their carrier hascs as gangs of .rvi.ition enginecrs, nuked to the \\';Iist, \\\'c"t rolling off tluir sun hlackeneel hacks. bid h11lling m:lts at a furious rate, ;\, noon approached some fe'" fed SCP;ILlkd tIll' !In) ends of the strip, Thc g:lp lesscncd. .mcl as the l.r-t scction ,,'as fasttencel into pl.rcc a loud checr tIllcel the .ur. TIle wcu rv engineers joil1l'el in tlll'ning their he:lds <kvw.rrcl . :\ foruiat ion of 1'- :;C;S h:lel COlllC out of the south .mr] \\"S hcginning to circle ovcrluud . .\fter !lUI .mcl a half long \'(';ns. ;\:\1<' plalll'S wcrc "])(Il1t to l.md Oil the Philippines, Thc first l'-:;C; c.nuc in "ith one cnginc shot out .mc] Jap hullrt holl's in :1 \\l1lg, The others circled. hroke f or ruut iou, 1JiI/Jl'Cl t l fil'ld, circled :lg:lill over thl' 11l0111lt:111Ito gi'c the cntnutluc] J;IPS " good look .rt \\h"t ;I\I;litld tlll'llI .md to kt (".n fron t l in tr()(lp, know th.rt thlT uovv h.] :1 p.nt mr in !lll' sh, .\t 121; tl. }) :;'-,s~--!l\() sql\;ldrol\s of t l ;th _\ir hJrcc "-fl)tll l'lgll!l'r Crllllp-~hl'g"l1 COlilillg ill to tlic- ehl'l'l'ing of g;I\1I- drcsscd hiIpll10 grlllmd tr()()p,. cngillcers .md .ur forcc tr'oops, CcnlT:Iis \l:ic,\rthm .mc] Kcuncv \\LTe thLTC to wclcolllc t Om phnl's to t inc , to st:Iy until the ):lpS \\lTC driven out. ./,
lu-m , h.l nturucd lrc Ph ilipp

AIR

FORCE

PART II:

OUR AIR TASK FORCE

force can neither f1y nor fight. The initial mission of the 3()Sth Os opcrutioual organl/,ation of the Fust .vir Task Force \\'as set forth by its eOlllluaneling otliccr. Col. ])alid \V. l l utt-h iusou. in a terse order of the d.iv. lirvt, in coujuuct ion with carrier b.ixcd pl.mc-; the xI''!' will provide local cover over 'laclob.m and Dulag area,. Second, furnish airground coord i n.: tion IIi th the Sixth :\n IIv when req ucstcd. Th irei, conduct nigh t figh t cr pa trol. lourth. fumixh courier service. Fif th , furnish cover for 1''1' bo.rts. The air task force origmated with Ccncr.il J(enne:' at the time of the Bun.i cuupaigu in early I ()-t:;, The original \\'as called the Buna Air Task Force, ]31' Fcbru.u, I (H-t. three air task forces IILTe operating, and three hOln'b ,,'mgs-the ::08th, ::()9th, 310th authorized as their operations headquarters organization. The need for air task forces came with the rapid advance of our air forces through 1\ell' Cuinca. In order to correlate activities of ClIO, the Allied air force, and the Australian Imperial I'ore;, General Kcnncv found it essential to maintain a hc.ulqu.ntcrs in Brisbane. As air .ict ivitv spread from AllStralia into ~ell' Cu inca , the Br ixb.mc headquarters became too remote for d:fiCIent operational control. To rcmcdv this an advance echelon of the 'ith Air Force, "ADVO:\," \\'as established at Port ~Ioresh\'. with Xla]. Gen. Ennis C. \\'hitehead as Kenney's clcputv conun.mdcr. Our advance gained momentum, and January 19-t:: saw the f.ill of Buua. A more forward operational base \\'as required to correlate the activities of the advance air combat units. ,\D\'O:\' ulrcadv found itself too far in the rear. The Buna Air Task Force \\'as created in ?\ larch 19-t:: operating out of Dobndur.i. This obviated crossing the Owen St.mlcv range. which eliminated 7'i miles of treacherous, to\\'Cring mountains and added conxidcrablv to the operational efficiency of our combat clements. So successful was this iunov.ition in the air war that the air task force bcc.unc an integral part of the Southwest Pacific Air Force. As conceived hv Ccncral Kenney, an air task force has no rear echelon. It is purely an operational organi/,ation streamlined to the utmost. ha\'ing no ndm inistrat ivc functions. Flexible. not burdened with the routine and details of administration, its organization can perform an air force mission more efficiently and with fewer aircraft. uircrcws and ground crews. Organization is of the cellular unit tvpc. Air echelons and service units arc added as the practical need arises, far from the 5th Air Force. These nnits arc attached to the air task force for a particular operation only. \\'hen an area has been secured for routine air activitv, the attached air and ground units return to their parent organi/ation, The air force takes O\'Cr the operation. The air task forcc retires for a brief rest to prepare for the next aerial threat. During its period of activitv the air task force assumes operational control of all air .ictivitv inherent in an air force. includ ing a prelude of sa tura tion hom hi ng where necessary, air patrol, attacks on shipping, rcconn.ussancc. tactical bombing and strafing, An air task force h.is all the functions of an air force propcr except those of ndm inist r.rtiou. wh ic]: are prone to make a headquarters tophc.ivv and opcratiouallv clumsv. It has the basic headquarters. en~ineering, chemical warfare, psychological warfare, signal. ordn.mcc, medical and
(Continued
011

The origins of the first Philippine Assault Air Task force go back to the Buna campaign. Here's how this streamlined organization works
hen the first ,\:\1" com h.rt pLIlles-a squ.idr on of P- ::Ss -arrileel in the Ph ilippiucs thcv found an opcr.rtiona l and service organization already estahlished. lrom the moment of LIlldlllg they were able to go mt o operation agaimt the cncuiv. An hour after'laneling on A plus 7, the first P-::Ss, refueled and sen iced, took off on patrol. AIllong then: I\'as }'Iaj. Richard Bong, \lho got IllS first Jap ()\IT the Phihppine, with in the hour, got hlo more a fell' elays later, hringillg lu-, score to 33 enullY planes dc-.t iovcd in aerial combat. During their first elay the [.ightlllllgs downed si:-.:J;IP planes. 011 the follo\\]ng dav, October 29, this handful of fighters took over all' cover for the Philippine lsl.md operation, Before a week II';IS out their score \las an even 'iO, This lIas possible only because the ::OSth Bomb \\"ing, ~LTlmg as an .ur task force, had laid the ground work, set "P operations, estthhsheel service and supply facilities, gathered intelligence, and was operating a com p lctc connuunic.rtions network. An .i irclrun rc squadron \I'as on the job. An air force surgical hospital capable of perforIlling nw)or surgen' was ready, The air liaison part:' with the 30Sth kid been set with their air-grounel communication since A plus -t, and contact had been established with five air liaison parties att.ichcd to various iuf.mtrv and art illcrv units, Intelligence on (nullY activities .md air strength had been uccumulatcd . Around this nucleus was heing built the First Philippine ,\ssault Air Task Force. The first few davs, our fighters were const.mtlv in the air. Several import.mt rcconuu issaucc missions were f10\\'l1 at the request of our ground troops, Concentrations of enemy troops were bombed, and escorts \In'C furnished for small :'\a\'al craft on coastal operations, Advice from the front line that a [ap Photo Joe had covered a strategic highlvay was passed on to the fighters, enabling them to be on the alert tor a bombing attack, The first Jap bomber force in strength was turned back bv four P-38s which downed three escorts, Weather deLl\'C~1 the .u rivul of other air units from the 'ith Air Force, (t wasn't until A plus II that C--t 7 transport planes came in escorted hv our P- ::8s from the southern Ph ilippines. Their cargo lIas food for the figh ter units, their return mission the evacuation of seriously wounded. Later in the day came the first contingent of 1)-61 night fighters. Two more strips had been secured. Aviation engineers under armed eOl1\'oy fought their Il'ay through a sea of mud within range of [up snipers to reach them. Laudins; strips had to he filled in. operation control set up, service facilities brought up, The air tusk force Il'as sh(m'ing its normal growth from fighters to light bombers and then to medium bomhcrs. The morning of ;'\'0\',2 an intelligence report carne in that smile 60 Jap bombers with fighter escort were on their wav. '\ine P-::Ss scrambled to meet them. 1':I'en'one raised his eves to the skies, \vaiting for the acr ial devastation th.it seemed to be incvit.iblc. :\othing happened. Then carne the heartening message that our few fighters had met a strong formation of P-38s curoutc to reinforce Lcvtc, The two joined forces. Three of the Japs were shot do;\'n over Lcvtc Gulf, the others turned tail. All this was an air t.i sk force in operation. Air battles must he based on plodding work on the groun(l. build ing up the ha ttlc opera t iouul orga n iza tion wi thout II'h ich a nair
DECEMBER,1944

pa;c 4t))

All In a Night's Work

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AIR

FORCE

The Black Widow

IS

making night flying very uncomfortable

for both Germans and Japs

Lite of clim b .nul c.m kllife throll:.;h t hc ,1--1 .it :1 Il'IT dlcctilL' 'pCl'l1. [,llrklll:'; III t!. cl.uk .rnr] att;lcklll:'; 111l'l'~'Il, thc p,!) IlIa, pklltl of fIrl'I)(lllcr to c'\]Jl'1ld III till' kll, nlll'l;il \lelilld, of Ill:;ht IlltCll'llltlOll. lin .nnr.u ucnt COII\I\h of ~I) 111111 c.m n ou .md tour :'1) cal ilxr m.ulunc :';1111\ III :1 rcurotc eOIItTo! t urrct :I1101 C. (II olhlI eOlldJlII;\tloll\, Hv IIIC:III\ of Ill'\lh,dl'lio]Jl'l1 l'llll}lllll'llt. :.;rolllld COIltroller, c.m ]JICK 1l]J CIllIllI r.ndcr-. at l'l)Il,ldcr;I11le di-t.mcc .md vcct or :1 1)(1 I clo-. lll(IlI:.;II for urt.rcxptiou. Tlurc I' ~ood rc.r-ou I or t l: ,111111 hl.ul, CIIll<lldli:;l p.uut Oil the Battle ,\:\ .uul IIer'l,tLr ]JLIIIL' t lr.it .uc thlll:; mer Lruop,: .uu] III t lic Pallfll', It 11(IlIId 'lllll t h.it clull hl.rck p.uut would he harder to ,n' at Iligiit. .\etmlh. dull hLJeK lOOK, ;I1ll1o,t wliit III 'l;IIdlllgllt bc.u u. I-::\perlcllcl proved that wl un thl 'l'arcldlghh ]Jllk 1l]J a ,llill\ hl.rck .urpl.uic thl'\ 'lllli to hOllllll' ngllt olt , IlUkllll; tlic pl.m :dllimt iuv i-iblc. S'S:.;t, \L\lk \1111]1hl .. \1]( !()](I emrl'pOlldlllt iu Fr.mrc. cllIllhld in to t l: B:lttle .\'\ wit h .\:\kll .uul h i-, r.ulio 111:111. ['lIght Lt. Jmlph I'. Crlll, of lu l: \ Lill<lp;IC, ="'lll YlJIk. 'I lu.-: !lIO h.! ,hot d0111l ;1 Ceriliall pl.uu. :1 fell' Ilclk, .uu! wcrc: :111:\1011' to pile lip a fc\I' more Iletmll", li.rd Ill) Illl'gllillg, .ibout the w c.rt lu-r. wh ich ll'Il;I1I: \S '0 had tli.rt ,Ollll'tlllil" vou cutuu u lt r three kind-, of frollh III a lli:.;IIt, Oil Illghh \Oll clout h;llc hont-, vou get wh.it the wc.rth cr n un call :111 u nvt.ib!c air IIlas" wh icl: mc.ni-, it LIIll' a ncl hlmls llimt of the t imc. Ax tcl l flc: tlu: Rittle .\'\ Illto .md ahml' the cloucl covcr, elillIllill:'; List. TlIc B!:JCK \\ icl o lealc, the rJ\1l\la:' after :1 ICIT xh or! LIKl,otl .u rcl :';Ol' IIp \l'n much li],c .m lleLltOr. Ax tcll d id nt cnek hilt hl:ldl'll ,tr;light t ow.rrcl (:erIILlII\', :\ flll' m ilc-, ou t III '\likhl'd tlic rud io mer to tl ic gWlllld CIIII t rollcr.
hefore

wh cn tlic ca-.tcrn liurizun st.ir tcd to Irghtell .htdl askld h im to Icctor tliciu h ouu. It \Ias UIll'()]llfort:dlle DUllg a lone plalll' mer CllclllY eOlllltry witl: lots of :ICCULlte fbk, I LtIfII:II' lunuc. t!Il'y spottl'd a tr.uu gOlllg .uouud a curvi, 'Illokc plUIIIIIlg lxhiud. "Lcf\ get it." ,\\tell s:!lel.
t lic cou trolhr hc 11;1' taking tl: pl.i uc d own , Crew: "lIml' ,h:dl w;: du it. trout Of hack:''' "lbl'k," Joc adllslcl. Dl\llIg at i:; ckgrlTs. .Vx t cll .umcr] the Battlc .\:\ at th t r.uu, I Ie pulled out a k\I' h uudrvd fcet :dlm l t lu: t r.uk-, .nicl tlrc pLillc shOOK :1' t :';llm stIrteel firIllg, Brig!It fbK rIjJ]Jn! at tlum f rorn tire left. Tlrl'lI ,olllethlIH; !)()llneed t lui u 1111) ket into tl n: air. .htdl l':I,cd the lbttle ,\:\ back tow.nd t!Ie dccK. "Cet t hc lull out of herc'" Joc -houttd. \IIlc, l.rtcr , .vxtH "skl'd JOl' wh.rt h:] h:lppl'llcd, "It iu u-t kill' lxcn .nunnuut iou." Joc "lid, "Till' wh ol d.uuu t r.u n bleIl' lip," 111 :1 fl'II' uuu ut c-, t luv Ill'll' cl o-: to t lnir fl,ld, "TkIIlKS." ,\'\tell toid gllllllld COIltro!. "It 11;1' nuc to J wor k wit l: \011," I l c \\lik!ll'd to t l u tOIler. "Tln: i's a ,1igllt grollllli fog cOllllllg up uv cr t h L'llgc of Ax t..ll told

.uid tlicu askcd

lic

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the fil'ld." tIll' tOIler "IICI. It w.r-. u uchrvtutcuun t of over tl: fll'le! it \1'" clml'e1 p:I"cS, TmnT ':Iid tluv wcr up ;1 rocket. Thcv ,till could Axttll then wcut clown to

the

Ilmst k n l . \\'Ill'll t l uv t;ot ill tigllt, .\:\kll t ru:cl SCIlT:t! li,;htillg [lirl's .i ud IllIl' Sl'lle!lIlt; nt Sl'C' all\,thl11g,

"l,ooks like ;\ qlliet llight." thc cOlltlOller ,s:\lel. 11e illst ructcd ,\'\tLII to go IIp to 12.11()(i .u] pat rol. .Vx tcll looked di'l.:llskd, ""Ilh." he xuort.]. "\\ crc: gcttill:'; .uiot licr clrv run ." TIle Batlle ,\'\ Illlll ed ovcr the lrout l iuc .mcl dlcp iut o h oxtil tcrrit orv. It \las llnh bc.rut if ul ;I11lllC thc cloud cover. wit h thl' ,Llrs 'lTIII\llg' 'Ollll'llllll to be ill ditlercllt pmiholls tlI;111 II IIell ,el'll frmll tlIc gWlllld, "Sec 1111\ III hke tlIIS lllght ,lidP" A'\tell said O\l'r the ill tl'll'Olll, 'I'ltrl1II:.;1I :1 Inl';lk ill thl' elmlds :1 fl'll seltterl'lllighh IILTt' I'isihk aII(\ a fell' tllllll' Ilerl' llllllllllg hee:lllSc' there had helll ,elcu! hl'all' h:llll1Jn raid, dmim; t!Ie cLiI, T!Ie cOlltrolkr \l'etml'd tIle RIttlc .h Irl'le :me! thl'lc. SllddcllhOlll' of tIll' elollel, hlT:IIIlC hllllillOllS. ,.[ ,ool :It t!Ic CIIIO]JI'. jo,',"\'\kll "lid, T!I:lt lllc:lllt th:lt t!Ie CL'lllJ:III\, fm SOI;ll' 11';1\(lll, \ll'll' 11g1llillg lip :1 clmnl-lll :llrfidei Il\' t]Jr(l\\lllL; \c;lllllllgIIts to :1 poillt ill t!Ic elO1llk ()lIcl,' tIll' cOlltrollL'l rq)orkel l''\cltnlh' tllat ,ollletlrill:'; II;" lll':lrll\', TIll'I' tmlll'e! alld ,t:lrtnl to clr:ISC, .\ftcr:1 fl'I'" lllilllltn ,\md l:;IIIC tlLlt till' o1JJl'd II;IS fric'llllh, Thl'I' gllc"l'll it II:" prohlhh' OllC of tlll'Ir mIll p!:JlIl'\, 'Therc ;'s llttlc cLiIl:.;cr of S]Ill(ltllll.; e!mlll :1 fril'lId, hlTall\l' ;1 lIight i!l.;lrkr Ill:lkl" pmitilc {dClltJ!icltioll heforc lettillg :';0 at Illl'lhillg, Tim ,ollll'lilllc, cd!, fm t1I'illg Ilitlrlll :;1) ket of ;1 pLillc to IIJ:lkc ,ml' 11!I:lt it is, \:Il.:llt fl:.;llkr piloh arc Ino:';llitillll l"\]Jerh ;Illd sOllletilllCs 1IIIik 11;lilill:'; ;Jr(lIll1d tIll'\' \I'ill ljllit :1 bLII'kI;lck g:llllc to IILIKC bets Oil ]lll\\, llJ:Ill\' p!:JllcS tlrn' Cill ITC(lgllll,e fr01lJ qllick ,lrlltllillg of a pile of rlT0l;lli tion Click Tlrc Ibttlc ,\'\ kcpt fI\illg ;It 12,OO() tlrrollghollt tire ni:.;lrt Oll qriom comscs hilt till' Iuftll;It1'c' c\le!cllth' II';IS t:lking :1 Iiolie!a\', Tlrc :.;round cOlltroller e!idll't rcpmt :Ill\' hmliks :Ille!

till' dl'l'K .uul ()llCl' ill a whil a patch of fog \lllIdd blml' :111;1\' .uid t!In cOIIld 'l'C thl' onuuou-, outline of trlT' .i t t luir Il'IC!. TIll'\' wcn t b.uk mer thc fll'ld .mc] bv t h i- t iuu- ;Ill thc rl'll lighh ;1l'll'sll\l\\lllg Oil thc fllcl g:lllgC<. "\\'l,'11 11l;lkl' Ollc more p;I", t luu b.ril." .\\tlll "lid, "Donr b.ul." Joc IHoke ill, "IlL-Iii' it 'OllllpLII'C'," SL'lgcallt \lmpll\' di.Iut c.u,: for tlrc t nnd (If t l i ;: 1'011'
1Il.

vcrx.: til

1I1;Ie!e the Ollc p;ISS. II,hlT]' dmlll, H'ad\' to l.md Sllddcllh' :1 "isp of nuvt blcll :111:1\' alll] rIgllt hll(;II' thl'lll :It :111 ;11I:.;k II;IS thc r111111;\I', .\'\tell IIL/dc !lIO ill<Tnlihk \Trticil hlllks :It Ilh:lt 'l'l'lilcd Irc jerkld tilt' IllllTI lljJ ;lllll kt OIIt t!Il' fI:lp', Tllc Rlttlc ;\'\ hit tllc rUllll;II' :It Ilil.;h spccd :Illd ,kiddcd :dOIl:';, SIIIOkl' pOllrnl lip throll:.;h till' fllScLlgc, Bllt thc\ InTe to bc lcro :illitJIlk, VllicKh-

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"\\'c ,mc :1' Ill'lI pr;l11:.;ed th;lt :mpl.llll'." ,\'\tcll "lid \llll'lI Ill' C]llllhcd OIlt, The B:iltk\:\ 11';1' hellt:1 hit IlIlt rl'jJ;lr:lhlc, It \I;IS :111ill;1 lIi:.;1It\ II'mk fm ;1 Bl.ll'k \\'idml' slJll:IdrOll, :Illd II LIll\' \IICIr 'lJlud, rOll\ :Irl' ri'lllg dmill:'; tIll' ]lllins of l!:JrKllcss mer tIle Il;lttk :IIT:IS of I<mopc ;Illd tllc 1';\cJ!ic, \lli;Il lIigllt ti:.;lllillg 1\ lJotl1 :III Offc.ll\ill' ;llld lkkll' ,ill' hctie, Otlcmill'lI', lli:.;1Jt ti;,;1Jters illtTlide 011 tlll' l'll' l'lll\' ill 1':lriOII' 11';11'\, J}ll1'111';

Pacific P.61 crew: Us, R, C \\'i11;:llll\ 'pil"! :Inrl C \\ Bjornlll, :11Il1 SSc:t. I!. B"!>,,,

DECEMBER.1H4

:lIe fbttle of Hrit.un. IC\i" intruder planes would hover over (;unl;llI bourlx-r hlses in darkness and attack the cucmv aircLtft ;IS they entered the traffic pattern. Intruder mi;sions j)y night lIghters also arc aimed at destroying trains, shooting llP shipping, bOlllbing airports, .nnnumition clumps ami other i u il it.rrv targets. In ~onllandy, Al1ied fighters and fighterbom lx rs denied the Ccnu.ms the usc of roads and r.nlw.ivs during cLJ\'light hours. After dark, the night fighters CO;It iuucd the bombing a nd strafing and inflicted further puni-l mn-nt on retre:lting enemy columns. On the dcfcnsivc side, the job of the night fighter increases as the grollnd forces push deeper into enelny territon'. j\s we clu-e in on the en cmv, he is able to strike b.uk h;n'der and more frequently. I':ac:h for\\;nd move must be protected bv the night fighters, p.uticul.nlv in Luropc where the Lnfrw.rflc seldom dares to show itself in cl.ivlight. The 1'-(>! is the first AnlcriclI1 airpLllle designcd and huilt to fly at night both as an offellSi\'e and defensive \veapon. It was hatched from the rccouuucndntions of Armv ohservers who had watched the Battle of Britain. Dming those critical cLJys, the R,\',' \\'as forced to rely on converted pursnits and light bOlnhcrs for defense against night raiders. \ \ 'hat was uccdccl \\;IS a ne\\' type .nrpl.ruc c.ipablc of prowl-

Black Widows dcst incc] tor the l St h .vir lorcc arc unloaded from tramports and towed to the assembly strip where \liugs will be .ulclcd.

ing in the hlack skies, intcrcepting encnlY bombers before the)' could reach their objective, of shooting them down as they attempted to return to their hlSCS, and to intrude on the cncmv and his iustullat iou bv ni.rh t or on duvs too murky for" the a\l'rage pl.mc to fly a"mis~ion. . The first cx pcr inu.n t.r] p.() 1 modcl \\;IS finished in \ l.iv 1042 hy Northrop Aircraft, Inc, 'I\\() vc.u s later, the p.()]s ruuclc a spectacular debut in lr.mcc. On their Ilrst mission they wiped out four Ccnu.m raiders. One clowned a \ IE-I 10 after a :2 3-minnte battle at such close range that the two pl.mcs sideswiped each other. Over in the Southwest Pacific, Am FORCE staff correspondent Capt. \1anford Snsman reports that AAF pilots '\\10 first tested the P.(il in this area were disappointed \\ hen it failed to live up to cxpcct.rtious. Thcv thought the \Vidow was sluggish and unrcspouvivc in m.mcuvcrs. They were, the)' admitted, flying her in strict accordance with tech orders. Representatives of the manufacturer watched the tests and found ont what \\':lS wrong. The pilots were told to throw a\\';I)' the hook and push the plane to the nt moxt. Immccliutclv, the pilots found that thcv were h;111dling ;111entirely diffcrent airpl.mc. The tech orders had been too confining. They had not gi\"en the 'Yidol\' the break she ,';,,,C1"\l'c1. Since then one P;lcific night fighter pilot h.is reported: "The P-ol is the most forgi\"ing airpl.mc I h;I\'C ever handled.

You really hale to be off the hall to m.ikc errors. The Widow works alone in the night sky and the success or failure of an interception depends upon the degree of coordination of the three-man crew." Black \\'idol\' pilots in the Pacific already have had some unusual experiences. One concerns a double phy with a Jap assist, disclosed hy a 1'-61 pilot, Lt. Duvid '1'. Cort: "1 sighted a xm.rll light, apparently a pl.mcs \\ing light, on the xt.irboard side northwcvt of m v I'.h 1. I started to ;lppro:leh the light when ground eont'ro] interception told me to cont iuuc orhiting as there \\as a second night fighter in the area. Vvhcn my plane rctnrucd to the orhit, 1 rccoivod a call from my colleague informing me th.it it was not his light I had seen, as he was complctclv blacked out. The fact that tracers were passing fi\c feet lxh iud anel two feet below the tail of our plane indicated that it had been an elll'my. "1\ fe\\" miuutcs LIter another of our pilots reported t!ut he h.] seen an enemy plane go clown in a Ixrll of fire into the water .md explode on impact. I Ie \\';IS about to congra tula tc me on a kill when I told him tha t I had u 't even tIred my gullS. Liter we decided that the Jap pl.mc who-,c light I h.icl first spotted had seen rue too, and let go his f;lms. In the confusion of my orbiting, he had shot clown one of his own planes." liv minntes LIter, however, Lieutenant Cort's gnnncr did shoot do\\n a Jap plane. Two Bcttvs were crediteel to the Black \\'ielO\\"s. Capt;nn Susman notes that ground crews in the Pacific arc beeel with prohlems all their own. Often the pl.mcs have to he rcid ied for take-off in the tot.il d.nkuc-s of .1 blackout. Sometimes the Jap slips in undetected and the night tlghters h.ivc to xcr.nnblc while cucinv hom hers arc dropping their bombs. There is no sccur itv of a fo'\ hole for these grcl"e monkeys. SigllS in the re'e'tments read 'To'( holes arc where YOU find them." One crew chief rcm.n kcd, .. I found th.it I 'eollld crawl ;JlI the wav into a steel helmet with only llI)' feet . ,tieking out." . Things arc not quite so mgged at the I'.(i] bavcs in I':urope, althollgh here the Black \\ idow sqmdrons h.ivc problems pcculi.rr to their opcr.it ioux. The hase in Belginm from whirl: Licutcu.mt Axtell and his Battle Ax operate is fairly typical. Althongh the night fighters in f.llrope arc established in squadrons they have grollp functions. They require a large qu.mt itv of invt rumcnt and radio equipment. hut Lt. Col. Oris B. Johnson, who commands the squadron, has some expert scronngers and they help keep the cquipmcut stock. pile up. The night fighter missions alw.ivs arc likely to produce the unexpected and no one ever knows wh.rt will be e-ncountered in the darkness, \\Then the outfit \\"as still flying from British b.rscs. one of the \VidO\\"s spotted a robot bomb \\'inging its \\'ay across the Channel. Capt. Tachs Spelis and his radio man. Lt. Elcuthcr ious Fleftheri;m, cconomicallv called "Lcftv," flew right through the 1 :;OO.foot explosion caused when their bullets touched off the buzz.bomb's war head. Spclis was bliudcd momentarily and the pl.mc started to spin. l Ic finally hrought the Widow under control. When they l.mclcd it was fonnd that most of the controlling surfaces had been h.ullv burned, Wherever they arc, the bovs who fly the Widows :Jgree that it's a different tvpc of fighting. Sometimes it's on the monotonous side. Often they do a lot of flying without finding anything to shoot. Already the [aps have so much respect for the P-O], accordins; to Capr.iin Susmnn, that :W average of onc cnemy plane is encountered for C\Try 50 missions flown. But in the blackened skies, the prospect of cLmger and action is al\\';I:'S present. And whenever the enemy e'\poses himself, the BLIck Widow is ready to strike for the kill. 1:1 AIR fORCE

10

..
1

Man picked up in photos above wears winter flying snit, parachute. and spcCl:Il harucs .rtt.uhcd to rope between poles. I Ie doubles up

as plane hooks pick-up loop with gnidc pole hinged to fnselage and hoists him .rt :;:; degree angle, thus prelTnting ground s\l.inghaek,

he 1\.\J.' h:ls perfected a "luunuu pick-up" svstcm ".hich oller, rnuucrou-, possibilities in the aerial rescue of men in inaccessible tcr r.un .md behind cnrrnv lines. The s:.stenl, resulting from extensive cxpcr iiucntut ion at \\'right luk], enables a pilot to S\l.()(IP 10\\. over the grouJld, hook a 11\.1on loop and pick up a man with less strain than a p.uuch utc jump. ]':arh. experiments were conducted wit]: duunu ics which frequently smashed hack ag:liJlst the ground before the pick-up plane could g:lin altitude. l'crfcetioJl of flight procedure finally eliminated the danger of the ground s\ling.hack, and sheep were tried in later tcst-, The ground equipment used ".as similar to that used for glider snatches: two poles that supported a 11\.1on rope loop wh ich \I.as attached to the strap harness of the sheep. On September :;, I 9-f), Lt. Alexis Doster \las v.mkcd from the grouJld, h nrtlccl through the air and safeh. pulled into a Stinson Rcl i.mt. Licutcu.mt Doster thus hcc.un the first .rirliornc pedestri:1lI in history. lie reported th.it his seusa. t iou ".:IS "a smooth wh ir of air around me and then the ground disappeared undcnu.n th. If I h.ulut heard the wind I woukln '! h.ivc kuown r \I:IS mO\ing." l\lthough initial tests on cluuuu icx revealed a force of from 1 () to 1-: (;s, changes in the to\l rope .md harness cut this to ., 12 to / Cs for less th.m two seconds. wcl] with in phvsical safety nurgllls, :Ifter which the hraking system drops the C force to 1./. As soon as the subject's bodv reaches the speed of the to\ling pl.mc. the C drops to I . .,. ,\t the plTe.nt time, luun.m pick-up is limitecl to light. wcigh t, Iliglil:. muncuvcrublrairplanes although experiments arc heing conducted to develop techniques for the usc of this cquiprncnt witl: high speed combat planes, U DECEMBER,1944

Pick-up plane uses nylon rope on clcctricnllv

with automatic

driven reel equipped braking device to pull subject lip to plane's door.

When early tests prO\TCIthat chest tvpc pnr.ichutc-,

edge of .urplanc'

caught on the door sill, simplified back hpe chutes were adopted.

11

Underground. ,'~ group of worried men sat around ;1 table at t]IC ]llJnlC Oi ;1 t,encra!icutnant in Bcrlin. It \I;IS early m 1()-H. 'L]rc ;\llied .ur forces \\'LTe engaged Jl1 an all-out attack (ill Ceflilan aircr;lft production. Lenders of Ccnu.mvs 10 ludnlg aircraft firms h.rd been assembled to tlgure out hm\ to sale their aircraft plants from obliteration. The Ccrm.m .-\ir I orce had become ineffective in defending these install.rtHJIIS. Dispersal and camouflage of factories had failed. 1<lcry d.iv of good wc.it licr meant that Ctnu.m aircraft pLi n ts wouk] t.i ke ;1 bea ti ng-";llld each hc.: ti ng I\as wor-,c than the last. So it uppc.ucd that the oulv 11;1\' to stop them lIas to move the Gennan .rircruft ind uvtrv e()]nplcteh' underground. That was the topic for disel1\"ion at tile lileeting. Some of the m.mutacturcrs obJccted, Tlicv argucd that it would be too great ;111 unclcrtakuu; in the midst of w.u , TIley pointed out that the p,,'e1lOlogiul ctlcct upon German vvorkcrs would be b.id , that it II;IS too much like rats being driven into their holes, It in c.mt a trcuuncloux Libor-llSing program of cxc.rv.it iou. It meant rcpLinning and rcorgani/,ing, rcl oc.itiug wor kcr s. IJIli!eling nell' lxrr r.rck, rcrouting <uppl ics. It mc.mt a step-b,'-stcp t r.m-fcr, with irrcpl.rccublc macluncrv moved first. It would h;IIC to be an industrial el ;\Cnatio;l by stage,,; mo'ing an entire n.it iou-widc. vit.i] .nul complica tcd induvtrv. The t.r-]; at be-t wouk] require at !L-;Ista vcar. Yet nobodv oHernl anything better. It 11;ISdecided. They adoptcd-s-wi tit rclucta nee-tIle underground proposal. They called for nl;lps and spread them on the table. The first step ohviouxlv lIas to choose underground sites. They selected mines, tuu ncls and caves. Thc-v decieled to make 1,'\\'-190 parts in deep caves nc.ir ;dre;id,' wcll-cvtublishcd f.ictor ics; asselnble JU-SSs in a section of a sub,,'a:', set up other asscm hlv lines in the Paris xubw.iv. And what could he sahagcd fiOln the homb-vtrickcn \I~'sserschmitt factory .rt Rcgcnsburg II';IS to be moved to a high"'a:' tunnel and a c.rvc.

course of the war might It;lle been dunged gre;lth, (;crmailY had planned 20 years for tlu: Il'agillg of w.u: "he had uot pl.ru ncd ,,0 long for clcfellse. ller movement underground in this w.u I\;IS not onh too Lite but. ;1" lur iuduxtriali"ts fc'ared. too big a job, Alnong other dilTiculties. the ,<,hipping of cquiprucnt Il'as cOluplicatcd .md snarled by our bombillg of German transportation, Yet much Il'as done to complete the pl.in. Hv thc time our ground troops got there. p.ir t of the ]';rri" SUbll;l\ were nc.ulv reach for ui.urufacturcr-,' usc. "\u underground loc:atiou II'as nc.rrlv ready in the \ loscllc \';i!lel' sector; it I\as t.rkcn mer bv (;ellerai Patton \ troops. . Bllt the pl.m IIpon which the Conuun aircraft induvtrv that night ill Berlin st.rkccl its List grclt g;llllble for life wil] LIII before its :\0, I cucmv.. Th.it cncmv . i" t nnc.
Button Up. SOllie people still believe th.: t there is no such thing as an cllemy ;Igent. Yct in Lite I ()-f 3. de"pite om highest xccur itv mcaxurcx, the [up.urc. published a documcnt gi\illg much data Oil the B-2(J. The report concerned l rorsopowcr , bombload, "peed, rallge .md rate of climb. Although 1II1lch of the report lII;IY hall' hccu tIlled ill 1l\ gueS\ .mcl smile of it lIIay hal'e been llrollg, the pr olxrhil itv rcm.rins that somewhere there had been loO\e talk or careless kmdlillg of paper". Still Kicking. It has been Oil the ropc's time aile! again. It has gOlle ciown at times for a shor t COUIlt. It h;IS of tell been groggy. But the Cenllall Air I"orce "till (us the vvinc] to conic back figh ting h.ircl. It is true that all imprcs-.ivc propor t iou of the cucmvs fighter factories, OllCC m.un productioll ccn tcr-. ;IIT noxv Ltrgely iuopcr.rt ivc; th.rt' a Ltrgl'r percelltagc of factoric". di,,persa( airtlclds .md cxpcr inu-utul vt.itiou', liavc been scriou"h' eLllllaged, It is true that the cncm v "IIHns froin fuel scarcill'. Rom.mia's tIll ill "\Ilgu"t dep;'i'l'd the Ccrmun-, of 3(J percent of their oil xupplv a nd 33 pc'reellt of t luir ga"ollllc \uppk '\Ild 1111;lt\ l'ljldh' import.mt to the C.\(.' pilot. Iii" homeb nd oper;1 t ionu] coucl itions ;Ire ill xomc IT, pects cl i"treS\i Il;. The cucurv, cxpccti Ilg to flgl1t 111 0\ t of h i-. ;1 ir Ila r from !J;I\C', lxvoud his liomcl.md, dcvclopccl hascs ill the occupied cOlllltries. IlCg!cCtill; t hr Olll'" witl ill CerrI i.mv propcr. III lr.rncc .mcl the I ,0\1 l.urcl-. 11c 11;ld built brgc' h;lll;;n". COllnde ruuw.rv. "p;lcioll" di,. pn,,;d ;IITa", houih-proof ITHtlllellts .mcl good rcp.ur shop" I':ach m.ijor fIeld [xc.uuc ;1 IlU'>Sill'. modern m ilit.uv establishment. n-uallv with ";ltcllite ficlds lIl:;rrh,'. . Hut most of the fields ill CCIllLIIl\' proper ',m; 1() 3() IlT"iom. wit h c10\cl\' grmlped ILlllg;tr,. rcp.ur "hops .uu] b.nr.uk-. TIll'\ ;IIT vulncrublc Ltrgch. There i" ;1 Lick of di'pn,;J1 "P;ICC lxc.m, ill 1930 the Clll'llll' did not l"ipcct to he under .rt t.ick ;IS he is tocl.iv. So .uu h: i, the llccd for

It was clawn when the conference ended. The confreres filed ;l\\ay. The:' had devised a 11';11'thcv hoped would protect Ccruumv' life breath bv moving her .urcr.rtt pl.mts -ufclv a wav fiom All icd hom b~. :-\lnc n;onths h.ivc passed since that Berlin conference, \\ ;1" it successful:' 1LIs the Ccnu.m a ireraft industry been -uvccl? The .mxwcr. of course. is no. But ,\llied strategi"ts agree that had the pl.m been undertaken a few YClrs c.u licr, the

12

AIR

FORCE

YOUR ENEMY
.ruxil i.rrv Lmding ,trip' .md di'per,al arcas thut the cncmv h~ls been compcllcd to usc for tlu-.c purposcs his autobahns or snper-higll\\'an, Yet the I luu Hvcr's fighting spirit i~ notches highcr tl i.m th;lt of the Ccrm.m ground soldier, and here are souic of the reasons: Cernl;ln flvcrs still [ivc in comp.ir.rtivc comfort. \ lost of tlum nCHT h;I\C k nowu the grilllIlCSS of t lic f ron t l iuc , \ I.mv Ccr m.m pilots even 110\\" cO!lSi(ler fhing ;111 c'(citing "sport." I.uf tw.ulc persounel h;ls been cncollLlgcd hv pronu-cs of jet .urcr.rft. Some crack fighter u n itx have bccu witlulr.uvn for couvcrviou to jd pLrues, and tile high couuu.md sees to it l hn t nuunr-, tdl of jet "successes," Ccrm.in prop~lg;mda rcm.rins good enough for the gullihle to ;\eccpt the mvtl: of inviucihil itv. The a t titnclc is "\\'e shan win because \\'C
11111S

-"t , -i;J

t."

C.\f" crews feel they m uxt fight wit]: dcxpcratinn to S;I\e their country's neck, yet thcv arc made to believe that their' strength i's heing' care[ullv preserved. As long ;IS the Ilun can m.unt.tin such fighting spirit and can, as he did five tillles in one week. run from 100 to 4:;0 fighter sorties ag;limt our bombe-rs, the air war will be hard, The enemy is hurt, but he is not down, , RHIP. Ccnu.ru soldiers below the bidden to touch Allied pamphlets Violators are punished severely. rank of major dropped from are forthe all.

Parachutes and Cables. Both Ccnu.uis and Japs have devised Il'ays to put wires or cables in the n ir as ha/,ards to our aircraft. The Germans have a shell wh ich , fired from the ground, opens at about 8,000 feet and bloxxoms into a pur.rchutc, from wh ich is suspended one or more thin steel wires which may foul propellers, wings or control surfaces of low and mcdium-fiving aircraft. Explosi"e charges are attached to some of the parachutes, Another apparent purpose of parachutes of this kind is to impede the vision of bombers secking a target. The );Ip method is to drop from airplanes I :;O-foot lengths of th in , t\\i,ted steel cable. j\t one end of the cable is attached a one-pound bom b nucl, at the other end, two smal] parachutes to keep the cable HTtical as it drops. The bom b, cable and parachutes arc packed in a can 7 hy 31'2 inches, convtructcd in two hulvc, hinged across the bol tom. The lxnu b is a cylinder of cast steel, 212 by 2 inches, filled with explosive. The hill' functions on impact from am' direction. As th~ c.m drops, it flies open and releases the cable and parachutes. Bcsides the danger of the boiul: cxploding upon contact with our bombers, the c.i blc pre,ents a definite fouling hazard.

Army Game. Om forces in France h.ivc fonnd that a Ccrman rifleman sometimes uses lin) cOlmeeting foxholes, only one of which is visible to au approaching force. After firing from the visible foxhole, the rifleman crawls to the hole which is concealed from view. \Vhen an Allicd soldier opens up on foxhole 1\0. I, the German returns fire from foxhole l\o. 2. The Spectators Were Tearful. Thc Japs lx-licvc that the life of a young, poorly trained boy in a flimsy aircraft is a small price to pay for destruction of a U. S. heavy bomber and ;} skilled crcvv. "{uxp irutioual" radio hroaclcasts seck hoy voluutccrs \I'illing to die hy crash ing into our aircraft in mid-air. The [aps in.rkc national heroes of these suicide pilots. Tokvo r.ulio rcccutlv told the storv of one of them, and hroaclcast a tLlmcril;tiou of a speech he li.rd dcl ivcrcd at a "Youth All Rise to Action" rally a fl.'\\' m o n t lrx hdOle hi, death. The radio said the youti1 \\'~IS one of three "body crashing heroes" who had downed B-20s OIL'! Northern K\'I1Shu. (This was untrue. One B-20 h.id been lost bv [ap suicide tactics, but not on thnt mission, Fd,) Other yo\lllg [ups arc praised heclllSe they take off their par.ichutcs while engaging in com hat. This is presented as being heroic and in significlllt contrast to .\llied pilot'>. Increased emphasis is being pbeed upon the training of air-minded Jap bovs. One (by recenth', the J;\PS held h{ "air rallies" for youths. These are recruiting drives for hOI'

DECEMBER,1944

13

volunteers between the agcs of II .uu! 13 who take a Fourycar tra iuius; enur-e for thc air forlT ill a Civil i.m CrC\\' 'lr;linillg Iuvt itutc, After gradllatiou they go into the army, An official J;1]) ohscnatioll: "'lhnc midget soldier, han: a cOllsCIcntiousncss th.it m:lkcs spcctator, tearful."
Night Fighter. "\ J LJ ,C,S nigh t tlgh ter rcccnth' capturccl in \\as .mucd with thrcc -:,l) nu u gllns and four 20 IlIIl1 Thc latter \\ell' located ill a xtrc.unli ncd vcu t r.rl beneath the fllsel:tgc,

France cannon, gondola

Revised Opinion. A s!K:lker at a recent coufcrcncc of Jap .ur force officers uttered these rcur.uk.ibh- worcl: "Vv'c Japanesc used to th ink th.rt. bee.ruse of our great strcngth. one J:lp:lllc,e could opposc 1.()(J() of the enClIIY, \ Vc had no fca r. '\ ()\\' \IC real i/,c th.r t th is is a da ngcrolls att itudc. For iu-tu ucc. if the cnclllY scnds 1.000 planes to bonrb us, and IIC xcnd np onl , o nc pl.mc, it is ccrt.uu that our pl.mc wonlc] be clcvt rovccl .md thcn the cnelllY would be free to bourh thc ITlnalning S()I) or l)(J() [up.mc:: plancs xt ill on the gronlld. "It is true that \\C \I'oldd not li.ivc to scnd np :1 fnll I.(JOO Japancsc pl.mc-, to oppmc 1.()11() CnCIII\' pl.uu. for our tech, niquc is sUI)l'rior, but \Il' should of COllfSC scml np a rcason' able t[n;llIt.i.t\' of plancs so ;IS not to gil e the cncm v uucluc adv.mtugc. Believe It or Not. ,\nfJIdillg 10 t lu: BLT]in radio. the cur' Jcr.t terror of the !':;,sterIl front is :1 22,\c:lr old ober1clltn:lnl '~""--ll:nIlClI l<rich l l.ut m.u m. .\ vc.tr .uid ;I'llalf ago. hc cl.uruo.l -...~,) h:l\e shot d()\ln nulv III ()I;poncnh, Tod:I\' he cl.iiin-, iu orc than ,00, I l itlcr Ius p in ucx] on h i-, chl'st the CLTIlI:ln Iligh Conu n.uu!'. Iligllcst ;111:ml. t lu O;lk I,c:l\e.., wit l: S\\'ords .mrl Di:llIlonds, I l.nt m.m n. lug. said tltl' r.rclio. "oftl'n incl udc-, h to 11 cucmv .urcr.rft pLT'd;I\"" Suicide Souvenir .. \ r.u n of SIII:\]1 lx nu h-, rcccnth' \\;1\ dropped 1)\ the J:lpS n]Jon out: of our airtlchb III C:hlILI, Some of th hom l, l".;plodnl, C:IIl\ing m inor d:\nl:lgc. SOllll' of the l n nn l, didn't cxplock.. Two Chiuc-: coolic.., songht to remove xoiu of the slllall unexploded llIl'>'iks from a rIlll\\';I}', .\s soon :IS thc borub-, were pickcd up tl u-v did explode ---killing the t wo Ch incsc. A short tunc later :\ C I II;\S foraging through a cf;\shcd PAO 11l vcarch of -ouvcnirs. lie iuadvcr tcntlv tOllehed nne of the small Jap bombx. It, too. exploded. kiliing the CI. It SCUllS that SOlllC of the bombs h.] been set with del.ivccl hues IIII ich IHl'lcn ted .m cxploxiou when thcv hit tllc ground. But thc fuscs did causc thc bombs to c\;plode \\'hen thc\' werc latcr tonehed or 1lI0i-ccl. In othcr I\'()fd s. c01nbilIa tion bombs and hoobl' tLI ps. Trickery.

IAess. l low well docs the [ap.mcsc SOlUler Cit" By Amcrican standards his pickings arc prdtl' shm, but b\' [ap.uicsc home <t.mdnrcl, he is an cxtrcmclv w.ll fed iud iviclual. On thc hasis of v.uictv and .rbund.mcc. a sold icr in .m ;ldct[llately -uppl icd g:IITlson cats pcrhaps twice ;IS \n'lI :IS his f.nu ilv. To the J;lpsoldicr, :IS to the folks at houu. rice is still the lllost Illlport:llit food. 'Ihe alcr:lgc [up.mc-: f.un ilv cats hut little meat. the dati}' diet lc\ohing .uound till' hlsic riel" fl'h-\cgdahle diet. This rou i hiu.it iou h:I' lx-cu sllpplelllCllted tor the lIghting 1I1:11l witl: sonIC 1IIC:lt. fruitv, ntLI \cgc' t:lhles .uid \1\ cd,. Thc:: cxtr.rx, IHl\\cI cr. :Irc mcel clucflv to fi.rvor .md v.irv thc ricc-fixh St:lple, .md do not provide a complete changc of ration f rmu OllC cl.rv to thc ncxt , Thc j;lp;mcsc ;trlll}', even in rc.rr cc:hclollS. has nothing c omp.rr.rblc to our cOlnpall\' or squ.idron lIlCSS, J'::lch solelier is his own cook, ;IIllI he usu.illv prcparcs CIHlIlgh .rt one t imc to s\lpph him for the nc\;t 2-+ hOlliS, The Japancse ticld r.it ious intluclc cl1lncel lI\cat such as lxcf. pork and Stell'; canned fl,h; c.u uu-c] \ cgct;lhles. including hcalls, lx-nn sprouts, pcas, h.uu lioo sprouts. spInach. '.I'ater chcvtuu tx .md cookcd ricc: c.nmccl fruit: C:I1l11cd eggs; dchvdr.rtcd \'l'gdahles, inclnding Illmt of the f.uu ilinr varictics pillS snch items as cdih!c SC;I\lccd .i ncl ;1 st.n clrv tuber known as taro root: clehll!r;ltecl fIsh i hOllito): coudiuuu t s: staple" <uch :IS rice, gr:lllIlL,teel Sllg:Ir and ~;tlt; he\LTagcs, includ im; tea, coudcnxccl or pO\lllercd m il k. cider .md II h i-kv, and cliocol.rt or other calldics. Th~' J:lp -olclicr going into COlllh:lt uxu.illv clrrics ric .md l>:lgs of <m.r!l. h.m l bi-cuitx. \ \ "hcucvcr pmsihk. Ill' l':Irrics c.uuu-d iucn t. In addition, tllLTC :IrC h\o t\'PCS of cspcci:tlhpacbgcd r.it ious. a p:lcbgl' per meal. In Olle 1\1)('. tlu: pack, :lgl' cou tu in-, c;lkl's of cOln!Hl',>,cd \\'hl':lt or b.ulcv, 'llg;Ir. c;kl's of dried tl,h and C:lkes of -ul tv dried phu u s. Tlu other hpl' cout.iiux two clkcs of complTSSl'cl tlsh .mrl \l'gl'tahle uux l urc .md a "Ick of prc-cookcd ricc BOlli, /:lp ,o]dil'rs 1111\; the BOlli with \\:ltLT to m.rl: a dOllglt. wh irl: till'} C:lt

cold .
There ;Irl' Sl'\Tr:tI t'.pl'S of c'llIergelll'I' .rvi.rt ion r.tt iou-. One inr-luclc-, dricc] bonito, bivcuit-; pickled p]IlHI, Pl':IS. h.nd c.mclv, car.uut l, cl rocol.i tc .md \\'lJi,k\',\llotJllT .i ir r.i tiou .
,

An ,\llicel pLinc fhing ()\'cr an cnclm,helel scction of :\c\\. C\linca' sa\I' the letters PO\\' laiel ont ill \Ihite strips on the hl':lch :lIld a nllln hcr of llll'n, onc \\':l\'illg a \\'hitc c1oth. Thc Allicd pilot snlllllloncel smbcc n'sscls h\' radio to at, tl'lllpt rescnc o( \\'h;lt hc hc' linTel \\lTC l'sclpnl .\nll'lil';I1l"', 1''1' hO;lh, going in l'lo\l' to the sllmc, '.1l'lC tll'l'el IlPOIl h\' ~; Illnl :Ind -fO lllnl glill', Om: hO;lt \\:Is Ilit.

14

AIR

fORCE

includes rice cakes, hardboiled eggs, canned meat ami vcgctables, canned pllleapple, cider, chocolate and \I'hi,ky. It is important tn.rt captured enemy food be in-pcctcd and approved by aU. S. nledlcd officer before our troops cat it, In emergency cucumst.mccs when there is no \I'ay to gct it impedcd, it is Il'cll to keep in milld that the safest of all would be c.mucd foods, provided the can docs not blllge, that tile CII} IS not badly rmted and that the contents do not pcld any kind of qne,tionable odor. The follo\lillg advice \las issued h:' the 12th SS Divisiou to its motor transport drivers: "If your vehicle is attacked by an Alhed fightcr-bombcr, drop a smoke bomb (Rauchkocrpcr or :\ebelhandgranate) close to vour Ichicle but not too clmc or n)l]r I'clliclc will catch fir~. Th is will make the pilot of th~ fighter-bomber think he has hit his target, and he usuull', shears off, "Never drop smoke bombs before the first burst of fire from the plane, or the pilot will notice the trick. "In the future el'Cry vehicle is to be equipped with two smoke bombs."
Smoke.

cnciuv, approach from an alhantagcom position .uid quickly shoot him clown. Elen if you kllc no :ld\~mtage of POSItion or arc at a di,alhantage, engage the euelny and shoot hun don."
High Jitters. Indieatile of the J~IP offiei~il stlte of mind arc the activities and uttcr.mccs of the blgh com m.md Rcccutlv, Jap Bra", lIats hale: Ordered "ubsol utclv safe" dixpositiou of aircraft at all bases. . Set up procedures for fueling and thing :l\\'ay aircraft upon the approach of Allied airpl.mc-, Prepared for the presel'l'a bon of im port:ln t documen t, during air attacks. Ordered construction of slit trenehc\ for all airbasc ground personnel. Spoken urgently on the need to gct lookout and firefighting faeilibe,' in order. Establisbed precautionary measures for airplanes returning to base dUrIng .m ,\lIied attack. Issued instructions on the draining. uuio.icling, stripping and dispersing of .urpl.mcs left on the gronnd when ba,e, arc attacked. Getaway. Pilots who arc fighting Oscars and Ll.unps report the [apx usc of straight, steep dives follo\lul hy pull-out :\> standard evasive maneuver. Recent specific comments from CBI say th.rt when the Oscar IS eba,ed in level flight bclo: 5,000 feet. instead of flIpping .u! pldling np in a steep climb, it wil l pmh straight clown and make .m abrupt pullup close to the ground. Pilots of the o.,e:lr 1 .mcl J I. as ,\'(:11 as a fell' l Iamp pilots. have attempted reguLnh- to brenk off comb.rt hy diling down and out at fnll throttle. f rcqucut ly without regard to altitude. Camouflage. The Germans attemptecl to m.rl: their airfield at Conucillcs en Vcxin in Fr.mcc look from the air like a small town. lIangars and shops were covcrcc] with sacking and designed to resemhle houses or small huildings. 1"alse \I'indo\l's were painted on the xiclc-, .md g:lrelens were "planted" outside. But as an Allied advance pressed close. the Cennans deserted their playhouse. They set fire to three ~IE-l 09s, four 1-'\'-190s and two JU-SSs hecause they could not Hv them awav. Jap Odds and Ends. Tokio Broadcl.st to the U. S.: "Not onc of the 20,000 [up.mc: residents of Duv.ro wil! leave the i,.land of ~lineLlIlao. Their ardent desire to defend their home island was at last granted when on i\ngmt I they were ordered to offer their services as nulitarv employes." [ap explanation to natives of a Pacific i,LlIld who wanted to knnvv whv Allied airplanes were not heing shot clown: Allied planes hale hccn armored on the nnderside with rubber, from which Jap bullets bounce off. Domei Ne\l's i\gcnc:': "ShOll'S for cnjovmcnt arc banned in Tovk theaters, and the subject matter ... \I ill he renovatcd so as to contribute toward uplifting the people's morale and increasing fighter strength." 'I'okvo Domestic Radio: "Admiral Shiro Takatsu. war councillor, received a do/.en bottles of grape juice from the l<:mperor at the Tsukiji Navnl l loxpit.il at 9::;0 last night. The admiral died at 0::;0 u.rn . toclav." Heard in a Tokvo broadcast dnrilig September: "There is not one soldier on the front Jines who is worried about the outcome of the war for Japan." Quote from a [up soldier in the combat zone: "How unf.rvor.rblc the w.tr situation is ... I would like to sec, jnst once, a situ.rt iou in which the c ncmv would he pushed hack and defeated."

Panzer

The Thirteenth. One U. S. squadron in the South Pacific has J/ad its J);/,e :ltt/cked hv the cncmv at file m inutcx to midnight on the 13th of tJ~e month f<;r 13 months. Ships in Hiding. IIcavv losses in Inrges and small craft at exposed advance bases have compelled the Jap to gi,'C these t:ngets high eamonfbgc pr ior itv. ':'\()\I'. bccuu-: of wide ranging ,\nny and c.irr icr st ril:, he has had to extend his c.unou~bge to larger tr.m-port .md auxili:lries. The [u p s arc adept at concealing \'C'sscls along island shores. One U. S. photo interpreter reports: "This method provides for entirelv covering ships, even ,ides of the ~'j..., hull, with I'egetation. V egeta tion appears natural in all cases, Then ships arc moored close iuxirorc along steep and take aell'antage of banks to blend with the haekground xhadows ... A ship then looks like part of an island to the naked eve. But not to a camera, which can detect the hull's outline beneath the I'egetation and also shows a 11\' difference in elevation between ship decks and adjacent shore. [aps also have used clcvcrlv constructed dummy ships. One such ship was made from a harge. to which a sham bridge and funnel were added. Photographs discovered the trick.

~J~L

'w

Not Even a Good Lie. Radio TokI'O rcccutlv gaIT U. S. listeners the namcs of six lieutenant colonels and one major. who, the radio said, had "crashed in a B-29 OI'Cr Japan." At the time of the broadcast all of these officers were safe .md well at their home bases. FilT of the six did not even fly on the nussiou. Easy Does It. From his command. the [up pilot gets this hit of advice on how to attack U. S. bombers: "Aiming points: fuel t.mk. bomb lxiv, The cucmv's accuracy of fire is excellent. As soon as you discover the

DECEMBER,1944

e Careless Die Early

By Capt. Greer Williams
Air SlITgeoll's Office f vou nrc :1 fl\"lT \\110 never m.rkcs a mivt.rk, you C:1n sleep through this ouc. On the other hand, von tu.rv he hl11l1:111, ike the joker l who slept through :1 cl.ivs f)JJ ditefling. On th.rt unluckv d:11' when his airpl.mc had to ditch. he didn't know h ow to opcn his onc-m.m life raft. lie clrow ned. Or like the pilot of a B-li in whicl: half the crew, including the bombnrdicr, were uuconxcrous from o"ygen w.mt dming the hOinhiug run. The pilot saved their Jiles by IC1\'ing the formation and di'ing from :2 :;,000 to 5,000 feet. Bnt that didnt correct the leaking mygen system which had gin'n his crew trouble on a previous mission, Nor did it help in a subsequent mission when the whole right half of the svstcm went out complctclv. Or like a pilot who got his shot-up fighter back to the base hut couldn't laud. lIe bailed out all right, but landed facing
i ! . vvi ncl. The ch u te jerked him O\"lT h:lck\l':n(k Tl ishead struck tile l.mdiru; stnp .mcl he \\:IS k illc]. Or like the B-2CJ pilot \1'110 tried to \\:l1k hick to his hase through ')00 miles of 1'\e\l' Cuinc\ jungle with ouf citing. J Ie elidn't feel 11l1ngr:' after the first two elan .n n] looking for fooel slowed him down, lie II':IS definiteh' slowed down when he contacted f ricnd lv natives 1-+ (L1\s 1:Jter. Or like the :1irm:I;1 wh n-ed hi< clcct ricallv heated hoots for ovcrvhocs hec1l1se of the S1l0\l' ancl slush ill I the grouud. I li- toes were frostbitten wlun the battered wirc-, f:1iled at high :11 tude, ti Or like the four crewmen of :1 B-17 \lhich ditched in the South Pacific. They failed to :IS"lIue ditehiug positiollS .md were never seen again. The other si, got into t lu Lifts .md, as soon as thcv were hon:I!jde casta\\':1\S, .itc :111their cnurgellC'\' r.it ious ;;nd drunk all their w.itcr. Thcv wc. shot with luck hecallSe, although 110 one h:l thonght to bring the Cibson Cirl or a Very pistol, a PBY spotted them after seven hours. :\LJyhe the burdens of discipline and the h:lI:m]s of comhat flight m.ikc you feel like lea,iug ellTlthlng to luck, Luck is :1 good thing but any g:unhlcr \I'i11 tell you that to stretch it you have to gi'e it a li ttle expert gni(1:Jnee. '111e mun the A,\j. has delegated to help you becomc an expert in stretching your luck is the Pcrvou.rl I':quipmcnt Othccr. The Air Trau-.port Conuu.uid calls him a I,'light bllergencl' Olliccr and the ?\aly has u.uncd him the Avi.tbon Lquipmcnt ()flicer, but whatever you call him. PEO or

Considerable

realism
IIL"!c

1\

put

in lo tim
\II!

d.monvt

rut ron of slccpmg

ill

This
lihns

nAn

type

lean-to

shelter m.it,
\I

1\ IlL](!c

(If P(l!c\ 1)(>111\(1 wit h palm

[mil']" It
IS

a lr.unmo.},

(If p:n;whllk

h\ln(lIl'J,

atLle'hn]

to

trccs.

.nu] ()\LTcd

wit l:

(lIT II (If p.rhu

w.rtcrproof',

16

AIR

FORCE

Introducing

your survival salesman, the personal

equipment officer, who is a guy well worth listening to. His job may be a headache

tor

him - but it can

mean all the difference between lite and death tor you
Surviv] Joe, !Ie's :1 kl!O\I" vou n];ll" w.i nt to knll\\", T!IC\' th rcw the book at h im when thcv wrote the directive cxtabJj,hin; the l'cr,oll;t! J<CjnlpJnent' Ulheer-"AAli Regnlatioll No. )).-;-, dated 2.'-, October JI)-+), This made a nou-Hvim; otTicer m c.ich oqnadron, group, "ing, air division and ai'r force rcxpouvihlc for the proper cure and usc of all persona! and C1nergellC'\' f1\'1llg cquipn.cnt in each unit. In fuct, thc d ircot ivc ,tates th.it the 'ljlladron or group pJ.:O ha, 32 specific duties, The lixt of dutie,- --cOl'ering the issuaucc, sen'icing, impel" tion, storage ;Inc! lIltelligent usc of such itClns ;IS o:\ygClJ masks, heated fl:"ing suits, tlrc extinguishers. parachutes. first. aid kits and air-sen rescue cquiprucut-c-makcx him a cross between an engineering officer, snppl:' officer, anc! flight sm. geon, But, if he's cagcr, he's more than that. I1e's a sales. man, continually trying to sell yon anti.goof insurance-usc vour shoulder harness, preflight yom oxygcn equipment. run through yom dingh\' drill, wear your owgcn mask but don't tum on the emergency valve unless sick or wouuclcd , clout he indifferent. I Ic's a 13m' Scout with a knife and a COIll. P;lSS .md a big "Be Prcp.ucd " in ol to OITr his lean-to. lIe's a worry-war! and ;1 trouble.shooter, alll"an rcminding you of unpleasant th lng" But if he doesn't spend too much time in the sack, YOU wil! learn to respcct him. even though he seemed .i n ;Iftcr. thought in tLlining back in the Sutes, Once von learn that in combat the clrcless die c.nlv .mcl the careful keep coming hack, you bccoui a firm lx.l icvcr In the survival gospel.
Having inflated 1'"'111\ to p.iddlc his tiny raft uncl climbcd .iho.u]. t Itc pilot IS 1I0\\, l-lvcr-, have SIII\i\cd 2.) daIs III tltiS cr.rft ,

,m,II,

Jt I\as in combat that the Personal 1'~cplIpnlent Officer II"IS horn and, to quote Col. I I.urv \\", Lloklcn, commandant of the A\li School of Applied Tactics, "horn in a hell of a hurrv." Tile need of an otTicer to enforce ox\'gen cl ixcipl inc lIas 'recogni/.ed [iv J\laj, Ccn. Da\'ic! .l\, \\', 'c.:LIll!. the Air Surgeon, 111 the cst.rblivln ncu t of the old Unit OXIgen Officer 1,\,\li Rcgulation AO, ))./, cbtnl 3D :\1;1\' ]0-+2). \\'hen the Sth Hombcr Comm.md hegan opeLltlllg from ]':ngbnd, however. it found tim thiugs \\Tong witl: the Unit Ox\gcn OfTicer. In the tlr,t place, he \\'as a thing officer a nd, therefore, exposed to the combat attrition rate, In the second place, his duties were not hro.id euough, In addition to owgen accidents, there were the hig prohle1lls of frwtbitc due to heated suit failures and of air-sea lmses In tl. "mth Sca and J':lIg1ish Channel. In early] <J-+), thc St' \; r lo.cc c'stah1ished the uou-Hviug joh of I'ersoll,Ii J';"U;p:lllilt ()::l~',-'r. \Iodclling him after a xim il.u position in tl.. 1\.\1.', it recruited engincering officers, snpplY officer. ;lIlcl s;ronnclccl Hvcr: for quick training III the Ccutrul \ lcclical ]'~stahlishmcnt .. and c[nick results, The I'J':O \\'as gin'n an otTicc he. tween the hrietlng room and tli re;ld\, room and put on 2-+hom dutv in thc locker room for p.uuchutc, .md clothing, I Ie slwed ]]]ightih' in the dramatic n-duction , of owgen
1(;()lItl1JlJcd OlJ P;l!:~C :;I

This is the two-rope climbing method used to ;ather coconut . for food, 'Ihe impr oviscd k;;III;S '11C m.ulc of p.ilm cloth .nid vines DECEMBER, 1944

This student c,If, 'I JlIll;k S(H\I\"il (Hc,il of \ IllC,1 tl()\\lT', p.ilu: cub!J;IgC .md mussel. The stew ill lc.if t urct n \\,IS cooKed ill ham boo,

17

Flaming

debris

(If

njll<Jl[]]I:":

'\,1/1

.u.u.um.t

i.:

IIII'~

1.]]1,

III 'llIjl

<t h

,\11

lIICl'

1IIlIlIcl,,!J,,]t

c1]]1l]]:": '11.111]]:": ]]]]"llI]]

lI\ll

""IlL.

.u "I, v.ui.rt ion "I II" .rII", " ",,""" 11111111111 \\!JCII ,tLJlille; :111 :liHlr"llll'." ':1\. C,>I, ])1]]1:lleI ) \1. I\I:I/.l']('(', l'''IIIIII.llleleT "f till' IIIC;IIl\t \ll,rllle; \111'!:IIIe; c;rlllip ill Brit:111l '"\\ IllII 11l\ e;rl'llp i, :I"ie;lll'ci tIl ,tLlfe.:1 p.nt icul.u ]:Irc;l] t l. tlllllC;'

"S

"'I"'''. '1''',1

h, h'l'p

nul.. hl\"llll

ou l l ,1,,1 fm " """,1 clr"llll hef"rl plillille; lip. '"\-:11\ till' pl.rn "f vour :JI!:w/.'. if pm'ihk. )"1111 liid II'l C t lu \;lllll' phil !I\llC'. l. Llrc;l'h'lll'll :1\ lllll\I'\" or t r.un-. I 11\11:1111 elm\11 I" :iI)IIIJI !I\" Ilr t l ucc: tllllll':llld iLt kl'l. , till'

\III, ",,' It."l "" II" I" I"

,I."

I :I'/. f"f :ill tllc p!Jlltlle;Llpll' .rv.ul.ibk, I \\:lllt 111\int cll i ~'lll(,(' IdliceT Itl e;d tln Ill'\t illfmlll:JlIIIII Ill' ClIII' I'll till cldlll'C, t lic pillpC'lIllt ]1",itl"l1\ 1,(:fl.ik ]111\t" .m.] Ilm\ 111:111\ ;:IIlT:lft .u rlpmtul I" lx "II t l.; lillc]' I \\:lllt t" lllll\\ .vh.rt t l. t crr.i iu .uouurl till' :llrelr"lllc' i-. \\ itl: t h i- I l:11l phil t lu :Ippro:lcli hnt C:Ilclll:lkei t" :IC!JIl'\l' '1Irpri,l'. 'Il.l tlILlill.-.lli]I,. e;1l1ll\' .u ul trl'l' fill' covcr. .md .ur.hou, 111\!:lll:illllll' -uth :1,']I:IIl:;:lr,. Itl 'lTl'C'1I 111\ :lpprl)(lciJ. 111C\1'1 (('IIIC' rie;lil ill llll :111 :llrclrl)]IIC if 1 C:IIl llclp it. '"l\llt cmCTI 11 thc dro1l1c. I rl':ilh' ,<;ddm\ 11{l11thc ckck it 1 11"ld u u.t n fI\T kd lip: , mcan '\(;1(1\\ tll:lt till c;LI'\ 1\ hlll,hillc; tlu hot t oin of t l: \C(HIP, 1 prlfer I() e;d dll~\11Im\ .i nc] \!J,,()t lip .i t :111\.iircraf t ()II t lu c;rollllc1 r.n lur tlLll1 I {)lllC ill llic;ll .uu] ,!J""I dll\\ll. I T'll:ilh' I flrl :1 ,Ii"rt ]lIlr,] frnlll lOlig r:lllc;l :Illl] CIllTlTt for it :1' ('()llIC' ill.

e;lt dlll~th meT it :Illd "" dC1\\11 :1 ::(i t" oil ck"r('(' dl\c ill I kll ]lli~ lll:ILk\ IIIC tIl l"IIl'l'IIILlk 111\ firc'. d" nut c"Il'llln hlrc;n :1 \\'llrtll\\llik Llrc;l'l lillie-" .III tell ic;C'llCT iu.!il:ltl\ 11ll'\ .m npl"'I\l' t:lr:;d' \!:ICllilll' '<;1111 "11 hlr'<;l'\ tirc i\ LiI!Jn illllTlltin', ,\1,11. I pn'''IJ:l1h \\llilld uot ckliheT::teh pick :1 tl.rl, towcr fllr :1 i:Jrglt Illlln\ It \\nc III 111\\\:1\', ,\ Il.i l, !J1\\n not lirille; i-. pr"h:lhh not ill u-. .nicl th.r i1111 \C'll\l' ill :ltt:ICkille; it :111\'\\':1\-.'" C:,,], I, \!:I\I'I\. CI)]lllll:llllkr of :111"thlT 1'.:;1 ,<;rl]]lp. tllil1k, t!J:lt tlll' grl:Jll\t tCl1dlllC\' \\'hCII ,11IHltim; l1p c;](ll1llll t:lre,:lh i, It, \\:l,te hulkt\. '"\\lllll 111:1lillC; :lirdr()llll .rt t.rck." \ !:I\"11 \:1\', '"I t lrinl. :111 if\ ()I' t" -t.ut ,IIIHltille,: \\,1\ hick :IIICI ,11",,1 :111 111(' \11\' \ Illr"llc;!J, )"1'11 IlliglJl \\lI,ic hlllkt, hilt :111lu-. Inilll]' t fl\ Ill:,' :lr()ITllc] ,1lc;lilh cli~rllph tllC c;rll\lllCI hrc.

'I

Jill

18

AIR

fORCE

Here are the do's and don'ts of ground strafing from combat reports of fighter pilots of the 8th Air Force. There is some variation in the advice they offer, but all of it is battle-tested

:".,

.,s: ~~

"A good of bullct

steep approach gin's '1I1 ,-",trcillch hc.rvv COIICClItLltioll ill one spot." Lncur, vehicle wrecked by lIghter stratlllg.

"But on trains ami eOlI\oys where you eneonnter no return fire, vou must make cvcrv bullet count. \\e lost sonic ~IE-l O')s (:ne day because not a d.unu soul in the group had any bullets left." Col. Avclin 1'. Taeon, Jr., also a ""lustang group coinmaudcr, permits his pilots to work out their own tactics in strafing ground tngets. "On the mechanics of strafing there arc as m~ll1Y 0Pll1ions as there arc pilots," according to 'lucou. "Some helicvc in surprise at the sacrifice of speed. This is accomplished hy getting down to d.uxv-top lC\cl several miles from the target aud follO\\ing a road or other luudm.rrk into the target. These boys like to avoid all \illages and pop over the trees, shoot up the target and get the hell ,I\\'a)' on the deck, reforming and regailllng altitude some five or ten miles a\\'ay. "The other school of though t hkes to come around the target at about -+.(JOO feet, look it mer, and then clive in with around -+:;0 011 the clock, shoot up the target, stay low, .md get ~I\\ay, reforming ~l\\"l:' from the target. Both systems have their a(hantages .md disa(hantages. Inasmuch as it's his own neck we let the pilots clo it the \\a:' they prefer. "But one thing that cvcrvboclv agrees on is the absolute nccc-sitv of .nmcd fire as opposed to 'hosing the area'." Ccrta in hpes of grolmd targets should he avoided particularlv if the objective isn't worth the risk, according to Co!. !\o:' \\', Osborn, conuna ndcr of a Lightning group. "TIllS in my opinion, is the most important lesson we ca n lc.un about ground attack," he says. "A qucstiouablc target that otters only a small chance for success should be avoided. It is a hard lesson to learn but our group learned it the hurd \\'ay. One clay, one of our flights went clown to strafe an airfield in France. 1\:0 aircraft were visible, but the attack \\'as made anvliow. Ont of the four aircraft attacking. three were lost' including the flight couunaudcr, and the foiuth \\as hacll:' shot np and c.uuc home on one engine. There were no claims; there had been no target to warrant the attack. There muvt alwuvs been a 'clown to earth' sense of value in rcg.rrd to targ~ts to be attacked and losses to be risked." ~Lrj. Kenneth \V. Gallup, member of a Th undcrho] t group, believes that in areas where there IS little flak or
DECEMBER,1944

.:: ....L_. -."""~ __

"Airfields arc the most difficult .md elaugcrOlls of groulld Lllgcts. Pick out a target as \OU go dO\\'lI-a plane. a hallgar or a gllu."

19

fast rule, ah\ays take the engine first from 90 degrees. This ground fire the pilot should look for his targets from 4,.000 gin's you a chance to look over the train and sec if it is to feet altitude. be thoroughly beat np or left alone.' "By maintaining this altitude," he explains, "I find that I have an excellent \ ie\\' of the countryside and am able to Capt. William ~laguire, another 1'-47 pilot, is of the opinion that many new pilots think that ground s"afing sec far enough in front of my flight l;ath to avoid heavily "is just a simple matter of puttiug his plane in a dive and defended areas, such as the larger towns and airdromes. sCjuee/ing the tit." This not only cn.ihlcs Inc to stuclv a particular target long "The f.rct is," ~laguire iuvixts, "there arc probably more enough to decide its worth, but also affords ample time to things to consider in ground strafing than in air-to-air plan my attack. combat. The pilot ruust take into consideration the type "A few thousand feet above the terrain gives more proof tnget he is going after, his tection for the pilot In' makangle of clive. his airspeed, ing it possible to get the hell the position of the sun and out of there in ;1 hurry if a just \\'llat evasive action he i, big coueentration of g'round going to take from ground fire is encountered. In addifire. tion, I am in a position to "If vou find an airdrome trim my plane for the highel that vou know little or nothspeed caused by the di\ing The Lord is my Pilot. I sllall not falter. ing .ibou}, feel the place out: pass and at the s.nnc time can He sustaineth me as I span the heavens; do not send more than tw make a good steep approach He leadeth me, steady, o'er the sk~ways. planes in for the first pass. wh ich gi~'es a n ex trcmclv l\e\'Cr send more than foiu hcavv concentration of bullets He refresheth my soul. planes across any drome at in one spot." For He showeth me the wonders of IIis firmament one time." The majority of mistakes For His Name's sake. Of all the pilots who have iu.rclc in grolllid strafing arc Hown with the Sth Air lorcc .luc to the pilot disregarding perhaps one of the most exYea, though I fly through treacheous storms and his training in ground gundarkness perienced in the art of 10\\' nery, according to Capt. bel attacks is Capt. B. \1. \\'anle K. Hlickcnvt.tfl. mcmI shall fear no evil, for He is with me. "~Iike" Claelyeh, a native of her 'of a 1'-47 group. His Providence and Nearness they comfort me. \\;)[5;1\\', Potlllel. Captain "Too frequently the novice Clndvch has been in action puts the pip dircctlv on the He openeth lovely vistas before me "ith' file air forces. Since target and attempts to judge J qoq he h;ls flown for Poland. his error by \yatching his In the presence of His Angels. Fiul.mcl, France, England and strikes," he says, "The result He filleth my heart with calm. the United Stites. As a memis that in th~ begiuuing of My trust in Him bringeth me peace. ber of the high scoring Thnnthe p,lSS he shoots bel 0\\' the dcrbolt grollp formerly comt.nact and his attempts at Surely, His Goodness and Merc~' m.rnclcd bv Col. II ubert correction rcsul ts in spraying Zem ke, Captaiu Cludvch has bullets above and around the Shall accompany me each moment in the air, dr.rf tcd wh.it he considers the target. This habit can be corAnd I shall dwell in II is matchless heavens forever. ten commandments of ground rected by lcavi ng the pip straflllg: 'I bO\'C the target at the be-FROM THE OFFICE OF THE AIR CHAPLAIN l--Before vou make an atginning of the pass and as tnck be sure t'hat there arc no the range decreases allO\ying cucmv aircraft ill the vicinitv. the pip to drop on to the 2~\lake an approach into ta rget. the wind because the sound "Train bmtiug is a great is killed. sport. 'I\\'(1 preea u t ion-, nrc 3-\Vateh out for the gun positions anel rem em her they worth mentioning, First of all, a train needs very little if arc diffieillt to spot bdore t licv open fire. ,I11V leading and can be considered as ;1 stationary target. 4-Relllember that the closer to the gun you fly the Sccondlv, it is well to look O\U' cvcrv train carefully and safer von arc. neutLlli;,e am' small ann defenses, if present: then the locohalf a ring 5~Piek out the turact ' b "i\e full throttle, motive is easv meat." b elevation. aim c.ircfullv and xtc.idilv and open fire from There arc' several steadfast rules pilots should observe in about 1,000 \';m]s.. . attacking airfields and trains. aecordiug to Lt. l Ioracc Q. 6-At 300 vurds cease fire, get as close to the grollild ;1, \\T;lggoncr, a Thunderbolt flight leader. you dare. Forget about the blrge! and concentrate Oil "Airfields arc the most difficult and dangerous of ground flying onlv. t:Jrgets," \Vaggoner says, "The initial pass on any field 7-\Vhen attacking a gllil remember that VOIl h;I\'C the should be made from an altitude of from 6,000 to 8,000 aeh';lllblge of fire PO\\cr. Couccntr.itc on one gun at a time, feet, Come out of the sun or through ;1 cloud if possible. Go in uud kill the crew. I lave a target picked out as you go do\\'u-a plane, a hangar Take the initiative, strike first; don't wait for them or a gun position. to open fire. "An airfield should not he attacked line abreast, nor should 9- Don't become ovcrcon fielen t because \OU arc not hit the approach be nude on the deck, lor the get;nY;l\', stay in the first attack. At first the enemy gunners usu.illv underflat on the deck until clear of the field a half to a full mile, estimate vour speed, but it doesn't t.rkc them long to spot then pull up and climb hack to 6,000 to ii,OOO feet for autheir errol. other pass, if ucccvsarv. 10- '\e\Tr expend all VOIH .uum nnit iou. -{:{ "For attacking trains, and here is a place for one stead-

J.

AIRMAN'S

PSALM

s-

20

AIR

fORCE

A lad on leyte
The cl.iv ;Ifter he landed wit h the .Vir Task I-'orce OIl Lute, our ,LilT eorrl"pondent, \hj. Herbert [oh.m-n. happen cd on a 1001ns; Filipu: for IIIIOln tl. ,\.\1-", re-turn to the Philippine' 11;1' II ITII' pcrsou.il t r iuinph. It 11';1' ,\ plu-. ) wl un \Llior [uh.mvcn .ul a ~rollp of friends Ilele \isiting a Tae]ohili [;Ilnih', the hC;ld of wh ich \I'IIS Bov Scout Cou uu iv.iouor for the .uc.r. ",\boll't the t iuu: lIT .urivrd lit t lu. hOllle."' \ lajor J oh.msru ropnrts. "another callcr appeared, ;1 lad of about 1,'-, or '0 wl ro ~reetcd II' wit h bouudlcss cuthuvi.r-u: wlun he ob-crvcd OIH air force shoulder ]latches, "!':xcitedh' hr r~';lchcd in h i-, pocket and pulled out SCleral do~ c.ucd photographs. The first he displuvcd was the familiar onc of the Randolph Vield tOI\'lT wit l: plane form.rt ious .rppc.ir im; in the ski, on either ,ide, lie then -.howcd ns a group picture of the Randolph graduating class of 11))-;" and proudlv pointed out his hrother in the photograph. It seems that his brother lIas in t lu- light wlun thc Philippines were t.il-n bv the Japs and h.rd joined the gnerrillas in the hills, "Thc lad said he cricd ;11 tir,t wlun the ;\mericm, c.nnc. t hen ~rinnl'(1. It 1111' the fir.,t time h h.rc] sm ilccl in u u irc: t h.ui two "cars, .nu] nO\I' hc 1\11' grinnin~ ;ill the t nuc. - "IIi~ I110\t l';l~~, r (11 .. <,ti!)ll \\,;1\ when \YCIT our l' )'-,S .n l

!'IRS'!'

A,\F

IICHTI,R

\..\"IlS

U"

1.1\

II

New Command

Assignments

Recent ehan~es in COlllmillHI a"iS;llnll'nls among air olTicer' inel Ilde: Lt. Cell. Joscph T. \1c'\IlrIlel, frOln Depllt\' Chid of SIIdl, U. S,\nlll. to Depnt\' Snpreme ,\llied Conl,nlmder. \ledi\enane;m Thclltcr, ;mel COlnnlallllins; (;en, eral, North ,\frican Theater. Brig, Cen, Charll's Ii Born, from Opera, tions Officer, 1 :;lh ,\ir ],'orce, to Dcpllty Comm;mcler. 1 :;th .\ir ].'orCT. \Iai, CCIL IZobert B. \\'illianls, from Comm;mdins; Cenera 1. 1st Bom bind men t Dilision, '-,th ,\ir Vorce, to COInm;IlH]ing (;eneral, 2nel ,\ir l.'orCT. \Iai. Cen, \\' 0, Bntler, from Com IlLmdins; (;eneral. FII,tertl Fh'ins; Tr;lining Comm;mcl, \0 COInm;mc]ing Ceneral, 6th ,\ir Force,

Thc t IlIlT,' l1111C 'I rc'pcct for t he .uk .uk hOI,. Bill cx.ntlv (1- dillS .rft c: (;clln,m rc-isLIIICC clldcd ;I'Wlllld tl;(' I'Lill' dc Li Courrndc, quucuu nt, ihc li"t rC~IILull ~clrlllllkd ,\TC C;lr~o Stripe Talk 1l,:';]lt flOlll tl: SLlte, to tire I-:iUOpl"11l Con. IICI\\ hangs ,\,\1.' Reglillltl(JlI ):; :;-+ OIl'l tnuu! 11'11' cO!:lpktlll 'It Orh lickl ]Ilst ,,,\;lh of t l: lrcuth capital. aiter stop' ell the hcads of (;" bllCklll~ for ,tripc" III zone of interior e,Llb]is]llnl'llh of the .\,\1.', route at '\l'll'f'lI11ldLiIll! .iud tire ,\/orc', minimum prcrcquu.itcof total scrvi:: .md Tire ,\TC hTII ill:'; Dili,ioll crew that period in gLldc hale lxcu c,tabll,hed, which ,!rnl' t lu- fll,t ll<;p .nu] ,Sillllpkd Fre-nch prohibit the rive of all enli,tcel man bv more Clllllllp'lgllC a fell' lu nu-, ,liter driukuu; .vmcr ithan one grade at ;1 l nuc. To rate three (';111milk ,h;lke:; 1111' JIl'ilcled bv Capt. D,I1Ias stnpe, and a rocker. for cx.uuplc, he mus] ']'111lor. The ot Irers IIl'lC Clpt. DcOrr E. h.ivc seen I:; mont h-, of scrvrcc. with at Holmes. copilot: l vt U .. vllcu L. Schaeffer, least six in grade I" ,ergeant. Thirll'"i, 111I1igator; I'fc. D:llid I'ol]ack, cllgillcer, .md months, 12 of t lu-m a, tel'1nlical ,ergeant, Pit. Jmcph ].'rimall, Ili~lrt traflic clcr k. The arc required before II man 111111 .tdvauccd be Paris bound pioncer had \ l.i]. 1,11111 C. \0 m.tst cr ,ergeant. The reglllation abo spe1\ l.rh.m. puhlir rcl.rt iOlls officer of th~' .vtC's cific, mux innuu enlisted ~racks according to North Atl.mt ic Divi-iou , two ()\\'I rcpreiu ilit.irv oeellpatiolla],!x'cia]h'. Sl'lltatil'l'S and a dc.! hcad crc.v a, PI",CllglTS, .md xomc :;,()(I() ]lOIII"], of m.ul .md From Prison to Home Pronto e,tell,iIT map makillS; e<jllipmc\\t Imel nndiFreed .vmcr ic.m prisoucr, of I\'In arc being (';d '1lpplics as cugo, gilTn pr ior itv on trausport.rtion home over 'lhcv all were s;rcetcd .it Orlv hcld hv all other COllibat retllrtlee, c'\cept the ,iek or cis;ht h,,,e officers, IIIrO ,hook hili,,], .md wounded. Under a nCII \\'111' Dcpurtrncut t lu-n went b.uk to work. \\itl,ill l\I'O hours, pnl itv, all IXT,onllel 11110 h.iv bee II pn'oncrs the pl.mc took otT Ilith .urot lur l'lCII for the for hiJ dill" or more, or whos phvsical conI'd mil trip to tl S(;ltl'S, dition rcquircx it. Ilill bc nt uruc] to the ,\ fell' dill'S lat cr. Oil Oct olx-r (I, (;cllnlll States as soon as pos'ibk Illlk" thcI prefer ;\ Lu,hall. \\',n \ lobiliz.ition Dircct or Bllllcl to rcui.uu <J\Tf\C;l\. and Illl'mhers of (;ellcLI1 \ l.uvh.ill. st.rff Prime cx.uuplc of the 'pcnh' work bcin~ complctcd the tir,t 11011stop w.rrt in: pll'done III" the nt nrn of l,iJl:; .\mericln .ur sCllger fli~ht fro 11 t lu SLltl" to I'll ri-, Tire I men who h.l beell pri'Olln, of II'Ilr 111 I T. S, .\ 11nv Chief of Stuff had ,CIHl'1V Roiu.uu (,\II( louc.r., '\OIl'Inber. 1()-+-+I. ! tepped from thc pl.mc heforc hc 1111' in \ l.niv of t luiu IITIC III '\CII York rCllcll for eoufercllcc xvi lh (:CII('LI1 1-:i'ellll< III IT, t\lllo'Il~Ir, Iii Ilc u rurc: t h.m 'I IlI<JI!th 'aftLT "SL'Cill~ the ~l'lIl'lal, tlrl'lC tOl:cthcr. less Rom.mi.: <urrcudcrcd. SillilLu rr.msportut ron tlr.m 20 hnurx ,iftl'l the pl.mc hail t.rkcn off ;lrLIIIs;clllellt, IITrc Illadc for t ho:: held ill fllf its ),()()() milr- r1II1, IIlade thc \ir TramHIlIs;ariall pmoll ealllp' at t hc t nnc of t h.it port Corum.md look nui.rrk.iblv uscf ul 1Il count rv", ClljJlIIII,1t1011. e'\]ll'ditill~ the 11'01 l'lIll'llt of IIll';1 'I' IITIl liS supplies," Sill" \ l.ijor \ l.rh.m. New York to Paris Tire Par i- xcrvic: h.i-, pro~re"l'll jmt like '\ot too I')jl~ .rltcr t h Star, .md Stripes .mv other w.ut in: '1lpph SI,telll, II little ;It Il'p1:lccs t l. SII'I\strb Oil l lutcr dCIl Linde-n. lirst 1111(] hcII, ;1' Ilrc killk, w.r ,tlaif'hklllll I II e expcct to report t h.rt II C-;-+ h.i-, 'el t lcd out. II lot. ,\ fl'll' trips ;1 d.iv 11'11'tl~e c.ulv <101111Oil 1111.mdromc of Ccnu.mv; Clpll:I1 e,tilllilte, hilt till' \TC i, ni,t rc.rclv to tell cill to cOlllpll'tc t]IC vir Tr.ur-.port COlli the CllClll~. jll\1" IH1\\" lll;l-il~ ;11T bl'ill~ flown Illilll<l\ inllll!.;lllill '\CII' York Berlin 1'1111, tOc!'II'. ,\11 t hc elll'lIll' kno s i, tlt'lt tlte Thc bet thllt ,\TC is thill~ '\l'll' York to;\Te: C1I1 Ill' fo l',;ri~ i\l't 'I' oftl'n ;1' it j'I'I'i, Oil a rCS;IlLrr ,chei]1l1e ,CCIIlS to he 11:111/\ to, i1l1d th'lt if (;ellcr,r! j,:i,eIlItOlILT jll't allother dI.lII<JI!,IIiIIIOII Ilrat \TC ('<I TilClios tod"I' tlJ:rt I'L' \I:\"!S 111l' to\lS of :';0 :!Jl\WIrCll' ill t]IC Ilorid II 1r"IL' 'I friClldl1 hie,kls(T"I',' for It i, IkoIlO]JL'c!(,', or 2) kelt. LII!(]ill'~ ,llip call hc found. Bcrlill ,1101Ild niciil\ls, fifth gLI(k, for II IIl'll Jlroll'ct, Ite ('()111C ~Jl \trrdc. call 1t~I\"L' thCJll ill I>'lri ... f()1110!TO\\-. \Ollll'(bv ill Ikrlil1. . TILlt tir,t 11111to Pari, 11"1' II top ,cud 1I1i'sion, 'lIId thc Llkc otT Oil (ktollt'r I f'OIlI Winged Victory I,II(;mrdia hcld II:IS liltll'llhIllllloticClI IJI Ili00T tlrlill :;,()()(} '])L'l'talt;r, IIIrO had The \,\1<' 'LI~l' plOdllltioll. "\\-ill~ecl Yicton'," (\ll( hlJ(C1, JillllliI!I', 1 (J-+-+) is glltllered to "lltIlC" ,lcdll',1t lOll Cl'ITIIlOllic, of a IlCII' eOIlI:llerci,I1 IiiI' ]illk to \\II'lrill:.;toll, \lOll' Oil the ro,',1. Ildc!ill~ to thc 'hll~e ,11111it Ouh tilc pelsom 011 thc grmmd kllCII' the rlli,cd for \1lJ1I' ('hlnities dnrill~ ih 'l'ITIl,corc Ilhollt thc I'Ilr;, lliS;lrt. llIonth se!lollt nrll ill '\UI' York, \ 2(IIIl'ek Thc prclllil'lc hop Il'a'Il't Ilillch of a trick tom of I) prilleip;r! ('it ic' II ;1' heS;l1l1 '1lISpi. for .\TC. I klll'SlIT;lting III ,eleral hlllleiollSh' ill !.os .\II!.;ck' Octobcr t) Il'ith an at!l:1II('(' ,ale of S-(l,(I(J(I for tlle three-I\'eek clrCll ,\,\].' l'llgillclT' alld Cilililill Ilorkcrs ;1:111d therc, jong sill(,(, had mack II mcahle strip fWIIl .\fter three IITeks il1 Sail ].'rilllli,('o, four II h'lt II'a, lett aftn ;lirIllCn '111<]ill:mtl'\lllcn had drilTl1 thc (:cnll;IlI' fr01l1 t hc ;Iirport. dill'S ill DCII\'lT 111ld II IITek (,i1eh ill K;l1ISiIS ()f com"', pklll\ of dilKLTill~ Iwl to he Cih' ;1I1d St. LOl1i" tlte phI' i, ,hkcl to open dOllc Ilitlr \Ilicd S;rolllld defeme hatterics a tilT-IITek rlllI ill CltiC:l!.;o elll1l' ill Deee1llheforc a 10IIIe 0','1 l':mopc \III' :1~rcl'(1 IIPOIl her. The relllilillckr of the itiller'i1n': Detroit, Brig, Ccn. Dou.ild \\il'on. froln Dcput , Chief of .\ir St.ifl. to '\",'Lnil C1I1L'f of ,\11 Staff, Opcr.rt iou, Conunil mcnt , IIIIl] Rc
runxport lualt h ,

22

AIR

FORCE

two weeks: Cincinnati. one week: Pit tsburgh. 11m weeks: Cleveland, one week: Philadolph ia, fom IHTks; \\'ashington. two weeks, .mrl Ibltinlore. one week. Set for c.ulv release is the moyie version of the pLII' ;Ih ieh the cast completed .rt ~I)th CtuturvFo-c stndios in Bcvcrlv I1ills. Calif ., shortl;' hefore heginning the 'cnrrent rn.tc] tour. l'roceeds frOll1 the 111m also wil] go to .vnuv ch.nit ic-. The world premiere of the picture at the 1\0,1 Thc.rtcr. ','ell' York, ])ecemher 211. wil] he .rttcndccl bv high r.mkins; .\,\1' ol1icers. :mel there also will he IJfTieial p.utuip.rtiou in thc InOl'ic's opening' in other priurip.r] cit ic-, e1uring thc follOll'ing two \I'ccks,

On Questions
Q.

o I "dJ

~,

WI

Of~OliCyl
Q.

In computing flling t uuc, whcu docs the Illght ofTici;r1i1 hegm .md em]? A. :\n aerial night cmnn)ellCeS \1hen the :,ircraft IlegillS to move fOI\Lnd on the takeoff JIlII :\\lel enels wircn snfficient !!lOnlentll!!l is lost on the landing run so that the air. e;aft either eO!!les to a stop or ]J0\1'er 1I1llst he applieel to continlle motion. It docs not inellJ(/e Lniing. 1,\.\1-' Reg, 15-513) Q. Is it permissible to rec1nce the grade of .m cnli,ted IIOIll:III for the purpose of filling an OITrse:IS requisition? A. ,\'0, \ 'o!IIIlt:nih m othcl\\,ise, no en!l,ted \I'()JJI;lIl \lill ile reelllced in grade for this JlIllJlmc, ISee. XI, Cir. :;5(J, \\1]) 19-H) Is an officer responsible for seeing that all .illotmcnt', arc propcrlv entered on his pal' voucher? A. Yes, This respoJ]Sibilill' eamJCJt he shifted to the Jlersollnel officer or to thc disl)JJrsiIlg officer hecame of the aSsistalIce rendered ill the preparatioll :llld processiIlg of P:II' .rcCOllllts, Before sigllillg his voucircr. each officer ShOlIld check it to xcc tIl:lt :dl data tlicrcciu is correct. (Cir. 315, \,']) I9-f))
Q.

Arc chevrons with the propeller iusignia of the .\:\1,' .ruthor izcd for uoncommissionl,d officers' A. N. IllSiguia of grade fm enli,ted per ,\()Jnlel .irc as prescrihed iu Par. 2-:- d .. \1\

GIJIJ-35.
Q. \\ 'hat address should he designateel ill plllCIt'ISillg war boncls? A. l'urellasers shoulel desigllate 'I perm:mellt address \I,hiell \I'ill llot be ch:lllged UpOll ti.msic. (I';n, 11. Cir. 20IJ, \,'J) 19ii)
Q.

Bug Patrol
Conlmaneling o 11icels h'IH' hecn e1irectcel to COOj)L'L1te wit h hcult l: .md qu.ua nt iuc ot1iei:r1s in the States and overseas Ill' provid ing for adequate invpccr iou am! disillSecti/:1 lion of ,\,\1' pl.mcs operating in or return ing from areas infested III dise:l.se.hearing imeets. DisillSecti/.ation n'lethods arc pre. serihed in ,\,\1' Regnlation 61-3.

\I'II' enlisted persons he paid three cents per mile for uuuvcc] portions of tickets furnishcd 011 Tr.mvport.rt iou Reqncsh: A. Yes. \,'heIleITr the orders indicate th:lt the tr:H'el is ell;lrgeable to the COITTlnllellt. ::llel tLlnsportation h:1S llOt heell flImi.\hed. legardless of the !!lodc of tr:II'c1 :llltllOri/ed. rcilId)JJrse!!leut fm the differellee bet\l'Ccll the official distance 'llld th,Jt :letua/h, tLII" c1ed Oll the ticket \I ill be m:lcle at the 'rate of threc cents per mile, (Cll. :;, :\R :;5-i5iIJ)
Q.

Just Testing
Capt, \ \. ill.ud Zens puts in a lot of pilot time in lighters ncar the front lines in lr.rucc, .ul each t iuu- [crrv h.rppcu along. he stre:lks hell hcnt.for-lc:lther in the op. posite direction, Thc capt.un is 'I test pilot for the 'Jth .Vir Vorce, The pLlnes he flies arc uu.irmcd fighters t h.rt h:I\T been repaired and oyerh.mlcd .if tcr cucking np. Uulikr m ovt piloh wh flv one tvpc of pl.mc d.rv .iftcr d:II' and get used to its quirk. Cupt.uu Ze;ls h:IS h:ld to hundlc do/ellS of ditfercnt br.mds, and he lus heen introdllln] to m:IIlI' of them jllSt 'Ifter t luvv left the repair line, Bllt he S:IIS he II:IS plentl' of confidence in the .\,\1' nrc rh.uucv. \n'I:lgillg tin) ruu-, a d:II'. the capt:Iin has tested tuorc t h.m (,1111 pl.mc. ,\11 hilt OIlC trillctioned \lithollt :1 hiteh :mel Il'eIT IT cLr"itied 1,\ .md rct urucd to com hat clutv. The sillgle nception h;Id its .rilcrou-, hookc:d on in reverse and. .if tcr a short. erratic flight. clur ius; \lhicii it tmneel left \I,hell steered right. it erashed and II':IS rl'!eg:lted to t he sa1l':lge heap, \ thorongh test flight lasts .ibout .m huur .mcl Llkcs the captain .ilmost np to the front lines .uic] b.uk. From the grolmd. he ;IP pe;lrs to he staging a mock dog light. "Yon Inight cal! it highaltitnde shad 011' hoxing." he suvs.

~ l

r'w? 0,

L~';\ (~,;;) , ..; ''!~

-A?-' !~\q 7"~:"""'

,--\':.

('r~~=~ ", .... ~..

,j

'-~<:y:""

\Iay an .\.\F officer oyer 38 years of age request rcl icf from .ut iv dutv? A. No, illClil'idlI,d reclllests of this nature arc not :llltllOrized. All officer desirillg mch actioll \I,ill illfm!!l his c()Jll!!lalldillg officer who, if he determilles that no slIitable as.\igllmellt exists. \I'ill illiti:lte ree()JlllllellChtiolls to higher heac1cj!l:nters. As all altem:Jti,'e. aJl officer desiring to return to ci,'il life fm reaSOilS of personal lJ'lldship or to accept ernJllol'lnent ill essenti,d illdmtn' lllal' SldJlllit resigll;Jtioll 1IIlder tIle prOl'isi'll!s of AR (iIJ5-

\[;11' wive. of .\,\J! personnel OI'Crsc:IS m.ikc p;lrc!I:lsn at a base Ullllllli,,:nl' ill t hc t In itcc] States' A. Yev. It is the dcsire of tllC COlllllI;lIlelilIg Cener:d .. \' \F. that depelIdeIlts of OITr.seas .\ . \F persollIlel he authorized to hm' at , \. \F C()JlIlllissaries iJ]Sofar as the eapacitl' of the stores I,j]] permit. (f\:\1-' Ltr. 35.135)
Q.

275.

(AAI-' LIT.

:;)i')1

\\'hen is the designation "Air Corps" proper" ",\nlll'\ir Vorces (\\1'1 o' A. ",\11111 .\ir Fmces (A ..\J! I" is Irsed except \r71Cl1 rclcrrins; to COIll111i\sioJJiIJg or CIJli\tillg iIldi,'idlI:lls ill the .\ir Cmps (Sec. II. Cir. :;-2. \\']) ICJ.f-fI, .\,\1,' .\Ielllo, ,\IJS pro,'ieles th:lt tile :lhlJrel'iati()Jl ",\.\/'" \lill he lIscd in all cases ill phee of "Arrnv .:\ir Fmcn," lInless prohihited h,' Armv Reguh. t;()J1S, ",\C" is mecl ill connccno \I,ith ,sigIlatures.
Q. Q. \ lav the field jacket be worn while on fllllollgll? A.\'o, 1':lf, :;-, . \R (j(JIJ-i(J. prm'ieles that .the fielel i:lcket llla\' be \lorll \I,;tllin the limits of pmts. C!!lIPS m st;Jtiolls, :!!ld thell ollk ,dJCll prcscribed Ill' the eommaJlClillg officer of the lInit iIl\'oked, It \I,ill lIOt be \I'orIl outsiele thc limits of the pmt. camp or ,st:Jtion e,\eept ,dJcn appropriate to the discharge of all assiglled mission, :md thell olliv \I hell prescribed Ill' tllC eO!!lIIl,mding officer thereof." PIU-:I',\lU-:1l BY TIll':

Evacuation School Evacuated

The School of .Vir j':ucnation. located for tin) ITars at Bowm.u: Field, KI',. has been t r.mvfcrn] to Randolph Field to become a p:lrt of the \, \1,' School of .\ I'iation \ Icel i. cine, The LIst eLI" :It BOInnan \\"as gradn, :lted on Oetoher ::. :mel the transfer hecame cffL-ctil'e Octoher 1:;, Under jmiseliction of I Troop C'nrier Comnunel Ilhile at BOIl" man. the school on;ani/ed ;mel trained air cI'aCtLltion sqnadrons Il,hieh no\\" arc operat, ing in com hat theaters thronghont tlIe

\ [;II' pTlsoucrs of 11':Ir m.ikc radio bro.rdClstS: A. All lllilit:m' pcrsollllel \I,hell prisoller., of ''''lr arc prohibited i tcnu !!lakillg :lIllJCJlIlJCe. llIClltS. tLlIlsnlittillg lilessages OJ making usc of cucrnv \I'irc1es.s broaclclstillg sl'stems for .mv purpn.se whatever, SllelJ Inoac!casts arc med Ill' the cucrnv a, propagaJJda. Thcv are oircn inaccurate :mel cannot be relieel llPOll h,' llext of kin. (Sec. II, Cir. 345, \\'D Q.

I9ii)
Q. Arc milit:m' personnel who do not hal'c I:ltio!l hooks all(lIIcd ratiO!l cnTle!le\, for limited periods? ' A. Yes, The OrA has reeeJJth- c1llthorizecl locli 1)():JrCI, to issue such cUTlcJJe\, to persouuel of this C:ltego!l' ,dlO !!l;l\' he abseJJt from their home statiollS fm a limiteel period OJJh-. (Sec, II. Cir. :;(,1, \\D /'Jiil 01" Till,: .\IR I:-JSI'LCTOR

DECEMBER,1944

OI,TILI':

23

world. number ated.

Nearly l.()l)() fli;ht nurvcs .uid a like of ,urgleal tcchu iciaus were gradu.

guiccr

Cadet

Recruitirrg Suspended

After five months ill wh iclr the hooks were opened agaill for I~vcnrolds to sign tip for future traininf; as uu-mbcr of thc Air Corps Enlisted Reserve, the procurcmcut ob[cct ivc has been met and rcuniting suspcndcd, cficct ivc October 31. Since the month follO\\inf; Pearl Harbor when the enlisted rese-rve program \\'as begun. more than 1.2 SO.l)Ol) have volunteered for air combat erew training, \\'ith m.mv thousands still in am training centers ami others on the "waiting list" or vet to come of age, nearly half a million of this total have won \\'ings.

;lml1('r. st oppcd the broken hnes bv pmchmg the tube shut with pliers. Thel{, fearing that not enongh fluid remained in the hvdruulic svstcm to operate the brakes and flaps for a safe landing. he added the f ruit jniee .ul water from the uew's flight rations. \\-hcn the bomber hit the home strip, the flaps came dO\\'II. aided In' the force of the landing. and the brakes had just enough pres>me to keep the plane from rolling off the end of the flIn\Yay.

and

top

turret

flo: of the

tluir! to the

T\D officer h:ls cxpl.uncd it LIther as Follow: "If. :1.1 in the case of J comflat obst:lcle cour-,c, divcomfort aids the pmpose of the instruc-tion, usc it; if discomfort impairs the in-t ruct iou. prevent it. :\ little fresh air and :1 comfortahle chair will not dcstrov the moral fiber of a soldier \dlOse dllt\' of 'the 1ll0inelit is to look, listen and learn."

One

ior mnllv

Easy Does It
:\laj, Cell, Uzal C. Fnt. then (om general of the 2d Air Force (Sec "New Command ASSIgnments," Page 22) was injured crit icallv in a take-off crash at Fort vvorth. Texas. carlv in October, and his life depended upon h;s beillg transported gently but quicklv to Brooke Ccncrnl l lospital. San .\ntonio. the ,\ir Tr.invport Com. m.uid rcallv c.nnc through, The vcrcr.m ainn.m \\'as in bad shape. The accidcnt ]1:)(1 ocrurr.d when the copilot, misl1nderstandinr; :1 signal from the piloting general. rctrnctorl the landing gear before their Iourcnniuc Iiomlx-r was airborne. The p1:111esct tlcd back to earth, the propellers dug into the concrete ruuw.iv and one blade snapped. p.nt of it penetrating the fuse1:1r;e and striking Ccucr.rl j':nt a glancing hlow in the h:lek. :\ lcdical officers diseO\'Cred the hurt lius; metal had cut throllgh the (;enn:ll\ back muscles, had torn his rihs from his 'pille and dislocated his lower vertebrae. There was severe pressllfe on the spinal cord and no muxcl to support it. The Ccucrals life hllng lircrnllv bv :1 thread, The ,shghte,st jar might kill him. :\fter a decision \\'as made to rush the 111jured officer to S:ln Antonio, Lt. Col. Albert E. Higgins. eomm:ln(Jillg the ATC's 5th Ferrying Croup, hased at LO\'C Field, Dallas, was :Isked to arrange the flil;ht. For the delicate task. he chose his dcputv com mauclcr. :\ la]. Clarencc S. Chiles. as pilot, and :\laj. l l.irold 1" Carter as copilot. Told to pick their own plane. the majors deri(led upon a C4~, Arriving at Fort \\'orth with in a few minutes, tlrcv fouur] all W:Is in rc.idinc- for them to fl\.' out the (;enLT:J1. who meanwhile hacl been ctreflllhr('mO\Td from the crashee! plane .mrl Iash~d to a stretcher designed for spin.il cases. \\-hile the medics were informing them t hat am' hump or sudden movement in takinr; off. fl\inl; or landillg might mean instunt clc.it h for the p.rt icnr, the ,\'I'C men c]l('cked t hc wc.rt lin .md dderm inccl the air wax rollgh .it lowrr :J1titudcs hilt eomparat ivclv smoot h .rt S,()()() feet, :\fter survcvuu; the t:Ixi strips to liud t hc most suitable aile, they completed their pl.m-, for the "life or death" flight .mcl wcr rc.rdv to start. :\lthough the LUllP "POIl \\hieh the C-47 stood was hut :1 sllmt dist:lllee from the takeoff area. :\ l.ijor Cit ilr-, taxied so carcfullv that it \\':1, 1 S minute. before he reaehe;] the head of the ruuwuv. Tlu-n, he sl 0\\'1 v applied P(J\\l'f .mcl. when t he transport Idt the groulld .rt redllced throttle, there was scarcely auy vibratiun,
\\'hen

manding

The Numbers Game

We often have been asked wI1\' a serial nurn bcr is what it is and a lot' of other mysterious questions about AS.Ns. Here arc a few answers: Serial numlx-r s of five clir;its or less indio cate officers in the Regubr Annv. :-\ational Cuard. Rc-crvc and :\US officers commissioned dllflllg this w.rr h.nc serial number of six digits, Reguhr Armv enlistee! personnel who en. tercel the .\nm on or after J ulv 1. I 'HO, ILl\'C serial iuuulx-r-, from io.noo.ouu to 19.99C).999, :'sJ:ltion:ll Cu.u d numbcr he;in with 20.000,OO() and Selective Service nurnbcrs will: ')O.Ollll,I)()(J. The second chgit in the serial number of :I Rcaular Annv enlisted man or a selectee indicate, the xcrvicc couun.uid area of en. livt mcut. For inst.mre. a selectee with :I rinl uumlx-r of H.200.111 was inducted in t he 4th Scrvir: Counu.md area. fonucrlv the 4th Corps Area. The third digit in the ~erial nunrbcr of :Ill elllisled m:lIl ill a :'\atiollal Cuard unit inducted into federal service in. dicatcs the service couunand area of induebon. Serial numbers were first gi\'l'n to enlisted men in 1915 and to officctsin 1921. Yes. somcbodv has :\S:\' 1. Ccucral John J, Pershing. .

Wanted:

Suggestions

Officers .md 111('11 who arc "sitting" on ideas for new :Ii(b to training sholdd acccpt this as a gentle prod from the Training Aids Division. T:\D is OIl tlie hunt for ,sngf;estions which might lead to the development of new de. vices, films. posters. mauuals and the like. or to the moditication or elimination of train. ing aid,s alrc.idv in me. \\'hether vour idea ,.I "in the fonn:'lti\c sl:lge. in blucpriut form or ulrcadv reali/l'd in a workable: product, send it in for cOIlllx'tent cvn luat inu. YO\1 may be ho.trcluu; for personal uve an improvcmcnt wh ich could be effected thronghont the :\:\F, Ideas should be sulunittcd t hrouah chan. nels to the .\,\1' Trainim; ,\ich Division, One Park Avenue. New York 16, N. Y.

Brake Cocktail
Three cam of fruit [uirc. a jng of drink. ing water and the ingenuih' of T ISgt. Philip A, Brodziak. Rocknwav. N, J., are credited by the 7th :\ir lort with sa\'ing its B.24, "Pi-t ol 1':lekin' \lama." from a possible CLlSh, On a mission over 1\\0 [im.r. hullct s from an cnemv fighter severed the hvdr.mlic tubes in the Liberator" left \\'ing. Brodziak, en.

Removing an Obstacle
If vou h:I\'C squirme-d
hour

"DO!\'T

through a torturous or two in a hot. stnff\' chss!Oolll while delivered a lectnre or supervixcd the uuwinclins; of a tr:lining film. yon 1lI;1\' like thi, one. 'i'he 'I'Llinillg .\ids Divixion is c:nnpai;n' ing to in.ik chss. room inst ruction and a tour O\'Cr au o] st.rclc cour sc :IS dissimilar :IS possihle, Reports of poorlv ventilated classrooms jammed with uncoiufort.iblc scats h.ivc been received frOI11 vnrious seetio11S of the count rv. Such conditions 'in\:tri:lbh' :HC accouip.micd h;' dllll trainee a u d ic n c c s ~ whose single thollght is to get the hell out Tc\LK TO ~IE ABOUT FL.-\K!" in the open. and fast,

AIR

fORCE

At 5.000 fed. the pilot opened the throttles .md the C-t -;- II:IS ea,sed forw.nd l;radu:dh' to full cruisill~ spln!. Durnu; the l lcIiour t1i2ht. \l:ljor Clllics no! (mil, \\':IS trnlll; to .mtirip.rt hump-, but to ,is'u:di/c the lalldinl;. rc:di/inl; th:lt the cut ire effort would he ill v.un if I he pl.mc bounced as it hit the gnJlllld, j,'illdinl; the S:lll .Vnt nu io Ilcld clc.trcd to receive the Ihilll; .n nhul.u nr-, t hc pilot de. eided UpOll :1 lOIll; .rppro.uh .uid :1 pO\\eT' on-wl nrl Lllldillg-OllC III wh ich SOllIe PO\\lT is kept OIl nnt il cout.nt is Ill:lde wit h the grolllld. The towe-r h.ul l;iITII pcnuiv.ion to m.rk :1 right h.uu] p.rl tcrn but \ l.ijor Chiles decided :Igaimt t h.it .md 1l1:lde ldt h.nul turns so he could sec the fle]d lllore clc.ulv from his side of the pl.mc. OIl the clownwii! leg. the pilot told Major Carte-r to ]tllln the !:Illdillg gear :Is c.isilv as possible .m.l. :I1lOUt l,llI)1J I:mls Ir om the bouud.irv of the fleld, to "Ill ilk down " the flIps, . Thcu t hcv t1attelled out alld went ill for the crucial test. It \\:IS a tellse mnmcnt :IS the grolllld CUlle nc.m-r .n] nearer. \l:ljOl Chiles sd her d(lIIll so gelltll his copilot dicln't even know wlu-n the \\'hcels hit the runw.iv. Les~ than .m hom l.rtcr. (;encral I':nt \\as restillg in the hospit:d with :1 good ch.mrc to pull through,

PLANE
Analyzed

BONERS
by Veteran
Pilots

BUI,T\1.0. :,\, ) ,-\ttelllptilig to take ofl , the pilot of a I' -tll:'\ noticrr] a terrifiC pull to t hc left. lie rcl urncd tlIe pl.nu to tlIe !light lin to dderlllille if 1J:Iggage I\':I.S fOll]ill~ the m.klcr cont rols. \Iceh. .mic-. found t he ha~S;;Is.;c \\'a" ill order :ll!d :Ilhi'ed t h;: pilot to tIT mor right rucklcr t riin. On the secolld .rt ttm pt at t:Ike off, the pl.mc grolilld looped to the left. ]):lI11:Igl' rnl':,rl'l] rc'pLIlc'lllc'llt of the ris.;lIt \\"ill[~ ;lll~: the ri~ltt Lilldillg s.;e:lr. CO\l.\lE\T' IlJIe,lig:ltioll rl'I(':lled tll:tt Ille I'i]ot IJ:lcl gin'JI tlu: left mddcr lllOre triIJI, :ICCl'I1IJl:llmg tile t()f'J!le, SllelI C:Ire. less eoekpit 1'f()cedllTe eOJlld \lTIl IJ:l\'e re\tI]ted iJl th: pilot's cle:JllI :ll1d IlIe 1'1:IJle's COIJlI,1ele deslrtldioll. ])\SO. 'I'n:ls,-\fter mT!Sllootillg the ruuw.rv ill .in :1t!eIllpt to l.uul. :1 I' pilot circlcd :I III I thell lllade :I secolld trv. ,\g:lill eOIJlillg ill too f:I,t, lIe bllded so f.rr clown the' xtr ip t h.it he cr:tshed tlJrough :1 felIce .u] boun.t] ovrr n in: s.u] cluucv. .\ flap. :1 \lillg p.uul. .m .iilcron .mrl the le:ldillg edgl's of both \\illgs \\'LTe b.ullv d:uIJ:Iged, CO.\1.\ IJ-:'."]': TIle pilOI II:IS eitJler too laiJl or ill too 11111clJ of :I Ill/rn' to ~r) :1I'(J1I1/(1 :lg:liJl after ,sl'eiJlg ]le ]ud lJlisCllclll:ited :1 seeoJld tilJll', It's hetter 10 circle :1 do/ell tiJlK'S t h.u, to rIlll t i: rilk of Slll:l,],illg I o lIT :lirl":llle Of iJljllTillg IOllr'clf, VI.

10\'1:

FI1-:I.D. 'I'cxas,-\\'hilc :111 "\.2f lias heillg puvlu] from OliC m.rintcu.u:c It:ltion to t lu- next. its 1:Illdill:; ge:n folded. \\'illg .md prop d.uu.u; resllltec!. CO\1\lT:'.'T: l'o,t':lccidelll i1lSpeclioll rcIcaIcel t l:: 1:lllelillg gear sllitcii II:IS ill "III''' p",ititill. EllOll:;11 :lirl'l:Jltes :lIe el:llllaged ill f1I'illg :Iceielellls lIitlwllt IJre:lkillg thCIll "l' ill tlIe Il:lll~:lfs. Curci n! eheckillg I", i1lSl'eclms 11'1']]prcITlit ,IIIeII llli,lI:II", 'sT\\'\RK, :\" J,-'I'a~iillg for take off: the pilot of all ,\'1'(, Lilt iut o a p.ukcd L,-t. TlIe I. -t', \\illg .md tltc\T (,'s propeller were lLllllagnl scriou-lv. .\fter the aeci. dcut , a t1il;ht Slllgcoll di,ellle'Inl the pilot h.rd a high fever. The flvcr \\as groulldcd .iud ordered to ntur u to hivxt.rt ion b\ tr.uu. CO,\1.\lI-:'.'T: ,\'0 pillit IS rCOlllreel HI' if lIe iSll'! tit, ;\ IILlll Idw feels i]] ,I110 IIlcl :IItl:IIS rl'l'mt to :I f1iglIt slllgetill.

,'I

t;,

Equipment Catalog
The .vir 'I'eehllicd Sef\'ice Cnnuu.uid be. 1il\'es th.it too iu.mv org:llli/,:ltions :ne \!Sing oh-olc-ccut equipment bec:luse their pro. curcn nnt rucu do not k no: about improved itc m. The couuu.rud ITCOIlllllCIHls th.it per, sonncl COllClTllCd f:ullili:lri/e themsehTs wit h the coutcut-, of the recelllh' distriblltcd .muu.il rel'isioll of "lIIustr:lt~'d Stock I,istClass 1 ~," .\dditIOll:d copics of the llel\' c:tta]og in.tv be obLliIll'd Ill' rcqui-itiou froll! the COlUlll:llldillg CCllCr:I1,\'I'SC. \\right licld. Dnvt ou. Ohio. .rt t . Chid. Publica. t iou-, Di,tiibutioll BLlllch,

RO\llTl.lTS. \Iich,-,\fter LImlillg. :I P-tO pilo] 1I:ls Lmillg t<",:ml the LilliI' bcluncl a "Iollnvv me" truck wl un t lu- l;llide \Thicle \\"IS fmcl'd 1", tLtfTiC to stop sud dculv. Tl, pilot h.id to :Ipph his brakes ", .ibrupt lv th.it t hc pl.m lloscd up, CO.\ 1\ n: Y1': I I '.s :I1I1:l\' gootl I'r:lcliee to IClIc Ill/71cil'llt eli,t:lllCl' hclllCl'lI IOllf I'I:llll' alIt! tlu: trmk m I":lllc Ilill .rrc fol IOll'illg 10 :lllml' fOf :1 <iic. ,SllllllltlI,lol'. :\ II-:\ IPI I IS. TCIllL-C:ol1lillg ill 10l\'. .iu .\ =1) pilot 1:IIllkd befml' rl'aclltllg t l. :11' p"':lcll l'lld of :1 rllllll':tl. stmek a dirt mound ;llld (L:JlJ:l~l'd (HIl' blldill!; ~c:lr :llid tlIe l'nglllC n.u tllc. TIll' ruuwav w.r-. '.111111 ftc! I,"::; :111t! IlIc' uiounrl \\':1' Ck:ll]" in.ul.c.] III l,l:lrllillg tl:t~" T!n. pilo! f:likd to r'p',rt tltc Illi']I:IP, llll'rch l"tl'd ":1 l!lrd l!lldill~" 011 I mlll 1 \, . CO\f\.IL\T: 'JIll' I"lot lll>l IIlth elisl,l:Ileel !>()()[' l;lJJ(il1J~ tccll1J1t)lIc hut. ill tn"j1J!.,; to ('()\'cr IJi\ (1""11 .',]/()rtuJllli1!~" h,. not TC I"Jlt illg till' :lU"!cl!l, Ill' ri,kcel I],e hfe of II,e IIl',1 pilll! til tit till' dJlILI:;ed 1":llIl',

Engineering School
,LIfT of respollsible the "t1pCri()T '111alitl' of fufme llLI~lTic] fllr tllC \rIll\ \iI I'orces, thc' \\1' J-:lI::iIll'l'llllg Schllill. ]11 c:lkd :It \\ri21It Iich!. 1):11 tllll, Ohio, offer, a thrcc IllOIIllt l(llllSe ill h:l;tl :tlld,])('u:di/ed
~.()tlIl~ otTiC<"T\ ill 1l1;IiJlLlilll'1~ ;}l'1"()I1:111t"ic;Il l'lI~i]ll'L'rill~ \llhjl'l'h

To

iuvnn: :111:It!c-'1u:l!e

hl;1

lill1d-cc]

llUlllbu of ]'Io]wrh' '1lLdIilc'd otTill'lS, The ellrri,llhllll CII\('rS llLillll'llUtics (ill cludill~ ::dculll' :Illd ddTlTCIIILd eqlutlolls I, fl'dlltic:Ji IltlllLtllic', s!rl',,~th of llLI!l'rLtk
tl1lTll\(Hln\:11l11l\. d\"ll:llllic~.

TI'I,S\, OkLI,-,\ nucli.mir \\:" lllIlllUlg III' ti,e ellgiIll' of :1 I' 'l for :1 gelleLltor ']Il'll \\hell flIe pl.n. jlllllped the clro.k-, tLII elc-d ] ()II fed :tlTO'S I Ill' f:1~i\\:ll .u] eI:!,hn] illto :1 "i,i]I:111 h:tII:;:lr T]ll' IUlle;:lr :llld tl", \Ill'f:tl::;" Idt \\ ill:; .m.l pro. pellu I\'('!e d,:lll:lged hldh, CO\I\f1:,\'T: 'I Ill' :.;Wtlllrl Cfe\l'llUll \I':IS lleitller C!Il:llliied llllT :llltllllTi/erl to 1lI1i IIp t l,e l'II!~illl' !Ji\('i!Jlil1:lr, :1(")( )11 III;)' "If i )1) 1Jirll fr(JlIJ \'/fll'itil1!!, ()rclC,n; :1~;!i1J hllt it \loll'l 1':11 fm till' ,1:llll:lge to gOl'elllllll'llt :JIJd IH i\ :Jtc prr J{Jcrf\'. :\'c\,-Sf:trtillg tlll' CII~llll" of :I C ~(, III :t C!tI\ldld 1':11 klll~ :lllt. III" pi]ot rCII,d tllllil ", l:t,t :" III f"rlild t"'lll flll' Llltlp I]Llf t]IC prop iJl:I,t c.lltg]tf ""lll' 100",' (till !iw: 011 IIIC' :.;rolilid :IIlll h]," it :lg:llll,t :lilCJf]llT tLIl1'Port. IWlllgl' of p:lrked pl:IllC :tIIlI lO\\IIll:; \\lTl' (1:IIILt~l'd. CO.\1\lT:Yl, ]jo!11 1',1111 :Illd :;rllll1ll! erC\I' lIere :It f:lliit Ill're 'I'IIl' I'ilol sllllltlt! II:II'e UIl'el !Jetter j\I(l~llll'lll ill :1 cIIllgl'slcel :lfl':I, If It 11':1' Ill'ec":IIT to IC:IIC tile C(!lllllIg Idll're it cou!,1 !JIIIII' :IWIIIIll. il ,IIl'ldel !J:l\'e !Jeel] I'l:tced \II! II COllIe' lide Ill' 10 it lI'ollld !Je strl':llll1Jlll'cl :U;,llllSt !nlll' !J]:I'!S,
R]':,\O,
CO\ll'lliD Ill' TIL:

OCD]':\"

l'L,.'l'tric:l1

l'll~ill(,lTill~.

:lcro

:lirphlll' dl,i:":ll ;llld :lircr:lft ..,hIIC tllT:d :tll:I"si" \Lllo!I~lt:t good h:ICK2rotlllc! ill the h:l'.,ic COllr,l''' j., J"l'lIllircd. c,\cl'pti(lll., :Ire lll:l,k for tiiose \\ j,o ]Ull' IlOt "tlldied thc' LI,t three ,su1Jjeds listed :11Jm(', "-\t kist Sil percell! of the officers :!C1. lllittcc1 to the ,,1100] lllllSt hold :1I1 :Iero. ll:tllticIl r:lting of pi]of' or higher. V~eept ill lllllIS\"Il clses. :tpp]il:lllls IllllSt llOt r:lllk ::1Jm'e lll:ljor or bl' mLT )() I e:lrs of :lge, Sen' icc ill :1 UlIllhlt tlll':I!l'r i, ;k,iLI1Jle, (Colltillued Oll :'\nt I':lge)

l't:lh-'I':I1.:ill:.; off.:1 C -t- kft thc ;..;r(l\1Jll! :llid tLCll '-lcltlul 11;1('), t() thl' rlill 1\:1\, Bolli propc']kr t II" \I l'IC CLIllLI~l'd hce:'II" till' COpilot It ,eI tC'!L"fl'd till' blldill.; ~l':lr \\,itllfJ1Jt \\;li:lll~ fo rc('ci\'c the
('\!.,!(llll:Jr\'

\i~ll:l1

fr()lll

fIll'

pilot.

CO\1\11'\I' I'illl" 11/",1 ilJlllllet cOl,illits ill emrl'ct c,'ckl"! IJI((lcclllrl' if :lCl'idl'llfs like tlli, :Irl' t() he elilllin:lted, I,:llldjll~ ge:n ,,/1()llld ll()t hc rei "Ielcd lllltil tlIe eo. I'il()t Icceil'e' :1 l'iSll:11 :Illd I'l'flul "igll:II, III c.r" it', g()()'! !,olic" 10 kl'cl' !Iallds ()ff gc:n !cICrI lllltil tile I'hlle fC:lclles :lll allltllde ()f :II lu,t 2() feet,
OJ' 11.1'1,<: S\i I

OFFICI:

11'.

DECEMBER,1944

25

Applic.it ions should hc made bv letter throllgh ch.uuul-. to thc COlllnl'lllding CcnU'I], Air Tcthnicul Scnicc Connn.md. at t.: Cunuuand.mt. .\.\F l:ngincLTing School, \\right held, D:1\ton, Ohio.

that women have the ability and pac itv to perform the most diffienlt flying." Sympathetic Understanding
The

the ca. jobs in

'Target for Today'

"Taruct for Today," is a ncwlv released :r'linill~' film that \\";IS more th:IIl':1 vc.ir in 111c lll,',killg .mcl is reported to bc :I'S COIll. rll tl' 'I nu ic job as cvcr done on 'Ill ,\,\1' -ul.jcct. It rcrords an St h .\ir J-'orcc bomb;j)~ mi-viou ovvr Ccnu.mv .rur] offns clocu"I( ut.rrv c\'idcnce of the stLltegic IInpor. LIlIlC of air power's role in the Luropcan , ,ffellSi\"C. .\fter s]lo\\ing by charts and gr:lphs just 11,,\\, dtcdillh our bombers crippled :\:I/.i .ucluvt ri.r] product ion .uul milit.rrv couunu irut ious , the fCltmclength pr ocluct ion de j,icts :1 tvpic.rl mission, It covcr-, CIlT\' step :1"1ll the initial planning of Lngets and ;"lltes, throllgh hrieting. takeoff. cucou utcr ',' ith vmmv lighters, rclc.r:.c of hom l. rct um flight. rescue of a crew clowned .it sn, dlllferulccs of returned fI\Trs wit h int cl li.xncc officers and the Iattl:r's dispositioll of :I,c iuforiu.rt iou glealled. :\0 pTllfe"ion:II actors :Ippclr in this f:1C:1l:1] lllm i. 1-:\lTY persoll III the Cist is an (fficu or cul ixl cc] man a"igncd to the St h .\ir lortc. \\'ide lise is heing made of the film for rr icnt.rt ion of .\.\F personnel .md it is on tllc IC'lllired list for men slated for OIlTSCIS ,hiplliellt i ,\\1,' Letter :;(1(,: I, It h:!s hccu : III 'I'ld .il : for iudoct r inut ir m of flvcr-. ill 1'Itill ,\llIeriC:1 and for sho\\'illgs fll' the UtTICl' "f \\':n Iuformut iou in .unraft plants, l'wdllcn. c'ditor .md dircetor of "T:lrgct for To.l.rv" \\":IS Lt. Col. \\'illialll J, h:ugh. 'l'\'. chid of the vlotiou Pictme Senil'CS P'i\isi"", \"i'l:!lIt Chid of .Vir Sl:ilt. In 'tclli~CIICC, (::Ipt. Rich.ud B, \ l:lc:nJie\ \\Tole :I,e 'eript, Di-f ribut iou is bcillg h.urdlc] bv the, \ \1,' Tui;ling .\ids Diviviori, One Park .Yvcuuc, :-S:e\l' York 16, N. Y.

\\',\SI'S-\11SSIOX

ACCO's! Pl.lSIlED

Jabo Wins
L:!lcst cont rihnt iou of the Nazis to A\f7 tcnn iuoloav is "J:lbo"-and thcv clont mean ;1 ncw ilnnub.i. It seems t h.rt C:lphlled Cer. 1<"lllS. \\hcll :Isked \l'hat ga\T thelll the \ulrsl (;JSC of jitters during our ;\llgllSt :Iir hlit!. ;;g'limt the \\'ehrl!lal'ht, replicd "the J:lhos." 'I'he \\ord is :1 eontr:lction of j;'cIge!Jomher, Ce[)II:1Il for Ilghtnb01l1ber.

north :IS \\'illllipeg .md Edl1lol1ton m C:I1I:111:1.T!Il'\' proved t hcv could h.uidl the hpttest lighters .md the big;;e't bombers wit h t hc clse :md skill of \Tter:11I flvcrs. One of their I;rollp bee:lll1e the fir,t \U';II:1I1 to 111 :1 jet prppllkd pl.mc. To\\illg t:ngd, for .rutiuirrr.rft practice. fhillg I,ight se:lIl!Ilight .u] ddectiol1 cIIibLIt iou llli"ic)))s were :1 fl'\\' of the eX:ldillg jobs t.ikcn over bv the \\':I'PS when t hcv were rele:lsillg luuulrcd-, of m.il pilot for co.nb.rt sCl\ice, Of tcn dubbed ":Il'fi:I1 dish, \\:I,hns" 1", their director, JaC(llIl,lllle Crxh1':111. lu \\ :1'pS .ilvo fll'\\' snnul.md t bOlllbill; .u! Stl.!lillg run-, hv d.iv .uul lIig!It'. tested clIgillCS, 111IIlg clothes .nul eCjlllpllll'llt'. !:J1l~l,t iuvt rnuu-ut fl\ illg to .\,\1-' Stlldcllts, flc'\\' \\"Ithn IllissiollS for the ,\\I-''s \\c:lt!Ier \\ ill;; .uid 1I1:IC1e cour icr fligllts for Il 1:1 nv .ur force ()n.. i/,;!t ions. ~;111 Prai,illg t luir cout r ilmt ion to the ,\,\1-', Celler:I1 .vrnol.! nrcnt lv "lid: "Tile \\"'1" 11:i\e be"11 :IS IllllCl1 .tn illte~r:I1 p.ut of the ,\ \1' :1' t luir ci\ il Ser\ile 'LillIS \\IJlI1d plT' nut .mc] li.ivr no! oulv perfoJllled hi~hh' essellti:I1 SlTlicc hilt :d'o !I:I\e cst:lbli,!Jl'd prc\;ollSh' unk nnwn Llcts lOlllelllillg the c:'p:lbilit;'l's of \\Oll1l'11 ill ]li~!Ihspcl'i:I1izl'd m ilitnrv fI\ illg jobs, This k uo !cdgc wil] be of incvt im.rblc value: shollld .mut her II:JIiOll:11 clllergcllC\' .uivc. Togdher wit l: the women flyers of our Allicx, the \\':ISPS li.rvc proved

close tics between the :\.\F and the of its uun are k uit even more finnl. nuder :1 new pol icv of the .\ir Ch.ip Lill's Office which makes it a legllbr au.I import.rut p:ITt of a l'h:lpbill's clut ies .rt L)(JI dllllleslic iuvt.ill.rt iou to vi-it the f:JllIilies of .\,\1' comb.tt clsllaltil's, .\ir Ch.rpl.iin (Colonel, Chinks I. Car pcutcr salS of the Ill'\\' progr:lIl1: "This is :1 dclic.rtc m in ivt rv, callillg forth :I11 thc tact. xvurp.it hv .mcl 1111dersLIlIllillg of the C]l:Ip!:Jil'l. The ',\Tlll\' Air I'-mces 11:1, :Il"a\s felt keellh' .ibout loss of pcrsonml, .mrl tilere is "IIlIe '",!:JlT ill know il1g that om l'll:lp!:Jia strellgl h is sllffieicllt to uuclcrt.tkc this import.iu] .md l'(IIllfortillg progr:IIII,

f.nn ilic-,

Kids Put It on the line

\\ ith thc (,th \\;Ir Lo.m drive ~dtillg 1111C!cI\\:I\'. ,\llt FORCE S:lllltes the n\IIlioll'; of scho,;1 kid, ill the State, w I: II:I\T 'POll, sored the pml'!I:lse of tllCJlI"lllds of \\:IT, pl.nu-, tlnollgh t lu.ir Schools at'\\':1f <t.nup and bOlld Cllllp:ligllS. ,\lice lrciu J ohllSon. :1 m'\\"p:lper \\ritll Oll lo.m to the Tre:lsll"" Dcp.rrt mcut for the -lt h .md :;th \\':IT LO:IIIS. \\:lS nice CllOII;;h to gin: I1S tllis report Oll the \Olllli;,tcrs. She tells liS th.rt the schoo] kids of the In l iou 1I11:lllC'l'Il:111aHT:I~e of 1:; pl.nu-, a day dmillg the fir,t six m ont h-; of ]'144. By [ulv, 2J,4: pl.rnc. v.ilutrl .rt SS-;-,C)7U,nUO, h..d gOlle in t o comb.it C:IIT\illl; the name .n] :Idc!;css of the spollsorillg school in, scribed Oil c.uh. SOlltherll Cnl if orn i.r schooh wtrc Ilr,t IIi: h pmeh:I'cs of morc t1I:lII (1 ~.1I1I1I.()1111 wor t h of \\:IT boucls to P:I\' for -+-:; pl.mc-, Illinois ,tlldclltS c.mu.rr kcd their bOllds 10 ddr:I\' the CIlS! of :;:2 :1lT cr.rft , .u] "mlh C:I'rolill:r pupils' war sav illgs CHill" l'rmielcd 2Sn, \ liuv schools h:I\'l' hccn pnt tv smart in ,Iagill; !l,CIT C:llllp:ligm, ,\t the ROIster [uuior lIi~h Schoo] ill Ch.mu!c. Kill" for cx.nnpl. whcnrvcr the \Ollllg,ters in an)' gLide bOI1~llt S 111 wort h of w.rr stamps. they were permitted to drop tiny blue and red

Farewell to the WASP

The .\\I'''s 1,0110 \\':ISPS arc eOlllpleting their bst IIlOllth of .\1111\' fI\illg, The \\omcll's pilot progr:lm. \\'hieh hcgan in Slplclllber. 1942. \\'ith the forlllation of thc \\'omen's ;\nxilian' \-'c'rnillg Sen'iee : \\'.\I'"S), \\iII he diseo'ntillllcci 0;1 DcecllliTr :11. \\hell it is estimated th:lt there will l,e ellollgh male pilots to fill all ;\:\F flying ;;~~it;nl11C11 ts. l~ their two years of operation, the \\'asps ha\'e flo\\';l :;oo.non hOl!fs Oil a clP;1ll1 differel1t !Ires of :leria] assi;l1ments, ,\s fun pilots. !lle\' fic\\' eH'nthillg from Cllb, to j),:')s. all 0\'Cf the States and as far

26

AIR

FORCE

cardboard bombs on their choice of three targets-the Tokyo "Munitions Plant," "Steel "'orb" or "Railwav Compauy." Fnch grade .ittcm ptcd to b~ the first' to "wipe out" a tnget. In the I':dmund .\. Jones lIigh School of Cleveland. Ohio, each dollar's worth of stamps mO\Td miniature botubcrs closer to Berlin and Tokio, Vvln-u gmls \UTe met "rn issions were nccom pl ishcd." \\'hen the children at the ]\[eDanic! Public School of Philadelphia decided to buv enough bonds to pa\' for a bomber. a rcplica of the plane \\'as lJLiccd in the main hall. The huvcr of the highest c!cnomination bond \\'as to h.rvc tlrst choice of where he wanted to wr itc his name on the replica. On the first duv. the kids flocked to school witl: t luir m oncv. HOll(ls of S2:;, S:;O and S-; drnominutions were purchased right .md left. Then, :dong c.unc :1 bov \\ ho w.rutcd a S :;1111 bond. "\\ 'here va 'gonna put vour n:lmc:" the kids shouted, but he. fore' the hov could :lm\UT, up strode another huvcr who \\':Illtcd a S 1,0110 bond, and the question \\:IS directed .rt him. "Xl c." replied the thous.mdclollar bov, ''I'm gonna pot it right on the nose. The others c.ru h:I\T the t.ul, bot I w.mt the nose."

TRAINING
Newly Standardized

AIDS
for Field Use
and mineral .nid nonmiucrul deposits: elnl'lgemT \\'ords and phrascs in 'I 'ui, Hurnu-: and l l iuclust.uu .. \ luuitc] 11\\11\. lx r of copicx for iufor mnt ioual pnrposcs .rrc av.ul.rbl from .\,\1,' Tactical Center. .vrcti. Dcsert and Tropic Hr.mch, Huild ing '1'1209", Orlando. l-la. CROl!:\D S.\II':'I'Y \I.\:\U,\L (.\F \ l.munl :\0. 30 I. I'roccdnres. engilleer ing principles .md mles \\lriC'l1 have proved cflcctivc ill at t.un nrcnt of safe opcr.rtiou-. .rt .\\1-' insLIllatiollS; preparcd In' the Crouud Safctv Divixion , .\ssisLmt Chid of .\ir St:I11, j'ersollilCI, to eCHn!J:lt losscs t hrouah igllor:lllcc of s.rf ctv rulc-, .md rcgnLltiom; illustrated wit]: two-color cartOOIlS. O:\:YCI'S US:\CE (":\otes 011 the Usc of Ch\gen I<cl'lipn,cnt for l,'iL;lrter Pilots .md I)R.lJ ..... \1-' \lallilal :\0, H.) Strcsses OXq';l'lI problems in tire 1'. :;S, 1)47 .md 1'.:; I; pocletsi,e .mc] illuvt r.itcd.

Any Ideas?
A sngclllt gonnn \\e k uovv about, vetnan of a vc.trx O\CTSCIS dut v, tigmed out a w.rv to improvr: the pcrforur.mrc of his gnns. Ill' thooght others could benefit froru his idea, hot -assunled that it woulc] gct bog!;ed clown in chuuucls. So he c.unc hack to the States not cOllnting on doiog nuuh .ibout it. '\-hen Ill' .mivcd at a Redistrihotion St.rt iou, he \\':IS slllprised to find that the .\.\F wanted to get rctonunt-nclat iuuv frou: rcturnccs. :\ot onlv to listen, hot to take .rctIOII. The SCT!;Clllt ]l'lssed along his gun idea and it was accepted. It probublv \nIl mean a lot to other soldiers. At cvcrv Rccl ist r ihution Station there is an Air IIltl'lligeuee Cuut.u! Unit. Rct umccs arc invited to oHer am' snggestious or cr it icisms wluch wil] iucrc.r-c the eflieielllT of the .\.\/-'. . The pl.m is fnnctiouing well. Snggestious made In' rtt nruccs regl1Lirh' are heing adopted In' the .\.\1'" 'ljSgt. .Vndrc: Smarck. a radio operator. for cx.uu plc. cornplaincd t li.rt his 1,1 II-' sct blac'ked out uudcr certain eOllditions .. \ rcport \\':IS suhm it tccl to \\-ashington. It \\:IS redirected. innuccliatclv. to Put tcrson held whcrr: euginl'lTS discovered the trouble .. \s soon as a new part c.in be mauufarturcd. a Tech Order will be issued to rcct ifv the couclitiou. Capt. Ravmouc] J:I;lnc\' had .m idea for fingertip stick control to replace rudder pedal action in order to maint:lin the trim of the airpLme. lIe \\':IS sent to \\'ashillgton to present his rceollllllCllCLition in person. i\bollt I, :;1111rcports ha\'e bcell for\\':nded to \\':Ishillgton sillce the unit \\'as es'ab. lisheel List \Iareh. Reeollllllenelations ha\'c cO\Trccl snbjeets from illtCly:rlOllletcrS anel solenoid comtrnetiolls to diffielllt scconel lientcllants and \\',mn beer. So, if yon nlell eOIII;lIg h:lck lLI\T SOllIe DECEMBER,1944

IIO\\TO FLY Till': B.17, Hl ""C):; r Part [II, Jirllergen(T Operatiom I .. \ di-. cuv.ion In' a group of Fortress pilot , helps dcmonvtr.rt.: eorrcct procedlllcs for cuu-rgcmT xit n.rtions in tli!;ltt: lirc ill an engillC, iuvt.ihilitv (,;lll~ed In improper loading (displ:ricn,cnt of c. g. demCHIstrated In' .num.rtcd diagralllS I, st.ill. xhort fIelel t:lke off , cllginc f.nlun- 011 takeoH, shorttlcld landing. (Rllnning time: ):; m in utcx. 'J TIZOOI' C\RRJI<R .\ml'I..\:\Jo:s, 'IVI).f.H (Cockpit Proccclurcl. The responsihilitie, of troop car r icr pilots and their tr.mvit iou tr:linin.;. .\11 scencs taken in C-f7, inclnding pilot's preflight clrceks in cockpit , c!llising wit h .uitopilot , rcgnhr .nid ,singlecn!;inc Llnelings wit l: loaeled .rircraft. (Rnnnm!; timc: ,,-f m inutcx.) I'II<LD I:\'SI'I<CTIO:\\:\'D SI.R' 'ICI:\C 01, '1'111< \\RICI IT CYC!.O:\I< 1~ IZ ));0 J-::\CI:\'K 'ITI-370';'. Detailed in-pcct iou procedures on B.29 .mrl C(/J t\'IK engincs. (R nnnin!; t imc: 2 Iroms, 211 in iuu tox. ) AJ-:RI.\L :\II:\I<S I,'SI.9:;3 (Prcp.rrat ion .rnd Lcw!ing \Lllk 12. \locl. 1. in B2:; I. l l ow to prepare .md load nI:lL;netil'.nccellc tvpc gronllel m iur-, in a \Iitclrcl!. 7:;\1\1 .\mCR.\11' CU:\ \1:;, I,'SIC))-f (Disasselnhh' .uid Reassembh'). Proccdurcs for disassembling and r~:lssemhlillg breech mcch.mivm. I'IL\1 C\'I'.\!.OG (-fth edition}. Tlte I:rtest lists of .\\1,' tllms .md film strips, with information on how to oht.nu t licm , plus :1 list of all apprm'ed und recommcuck d Aruiv Croiu] Forcc-,' and .\m'" Service I,'orccs' training films, Iilm :,trip's .uid lilrll bullct inv.

TR\I'\I:\C IJ1XICJ-:S C \T\J.OG SUI) 1'L1',\II-::\T :\0. I. Il1nstratio!lS, dcscrip t iou-, and other applic.rhlc d:It:1 for III :lppro\Td st.md.ird tr.unnu; dl'\'lCes and more than 1 ()O .uld it ion.r! lorullv COil. struct cd dc'\'icl's; "2 pagcs, c.ich nn,'nhcrcd for imlllcdi:ltc insertion in the propcr pl.uc in origin:rl looscleaf hinder, .\ rd erencc .;nidc .u] .ru :r1plt:r1wticalh' eross. rdercll(ed index arC' :Ippcnclec!. .

..

P'STlIS
L
P.\R\CIIFIT, 'IR\I:\I:\'G (set of SCH'n posters I-Bascd 011 cxtenSiH' researC'h In' Lt. Col, 1", Y. St u.rrt. Paraclmtc Diusim;, \\rigltt held, .md Lt. Col. \1. \\. Hovuton, Officc of I-'hin!; S:lfeh', slrll\\';ng hpes of p.rr.rclmtcv; cor rcct bailout iucthods from Ii!;Irters. sillgle.ellgine trainers. bOlnbl'ls .u] tr:lllsports; control of dc sccnt: IlCl\\' to m.rkr: norm.t]. .rbuonual .m.I water 1:r1ldinL;s. \I.\I.\RI.\ DISClI'I.I:\I< (20 posters in hiudcr i !.itlto.;raplred in color, wit l: 1I1:1m' photo!.;r:lplrs t:lkcll in South l':iCific comb.rt "CHICS,expl:rinill!; \\ll:It m.rlan.: is, ".lrere it is to hc fonnd, ItO\\' it is trans. ferred. ,,'ll:lt tlte \!lm' dol'S to prcH'n! its spre:ld, tlte silnple rolltinc \\hiclr mllst be follcJ\\nl to anJiel hcing ,stricken.
OJ' 1:\IlI( D]YISIO,' IIC\I:\l,<: .1111l, .. IR\IY \LIY .111( IIII{()\'LII .\IIlS III: IISILD OIlI,\I,1:1l 0,1: I,

BUR\!.\ I:\IJI.\ II.\:\IJBOOK (.\DTIC lufonnut ion.il Bulletin :\0. 101. '1'1Inclv bcts uliout Hurrn.r .md :\'orthcastem lnch.r for tire .urm.m who miglrt hc forced down In tire jnngle, includuu; tip- on topogLlphY, ()nl\ncsc history. jnllgle fOTaL;ing for food, lISC of cover .md comc:r1mcnt, precantions against IllSCetS :md snakcs: maps sllO\\ing pl"'siogr:lpltic prm'inccs, \\imls, rainf:r11, \n;et;ltion and :Igricnltlll;ll "ones, LmL;n'lL;cs, pcoples, Tcli.;ions
I:\J()I(\LIIIO:\' TillS IRO\I I'IRI( COI.P\I:\, 'I Ill: .IIT:\1'1 UIII:I', .. :\1.\\'

0,

'1111:

.IY.III..IHIIITY OIIlI-:lnnSI: .IIDS

1':\I.I,SS

'11(.\1:\1'-.<: YORI(

I'()I(U'S,

16, ,.

Y., I'PO:\

R1.01'I.S1

C1LI:\:\ITS.

27

NEW

BOOKS
Subjects
AT WAR

On Aviation

ideas, \\C 'lIggest tclliacncc Con tad ~ tion Station.

von Jook lip the .\ir In. l luit at . vour Rcdistril:

llI:RoES OF TilE I'ACIFIC, Shane, Ted, Arrnv .md :'\an- com bat stories from Pearl 11a{. hor thro;,gh the Solomons. x , v . )UI.I.\:-I \II.SS:"I.R, (h'R ARSIY AT \\'AR, The Storv of Amcr ic.m Cllllp:ligllS ill \\'orld \\'a; II Told in ()ffielal \ \' ar Department Photographs,
x. Y., lI.\RPER.

New Tactical Air Force

Org;mization of tnct ical air opcrut ious ;;lollg the cut ire \\'e,telll Front in !':tnopc \\ as rouudccl ont rcccntlv witl: the forma tion of the 1st Taetie;]I' Air Force (Pn)\'J viounl ). Commanded bv \ laj. Ccn. R;J1ph Rovcc. thc air force operates with the U. S (,th Armv Crollp Oll the southern sector of t ltc front, while thc 9th Air l'-oreT covers the i.. S, 1:tli Armv Croup, and the R.\I'- :nd Tactied .\ir Force, the British : l st ,\nny
( .r oup.

Assignment Board determines whet her ;11l\' of t hc United 0:atio", can usc it. If it" t luunbs dO\\'I] all around, the plane is de. cLired cxrcss to 111 ilit.rrv rcquircmonts and is t urncd O\Tr to the Rcrou-trurt ion Finance Corp, if it c.m he ml'd couuucrcinllv. :\ lam' cub tvpcs and t raincrx have been li,ted bv HYC for s;I1cs which arc handled throllgh'loeal office, of the C.\.\. Others which don't have s;tle value arc c.muarkod for s;,klge.

:-'\'R\I\OR, .\/adden, Paui, An X['C lieull'n;lllt's narrat ivc of survival from 11 "raft d.ivs." :\III.\\'AUKEE, BRUCE, LJ x. i\\'lATIO:-< 1:-;'\\'Alanle, i\chic'\'C1ncllts .md Progres, as Reported I", the Offiec of \\'ar Information, \\'A,IlI:"CTO:", ,\:\(uu. c.vx COU"ClI. ON PUBLIC AF!",\ll\S,

Boxcar Vocabulary
clictiou.nv of .\.\1" vr-ru.uular con to grow r.ipidlv .mcl SlTIIIS likt-lv to hecollle a size;tllic volun: hdore the \;':u's end. I,atcst cOlltrihlltioll is a roundup of glider pilot lingo. cOlllpiled I,,' Lt. \Iiehael SClllak alld Sgt. Clarcnce Bonnell. hoth a' sigllcd to a I: t h .\ir Force troop carr u r l;lOlIp ill It.ilv. Tvpical cx.nuplcs: Bmcar or kite-!.;Jider plane . SIJ()ot ill!; galleT\'-glider (';lTT:ing ;])JJmlllli. The
t inur-s

HISTORY
'('IlE \\'ILD BLUE YONDER, SOil' of the Prophet Carry On, Cauvrc.in. J-:Illilc, Bilk \I itchcll's official biographcr reporting' t hc dcvclopuicnt of Arucr iruu air ,trength, x. 1'., DUTTO~.

TECHNICAL
I:-;TRODUCTORY AERO~A\ITICS, IlamllJlJ!l<1, ClarCIlCC A .. and Gilhert, IIam' II, Text book of ba,ic sciences in\'{>h'e~1 in flight, x. Y., OXFORD BOOK CO. '\OTES 0:-; IIEI.ICOPTER DESIC~ 'I'lII:OIIY. :\'ikohh, Alcxander A, .vdv.ruccd air. ,erc\\' tilcon' ;IS it pertains to helicopters. I'III~CJ:'IO:-;. x. J .. UI'I\ERSITY l'RI',SS, TR,\"SPOllTATIO:" AND 1'0\\1:11, Johnson, \\'il1i;1I1l II.. and Ne\\'kirk, LOllis v. Flcuu-nt.irv aircraft and automobile pO\\Tr pr inriplcx. x. 1'., :\IAC:\III.1 ..vx.

However. connnand of the air forces is '" set lip that om 1st and 9th can operate ill the same area when ncccv.nrv. .md both .ur force, join the R,\F 2nd il; one ,ector when called upon Ill' Supreme 1Icaclqu.irters. . vllicd I,'xpeditional\' Forces. Frcnth air units formcrlv in the 12th Air lorcc h:I\T [oincd Genc;al Rovcc's com m.nn], with Brig, Cell. Paul Ccr.uclot. chid of French fighters in Corsica. as their immcdiat couuuandcr. This niov marks the iirvt time since the LIII of Fr.nu: that I-'rclleh air nnit s h:1\T had xuth ;] Lngc single .ur counn.mcl. Thcv arc equipped with .\llIlTiean'Inade fighter, and liglit and me clnuu boru hcrs. Coconunnndr-r under General RO\'('e is Ihi;. Cell. Cordon I'. Saville. who \\;;S CC of the U, S, 12th Tactical Air Command in It.ilv and south France.

Helicopter Training
Om helicopter tr;nnin!.; program is now \\TII unclcr wav hnt it is small in ,cope and IIke h. wi]] eo;] tin lie tha t \\';1\'. I'cT\on ncl to he t;ained will he limited to rated pilot'> and uualificd mlTh:mic, from ;\.\J.' unirv, such as I:ai,on squ.iclrous, which can nad ilv switch from uxc of convcnt ional pl:IIICS to helicop' tc rs. Pr oxpcct ivc \\hirligi; pilots will be l;in'n ;1 fOlll.\\Tek A\'ing course at Frccm.m :\IIlI\' .\ir J.'ie1d, Scvmuur , Ind .. while mceli;]lIics will be traincil for five wcck in rot.irv \\'in!.; .nl helicopter m.unlcn.nu:c .rt Challllte I'leld. II!.

POSTWAR
CO:\Il',\SS OF TIlE \\'ORI.!), :\ S\'lnp"'illlll 011 Political Ceograph\', \Vcigert. 1lam \V" .md Stcf;J1lsson, VilhialllJnr, Twcntvciaht aut hor it ic-, reporting ch:mges in gco. graphical "thinking due to shrinking "air. dist.mces. :-;, Y.. :\IAC:\III.L\:-;, FRIII)()\l 01" TIlE :\IIL Ilntchisoll. Keith. Clear stateme-nt of problems involved in postwar. intcruatiou.rl air tr.ruvpor tat iou. x. Y" l'\I1\I.IC ,\FIAIRS CO'[:\l\TTlI:, 1'111' I Ill: PEACE TIlRO\!(;Il ,\IR PO\\ IR. \/ichie, A1I;11l A, The role air PO\\Cf 111:1\' pial ill a pcacc plan. t. Y.. IlOIT, 1'1\' I I<S I~ rn i: \\'<lIU,!) OF TO'[ORIW\\'. Lcvvr m , Bllrr \\,1. Dcscr iptions of plastic" th~'ir properties and post-war pov.ilnl it ics. x . 1'., :\L\CSIII.LAN,

lo.idccl \\ith troops. \\ 'h;llilll; ship-glider tramporting a jeep or fieldpiece. Tllg, I.;0;)t or ,\1:In-trl\\pLme ("\Ial\'" is 'lIg!.;csted I". t h L"s who 11;Id a little lamb). II(JIIC\'lIlOOIl ,ship-glider wit h copilot. !'ass tlu: ,sllgar-S\\'itch th controls . [';)illt it Oil or grease it iIl-III;lke a smooth bnding. ShotgllIl laIldiIlg-forccd Lmdillg. :\ir 11Iail stalllp-Lu!.;c 1:lnding .irca. OIlC CCIlt stalIlp-sm;tll LJllding .irca. [,ilot \I'ith disllpall IJ;I1I<]s-olle who has \\'a,hed out a glider. Dc.rr di;lT\'-;1('cidcllt report. De.it pop-a report to the UJlIIII\;IIl<hllg officcr. SII;ltch-ghdcr pick lip.

t ion. 1'-1111 homc-glider

Parachutes
I.ost: :\'0\. 4IH:(J9. 4::')';1,-f:;. 4::91114:;, 4271 (,O:i->:;, ,cat hI''': return to Ibsc .\.-\1' ~IIJlph Officer. bkr held. L\. Nos. 42.100i->2. 427i->IIHI!J, 42.4226:;1, scat tvpcs; 42i->(,l i->22, lxick tvpc; rct ur n to I'Iight Control Officcr, .\tlanta ;\rm)' Air RI'e .. \tl;mta. Ca. 0I"os. 421')S:7, 42.1176, 42.1 :;1093, 42. f,O'JIIi->, xr.it tvpc; return to Ba,e Operations ()ffiee, l Icadqu.ir tcrs, I<l'hr:lta Arrnv Air RIse, Lphrat.r. \\'ash. 0: os , 42.42:;0, 4111240, ret urn to A\F Rcxi.knt Rcprcscnt.rtivo, Bocin!.; Aircraft Corp .. \\'ic]lita. KalIS" .vt tu I.t. Col. R. C. \';llIgh'lIl . .'\0\. 41.j(>!4<J, 41 1()\(':, 4:,40:;0:;; rc

Mustering out Planes

\ l.mv all :\.\1' pl.mc is goill; on thc block these d.rvs as no lonacr needed for militurv u-.c. Thus far, some 11.000 aircraft haw' hlTII decbred surplus. .md more than S.OOO l1:I\T gOlle to disposal .md ,torage [iclds. .\ftn ;] pl.mc hl'COIIIl" excess hagga;c ;h {ar a, the :\:\1-' is concerned. the :\llInitlo",

YEARBOOKS

AND

HANDBOOKS

I\:"I:'s :\1.1, TIll: \\'ORI:I)'S :\II\CI\.\I'T. Stand :lrd 1<lIgli," vc.tr hook of pbllcs of all uat ious. 0:l'\\' edition. x. Y .. :\L\C\II1.I\'-'. \ I IIIL\I\Y ])U:ORATlO:"S ,\:"11 CAS! 1'\1<:, SI ,nICE B.\RS OF r m: Uvrirn S, .\TIS, Cihbol/.\. CT<1I1I\\'ell. I l.mclbook dc'erib. ing .md pietnring in color plate, thc offici;J1 decorations of U. S. x. Y,. U, S. I'SIC~L\ co. RIJ'II:s .\"11 1\iACIIINF. GUKS, :\ \Iodern 1l.mclbook of Infantrv and :\ircr:Jft Anus. J"hns()J/, :\Ieh-ill .\1.,' /r. :-;. Y.. :\10RROW.
(!,

Tllf ..... 1,(\01.:" arf" .l\".1il1l.hk to A .\F p('r.;onnt.l Ihrollj!h \-\1-" rid,j T"rhni(';\l Libr;\Tv ~n\'i(".', \,hie!! pro_ ":':l'~ !"T t. rhni<-:d lihrari,.!,- at all m.ljor in~Ldl,11i(ln". I :~l '-"!'iJ,i!.-d lJy tlH: :\AF h~'"dllu,lIt,'r" lihr.lry.

28

AIR

fORCE

turn to Traffic Scction, Crcnicr Field. \ lanchester. 01. I I. No. -121 O")8-1()6. return to Topeka Army Air Field. Topeka, "an. :\"0. -12,200")00. scat tvpc: return to LeJIIOorC Arrnv .\ir Fic]d , Lemoore. Calif. :\"0. -12-1';820. scat tvpc: return to Flii:;ht Opcrat ious. DcRidder .vrmv .\ir Base, De. Ridder. La. :'\0. -I2:;j"7-16. scat tvpc. juugle pack att.uhccl. t.ikc. from or with a 2:;th Bomb Croup B2:; parked at Clovis. N. \1.. last Fcbru.rrv. Return to Capt. C. \\', vlills. Officers' \ lnil Room. Box 8"), . vnnv Air I;'ISC, .\LlInagordo. :'\. \1. '

\\'hen a small rcception after the cere, niouv is desired. cluh mcrubcrs provide rcfreshments and h.rvc e\'enthing in readiness when the wedding party arr ivcx from the chapel.

HOW
1.

SHARP

ARE YOU?

QUJ-:STIO:\S 11'l\\' m.mv .iirpl.mc-, arc there III the pict urc' 2, em vou idcnt ifv all tire tlpes of pl.mcs? 3. .vr c :111\' roekettJrillg tubes vivihlc? . of. \\'hat is the 1l:IlJIl' printed on the radiator ("Il\\'lillg of tire pl.mc in the fore;rollnd? ). \\'h,lt is tire initial on the t.ul of the plane ill the fore;rolllld; (>. There nrc four uun III tire pic. t urc. Three 'Ill' \I':Jiklllg or xt.urdillg Oil the grollllcl. \\'Ir:lt is the fourth cloin;; The three pl.mc-, nc.ucxt the C:1InlT,1 h;1\C bubble c.mopic: True or false? 1->. h tire jcep in the picture p.untt] wit l: stripes. circle, or checks? 9 .. \re the flaps of the plane ill tire foregrollnd np or clown? III, Is there :1 pilot in the pl.uu, IJl the foregrollllCl'

Accrued Leave
Officers. \\']10 11\' choice or circumst:mce h:1\T not taken their full leave allowance of 30 clavs a vc.rr. will be giH'n the .rccruccl time. up to a maximum of 120 cl.ivs. before thcv arc separated from xcrvicc. Suppose. for example. the war is ended, demobilization m.uhincrv is in operation and an officer \\,110 lias accumulated -I:; Clals of unuvcc] leave is at tlie separation center nearest his home. I Ie will receive orders whirh will send him home for -I:; duvs plus tr.rvc! time. Dming ,iIis terminal leave, the officer will receive full pal .md allowances. hut he will he tcchnicallv liahle to recall for act ivc dutv. .\t the ~nd of the leave period. he \vili he diseliarged automat icullv from active dutv without retmning to the separation center. If an officer is m , s.iv, China when the war ends and he \\,ishes to spend his ac cmcd leave in the Orient when his outfit is reach' to go home for demobilization. he could do so bv securing approval of hi, theater commander and return to the St'ltes for discharge at the end of his leave. Furlough time docs not accrue for en. listed men. who arc discharged when tlu-v leave the scpar.rt iou center uearest their homes.

Prop Wash vs. III Wind

\\'hen his P :;1 developed cngiue trouble O\Tr Ccnu.mv. 2nd Lt. Stephen C. An.rni.m of Nc: York Cit , was forced to hail out mer the North Sca. I Ie hit the choppy water still in his chute harness. and hefore he could free himself. the wind caught thc open chute. tugged it across water and battered the AHT against the waITS. Sccond Lt. Ceorgc T. Rich. \\'ilmington, N. C .. Aving with Anani.m, stood hv when the latter bailed out and sent out 'distress

\'\S\\TR~ 0'\

l'.\C:F

-10

Short Bursts
Silver instead of gold \\'ings have been uut liorizcd for Aight surgeons and flight nurses. The design of the insigne remains the same .... The Flight Control Division of the Office of Fh'ing Snfctv has been rcdesignated the .\.\F Flight Service and placed under the Assistant Chief of Air Staff. Training. This domestic service will continue to operate through regional offices and flight service centers. :-S:ot long after the new vcar. commcn-inl .nr linc will ha\'e returned 'to them all transport planes requisitioned for militarv usc when the war emergCllc\' \\as moxt critical. Of the 1:;8 planes turned mer to the .\.\F. 1-12 alrcudv h;I\T heen returned to the airlines or rc placed. . . . Thcv arc calling a 10th :\ir Force B2:; squadron the "Burma Bridge Busters." The bovs knocked off 1") briclacs in ;IS m.mv davs .... The Central African Division of the .\TC gets ;1 pat OIl the hack for rounding out a vc.ir of iutcuxivrtrans, port Aung wit houf a fatal accident. And over jungle :md desert countrv never hefore traversed except bv air. . .. ;\' umlTOUS take off and landing accidents arc caused In' pilots losing control of their planes whe;1 adjustable scats slide backward or forward. The Office of Fh'ing Safety recommends that seat locks be checked carcfullv hefore each flight and faultv operation reported on Form :;-1 (UR) ... , Stricter owgen dis cipline and nu provcd oxvgcn equipment :If(: credited bv the .\ir Smgeon for a c)Opereent reduction in the auuvi.t rate among hc.ivv

"I

WISll

TO

m.r.i. rm.v
'lliESF

n GIVE us

]':R

))11:\.1

ox

I.O:'\"(; ILHIJ,S!"

signals. Sizmg up the xit uat iou whcn the wind did its dirtv work, Rich dropped bis \Iustang ncarlv to the water. flew over the billm\'ing chute and collapsed it with his prop wash. thus enabling .vnan i.m to cxtric.itc himself. Picked up a short time later. the New Yorker \\'as returned to FngLmd unharmed 11\' his experience.

Living up to a Name
You might know it \\"{1Il1d happen at 1.00'e Field .. \,\1' omcn \olunteers 'It the Dallas (Texas) base arc aiding. upon rcquest. in prcpar.rt ions for enlisted iucns I\Tddings. \ lost of the wcdcliugs take place in the post chapel. and :;th Fern'ing Croup \\'0' man's Club members provide .md arrange floral dccorut ious for the ceremonies. Flower for the bride also h'1\T been provided in some iustanrcs. If the br iclctohe is not from the Dnll.r. area, she is assisted in find. ing living accouunod.rt ious and completing her last-miuutc shopping.

bomber (TellS of the ')th .Vir !'<)fce chllin~ the p:l,t vc.rr. . . . ,\ rccx-nt three mouth st uclv hv .rvi.it ion pwchologists of hOlJlhing mission results ag:linst Ccrmanv revealed t h.it lead bombardiers .md lead na\'igators with best combat records usu.illv were those who had att.tiuccl highest ,core~ in aptitude tests which determined the johs for which t hcv were bcvt fitted as aviation caclct s. ])1'''Cs have been aw.irdcc] several members of 'I Qnarterm:lster Droppillg Unit in the CBI. whirl: \\'as organized last vcar to work with troop carrier squadrons ill supplviru; gronnd troops in isolated are:ls. The unit h:ls p.trt ir-ipatcd ill more th.m 911 coiub.rt mis,inns ill aiding aclv.uur- forccs along the Lcdo Road .... The Thurman II. Bane Aw.ircl for the most important tcrhuicnl :!chien'lllent ]1\' an officer or ci\'ili:m of the .Vir TechnicII' Service Couuu.md has been presented to Col. Donald J. Keirn for his part in t lu- development .md production of the turbo-jet engille. The .rw.i! is giH'n an nu.illv 1)\, the Institnte of\cronalltic:l1 Sci cnccs ... ' . The tir st B2<) cost S"). ")<)2.N6.60; thcv now come off the pr oductiou lines nt 'Ill approximate cost of ,)(,00.111111each .. Pilot training for thc\TC prob.ibl. will he discont inucd after the tJrst of the vcur.

"*

Why Not Contribute?

\\'hether thcv arc <hort hursts or blockbuvtcrs, I(JlIl suggestiollS for Cross Countrv items will be wcl comecl. ,\ddr~'ss vnur articles. COIll nu-ntx .md criticis;m to Cross COlin, trv .. \11\ FORCE l<ditori:Ii Officc. Onc P;lrk\lentle. \:e\1 York I h. \:. Y.

DECEMBER,1944

2Y

"I think I'm beginning to get the

hang of this Jow-Jcvcl stuff,"

"W'O\\"

You rea/h' s\\c;Jtcd

Ollt that 1Ilis.\HIl/!"

"Of course

my

ball turret man has more missions to his credit than both of us,"

"I knell' DallS

\\ou/d

hale

trouble

desclIb/llg

that Jerry's

11I,IIlCl1le1."

30

AIR

FORCE

OITrsea') n

Staff Correspondent,

;\.'mTlllber 2, 19-H, the biggC',;t air b~lttle of the w.ir took place mer Cernl;lll:' wlicu half of a force of more than 1,100 Sth i\n I' orcc hcal I lxnubcrx. escorted I)\,' 900 fightcrs, .rtt.tckccl the gWlt ] .cuu.i \I'nthctie oil refiner,at \ILT\chlllg, lor the fir\t time in u i.n r, \lCCKs, t hc Luf t\laffc, wh ich had rt-ni.u ncd in hiding \lh;le ,\l1icd hOlllhers "'lTC laying w.r-.tc \I'holc cit icx, ro-: to defend ~I Llrgct, ,\1ll1 its ficrcc rcvr.t.i nrc and the rccklessncss with wliith its c.i rcfullv huvlxmckxl fighters were cxpcndcd-20S ',.;lI,i pl.mc-, were dcstroycd-testificd to the desperation of the Reich with rcgard to its gasolinc sit u.rt ion. It is more than jnst a figlllc of xpccch , tlu-rcforc, to S~I\' that the picture of a bucllv m.i ulcd Ccrman, clrivcn behind t hc defensive h;IStiO!1S of its homcl.md is a portrait m oil.

Oil refineries

arc gooel targets,

The

smoke

stacks

and tank

clusters

of the

Auvtr i.m oil plant

at Vienna

suffer

from

this

B-ITs

bombs,

DECEMBER,1944

31

Fuel and Iulnic.mts-v-llrc lifehlood of ur.rclrinc \\:IIf:nc!l:I\C hccn '\',tl'nl:ilicJ!h' dLlinl'l1 t rom it, \ ciu. B]m\' bv blow. tl, ,Ie;lgchcllllnler~ of ,tLltegic b(lIllbillg 1I:1\C jlollncle;] :\\1:1\' until l l it lcrs oil productior: of 111()Je th.m :1 m illiou mct ric toIlS per month hcl' dwiudlcd to a th iu, ,llIggi'h trickle. Beyond the we] tcr of dcltes a 1Il1 figures th.: t ckt.i il thc ,tory of our cllnpaign to strikc oil is the ximplc fact of its O\'er\l'hehlling iuiport.uu:c to the enl'IIl~' .md the priiuc ncccsxi tv, from our poi 11t of view, for its dc, t ruct iou , Th i, was rccogni/,cd c.ulv ill the \I:IL As far back as 19-f0, the RAF went after ,p'ccifie oil t:lIgcts ill the Ruhr .uu] cbc. where. I ImYC'\lT, it \\:IS not until the t uruim; point ill Africa and the cuhu in.rt iou of the ,lm\' gr<l\\th of Allied air supcr ioritv, that the sllla,hiug of ;'\:1 Ii refineries and "11thctic pl.rut-, could :h'UlIIC its rightful priority. The targct \\:IS largc .md spLI\lling. 'llurc is \CIT little oil in CCrJn:11I\' itvclf. although ,e\er:J! nC\l' \I ells. wh ich \I'(1Il1d have been unr-counnur.rl in pcucctuuc, h.ivc been developed during t lic \I:IL Tllc priucip.)] producers arc t lu: svuthct ic plants ill the three in.iiu CO:I] regiol's of Silcsi. the Rulrr .uid a rou ncl Ici pi ig. \"1 rious coke ovcu pL\II ts, g:ls work. :\IId L.T. c.uboniz.rt iou units .idd their volume to the total of l l itlcrx relillcd products, but IJ\' f.rr the grc:lter pcrcenLigc of n.rtur.rl pct rolcum SCllllTCSarc sCltterl'l1 throllgh the occupiccl couutrics. Tl ic gr'_'clt Ploc,ti relining district in Ro m.min, for c c.uu p!c. \I'IS .rhlc to furuixh 2S percent of Crclter CCllll:11I\"S dClllcllHls for oil. It \I':IS rl':\lul'li clt t l: hcgillilillg of the oil otrcmi\c th.rt .m effecti\c reductioll of :'\:u,i output c.illcd for IIcutrclli/cl' tion of tIle I.uft\l:ltte to permit a couccutrutcd a"clldt. I.ollgLlllge plTci,ioll bomb.udmcut \I:IS required bdorc the illdu-trv could be gr:I\'ch' hurt. Therc had been succc"fld Illissi;ms :1!!'lill,t OIl lxIo: 1c)-f-f-- uot.iblv the u t t.uk Oil t lu: Plocsti ficCds ill Aug",t, Ic)-f~-- but as l;mg :1S the cucmvx air forcc m.rint.uuccl :\IId L"']XIlldnl it, lighter strcllgth. .il] ,tratcgic hOlllhillg cfforts were thrc:lte :ed wit h proh ihit ivc losscs, Tl: fir,t ohilTti\l', therdore, of the U. S, Sth :111" 1 :;th Air l.'orel" and tllc R\I,' Bmuher Conuu.md. bl'CIIIIC: the clciuolit ion of a ircr.ift pl.uit. hdl-bc:1ring fuct orics .mcl rclatcd iuduvt rinl invl.rl l.rt io nx. H\' \!:JI' of this vc.rr the Luftwaffe \I:IS lilllping b.u]]v. Sill~le-l'lI~inc fightcr' prnd uction h.! been cut 1J\' iuorc th.m (,0 percent. h\'ill.engine m.mufncturc h~' .rhout SO percent. Th ou-uucls of pl.uics h.] been clcvtrovccl in cmub.rt .u] on the grouud. The capucitv of Ccrrunn .un ncn to inte-rfere ,criOll'h' witl: Allied opcr:l t ious \I:IS limited. Thc ficld \I:IS uo-v ckl red for thc kick-off, .nul go:ds II ere assigned as follml": the RAI,' \\'as to at t.rck pct rulcum plants in the Ruhr. the Sth .vir I.'orcc I\:IS to operate in central, uortlu-rn .md ca,tertl ClTULIIl\,. Ill"tertl C>echmlm'akia and \\'Dtertl Pol.mel: the 1 :;th Air i'-oree \1:1, to stril: at southern .md southc.u.tcru CCrJIla1l\', soutlurn Pol.unl, Auvtri.r. l luug:tn', ltulv, xout iu-rn FL'IllCC .md the import.nit Bulk.u: cOIintries,'illc1udillg R01Il:\IIia. It \I':lS a m.r-tcr phil to clovetail three powerful .i ir .mn.id.rs ill :1 CIIIlJl:ligll :lg:1ill't ll itlcr' oil relillerics, 'yllthetic fucl m.muf.rc-turiut; pl.mtx .md xtorcd lTSLT\'CS. The cnsllillg .rir cllllp:lign \I':IS couvi-tcnt .md cffcctiv. Bctl\'ccn the iu iddlc of \ I.rv and Octolxr 19. the Sth m.icl 112 axs.mll s Oil nlO1T th.m .~O inrl ividuul refineries :\IId svnt lrcfic pl.mt in ,OIllC of the higgest d:1ylight att:lcks of the war. In [ulv. thc 1 :;th aimed it : hOlllbs at oil t;trgcts on 1clavs of the month. wh il during the short S\lIIIIllLT night-.; the RAJ' \\,:1, abo diligent. Anr] p;lcing the drive \\,:IS a week-in. week-out dcmulit iou of storage tanks, depots. railwav t.mkcrs .md other supplies hv all Allied air forces in Fmope. hoth ,tr:lte~ic .md t.ictical. Thc list of iinport.mt places hit iucludcd Ploc-.ti, Almasfuv.itn. Trvcbinia, Lolxiu,

Flames .md bl.rck smok ,hoot .mc] iu-t.rllatious at the Nouhcun

up tr om blHllillf; oil ,tor:lf;l' tallh rcfiucrv situ.ucd lxt wccn Cologlle

32

AIR

FORCE

Tile air campaign

to choke

off fuel

supplies

of the Nazi has hit the Germans where

war machine

it hurts

the most

.md !)Il"eldorf Oil the Rh iuc River. This rdillen. shown here under .rt t.nk In ;,t h .vir Vorce B 2-h. IS uuc of the fell' o{] pl.mt . ill Ccnn.mv.

Germans

\\'Ilf/!Jllfg.

;JI", protected Plocvt i \\it lr cl.rbor.rt d~'\icl's like this huge desiglled to dctect .rppro.l. of I :;th ,\ir Vorel' bombers.

DECEMBER,1944

33

Zeitz, l'iilit/" Brux, BlechhaIllIller, J\Iersehurg, J\Iagc1ehurg, Bohlen, Lutzkcuclorf, Ruhl.md, ILnnburg and Illany other. Total !\;lI,i prod uction of oil prod nets decl ined stead ily and incxor.rblv. By October the CJmntity avuil.rblc lIas less th.m one-fourth of \\h;lt it had been, and the Vv'clmnucht \\,as forced to dip hc.ivilv into its reserve. Bv its \U~. unturc, an oil refinery is a good target. The process of rcflning pctrolcmu requires instal l.rt ions that arc rambling .mcl wcll spread out. offering bom b.udicrs wid areas upon whicl: to sigllt. SnlOkestaeks, often more than 100 feet tall. .md distillation cq u iprucu t situated well above gronnd, make c;nnonfbge cx trcru clv difficult. And ideal landmarks .irc provided by the clustcr, of t.mk farms which arc used to accumul.itc crude oil to supplv the rcfincricx and to store the finished products until shipment can be made, Synthetic pl.mt -, too, need complicated facilities, The manufacture of oil from coal shale b~ either the Bergins method, which provide. the gre;ltest pl'lTenblge of .ivi.rt ion gas, or the livchcr 'I'ropvch s\'Stem, requires pluuts for distillu tion, ca rhonll,;l tion. com p reSSlOn, couvcrviou, ca ta lv-.is and purificution. as well as OH'n houses, gas generators, brge gas t.iu ks, in jector pL1l1t-. \\'a ter gas wor ks a ncl other specialized equipment. Authorit i. sav that it takes two years to build a synthetic plant from the ground up, In addition, the number of direct hits ncccssarv to incapacitate a rcfincrv is smaller than for most targets. To render a plant nnproduct ivc. onlv one of its corupoucnl s has to be xcr iou-Jv impeded, Dcstrurt ion of either the cr.ickiur; plant. the distillation unit or the boiler house will suspend normal opcr.ition of the refinen until It is repaired or rebuilt. And the high vol.itilitv of the product itself. which m.iv ignite from other causes whe-n even a ncar-miss occurs, greath' increases the prob.ibilitv of d.uu.iac. The Ccnn.ms have made frantic efforts to reduce this vulncruhilitv, and then methods, di,seussed later in this article, ha\'(~ been partially successful. One of the great prO\'ing grounds for this epic race between o!1ense and defense \\'as Plocst i. Th;lt l.rcct of the c;lmpaign is wort]: considering in some detail. not oulv because it \I'as the greatest single source of :\';Izi oil, but' also because the fields have since

Concordia

Vega

11;1\

virt u.illv

dcmolivhccl

by a series of hr.rvv !J]OIY>ming d

[ulv. 1'J+f,

Onlv two of the tanks in foreground

remain

intact.

34

AIR

FORCE

fallen

into

Allied

hands,

thus

making

complete

cv.iluutiou

possib!c.
At Plocsti, the oil region covers an area of 10 SCJuare miles, densely crowded \\ith refineries and pumpim; stations interconnected witl: a r~lil\\ay network. The pl.uits arc in three principal groups-at Plocst i, Ciuupin.r and BLI/.iI-and were potentially capable of a erucic oil output of 709,000 tons per month. The largest of these units, Astra Rom.mu. served as the central recei\ing station for oil from most of the other plants, and pumped it to the Giurgiu tcnninal of the pipeline on the Dn nub, oyer \yhich it wus transported to the Reich. The proximity of Romania to the J'\,II,i forces on the Russian front enabled the Ccrmans to supply them with case, while some of the fnel requirements of the hard pressed divivious in lt.ilv could also be met with Romanian lnbricants .md gasoliile. When the first attackins; party of 177 13-24s c.unc mer without fighter escort in the now historic low-level attack of

\~
/ ;/
.:

\'\
\

August l , I 04 3, a tremendous amount of damage was accomplished in spite of the loss of ;4 planes. i\stra Rom.ma's powerhouse \\,1' pnt out of operation ,Illd its CLIcking inst.illation \\'as demolished, ,IS \\cll ,IS h.ilf of its fllllctioning c'Ixlcih'. Crcclitul ~Iinier, Colombia Acquila and Stcllia H,Olllana-tlnce of Plocsf i's most uioclcrn pLlllts--\\'ere hit Ii.ud , l lulf of the Phoenix Orion rctiucrv \\'as obliterated, and the Lumina works had a large proportion of its vital parts reduced to rubble. At the t imc of the opening salvo agal11st German oil in c.i rlv 1944, Plocst i's cst itu.rtc] production was 4;S.OOO tons of crude output per month, of which 177.000 tons repre.s('nted m.ixim um g,ISO]inc production. During April the I Sth Air hJree--this time flying at 2(),000 feet with fighter escort-softened up the tIrget for its Sundav punch hy pouuding the r.ulroud lll,nsh,I1Jing yards wh ic]: lie to the north and south of the oil fields themselves. From J\lav on, the heavies couccutr.rtcd on the rcfi ncr ics. The enel1l~" reacted with strong countermeasures of active and paxxivc defense, exploiting e\'CT\' old trick and a couple of new ones. Their fighters were up in force. with the Romanian and J'\al.i pilots f1\'ing \, Il;~-lOC)s. Antiaircraft guns, including four-barreled 20 Illlll, SS m m , 10:; nun and J 2S I1IIll guns, threw lip a curtain of fbk that at all times was hcavv, intense and accurate. But fighter interception nnd ack-uck were not the sole extent of Hitler's defense prcpa rn t ious. Bcginning with the L1St strike in \[;1\', the whole Plocsti area \\'as screened bv a thick. s\\'ir1ing ,irtifici;l1 fog, ;\pproximateh' 2,()()() snll')ke geuerators were cmplovcd ill this c.rpacitv, and funct imu-d in the same marmcr cvcrv time Allied airmen came O\Tr. On the hst hlttle, however, there \I'as hut little smoke, Conliuuccl halllmering of comrnunication lines had p.iid off, .md

'

'\

\
\

~.

he oil blitz has been a constant struggle between offense and defense. Damage at Ploesti shows plainly which is succeeding
\

\
I

JI

'I '~-:J:

DECEMBER,

1944

35

the dcfcuckrs could not get 1lI supplies of the ncccssary chcnuc.rlx. Another dctcnvivc fcuturc at l'locsti \I'as the coustruct iou of hugc blast \I'alls-rcquiriug cnollgh brick to bu.ld a sizeable modern town-s-arouud cvcry single iustall.it iou at each refinery, oth ing qui tc 1ike tlu-m had ever been seen, Some were six feet thick at the bottom and tapered upward to a height of 20 feet, \I here thcv were 111'0 feet wide. I':n'n a series of three pU1llpS had a complete squarc of blast \I'alls around it, and from the air the whole arrnngcmcnt had the weird, dazzle-painted appearancc of a gigantic, ouc-storv, mul ti-roomcd, roofless h ousc. There were three Lngc-scale raids in the month of ~Ll\', at the end of whicl: the Stc.iua Rom.m.t rcfincn'--thirdmost productive-c-had been definitely knocked out, 'and the overall output at Plocsti had been trimmed down to 317,000 tons monthlv. [unc brought another three attacks and an innovation in the l Sth Air Force's tactics, On the l Oth , P-3Ss made a 10w-le\TI bombing-strafing run on Rom.m.r Amcr icaua Rcfincrv, They dropped between 40 and 50 bombs wcigh ing 500 pounds each and set fire to the Crutvcll crude oil distillery plant, \\'hen they left, 10 oil storage tanks were hlazing and the mechanical work shops were almost COlllplctcly dcmolished. Five stabs in [ulv caused important material damage to the Rom.rna Amcr icn na and Concordia refineries. Storage faeil itics of the Unirca Rcfincrv were scvcrclv rocked, and the giant Astra Rmnnuu plant \\';IS once again subjected to an aerial pummeling, I n August, up to the time of thc capture of the Plocsti fields by the Soviet Army, several hcuvv strikes \\'CTe carried out byfl: I Sth Air I'o'rce with one ilight hombiug foray by RAI' \Vcllingtons and Hulifuxcs. In addition, there was a straight fighter sweep by p.51s and p.38s on August 6, By the end of the last mission, the cupacitv of the main Romanian refineries \\'as reduced from its rated 700,000 tom of erudc output per month to a mere 77,00') t()m~a drop of 90 percent. No wonder, then, that the followiru; rccorn-

r"

mcud.rtious appeared m the \llthcira\\al orders issued by the command of the Nazi 26th Panzer Divixiou in Italy: "Armored units which arc not completely ready for action and those which cannot be taken along on account of the iucl position must be blown up, Connunudcrs will have to decide which motor transport will have to be taken along and which left behind, basing their decision on the fuel positiou . , ." l':loquent tcxtimony to the leak which air PO\lU- had punched in the German gas tank. On the less cloudy side of the enemy's ledger with respect to his "fuel position" arc several important considerations. I'irst is the bet that the word "dcstrov" must be used cautiously when applied to the oil incluxtrv. A refinery is a vulncrublc mcch.iuixm, it is true, but it can be repaired if spare parts arc rcad ilv avu il.iblc. A plant m.iv be struck with the greatest possible aecuL1ey, with the right number, tvpc a nd size of born bs. ~ lost of the surface structure may he dcmolishccl, most of the mach incry smashed. But the foundations will prob.iblv be left standing. the bulk of undcrground pipes and other works will be little harmed, and some of the mar-hines wi] l no doubt be available for repair or sal\';lgc. Hitler's men are well aware of this, and in Jnne a spcci 1 conun issioncr was a ppoi n ted to d ircct such rcnovat ion activities. IIc \\'as gin'n preference for labor and material even over ann.uucnt m.mnf.icturcrs, and the result has been the creation of a well trained corps of skilled workmen who arc specialists in just this type of emergency work. }.lorcovcr, extr;I\'agant pains have been taken to have spare parts within reach, Just as in the Reich substitute bridges arc read:' to replace existing Sp;1I1S which the Nazis think may he demolished, so extra machinery and huilding materials have heen deposited in the vicinitv of many essential oil plants. By this means, it is possible for a refinery to be in production again remarkably soon after it has been saturated with hom bs. The speed of German restoration is hest illustrated hy recent figures, Whereas, in September it was known that oil capacity had fallen to its [ow point of approximately 2) percent of the pre-attack level, the belief among experts was

Thick blast walls 20 feet hiah were reduced to rubble at the Xenia rcfincrv. Oil t.mk , sheltered bv walls. was complcu-lv C'oll:lp'ecl.

Five successive attacks in [ulv, J<H-f. rocked the Concordia. Plocsti. refilleries with the results shown above, Toppled tanks, twisted pipe-

36

AIR

FORCE

Hamburg

lPolilz IMagdeburg

I BI hh 1Bohlenr Ruhland Lutzkendorf 1

Merseburg

1 Trzebinia
ec arnmer

BruxlIZcllz

1 Loban

IAlmasfuzilO CampinallPloesti Brazil

Oil PLANTS ATTACKED

THE SCOREBOARD AT PLOESTI

April-August 1(J44 24 Number of raids 5,266 Num bcr of effective sorties 12,737 Tons of bombs dropped 90% Reduction of oil producing capacity A:\F losses 2"76 hcavv bombers, 59 fighters 334 Enemy fighters destroyed 239 Probably destroyed or damaged

!.

f,

lllles, ra/ed buildina. could also be seen at Lob.iu. Bohlen, "lers(:hurg. Ibm burg - ill Liet, wherever thc air armadas struck, DECEMBER,1944

that vnlumc might rise during the winter ino n thx because b.id weather would probably interfere witl: our opcr.it ions. 10 soften tile el1eeb of such ass;Il!lts, the cucmv has been smroundlng his oil targets with xcnnc extrl'ln~'Jy strollg hatterles of antiaircraft guns. At Brux, for cx.uuplc, photo leC<JllnalSSance shOll' that the number of :\A \\'C:lPOI]S h;ld bccn increased from ~-t IIC:I\) guns in J llly to ;I!JOut 200 III late October. Politz is 110\\ guarded by more hea\y gullS th.m arc uxcd to protect entire cities such as Bremen, JIaIIOlCT, lr.mkf ort or ",IIUlIcll. .\nother ach;lntlge for Jerr: lies ill the fact that bombins; of rdineries .md s:nthl'lie pl.mt, is r.nclv a visual pin-point opcr.rtiou. Becamc of snlOke sereens and other rC:lSons, it trcqucut lv has to be percmllled b: iuvtrumcutx. A III I ;IS the \\c:illrn groIn worvc, tile problclll bccomcs lllorC difficult fm t lu: .\llles ;1III I casier for tllc' :\a/is. :\e\erthelcss, the per',ls:ent homhing of her oil iud uvt rv ]I;IS been vcrv costlv to tile H,eicll' nurv, ill fact. han' lxcn thr substlnc:e \\itl; wh ich hcr skids were grc:\sed on the \"estern front. Out wnr] ind iea i ions of a serious pinch arc cvcivwhcrc in evidence. Conu n.mdcr-, of p;ln/,er divisions ;1I'e 110\\ required to xubuu! cl.ulv reports Oil cousuinpt iou and h.ivc been ordered to ut ilizc h orxcdr.twu vch iclcs whcrncr possible. The (;CrIll:lIl .Vir hnce tLlillmg program. vvhicl: ah\a\'s reeeil ec! a top priori l v Oil gas, has lxcu dr;\St icnllv limited. ']'Llinlng periods h.ivc been xhortcucd and ne\\ pilots do much less A\ing. ~eedless to S;I\', civil i.m lise ot \ ita] g~ls and oil h;lS bee II \ irtu.illv climiuatcd. To compcns.rtc for the shorLrge, the l\;;I/,is h.iv the rather clubiuus consol.rt iun of kllO\ling that their reqnirements arc beeOllling le" .md le". I tiling lost lr.mc and large slices of the 1,0\\' COlin tries, Pol.mel, It.ilv and the Balk.m. witl: the doldn) prospect of lming more. the enem:' c!oes not need uc.nlv SO m nc]: oil .md g;\soline ;IS he f ormcrlv did. Vl orcover, in his OI\n cou nlrv, good \\'ater .md r.ri] t r.mxpnrta t ion S\'stelllS arc present. .md he is less reliant on high\\'a\' travel. This is hardly cllongh ill brightell a Pruv.i.ru gc'neLll's outlook, hut it is distIndh' worth Iloting. On the .vlliccl SIde, tl: kssom of the oj] oflcusivc were cxtrcnu lv v.ilu.rblc. It prmcd th;lt oi] refineries could be hit and knocked out with a rc.r-.ou.rhlc ccouoinv of force. It g:I\'e m S()Jne (Lib on \I'h:,t ,si/.e bomb \\':IS ']]]osl effective against this hpe of target and the fll/,ing to he cuiplovccl. Furtlu-r kllo\\1cdge \\'~lS added about the c.rpabil it ics and ~,llortcollllllgS of the IOllg Ll1Ige Ccruian anti.urcr.rf t gllns, f\C\\' mc.iux \\Tre dcvclopccl to nutwit the sllloke-screen defemes, .vnd the pathfinder tcc-h uiquc of om bombers reaelln] ;1 new high lcvcl of skillflll .rppl irntinn. hOln tlle ]'lilesh P;l\!illg ;!Iollc', the 1-:\';l!lIati(JI! Bmrc! of the "lcc!itnLIIll';1Il Thc.it cr of Operatiolls-;l grollp of A1\]<' ilJ\l'.Stig:ltorS "ho ]]]()\ed into Rom:lIli;1 on the heels of the Ilccins; :\:\/is-\\'~IS ;I!Jle to cvtr.rct cnollgh infnnu.u ion to modify, .mcl set a p;lttern for future air opcr.rt ious of this n.rturc, The hO~Jr(l's fuurtion \\'~IS to .ippru i:. properly and jllstl:' the llletlrods used ;lg;linst the v.uiou targets and to prep;llc Slll t.m t i.t tee] reports on wh ich further bom bing ;lctilities Inin]lt he hlsed, ,\11 in ;111, the sllceess of the oil blockade is a major trnunph in tire h ivtnrv of strategic air w.rrfnrc. The amazing Lct is th;lt so milch \\~'S done in so short a time at so little cost. Its objeeti\c, as it g;lins gronnd. is not to burn np cvcrv luvt g:lllon of gas left in the Reich, but to cripple the Lllfh\;llte .mcl to nuke tire Armv progressi\eh' less mobile. Obviou-lv. tire cuciuv is despera tc. The hom b.uclmcnt of his oil industrv has bccu .mcl con till Iles to be Ilis wor st hc.ul.rchc. Anci when the whee]s of the \\\'hrIllaeht gratc and grind to their last stop, Ccrm.uu. ddC:lt m.rv \\'ell he ;\Serihl'll in part to too many troubled \\'atcrs---alld not cllollgh oil.

37

Portrait of a Crew Chief

By Sgt. Samuel W. Taylor
Stll Air Force
ILLUSTRATION BY S(;T. LEE C.RIJlli\U(;H

tis OS)O of a gray blglish 111odling. In the 0."issen hut, S/Sgt. \Villard \Vall puts a big, work-grill Icd hand into the arm of a greasy field jacket, shrugs his shoulders into it. pulls on an equally greasy fiver's cap with its loug sun visor tilted sh.u plv np from his brow. Outside it is chill and damp. Dew is licavv on thc fields of clipped grass between the runwavs. The gra\' brick .rd m inixtratiun bnildings far across the landing field arc harclv visible. Dispersed about the area in their ba:'s .nc the sleek. red-nosed \lusbnfC;s. SerfC;eant \Vall p;lnses beforc thl' '"Boise

Ike," gi\'ing it a quick once over. Appropriately named, an . agile creature of tile air, with a dcadly sting. It is the plane \ of Capt. Duane Beeson. The former hotel clerk from Boise, Idaho, is one of the "hot" pilots of Blakeslee's group of the Sth Air Force, Scrgeaut \Vall flexes his hands this morning of April 5, J <)-H. They arc large, well-form cd, powerful. In them, he holds the lifc of Becson. For the thousand things that might go wrong with the cuonuouslv complicated mechanism that is a fighter plane, \ Va II is fullv rcvponsiblc. j'\ obodv else sha res that rcsponsibilit ,.. Other men have tested and loaded the guns, repaired the enginc and patched up holes from battles. Othcr men have rigged the radio and .uljuxtcd the controls. Specialists, all of them. Bnt \Vall has fnll rcsponsibilitv for their work. If ;llIything goes \\Tong, he is to blame. If anything goes \\Tong, his pilot and hero, Beeson, may not come back. The 2")-vear-old sergeant shrugs and starts his day's work. There's a show on todav. Beeson will be going out at 11)0 liourx, Ie;lding his squadron. \\'all whccl up the hattcrv cart and starts the motor. Ill' lovc-, this gh"Col-coolcd iul inc powcr pl.mc, lie listens to it AIR FORCE

38

He's the guy who holds the life of the pilot in the palm of his hand
up. I, there the f.nntv-t ovcrt on of fl reign .unu] the powerful throbbmg? 'Lippch? \'.llIc>? ]<:cJTmg', :'\0. It's running like <l watch. IIe llIakcs a ground check of engine and in-trumcnt s L"mlllllng the radio, arm.nncnt, c.uucra, te,ting the con. t n-Is , lIe adjusts the brakes, inspects eyer)' part of the lundjllg gcar retraction mcch.mism , I10w arc the fLip,? lIe t rnu s the tabs, aileron, rudder and clcv.rtnrs, so Beeson will 1>l all ready to take off when he climbs in. Beeson is particular. l\othing hut pnfectioll satisfics him. III himsclf as 1\'(.'11as in others. Beeson k now pl.uu. l Ic kll(l\I'> planes just as he knows about c\erytlnllg conncct cd ." ith his bIlSIllCSS. I !c's a m.m to xpcncl hours poriug lJ\ cr 'lcognition eh:nts at night, LIen after tin) yc~ns and nine li1IJJ1ths as a com hat pilot. \\'ith 21 victories to his credit. lie -t ill IS practicing dry ruus of marksIlI~lllship on all auning pdget he set up ill the dispcrsal hut. The pl.mc h~ls to be ll:,:ht for Beeson. '\\'all c1calls the canopy. lie rubs the ple'\iglas until it -h incx. lIe gocs over the w.ixcd body of till' pl.uu, polishim; .t. .\ few more milcs per hour, \yhcIl BCCSOIlnccds t lu.m in a ])Illeh. \\'all t.ikcs spceial cure to polish the illsignc of thl lx c with a revolver in each h.urd . Thc l luu k uow this pl:JIIC, ", ith reason. "L'm going to change the n.uuc of this pl.inc," Bl'l"OIl h.itold \\'all. "I w.uit somethillg that includes yOIl ;IS wcll ~IS ., me. .\L1I1)' pilots have the n,IIllCS of their CI'C\I' chids Oil tlrc l.mc. A pilot klllJ\\'s who kl'l'ps h im ill the air, who is be, l uuc] the uncrring respome of the uuch.urism th.it lIleets l lery emergency .mc] hrillgs h im b.rck frolll the IZcieh, \\':ill IS proud of tl ic fact that in III()I'C th.ui :1 YClr tl: B()isc Bcc h~lS aborted OIl II' twice. Both times the c.msc \las r.id io t roublc. \\'iping all the tail, \\':ill cx.nuiucs carcf ullv the uliuo-t invisible liuc \I here a new seetwll \I:IS put on, That \I':lS jllSt ,I mouth ago, Oil .\!:Jrch CJ. J li , lu.ut h.rd turned cold wlu-n IIC sa \I' the Boisc Hcc cou: III f()r :1 landing with the bare t r.nncwork sh<l\\iIlg ill t hc fill xhurt urc. \Vall had run to the pl.u. as it tu xicd up, guided it into the bay. 'thcn, :IS he hclped umtrap the pilot .md get him out, the first inevitable q ucxIiot}: "How \Y,IS the pl.mc, Clpt:III1?" And Beeson's inv.ui.rb!c .ui-wcr: "OK." lroiu a pcrfcctionist, that OIlC \lord spc:lk, YOhIJl1CS. \Vall h .dnoticcd first thing that thc gnn t:lPC \I'as broken. "IIow llIany did you get:" "Olle i\ll-:,]0<) :Illd SOIIICstrikcs OIl:11I ],\\'.1<)0." "That makcs 14." Then \ V:I 11 gets thc stor:' firs t ,h:llld. Th:1 t's one ad\:1l1 tlge of being a ercw chid. You're thc first to hC:lr about it. Bccsoll gesturcs \I'ith his 11:Inds ~IShc t:dks, likc :Ill pilots, Ilis left h:lnd docs thc Illln m~lm'Il\Cr. his right his O\\n. Thc 22,yc:lr.old f1ycr is r:Jther slight. closel:' knit, illtcnse, :Isscrti\'C. hristlillg \\'ith sclf.confidencc hom of 110m, of p:liIlSblking \lork, J'\o pilot ill thc \\'(Jrld trics h,mler th:ln ]IC, I.'c\l'. if :lIlV, arc hetter. None is so dissatisficd with thc h;lir, Ii nc hetwe'en h imsclf :Illd perfectio!l, "\\'c werc cOIlling hack \lhen \\C spotted :I fI\'ing fielel, so \\'c \\'cnt dO\\'ll to thc deck :lnd CIIlIC O\'er:lt :lhollt 400 miles ;1Il hOIlr. 1 got strikes on ~11l ],'\\'.100. Therc I\,:IS f1:1k. I \\':IS :rlmost O\cr whcn she hit lllC. \Vhoof. It tlne\l' mc O\'l'l on m\' side and for :I \\'hile I didn't krHlI\' if I'd pllll Ollt of it, I ,lO\\'cd dO\\'n and got Ilndcr control. Thc rudders I\'crc stiff ;IS hell and] h:ld to hold h:m] left rudder :dl thc 1\':1\' hack. ed that fi'\cd IIp, :Illd check it to hc smc it\ OK." .

:,' Jt \1.ums
;j()J~C

"Y.'1l l t. C;lpL!lil." \\':ill ':1)". ] k i, jllSt ;IS sClrnl as if he'd lx c n tln(}JIllh it. It's th.rt fl.ik. 'I he 11:Jk doesn't cne hOI\' gnnd yOIl :1 ~c, Y PII c.mt nil t-m.t ncuvcr f1:1 . Yon c.mt k outvlroot flak. Ile cloc-ut hkc Beeson to go into th.it fl.ik. 'I hat \I~IS:I month :lgo. Since then, thillg, h.rvc happened. In .\ l.n ch, BLikeslec's hoI', set a new 1\.\1' record bv destroy. ing ] ;() :\:I/i pl:illCS. necson n nc] Capt. Don GClltile ;)1 Piqu.i, Ohio, were f lrc top"corillg pilots all mouth, witl: the f ornu-r holdillg a ,light :I<h:lnLlge until .\Lnch 29. Lil: all mcm hers of the grollp, Bccson and Ccntilc arc more conccrucd with tcnmwork th.m wil h iurl ivid uul achievemcut ~IS thcv go .rbout their job of protccting the ;\.\1" lxnubcrv. Bllt n.rt ur.rllv a friendly riv.ilrv h:ls dl'\eloped be' t\leen tIle p"rr :IS c.rch Ile:lrs thc llJ:lgic m.nk of 27, wh ich ]]0 .Ymcr ir.n: th us f.u ha, att.nncd in the 1':'1'0, Oil \ l.uch (1. Ccn tile had ]]i nc to Beeson's H. 'I \H) d.ivs later. Centile got fom to COlIlC wit h in one of t:lng tfJC score. Y;lch hlggcd a single on thc I :>th .uu] a double on the 2 ')d, .md the count then xtood 17 for Beeson .mc! I (1 for CClltile-. BCl'\on incrclsn] Ilis 11l:llgin OIl the 27th wlicu he clc-trovcd thrcc :\:I/i, to Ccnt ilc's t\lO. .md \\':111 pocketed !II 0 1)()IIlHls protlt f n nu a SIde lxt on wli ich of the two pilots \I()llld fllst CLiCk 20. "l luu Oil the 2()th, Bceson went to Loudon on a P:ISS .md Ccut il knockcd clnwn t hrc J luus to Pllt him in the le:lll. "l l rc 1110nth cudcd wit]: no f nrthcr t.illv hv either. TIm nlorning of .\prd ;, the SCOlC (s 22 for Ccntile .md ~] for Bccson. Since ;\pril I. \I lien c.ul: of the rivul-, got o nc cnclny pl.urc, the gl()llp h", fretted t]nollgh three <!:IIS of b;ld wc.rt hcr. Hut 1llJ\I' it's ck:lrillg, ;\ iu i-vion i, 011 t od.rv. .\s \\ :ill p()li,hls the Boisc Bcc. he is eOllfillellt th.it this is Bcc,on's d.iv. I ts ill thc hlg. If Bccson h;ldn't t.rkcn tlr.rt <1:1\'off. ' .. But hcll cvcn the score t ocl.iv. 'lIe sliuts oil the motor. top' o!1 t hc fll;'l blnks. and chl'lls e\er\ tIlIng :lg:lin. ;\nd once more. ;\lly ll':lks in the cooling "stclll or lrvdr.mlir c()ntrol,? Sp;llk plll:':S :HC onl;' four homs old. Cood for auotlrcr eight lxforc cll;lllglng. hll:illy, Bee,on .u rivcs. Ilis cycs rove over tlrc pl.uic as l.c stridcs up. "hl'l\tlling OK, "',dl?" "OK, Cupt.nn." \\',ill is \cry h;lppy to be crew chid to Bec,on. Ile's ne\cr sened ~Illother pilot. Bceson denl:lllds pcrfcction. lmt hc ;lppreci:Jtcs it :IS ()Ill\' a perfcetiollist cln. Ilc", <!()nc a hllndrnl little thillgs for "':Ill. Little thillgs :m officer cm do for :Ill elllistcd nlan. Bccson ll:ls on his \'ellO\\' 7\bc \\'cst. lIe impect, the pLinc cnefnll:'. Ile gl:tS into the cockpit, sits on his P:ILI' chlltc :111<1 llecks the cOlltrols. c "\\'!Jerc ;IlC yOll goillg tod;l\', C:lpLlin?" \V:l1l asks, helpillg him illto his p~lr:lchllte h:rrllc',S and strappillg hi]]] in. ;\Ild Bces()n rcl:i'\es :I hit. grillS, :m'\I'l'lillg as hc :il\\':IYs doc" "Jllst a hig lOllg ride," ] Ie\ t()O intcllt to hc a hapl)\' n1:ln. Bllt he's not morose. Ilc is kcen. qllick. gi\en to rcpartec. ;\fter a Berlin show \lIICIl figllters IIlc! no oppositioll he retllllled I\'ith the eLissie qllip, "YOIl end do hmilless \lith Illtler." "\\':Itch yonrsclf. Clpt:JiIl. Don't get in so closc. The \Y:IV yom:, prop lookcd thc other (by. yOIl \lcre right on Jcrry's Lill. Bccson ];llli;hs. "If I can't get 'CI11 :111\' other \\:IY, I'll kllock 'cm dm\'n \I'ith l11y pr()])." Ilc's eonfidcnt. Ilc\ spcnt plelll\' of til11c :llld p:lim making himsclf good. \\':dl prcssc, the hlltton of thc hlttl'l\' cart. :mel Bccson li,tcm to the cngillc, Ilc rllIl' it :d)()llt f()1ll minlltes, It is

DECEMBER,1944

39

OK. \Vall takes out the blocks and Bccson ta:\IS the Boise Bee to the rIlll\I'ay and takes off. He's squadron leader now, and is first. The other planes of thc squadron follow in order. Thcn comes the bad time for \\ 'all. lIe can't get at the plane now. Let's sec, he cheeked cvcrvth ing, l Ic checked it twice and three times. It's Or..:, Isn't it? But until the Boise Bee comes backThere's work to do while sll'eating it out. Ill' gcts belly tanks ready for the plane's return, I Ie goes into the little office of the :\issen hut and fills out forms. Then he strolls up and down awhile, stopping ncc.rxion.rl lv to look at onc of the hundred-odd pin-up girls. lIe keeps going outside, lookmg up at the sky, l Ic keeps listening, This is the hard part. Tha t repaired ta il structure had n t begun slia king loose, had it? He checked that, didn't he? He starts writing a letter to the folks in ~lohnton, I'a., where he used to help fi:\ cars in his dad's garagc. It helps to remember the old times. l Ic was a knitting mnchinc fixer for a couple of years, Then he was gi,'en S 300 a month to go to a Civil Service school and become an aircraft engineer, but the Army snatched him two weeks before graduatiou. He had had enough training that after his three months of basic he went straight to England-and he's worked for Beeson ever since, He hears the drone of an cngine and runs outside, leaving the letter unfinishcd. It's a ~lllStang aborting. Not Beeson. He gocs back imide and looks at another section of pin-up girls on the corrugated iron wall. The crcwuicn hale their private scoreboard on a blackboard on the wall. Becson 21. Gcntile 22. Sweating it out. And then along in the afternoon they start coming back from Bcrliu. lIe watches them as thcv come in. 'I'lrcvrc all off the same asscm blv line, bnt he c;n tell the Boi~e Bee. Every flyer handles hls ship differently, l Icll know Beeson. They keep coming in, vvhcrc is Beeson? "Hcv, Centile got five tod.iv!" somebody calls. Wall's face is stiff ami wooden. \\'here is Beeson" l Ic'll he in. He'll be back. lIere comes a stragglerl :\0, that Isn't Beeson. Finullv he hears it. "Bees:lI\ went down." AmI, hurriedly, to rc.tvsurc him: "Flak. The pl.iuc \las all right. hut the flak got the glycol. TIII:y came down on this Lluu airfield. straflllg, and the flak got them, onc, two. three, Beeson first, Carr second, Bicl third. Thcy all got hit as they nude the first pass, Bicl got back, hut Curr a ncl Becsou h.ulcd out. You ought to sec Bicl's plane. It's a sieve." "Beesonb.ulcd out?" \\'all asks nu-cluru ic.rl!v. "But he got two JUIICS first. .\ slug got hun iu thc gl:'Co1. Biel hcard hill! mer the R/T. " 'I\'C got a gl:'Col lc.i k, hut I'll make it home auvwav.' Beeson said, But prclh' xoo n he Clllle in ~lg~lin: 'I\c got to bailout m ~I m mu tc. \1:' tenlpcLlturc is np to I :;U.' .\11(1 then he b~lilec1. I le dichr'! S<l:'goodIne," :\0, BCl'sou wouldut S~I:' goodlJlT, TTc would nt turn scnt imcnt.rl. I le'd be hit tcrlv dis:lppoln!ccl, uot ",ft. "lIe\', \\'a11, come on mcr and take <I g~lnder at Biers plane. Yon never ,,-Tn such ~l ship." But Serge~lnt \\'a11 t ur ns anc! \I:dks ,lmlh' hick to the ="issen hu t. I Ie gocs in .mcl lil's dowu on tIle bcd , on hIS hack, looki nt; up uIlSceinC;h- :il- the pin-up girls .md the curving, corrng:ltec1 roof, Anvhow, no Hun pilot got Beeson, F1:Ik got the Boise Bel'. :'\0 flyer can aloid fl~lk, It doeS!l't matter l.ow good you arc, with flak, :'\0 lInn was C;ood enough to get Beeson, The blackbourd still Ius the score' Beeson :21. Gentile :22, Bceson is z:; now. But Gentile is :2-, That's the brc.rk. \V~ll1 hes there looking up .rt nothing, .\ couple of oth.-r gn\'S go out and ICl\T him to he alone.

OUR AIR TASK FORCE

(Continued hom Page --;) quartermaster complements. It also has liaison officcrs from ground and :\al~d units partiCIpating in an operation. In short. it is an extremely tlcx ihlc. piouccrnu; air force, Ceneral Kcnucys three air task forces h.ivc been the spearhead of elcry major aerial advance from Lac Sal.uuaua to the I'h il ippiucs. The First Air Task Force originally consisted of a few officers and enlisted mcn, one fighter group to gi,'c local COler, and an attack group for low-level strafing and a nor' mal service setnp. Later a troop carrier and light, medium, and hcavv bomber units were attached. Its first command, mg officer, Brig. Gen. lthen colonel) Frederick II. Smith, was to a great extent responsible for the organization and development of the air task forces in the Southwest Pacific, A typical illustration of an air task force mission \\'~1S that assigned to the 30::;th Bomb \\'ing during its six weeks of operation in the Bi.ik-Owi area. It CIII be stated as follows: First, denial to the enemy use of shipping and supply routes in thc Molucca Sea, Tcr.un Sea ancl in waters be' tween )'lincLlllao and wcstcru Dutch :\cw Cuiuc.i. Second, destruction of enemy air installations which could be used against our Army and Fleet units which would be participating in future landing operations. Third, reduction of enemy ground defenses and Pacific ports, and constant at, ticks on cnemy networks to supply and reinforce their ground units situated in the Biak area, In this operation, as in all others. the beginnings were on a small scale. It started with only fighter units to which P-61s \I'lTC added gradu:llly, Strcnath accumulated. as strips and other facilities became avail.rblc, with the attachments of light and medium and hc.ivv bomber units. At its height of activity, the First Air Task Force had complete operation.rl con trol of five hom h groups, four figh ter groups, a 1\al'\' healy patrol squadron, a night fighter squadron, a liaison squadron, an air-sea rescue squadron, a photo group, a night intruder squadron, and clements of a recon group, This \\as the First Air Task Force's last big show prior to the Philippines assignmcnt. \\'ith this latter operation, air pOllcr in this area assumed a slight],: differcnt role. ,\11 through -:\c\\' Cuinca, General \T:1c\rthur h.l rcvcrvcd the convcntiou.il procedure and in f.ut drl'\\' tire gronnd forces in snpport of air operation. The n.iin function of our gronnd forecs \\,:IS to contact a softened up cncmv .uicl to xci:. on the sllOre :!reas for nse as ~lirhlses fr'OIl1 \lh;ch to launch anot hcr forw.ird tlirust. In place of ~I war of IJl'-p~l"ing awl isol.rt ion of the cncmv to the rc.rr. our pbn in the Philippines is nllt til isobtl' the J~IP lmt til c1ri\(' him out. The l ilxrn t ion of the Ph ilippinc-, is :111 ohjcct ivc in liself, It will be the m iv.iou of om .ur forces to coorcliuutt: witl: gronnd forces cvcrv inch of the 11':1\' in frceing tlrc Plrilippil1l's of ):lpS, to seC111'epcrm.uun t :lirdr0111es for tlu: ,jr:ltcgie bombing of j~IP:11Iitself, \\'Ir~lt('lCr the fnture .-m plovmcu! of his air task forces hI' Ccnu:Il ](C1111C\', the-ir cre:ltioll 11~lslx-cu f ullv jnstified :IS the l.cv to t lu: air c:()J](jncst of ,\('11' Cuinc.. and'tlre Hnlm.rhcr.r-, \,I;ich hronght om planes back to tIle Phihppincs. ~.(

Answers to "How Sharp Are You?" on Page 2

1, F.ight
..., P.:;l. pr, P:;C; :;, Ye" Oil the p_.p, wh ich is third from the fron t -l. Ccutlc .\lIl1ie
(j,

~, R St:Illdillg '7 True S, Checks

]')lJ\1'l1

111

a Jeep

i),

1 n '\0
AIR fORCE

40

:::::::::::::: : :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::tech nique :::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::: ::::: ::: ::::: ::::::::;:::::;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;::: ;:::::::: :::: :::::::::: :::::::::::;:::::::::::::;:::;:::::::::::::

Two powerful 2.100 h p engines lift the CS2\ st r nct ion. sh,)\\'n at top, facilitates cargo loading

2'i gro's tons into the air. High tail eon throngh eight-foot door at rc.ir of fme!:Igc.

C-02-Sky Boxcar
Design eel cxclusivclv for cargo operat io n-, under com bat cond it innx, the new luirch ild C-S2 "f ork-t.ulcd freighter" is ~I twin-cugiucx]. boom-tailed plane wh ich com hines the triple-threat ad\'anblges of ;1 cargo transport, troop carrier .md HvIIlg am bul.uicc, and possesses speed and I:lnge grdtcr than allY uircr.rft of its class ill the wor]c] . As a cargo carrier, its low.slung fusehge .md rear door loading features rccluc lo.rdiut; prohlems to mO\'ing-\':1ll sllnplicit\" The twin tail boom arc so high off the ground th.rt ordin.rrv trucks mav he hacked right lip to the fllselage. Then the g:lr:lge-action eloors swing open to IT\T:d .iu eigh t.foot sqn:lre cargo opening, and freight rolls aboard with speer] uud case. In another method, a

ramp which folds into the plane's interior when not in nvc, is let down from the fllSelage, and vehicles such as a '(hOlllas 9]':-1 t.mk or a 7:; nun halft r.rr k arc ximplv clrivcn into the plane. It woulr] require a iu.rjor engilleering operation to get either unit into .mv other present tvpc cargo craft, This "Iioxcar with \yim;s" is 'i-+ feet in length and has an overall cargo sp:lce of 2, -:; 2 1 cubic feet-onh'i 'iO cubic feet less th.m the xt.md.ud X-2 -:; boxcar n-ed 11\' the railroads. The troop tr.mvport yersion of the e-S2 can scat -+2 ful lv equipped soldiers auc] their fighting n1:\terial. The interior of the cllgo couip.utmcut h:ls folding cuuv.is-tvpc troop henchcs running along the xidc, while circlllar windows slide open to permit rifle fire. There arc

Identification

....
silhouettes

of the C-S2.

sm:t!1 doms within the Clrgo clnor-. for p.uutroopcrs, who can [ump without [c.u of striking fuselage or t.u] nsxctu b!v stmetmes hec1l\se of the hO{}]l1-tail eleSIgn. An ur-to-around sllppk feature is incorporated in the droppuhlc aerial dclivcrv containers wh icli arc mounted on sbu']darel bomb shackles in the hotAIR FORCE

42

;:::::::::::;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::=:::::::::=:::
of the fuselage .md arc released in the cunvcnt iouu] !)()ndJ b.rv m.u i ucr. \\'hen the C-S2 is usecf as an .uuhul.mcc pl.iuc, pmts and \\eh StLlPS for litters arc set np in a double roll' along the center of the plane without interfering with side seating :lIT'lI1gemenh. Scvcntv-fivc clsu,Ilties may he c.uric], together with three attcnd.mt-. \ Vhcn not in usc, litters arc stowed under the plywood flooring, I n profile, the C-82 looks slightly like an O\'ergr0\\'1 1 "Black \\'idlm," III)\\'ever, its \\ing slxm of 1 ()(J.:;6 fcct.ilm ost nl;ltching that of the l''h-ing l'"ortress-consideLlhh' dll',nfs the night fighter. \\'ing is full cantilever construction, witl: aluminum alloy and alebd framework and cOlcring, Special flaps and usc of a "drooping aileron" permit quick take-offs with full lo.rdx from short rIm"'a;:s, and gin' the plane an extremely slow bnding speed. The crew's ca lrin is on a deck above the forward end of the cargo compurtment .md provides ro()Jn~', sound-proofed quarters for pilot. copilot and na"igatorradio-operator. l~ntrancT is through a small h;ltch in the floor Ill' mC11lS of a ladder from the cargo area. TIre fusebge is of monoeoquc construction and is built of alebd slu-ct .md formed stringl'ls "ith a nlvwood "Dur.uuolcl" no-.c. The rctTae1:lhle laue]ing gear is motor-operated, with an intricate svxtom of folding strut arms aduptcd 'from the 1\.\1" Short-Stirling bomber permitting hnlf-minutc wheel retraction. Power for the C-82 comes from two Pratt and '''hitne\' R-2S00 series engincs, clch c.rpublc of developing 2,100 hp at take-off, '1\\0 full-feathering, constant speed. l Lunilton Standard threebladed props pull the plane's 2:; gross tons in the air. wh ilc built-in \ying tanks can take the air freighter for about 3, :;00 miles.
i orn

tech
top ics . . '!bout aircratl and equipment
Conl cmplntcd puvhcrtvpc fighters have led to dcvclopmcn! of :I sprillgtype laLl pult which tosses the pilot out of the pl.mc .md bel 011' the propeller arc in case he has to .ib.mdon .... Dropp.rblc fuel I.mks 1101\' bcing jlttcd to \Iillg imtaJl:Itium of 1'.61 s m:Iy gile these planes extra long range. Complaints from grolllld (TC\\'S on rcmov.rl of spinner C':IPSfrom 1'.38 props .rrc answered with 'I new quick-detachable spin. ncr. "\ fel\' simple opcration-, and the new spinner drops off; prcviouslv, 100 Phillips head scrcw had to he removed.

p.ut sln'lshes

of I S inch h:lltleship .irmor. 1m slllg to pieces .mcl deflects it into .m anuor.d cone shaped container which. after 1.()()().()1I1I rounds, automati callv dumps the used lead for disposal. ... ;\ .speci;J! jig. larger th.n: .mv prcviouslv used. has lxcu deSigned for drop te'>tmg of B.29s. hlckstop

Because occasional "luckv" hits have cnnscd xcrious damagc to 'propellers rcxult ini; ill Ill'S of .urpl.mc-, a nCI\' tougher dcflcct iou armor is hl'illg utilized for proJl spinners ..... \ high streugth laminated ",lass pb,t ic In;1\ he Il.,ed for molding small two hbded propellers,
E\'Cn some of om old experimental air, CLift ;Ire get tin; a Ilorkc"lt in thi, w.rr, Take the gi;lut Boeing XBl S, which now is llSed 11\' .\'I'C for c:ngo operations in the Cnil,k"lu tl'l';l!er .. , . Sln,I11 cUlergenC'\' sigml Ii:.;hts iu the honlh h'l\ of Bl7s 1101\' tell t hc crcvv nu-mlxr. whcu to pre. pare to hit the silk .. , .. \n old B 1 S hom her whicl: participated in initial cxpcrimcnt , \\ith .mtom.rt ir lanchng' h:ls lx-cu tltted wit h a nell' automatic' pilot .ul is 11011' heiu; llSed for tests of the latest "hands off" l:mding svstcm, Spl'cial hiological containers minE; clrv icc nO\I' prO\ ide a mv.u r- of shipping v.u cilll',s ;llIeI scm illS jn templ'ratures lx.loiv freTziu[' .. , . Port.rblcbvnir .mt ir: .md tropic:l hospit.tl sheltcrs' lurvc been de. signed for wouuclcd patients, who arc lxinr; eTal""ted )1\' .ur ami get groullded at .\'I'C xl opovcr points. Shelters iuclude heating or cooling units. (lepending UpOIl clim;ltes to wh ith thel arc sent. Thin. li;ht. \\cight cas""lil bl.mkct with tilll electric wire ill their lining also 'He hclping keep wonl,~led coru fortahle. Thel plugin to am' plane's l'lc:etric';I1 ",te,ll, ... The air l'\';!CmT' wil] E;ct w.mn soups .n] bcvcr ;1;l'S hl'ea lISC of a coin pact. ekct ricallvlu-ntcd thcrmo-, ill" leeenth' developed hI enginl'er' .... Diffi cilities e"'peril'need bv COlli. bat crews tning to get out of crippled hom hers have led to a series of mockup\\hich cmhorlv var ious sh;lpes for e,cape hatches and doors.

Pilots Alin; I' ,Ss in the ETO hale a'>ked for nl'\\' ;eat ruvhions. The "bottom" is too !J:nd whcr: wcaring back-type chutes. . , .. \11 1'- ,Cis soon will liav an improved gnn xwitr-h on the control wheel that enahles all guns .md rockets to he fired with a single trigger. Original cannon switch is to he used for rcleasing hom bs in place of pllSh hili tOil on the homh control panel. ... Sonic B2 .. h.rvc been fitted with h poweroperated 1\"list guns. Studcnts in Link Instrumcnt I'h'inE; and Landing trainers nOI\' 1\ ill h.rv more iu-tru Inents to fret over. ,\ modified design of the trainers !J:IS added major cngine iuvt rn urcuts to aeCJ""int pilots with their u-c. Red and green I\indshields. called view liniiter aml-II'ed for blind flight inst ruct ion \\ill be replaced \\'it h or.mgc and blue color com bin;ltiollS which arc eonsidcred more l'ffecti\l'. Te'ts rcccnt lv h.ivc lxcn cOlllj)Jetl'd with fi\(, new h'pes of goggle's wluch arc "lid to gi\c greater field of vi-ion. .\lIlOng those tested was a Russian dC"ligll. .\ phosphorosccu! t.ipc mav be used inside airpLIlIl" to iu.uk hatch\\:l\s .mcl l'xits. ... ]);Illgns in il.rklircd aircraft arc being miniulizl'e1 hy .m cxpcr iuu-nt.il tlreproof f.ihri for personal clothiug. ;\1 Ion .md tlhlTgla" clot h for cOIniug alpaca fuzz on intelllluli;l!l' fll iug suils IS I)lO\'ill; highh- uou-combu-. t ihl, III;{I' -s('l';'e ;IS .m 'Ielded jire pllliector for :lirerCln. . . I,ightwei;lit elltter' aucl \\Tdge' with spceial fca l unx h;l\'e lx.cu desiglled to aiel (Te\\s ill cllftillg their \\"11 our of 'lIhlllergeel air pl.un, .if tcr el':"h Iallding' III w.itcr. Par;ltroopers :lre heillg supplied with a '1IIIc1opelliug sllap hook device for t luir IT,nlC p'lral'illlte, .... Coil spring' in ;{ tubular I\Thhing construct ion arc heillg tested 'IS p.uk 0PClllTS in parachute' .md arc prOl'illg supcrior to rubber elastic openers. IT

-'

On the Technique Cover Page

The spider-web pattern inside this wiud tunnel at \\'right Field is created hv a nvlon net which aiels in testing airplane spin characteristics, The operator is about to throw into the airstream a 1/20 scale model of a fighter plane with controls set for perform.mcc at a specified level so engineers .md obscrvcrs can studv its spin a nd rec~nTv properties with delicate recording deliccs. The netting
DECEMBER,1944

\\1-'

11l'\\

\\'ri"ht Field's Arm.mu-nt Labor.it orv is ? ' planning a unique "torture cham her" for aircraft machine gnns and light cannon. I loused in a 2() hI :;u foot eOlllTetl' hmld. ing, the gnn fire:s tlllollgh ;l tnbl' at a

43

:::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::: tech nique ::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::: ::::: :::::::: ::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::;:
catches the model wlicn it recovers and serves to create a Iow-vclocitv spot inside the test chamber so the miniature plane will remain as ncar as possible to the center of the air jet, The 16-sicled vcrtica I tunnel ou twnrdlv resembles a hnge silo, '

Hood and Cape Repels Flak

Airmen of the I =jth Air Force arc now protected from the high incidence of head and neck flak wounds by a special hood and cape, c1esignec1 b~' Lt. Col. I. Lonis Hoffman. 7\IC, of the Air Sur geon's Office of the l Sth, to he worn over flying helmets, In construct ion of the first model, manganese steel pl.rtcs were removed from an old flak suit in shops of the i 1th Air Depot Croup, enclosed in c.mvus and covered with leather. A cotton lining containing a half-inch Liver of sponge rubber was used to aly;orh concussion. Because the five-pound weight of the .mti-fl.ik hood is horne on the shoulders. it can he worn without discomfort and docs not interfere with movements at gun positions or over the hom bsigh t.

Gunner m:IIlS position confident that the spcciallv constructed hood he "Glrs will afford excellent protection ag;linst flak wouud-, .rrouncl head and neck. Stecl plates enclosed in canvas. covered with leather and lined \vith cotton and spongc rubber compose the garmcnt,

Sun Takes Salt from Seawater

A floating distillation unit that uses the sun's heat to convert seawater into drinking water has been developed bv the Air Technical Service Command from designs suhmitted hv the Massnchusctts Institute of Technology and the Callowhur Chemical Corp., and is now standard equipment for multi-place life rafts. This new inflatable solar still is a balloon-like cvl indcr 12 inches in di.uuctcr and 30 il~ches long. It is made from Vinvlitc plastic, which permits 90 percent of thc sun's rnvs to pass through. The heat is then absorbed bv a plastic screen in thc center of the still. which has black cellulose spongcs sewed to it. These sponges arc sa turn teel xvi th seawater hcfore the still is blown np. and as the sun cvuporatcs the water. thcv serve to retain the salt rcxid uc. The vapor, on the other hand. condenses and trickles clown the sidewalls to a fresh-water reservoir in the bottom where it is storeel until needed. \\'ater is drunk direct from the still. J\faximum output varies from one to five pints of water duilv for each unit, .md as m.urv as six of these two-quart cap.rcitv stifls may he floated from a single raft. Also includeel in AAF life rafts arc tarpaulins for catching rain, and desalting kits for usc on C'1ol1Ch' an. d Cans of water arc inc-luded for emergenc\' usc a S well.

Men seated in life raft drink fresh wat cr sun's r.iv-, h.ivc produced from seawater. Below is Cullowhur Still sho"'in; components: 1. scrccn with hexagon sponges which retain the saline residue, 2. collecting chamber for fresh w.rtcr , 3, drinking tube wit h screw cap,

44

AIR

FORCE

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Oxygen on Wheels
:\!ohik o,;:gen geneLltors now move .ilu acl with A,\\" grollnd uui ts. rehe\lng clrgo planes of their Former job of transportlllg o,;ygen cylinders to [urwnrc] bases, Generating units include compressors, rdrigeration equipment and a 110 hp gasoline engine. arc installed in large t r;1iler V:IllS and c.in prod nee o,;\gen fivc IlOlITs after arriv.i]. Small airdrome trucks ruxh .sllpph' froll! generator to pl.mc, then prornptlv return emph' l vl iudcrs for recharging. thus cl itu in.ttmg need for cx tcuxivc w.uchou-: fa. l ilities. ()ngen prodlleinS'; equipment is es, -vut i.illv similar to that used in ordin.nv couuucrci.il plants. except for a huge hag u-ccl as a temporary reservoir until o,;\'gen can he piped into steel cvliudcrs. These hold 220 cu. ft. each at a pressure of 2.000 lhs. per sq. in .. and ';'0 cylinders can he filled in 2-1 hours-cenough to supply 350 fighters or 23 hom bers.

maintenance tips. h\t\'S

\11l\\\\\\e ttell
t No. you needn't spend ll:l1f of vour clutv t imr :Ipolo.:i/illl:; for t lu ot lu-r h.ilf , hilt' if 1011 \I:III! the pilot, lOll '(TIC to .:ro\l olel .:r:lcdll1l1. \011'11 make :1 in.mlv ~onfc"lon '"hell \'(;11 inaclvcrtcntlv err. '''o'r C.X:liliple, the ellgmc of :1 IIghte'r reeenth' 'pl\ttnc<1 out .u] the pl.m pluuuurted cloxvn .md er:lshnl. Cauv: Oil xt.u v.rt iou. rC'ltItilll:; from pllllip f:lilllIe dIll' to ;1 ,tr;1\' bolt goldbrickillg in tile plllllp l:;cns. Soinct nuc- P:1]XT. ,tick, and tools ll'ed for lllChlllilll:; oil or fllcl arc dropped illto tanks 1)\ uustakc .md the buttcrfinqcrcd mcth often keep' mum for fc:n of gdtinr; hi, t:lil chcwcc]. Hut here's one (';I'e \I.hcre loose t.ilk c.m .\;1\'C hITS, ,0 don't commit the ,abot:lge of silence. A rattle in an engine i, often the rcsult of :1 rattle in somconcs hc.ul. Pilots in JIIi<1.:lir c.rur r;ct our .mc] push, vou know, so make prcttv 'Inc that cnr;illc' arc properly warmed np .mcl oper:ltillg smooth-

l
s\a\t

forcir;n m.it t cr arc not w(<1.:c<1 between them. Ln'n minr Cllt>']lOll1d be u))n] to t hr attention of thc mot or seTl:;C:ln!. LCIIT 'em :Jlonc .md t hcvll expand like .m Allied he;lCh hCI<1. Nonchalance personified i, the Sack \lJIO \lhi,tlc' "I I-'eel Like ;1 l-'e;lther in the Brcc:." whik jnl:;l:;lllll:; t lm or four c.m non she)), prior to' IO;I<1ing :1 til:;hter\ nose armament. "Look, 110 h:md.'!" he ;al'>. 311(1

ATC Flight Tests

In order to determine the hest pmvcr com hiua t ions at all .rititudcs and the best operating technique for maxiuuun Llllge of planes that arc to be ferried O\erSC1S to combat zones. the Air Tr.insport Command is now carr:'ing on it'; own flight test progr,un at \Jiami's )(Jth Street Airport. As a resnlt of the llaLl compiled in these test hops, the I'-light Research Division, under 'raj, [oln: \1. Tillman. klS been .iblc to initiate modificat ions \\h ich have im proved pcrfonn.mcc and increased safet\. in nuurv tvpcs of lxnu bLTS. fighters .md cargo planes. Alternt i OJl of ta b con tro 1 S\", tern on 13.2 {s. for cx.nn plc. eliminatecj much potcntial cr.u.h d:lllger in event of '(0, I engine f:lilme :It take.off. \\ 'itll m'\\' controls. a Lilxr.rl or clrr\inS'; (J-I.:;00 pounds made ,\ safe take-off despite feathering of 'so, I prop when on]:' :;0 feet off erou nd. .\n uuusn.il flight rcccutlv lIas one in wh ich Capt. \\'illiam ,\, RS:1ll sat back. \\:lTlls in :1 pigg\'back 1'.:;1 wh ilc \hj. )o'eph A, \feKe(J\\n piloted the pl.iuc .rt -120 mph, Capt.tin Rv.m's task \\'as 10 operate a special S';lass fuel tank to nsccrtu in the c,;act rate of fuel COIlSUlllPtion at high speeds,

~~"Al.J....
~~~)~J,~);
h. before takeoff.
iucor rcct

Impector' report w:nlllnps cut m.mv hour, off life cxpcct.mrv of all engine ., .,ollletime' the height of all operatioll's ce" is 01111. one flight np.

that
the

.mcl
xuc-

jf )'011 (';J[(' to h;llI.: ;!folllld within fr:lg mcut.it iou r.nu;. voul] find that he'> quite litcr.illv CO[lect. .\ short sc"ioll wit l) '1'\ I <) 1 <)()O, "hich Ji,t> I'recilitiom to be t.ikcn. would lJ:I\L' told the poor cklp that care. Ie" li'llldling (,;1I1,e, explosions. Flak and bullets arc :1 hil:;hll' unproductivc combiu.rtiou. 'Ihcv m.rk not hiur; hilt holes. Th:l!'s \1)11' COIL'rlll' lllCIl like sheet metal spccialist> h:IIL' to pilc h in with patellc,. .\ xicvch]: pl.mc wi]] r.rpidlv illdllce :1 piJot to III IIlIII ur. "\I:l\be I Sholllelll't 11:IIT ],rtllll:;ht this matter lip." But a sk illf ullv rcp.m cd "iug or fmc1:Jgc sectiolJ ix fightill:; f:Jlk-th;lt S:lI, it \Iith

Take a tip from ;1 mailltcll:mce crew at h:ISC ill the 1<'1'0 which nsc, t iuv clcnt.tl iuirror-, aucl pcmil fl:lshlir;ht> ill it., d:lill. ill'IK.ct;om of .'III:dl hrace, ill' side "illg, of tighter, that c,nn hCIII' bombs .md rockets. This ivut going to hurr \'(111 :1 hit.

one fil:;htcr

fllLTs,
When material and equipment is alertcd for ,hip11lellt, ;11Id 1011 feel th:lt vuud likc to t rv v uur h:mel :;t p:lcking .md cnloaelinl:;, \lh,' don't 1'011 trv vour hc.rd as \lcll:' D:lsh 'to tlle 1I~':lrc't ~'oi)\ of '\'I) Cinul.ir ') 1h, 1().H, .md follo\l tl;c invtruc tim" cont.uucd ill Sect ion \'1 for proper 1':lckillg alld 10:ldilll:;. j):llIl:1ged p;lrt> make Tech Snppll' look like "Iother l lubb.n ds cupbo.ud . You GI truck drivers 111:11'feel that tire cOllserl:ilioll t.ilk I' "t rc.uhus;" Oil I.un iliar r.;rollll<l. Bllt herc" a fe\l hillt, th:lt arc ;11\1:1\, rdre,hillg: L;'ael, ,llolllel lx. di-t nhutc.l :1' L"enll as possible . Tire ch:lill' vlioul] bc loo : cnnuuh to erccp. Tncs tCll!jHlr:lrill rLp:lirn! \I'ith cmcrl:;cn(,\, boots on blow-out Fltchcs should hc t nr ncd in :IS soon 3' possible for PCrIll3' nCllt rlp:lir,. Checks ,honl<1 hc made of dual tirc, to immc that g1:l" , n:lils, stoncs and other Did you hear :Jl)()llt !lIe :lbselJtlllinded mccli.iuir who lilIed hi, pipc aud lit the ga, t.mk? I lc nr nv pim a "1I0 smokillg" siglJ OlJ hi, h;lfp. If his hot friclld ll:]() told him .rbout .\.\1" RCl:;Il1:Jtioll :;:;.20, dated 2-1 .\lIl:;mt. 1rJ-I-I. he woulcl have knOll'll th:lt "Jil:;htillg lip" in :Ill ;lirpl:1I1e is .ibsolutclv taboo during ,111 ground and fuel

TAD Says oon'l Strip Devices

The Tr.iininr; Aids Division. ,{ficialh' representing thc Society for rrlllntion of Cruelh' to Training vicls. comes out strongly against DECEMBER,1944 unthe Dethc

Ir:m,fn opn:ltions, at .mv t imc gas fumes :lfC prL'clI!. :\lId in thc houl h hll or the fll,cl:lcl \I llcn :l1I,;il;:Ir\' l:;:lS f:lllh\ arc e:lr, riccl. ' .. So kalL' llS lIot hall' :l1l\' butts ,I],ont it~ '7 '

45

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
stripping parts from one equipment to put another in working order. Such "cannibalization," as it is called, arises when two identical devices arc out of repair at the same base, each for a different reasou. and maintenance men iuterehange parts in order to put at least one of them in operating fettle. This starts :1 vicious cvclc in wh icl: the deficient apparatus 'is xl owlv hut surclv "strip teased" unt il its posxiblc repair is rendered hopeless. '1'.\]) recommends that the hest w.rv II' put a training de,'iee back on the joh is to reqnisition the ucccs-arv spare parts through proper channels. SupplY offi ccrs, for cx.uup!c. arc au th orizccl to requisition p.nt-, for gU111len- and homhin tr.uninr aids hom the S~;th Speci;~i/ed D?pot, Denver. coi.. which offers 2-f-hom xcrvicc. Permissiou for scrapping anv equipmcnt of this nn t urc m ust he oht.uuccl directly hom the Tr.unins; i\ids Divi<run. j';:\istiug polic' prm'ides that perm ission for such action will he giyeu oulv in cases of extreme emergene\', and that no such emergene\' should e:\ist with in the limih of the United States, "here spare p.ut- for all de,-ices arc ordiuarilv nv.iil.rbl in qn.m t itv. In cases in\'oh'ing m.: jor overhaul or repair, spcci.ilivctl tua iutcu.mcc ere,,"s ;ne sent out bv the ;nGI .\ir Sen-icc Command, on request. practice of

piece of training

Chute Jumps Over Water

It takes plenty of pr.u-ticc to eseapc hom parachutes in \yater Lllldlllgs, auel the B-2:; xcliool at Creell\ille A\H, S. C., is making sure its future nltuu ni will never alibi on grounds of J1Ie:\penenee. In a clcvcrlv couvtructcd urock-up , a tower with ;n; .um extended mer the wntcr supports the [umpcr in a reguLrr chute harness while a hloek ;111c1 tackle lm\'lTs him t ow.ud the xurf.icc. \ Vhcn the trainee is about to hit the w.rtcr he unfastens leg and chest StLIPS and is able to work himself free from the pack mcrclv bv raising his .mus. It 'is poin tcd out, however. that in actual jumps care must he LIken not to abandon the harness nntil contact is made with the wa tcr. since jndgment of heights ut sea frcqucutlv is deeeiYing.

V4ba\'s

vnong V4itbtbis pictUfe 1

If von h.rvcnt got a Cllri,tma, ,tocKing on a m.uitlcpiccc thi, vc.rr. it's onh-'heclu,e there's a grG\ter need for hanging dc-ic~'f hoots on airpl.mc ,,-ing,. It's a ,e;\,on;11 in-t.i ll.rt ion in continental U. S. and a year-round joh for mu iu tcu.mcc men in -omc areas OYer'Gls,' .uul requires cneful h.mdliur; and plenty of know-how procedure. _ ,\ "hoot," however. is a ,lang term for a mistake, and St. ?\iek tells us that this Yuletide ot1ering is briuuu iur; over wit]: SC\Tn of them. Turn the page if von clout believe in S;mt:1 Cl.rus, hut count 'em first as he's kuowu to toss in gifts! I'osiug for the honers arc (left to right) Sgt. Robcr t CLlig, Cpl. Rolxrt Sluplicrd and S/Sgt. Cl.ucnrc S('I1\\;lke. ;111 of -f()()()th A\l", BUC, l,'light Section, Patterson Field, Ohio.

New Valve Rais es Fighter Plane Ceiling

.\ new \;lhc for .m x il i.rrv fnc1 tanks. rcccut lv a uuounccd bv the \L\intenanee Scetimi of Air Scn-ice Comma nd in I'; ngh nd , uo: pu ts cvcrv America n fighter pl.i nc into the high-altitudc cl.isv.

46

AIR

FORCE

?-::;:::::::;:;:::;: ::::::;:;:;:;:;;;:;:;;;:;:;::: tee hoi qU8 ;::;:::;:;:;:;:;:;:;;;;;;;;;;;;:;;:;:;:::::;:;:::::::::::::::::::;:;:;:;::;;:;:;:;;;:;:;;;:;:;:;;;:;:;:::;:;:::::::::;:::;:::; :;;;;;:;:;:;:;:::;:::;;:;;;;:;;;:;::;::

I

C;l'
;,Ilxlli;lf\

(tlIJJC,

(;1 I I ucl

lIJ

non-

pIC"

ur izcc]

(;IIIK', h(\i]- ;111;1\ at Ill~h alt it uck. ;1;1d II ill not fccd il;to thc ~'nglJJe, thw- forcing fightu pilot, tn fll bel 0 I\' :::(l,()(J(j feet until the Iucl in t licir Ixllv t.mk. i~ comulJJnL \\'ith the ncvv pres-ur iv.ition vulvc. hO\\C\ cr , ,1\ pou nd- of pre-sure per \quare inch i\ convt.mtlv lI/;lintalJJcd imidc thc hclll' t.m kx, even :,t "ceiling" altitude" u nd fightcr~ muv fly ahov or IC\TJ wit]: hOlllhu~ at all t nncv.

Precipitation

Statle Eliminated

Baffinl for m.mv month In radio Il(li,c~ re,ulting fn~I'1 tIle h!lil~l'!lp of -t.rt ic clcct ricitv in the ;lcTiab and xkin of aircraft. signal cxpcrt-, have novv 'l'hTd the problem bv the simple addition of a resistor aeross the antenna circ nit of the rccei\cr. This dr.uu, off ex((" static electric charges--knO\\1l as pn cipit.rt ion static -- before t hcv call <li,ch;lfge .nu] c.nr:: iutcrfcrcncc In the radio sets. Air Scrvic Conun.uid technicia n. \dJO dcn-loped thc lJJethod at research st.ition-, in the British lvlcs, have recommended its adoption throughout thc ;\;\F.

U'mg t hc mil clcctricllh hcatcd B.~ T;lppan~ lood \\ .nnur. ;j uour ivh im: dinner-eolllplete froln soup to dls'c rt 111;1\' hc placcd in tl: pl.n: before t.rkc-ofl. DlITing thc mi-vion. \\ hCll JO\nTcd o\ygcn l)fcS\lHe and the str.un of protracted flight al'CCkLltc the boclv dcm.rud for fuel, the \\:lfI11ing unit m.rv he hClted to ;1 tUllpl'1;lturC of ) ()() rlr grccs from the airpLmc's l'lectricll ,n. tcm , .md SOIllC"hc-;l\l'nh''' dlm\' cnjovc]. 'lhc w.niucr is 1~12'inl'hc, high: 1inche. wide .nir] 1 () inchc-, dccp, with spl'l'i;lIl1' ill\IILrtnl \\;db. Si, ,cTtioll;d. i/nl tLI\' ;llT includccl , \\ith 12 hl'\ er;lgl' c(;nt;lilll'1s and a top dLIIIl'1 fm condilllcuh, brc:l :1]](1 e;ltiug ut.n-il-. Onc hcut.r will xupplv t lu: noruml uu cl iIIUI hom her crcvv. \\1: ill' h\ 0 ;lfC rcc.uircd for h c.rvv ] J<lll 11Jl'I' .md B.~0,. 'i'hc "]lIuehhox'; is ;d\o med 11\ SIC hospital planes. '

\lmh of the crCliit for st.md.rrclizabon .mrl L;lTh production of tlu: B-2 l(l~Jo \\';lfJller goes to the flight sur&(1111\ of the '::Oth Bomber COIllm;lIld, who totcd and modified the cqmpmcnt in cOOpl'r:ltion with :\l\FTl\C tcch nici;lIl~, .\ir Onar tcnnustcr officers and \\ righ t held ellgiucers,

Quick Disconnect for Oxygen Mask

.Yn 1I11pi'0I cd quic], diseollllect for deIII;l1ld OX\gcll Ill;"ks to ~afc::;II;Jr(l ail1l1cn from separatiou of hosc .md rcglllators JI;IS been dc\clopcd hv .\l'Io-\Il'llicll Ld)()LltOf\, \\'right Field. Tl. m'\y ele\ icc 1.\ \1' Part '\'0, 44,\ 1 ,i.e, 1 I rcplacc~ the old prong type wh ich was fOlllld to Jose temion :Iftn \CHlaJ months' lise, It is made of hLIS\, is ht t cd with .m opcn circle of spring -tccl set in ;1 grome in the conllcetill~ elld of the disconucxt , and i, .rblc to with<t.md ;1 sep;lLlting pull of approximately 1 ~ pOlllHls,

New Night Vision Trainer

Thc essence of good n H;h t \'\\Ionaccording to thc ]ollmoJl ]-'ollnd:ltion of the l l nivcrxitv of Pcnmyhani;l, as\l\tmg the Air Surgeon's Office in t h dl'\ clopmcnt of ;1 night vision tr.uucr for the A\I.'-1ies not onlv in the :Ihilitl to sec thillgs ill the (Lirk hilt ;Ibo in he;llg .iblc to reeogni/,c \\ha t is seen. Acting Oil this prIm'iple, ;1 projector and two turut.rbk-, h.ivc lxcu dcvi-cd which tluow the silhollettes (If pl.nuc, tmks .md ,hips Oil ;1 ,C1Tcn or hl.mk \\';111, C;11l,illg thcm to 1I101C ;It spcnb at I\'hich thc\' \I (lidd lIorJlI:Ilk he oh\crled under ;]('11'1;11 COllIhat cond it iun-, TIll' fir~t t urut.i hlr- rC\olll'~ h oriznntullv at one rplll at a hcir;ht wli irh rcprodll(,('~ (In tlic xcncn t hc h orizon .md thc arCl helo\l' it, On tllis ;rre 1llOII1Itcd (Jlltlilles of objects wh ich ;Jrc 1IS1I:Illv sccn InO\ing across terrain or water. The lllhcr t urnt.rblc is placed above tl ri-, and l umx at six rpm. Aircr:lft silllll\lcttes ;Ire smpen'Jcd here ;lIld m:II' hc \el'll tr.rvclinr; r.rpidlv across tlic screen, A m.mu.rl tilt feature also enables them to clive or zoom at \;Irying allgles, The projector uscs an cxtrcnu-lv small lalllp for ;1 poiut of li.r;ht. the iu kn-itv of which is controlled 11\' a rheostlt. This Jight is mounrcd ill';1 ho, ;Icrms \I'hich ~\ wooden, slotted strip ahont three inches wide is fastenccL The upper cdr;e of the strip hecomes a \ilh onette hori/,on on the scrccn. and can he 1Il00ecl IlP or dOll'll at II'ill, while the ,lot holds imerts of profiles of such \!;;tionar~' landmarks as buildings, scntry !<J\\lTS, trees, etc. PrO\'i\ion is made for including ,li(!c

Flying Colors
,\ I lollvwood stunt flyer's formula and 3 cllllple' toggle sllitch' ill tlrc bombardier" or n;l\ig;ltor's com p.ul mcnt , now cna blc a born her to eject th ick swirls or dotn nd-duvh slluirts of white, orange, vclloxv, red and grecn srnuk. Visihle for 12 m ilcs, thC\e colorcd \mokc tLli]s c.m guide flights of lioiu hers to rendezvous po-it iouv. en;lble piloh to single out formation IClder" .mcl nu-u.u] aerial traffic congestiom more cff cctivclv thuu pyro!cchniC\ or \iglLll lighh, "T'cx" Rankin, \\hme soupedup hi. plane h;ls writ tc-n hundreds of adlerti~ing slogans alTO,s California's skic~, cooperated with thc Power Plant lnhora tory lmhlLltiom Unit of the l';m;incering Divixiou , ATSC, and m.idc av.rilable his method of introducing a noninflanunablc mixture into airpl.nrc exhaust svstcms. First tests were made on ;1 C-47 transport, and the r-hcmicals were cirri cd ill a IO-gallon oi] tank taken frolll ;1 trainer plane and invt.tllcd ncar thc \\'right 1820 cngiuc, Sn];]lI hvdLlldic pumps fed the mi\tllTe into thc cxhaust pipe.

:" ,i, comp.u

i\ cnjovcd bv pilot clurint; flight tmcnt clcctr ic heater (hclO\\') kecps crcwmcu' ]11(';11\ w.mn .md p.il.rtabl.
Hot food

Pie in the Sky

At a B.~0 training field in Kans3s, hundreds of (;1 flight cooks ;Irc hcing graduatcd each mouth \\'ith special honor, in the prep;ILltiou of !;;,ty, \ycllbalanccd mc;lIs for aircrC\y, to cat while enroute to and from di,hnt tlfgetS, DECEMBER, 1944

41

:::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: n ique ::::::::::::::::::::::: tech : :::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::: ::::::: :::::;;
projector on top of tlle box , which can be effected In' illSta]ling a vcrv low powered lamp: hOllSeel to prcvcul light leaks. Stnud.i! ;IIITLlft recognition slides m.iv then be prl)leeteel at loll' Hight ley~'ls to serve ;\S .ukl itiou.rl nigl! t vixiou practice.

New Aerial Strip Camera

WHAT'S

WRONG .
on page 46.

in the picture

Mechanical

Briefer

The 'I\pe T 2 Comb;lt Intelligence Briefer. developed In the Training Branch of \\ light helel's j':qnipment Lnbor.it orv l':nglneering Divixiou. is .u: adupt.ition of the Pilot ;'\a\igationa! Trainer that shcJ\\s aircrcws photographs of actual tcrr.nu mer wh ich thcv \\,i11 H\' on born bing i n is-.ions. BLlck-a;IlI-\\h itc or color transparenCIes arc projected onto a large screen for as many as 2(1) comb.rt crcvvruc-n .rt one sitting. Obliqne and vcrt ical photos of check points along the target route make available last-minute imtruetion to crews, furnishin a bird's eve vicvv of terrain over '" . which a mission will H\'.

Sheds for Bomber Maintenance

Time saved .uicl precious hangar space conserved arc the eontribntions that l\laeDill Field. l'b., is making toward better 13-17 maintenance. This 3rd Air Force hcavv bombardment base has constructed 'lum bLT sheds :;7 feet long, 12 feet wide .md 1:; feet high, with sections C\lt a\\';\\' from floor levels to permit mechanics to h ou-, the nose of the plane under the roof .md to allow for propeller revolt It iou eluri ng ina in tcna ncc ancl illSpeetion. A m.rxiuuuu of rcpa ir work and overhaul is perfonneel in these shccl-; ancl the homhers arc onll' LIken into the hangars for m.rjor jobs ill\ohing em;ine change. shed metal wor]; .uul Lllleling gear rctr.ution tests. helel ofTiei:ds estimate th.rt lISC of sheels ]LlS rcchleeel number of lllechs reqllireel for maintenance eluties hv 1212 percent

1. \\'ollldld this method of iust.rlling a deicer boot !c;lle \011 cold? Ior correet !lrocedme. xl.ut at the inbo.ud eml ;md h,\cn \)(Jot 'l'l'\Hcly ;\t top ;md bot-tolll of \\'illL; wit l: PO\it"i()llillL; pc~s. 2. :\0. 110. SCI[;C;l\1t Craig-;l\1 .nr scoop IS :\()T a too] chnt. DOII't u : it as a h.uulv rc(('pLlc!c for h.uuuu-rs. slTcIH1ri\LTS 'or Joc Blo\\'" ncwlv .rc '1l1ircd f:iI'e kerb, YOII (;111 h.t vuu r boots t h.rt forgottcll tools left in-.id \1 ill (;IIISC SCIIOIIS danJ;lge later. 3. ;\lId livtcu, IZo!JlTt-lt m.iv SOIlIll] like doublctalk. hut get \O\\[ ,sllocs on tire boot. It's not a - \Ic(conlc nut for m ixrcll.nn-ou tools and strips of hiring. cit her. Keep dc icers rolled unt il rc.ulv for invr.rll.rt rnu. Comc , clllnc. Cbrence. you know better than to place a ladder ;1l;;limt tire leading edge of a lying. \\'lrat's worse. it's touching tire p!cxlgLIS covering of the landing hght. And watch YO\\[ step or HJlI'1l he landing 1Je;JI,jh,. 5. Take a pm\'dcr-and dust tire underside of the boot hctiitc in,talling it. \Yhm yon ;Ipph' powder wlulc the boot is being put ou-as the serge;l\1t is doiug-\ou prevent cvcu divtrihution of tire tale. 6. The corporal on the \\'ing is doubling for l Iuinptv Duinptv when he a"lnlles this prcc;mous posit iou wlule tightening the hoot. lie's lioldiut; on bv boot-t nnas. and if t hcv break or pull 101hc. he'll nose mer ill a balltlip and spin to a crash. I'roper W;1\' IS to kuccl 011 the \\'illg wlnlc tightening boots, U : de iccr lensionini.; hooks, 7. Don't get eagcr wit h that screwdrive:', sergcant. Prodding the boot nuder the -f:lIJlng will ru.rr the rubber surface. Try dOlllg this in .tcad: 1II0ll\1t shoe wit h 'pmitioning pcgs. l.rv fairing strip O\Cf pegs. pull pcgs one 11\ one and replace Il'\t Ir (Ic ncr ;Ittaclrlilelll SLTC\\', mllig spnt;iI "llI\ holder.

4:

The nc lv dC\l'lopcel tvpc S-i earnera, wh ich m.t kcs pictures 91/: inches wide .md up to 200 feet in length. is proelucing some of the most remarkable ;Icri;d rccoun.ussancc photos of the war. its primc m ilit.uv imp.nt.mcc is not its .ibilitv to photogL'ph 10 or 11 miles of terrain in one unbroke-n strip. but the "nLII,mgslLnpncss of eldail in the pietmes t.rkcn. .md the camera's rcm.uk;lhk abilih' to prodncc snccessflll photos uu.kr :Il!lcrse k;h !ing coud itious. In a rccent te,t Hic;ht, for cx.uuplc, a pl.mc Hc\\' sc\cr;d h uuclrcd fl'l't mer a ~~olf cour-, at appro"iln:ltely 200 mph, .i nd brollght h.ick a picture of such infinite detail that a golf ball \\'as clcarlv discernible on a tee. On another hop, the pilot passeel m'LT a clothc-Jinc at betIn than -WO miles an hom, altitnde -;00 feet. and in the photo strip, with the aid of a l1lagnih'ing glass. you could count the buttons on a shirt waying in the wash-dav breeze! Photographic interpreters need largescale pictures Liken at loll' altitudes because high altitude shots suffer from diffusion of detail and frequently lack

Maintenance .nl inxpcct ion prohlellls .nc soh'cd .rt \\;ICDill l-ickl, I:'la .. without taxing crowd cd 1r;l\1g;rr bcilitic\ nnclulv throllgh t l: IhC of these pl:ltforln lil: wor] vtructurcs which rcadily acconunod.itc B] 7 he;I\} bomber, for rout inc ehclL and periodic cngl\1c tests,

Taken

at speed

nC\I'

(',IlIlC!':1

"A" sticker

of o;:;() mph from 10\\' level. slrmys rcui.rr k.rblr detail. 0.'ote the on the windxlucld of nutomobilc.

48

AIR

FORCE

;;;::::::;:~:::;:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;:::::::;::;
sharpness. But in tree-top Icvcl photography, the sh u t t crs of

aerial ,ingleexpos\Hc c.nncr.rx arc not fa,t cnollgh to stop the motion of tIle grolllld as it st rcakx past the lens, Rather th.m attempt to prodllce a ,hntter that would ,top IIlotiolla mechn nical inlpm,ihilitl, since in hllge ,Ierial CllIlcr:1\ thc shut tcr nui-! opcn and close mer .t n ,Ipc'rtmc fill' or six inches in di,lInder-the enginecrs of \\'right licld I'hotogLlphie lnbor.itorv, l':ngincering Diviviou, plnnged into the clcvclopmcn t of ,I ,1JlIttcrlcss c.nncr.i in which the film woulcl 1I1o\'e :ICTOSS the lens at the ,alllC Cite ,IS the im.rgc of objects on the grollnd moved past. The t.isk lIas to couvert the spasmodic film motion of the orcl iuarv ,ingle-expm\He c.uucra to a -tcaclv, even flo\l',s~'lIchrolli/ed Ilith thc spceci of the ~ronnd helml, .vnd after mTreOlning <uch dillicllltics ,IS ge,lr clurt tcr, coordination of film specd with grollnd mnvcmcnt. .md ,ldjllStlncnt of film exposme CI!c to :dtitlldc. "limited procmemcut " 11';1' ;Illthori/,ed for the S-";' c.uucr.i in April of this I'CIL Instead of a -Jmttcr. this "strip" or "cont inuous st r ip" c.uucr.t has a uurrnvv slit extending ;llTOSS the Ilidth of the film, past which the fihn is moved at a conxtuut rutc of -pccd. \ \ 'hcII ;Ieljn,ted to the speeel and nlt ituclt: of the ,\Hplane, the film - bl.u-k-uucl-wlutc or co]or.,-,flOII'S ;!Cross the len, toward the of the pl.mc at thc x.u nc Lite as the illl;lge of ;111 objcct Oil tl. groulld gocs past in the focd pl.mc. The light reflected from .t n object on the grollnd strikes the x.u nc spot on the film as it crosses from one ,idc to the other of the .ipcrturc ,slit, ,md the ;IPP:Ir<:llt motion of the earth is stopped gi'ing the equivalent of a ITry f.rst shurtcr speed, Thus, in the fillal picture, thcre is no hlur or fnuincss and CITIl m inutc objccts arc C]c,III-Cllt .n] clc.ulv defined. The .nnou nt of light rl'achillg the film is controlled h~' thc iris di:lphraglll ,mel the I\'ielth of the ,] it. J tis aell'i';lblc, to ,l\'oid c1iffn,ion, to lISe the ,trip calll cra with the ,lit ,IS nanow ,IS possible. elown to cerbin limih, ;md to make a 11\' lIeCCSS;II"\' li~ht ,ldill\trlll'lIh hI' llll';IllS of the iris di;lphLI~ln, I:ihll spcl'd is ,Idjllst.1hle in tcnns of inche\-pcr-sceond, aIltI the width of the slit j, \;lri;Illlc in incrcml'nts of 1/1 OOO-illch, Thc opnator 1I:IS a "h;lJlcll' ]lockef' c;lIiclc" h'pe of clpid ca1C'IlLitor II'jtII Ilhiell Ill' can qnickhcletnl1line thc proper ,ettings for ;Inl r;i'Tn conlrollinc; condition,HI' '/ai, Rohert II. PlIsdd, 1'}IIJ!OI.;raphie La IJoratOlT, llf;111ccrillf; j)il,j-

with mechs
When the first group of TlIllIHlcrho]ts nrr ivccl ill 1':lI~blld. pilots discOIl'fed that the powerful 2,OlJlJ lip cllgille cillsed interIcrcncc .uul lll;lde t lu pl.mc. r.ulio uuu:.c.rblc. St.rt ic rcsult im; fWIIl geller;ltor and lll;l~ndo noi-: m:ldc t lu nircr.rf t ;1 dubious bomber escort .md tllle;ltelll'C] to gWlllld fighters, Oil the jolJ I\;IS \la;, Charles F. Lee, S'ler;nllellto, Cnlif., who applied a ximplc principle of h,ISil' clcttricitv :llld illscrtcd :I !cll' hLI.SS rill!;s to ;Ifford perfect homlillg lJehnTIl the distrilHitor alld the nu-tnl easilll; ellclosillg xp.u k plllg leads. Resl,]t? "fodi/ici/ioll of TJllllldcrho]ts ill .vmcr ir.m faelorics .mc] Ln;ioll uf \[erit fur" Lljor Lee, The Jops lost foce wlun two Ynnkcc IIlcchs pouuccd Oil :1 piece of captured lll;lteri;JI nuc] cOll\erted it into a Ill'\\' tvpc of homh tr.mvport ;Isselllbh' t h.it h;nJls [our t imcs ;IS lIl;lIly ;1111 pOllmicrs .uul loads a hom]: truik-r ill ) m inutc-, ill stead of ::0. .\sk S!.;ts, Bcnj.nuiu 1:. ]):,]l1l\ill, fbltililore, \Id .. .md .vll.m T. POlllIC'!t', Oakland, Calif.. Iiot h .rt :I "t h ,\\1" b.r-: ill the \LlfSIl:llls. ;lIld the\'"ll tell \011 hO\\' ashect of '4" armor plate left bch incl bv the Ikeillg i'\ips heclllle a IIScfllJ attac:lllllellt to the cr.mc of ,I tOl" tll!; .md .uitcunat ic-rllv dropped each lxnu h hooked from the stor;Ige clump into its pwper place ill the
tr.nlcr ,

around

the world

cr.ut. ..\11 import.mt tu.uuttn.mrc on rc tr:lc!able Lmdlllg ;1';11'IS no: spcClkd np, .md feInT Li~htllings arc gwnlldcd for lack of test facilitIes. Come and get it I\as the L'h;lllellgc to the mohilr rcp.ur lin It LTCW headed bv T/Sgt. Joseph R. Tabor. Chicopc Fall;, \lass" dmill!.; tiJc Critical daIS of the ill' vaviou in I:'nwpe. whcn ;1 slo~\'(lo\\'ll ill rc placcmcutx prevented a full couiplcmcnt of fighters from takillg thc .ur. Ohtaillillg pn mission from his service: t c.nu connuaudcr , "'bj, \Iamard .:\. l Iinckv, PmtLilld, "'faillc. whr: llec'idee! to coiu ;I!oll~, the men set 0111' after a CLICkcd~IIP pLllIC th.u I\',IS rc ported hill; ahalldolled ill a tield nc.rr Cacn , ill order to hrill!; it hack for rcp.ur . The citv had not ITt hC'l'1I t.ikcu. ;\I1d hitter fight mg ra!;ed :111 arouur! it, hut the intrepid detail completed Its m ivsion and returned from 110 ru.m', l.mc! to ;Idd an other fighter to Uncle S;lln's skv PO\\l'f. , , , Yes, they u.uucd t hc plauc "Spare

Parts."
Half an hour :Jftcr ;1 c]I:\I1;e of s\;ltioll bv a "brallder CWllp of the (Jth ,\:\1" ill FrallCc, thc r:/(]io c<jlliJJlllellt ill OIlC of its sqlladrolls was tuned .nul lC;ICh for comh.r! opcratioll. 11011' coldd do~ 'T/S;t. ForICSt n, \!cD:lnicl. \\ilhit:1. )(a;l., Slip plied the .urvwcr I\itlt a portable rcp.ur unit cOllstrullcd from Lir;l' woodc:n crates and SllLTt mela! scc!iollS fro II I ernptv amino c.m-. 1':,I,ih' tLIIISP(}rtcd in a :: ~'2 ton ,HIIII' truck, the uuit provides facili tics for tc-,t in!.; .uu] t rouble shoot in!.;, :Ind cracks :! hard COllllllllllicltions nut for ad, v.mct: air xupport ClelllclltS. Compliments for G-Ingenuity this month go to Cpl. [olin "Chief Rave, full blooded \\illllclJago Iucli.tn from \Vill' lIebago, :\eb" for' his prop remover mu chille alld ellgillc ,stalld ;1<!:Jptcd to thc needs of the hghtillg COlks S<jnadroll of thc 11th ,\\10', SOllth\lcst 1';lcit,e , .. to Sgt. Carl :\ I. Pcrill, :\cwpmt. Ohio. for his \\'ork ill cOll\'crtiIl~ ~;Ih-;J~l'd ()xn_~l'll COil t;lillCrS into porLlhle cOlllprcS\ccf air tanks Idlich (";111he (';Irricd halldl1l' to ri\'C,till~ johs ,IWlllH] his ,\ir ScnlC~ COl IIlILIIH-! Dcpot in I:ngl:Illd ... to \I/Sgt. \Valtcr \1. Jl:Jkllb ill ILlh' and T/Sgt. Patrick \1. COlll:I1cs in lhe British Isles for <1e\'isillf; l\orb!Jle ,gad;els to "hrL';IL" !Jolllher tire~s ;1\\,;11' from ti,e Ilhcll rill!' ;It tire ch:mge, :JlIrl to Sf;t. ,\]fnd (;, D.!lIllllll :It :111 ;Iii dCJlllt 1><l!Il!Jcr rlpair Insl ill the 1:''1'0 for hi,s !JuLe test ,st:lII<1 \\I,id, dllcks torqllC of motors opcr;ltillg Lillelillg ~C;Jr, ;mel t:lil \\ hLT! ;IS \',lll :I' h(Jln!J /J,I\ doors Oll J:lI-, illg I:ortresses . ..)';

nose

Ann

H;lrto\\" tIghter pilots arc !.;cttill!.; superior tr;lillillg ill skip homhillg ill P,)ls be(';lIlse of a ncxv r.uk .r.l.rptcr bbri(,;ltl'C1 bv T/Sgt. Cll\' V. Builcv. Okl.rhour., Ci!v. OHi, I.cgi;lI1 of \ [cr it wiuucr lbilel"s device ell;lbks the pLlIle to CIrri' thrce ']1111111, pr,lclice bOlllbs under e;lch wins; .md llukes possible \C'\'cralsllccessi\'e ;Itt:lcks Oil thc t:lr!.;et ill onc Ilieht. I'rcviouvlv. onlv two Illissiles roukl I>e'lo:l<led in the' ,tanlbrd I>oml> rack, :\I1d plancs had to Ialld fre<jnciltly for reloadillg.

Did someone

say

bombs?

,\t

Air Field (Fla. I replalcmellt

sion,

ATSC. ,":(

"Straighten up and fly right" isn't jnst a pop"l:Ir ji'T son~ 1\lth IllclIlhcrs of thc "I1:It in the Rin~" Sl!l\;]llron of thc 1 :;th ;\ir Force. sOlllc\\l,ue in Itah', \\'hell lllCc1lS hkc \IS~t. \\'ooch"\\' J, \\in;(}, of 1.cxin;t(}ll, S, C .. :Ire on thc shift, "'ith ;lIlthori/cd C'l'liplllcnt telllPCJl;lllh' nILI\ail:Ihlc, hc tcskd cooLillt shlltki' c(}ntro! 1',l1n's ,llId the h"lr;lIl1ic "skm (}f J'~)~S \\ith a field~lollStl'ilctcd chclk chcst. 1.0cltillg :111 old p:lCkill; CISe. he tittcd it Ollt I,ith a hC;ltinl: llilit f(}r C(}lItwls, ;1 prcS\mc plllllp. a cirCld:ltill!.; lUlld pll!lIp, :1 kill' pua!llre illdiL'ator ,md ,111 o\\'l;cn hottle, to!.;cther II ith other oJler:d in!.; cOlllponents he II;IS ahle to ITL'l:Iilll frolll 1\ rCL'kcd :Iir-

DECEMBER,1944

49

j
._3

Thirteen days after the

bedded it with coral,

13th ATf< had landed. .iviat ion engineers had swept clear the area, and had almost completed laying the metal matting, as this photograph shows.

0 American forces movinr; at express trail speed toward the Philippines. the opcr.it ior at Cape Sam:lpor in Dutch 0:c'\\' Cninea \\'a jnst a \\'histle,stop, Inv.u.iou troops storme the area on Jn1)' ,)D. mopped "P the fcchl Jap resistance in a hig lmrrv, and moved 01 'I\\'() week after the inva-.iou. avi.rt iou eng neers had cOl1\Trted nc.u bv "I iddelhmg Ivl.m from a wilr] forest into a strip from whi lIghter pLJnes were doing a thr ivuu; busiucs At that time, Snns.rpor was cxt rcmclv impo tant-it \\:IS the closest Allied base to th Philippines, The S:lIlsa por stopover and e:Isy OIl the ~ronnd, hut it hcld an in port.mt spot on the air tunct.rblr-. The 1 ')t Air 'I'nvk force, which included two fight gronps and one B,2:; gronp from "(aj, Cel St. Cl.ur Streett's I ')th .Vir Force. came higl balling in from the Solomou-. to clear t h track to Morotai. Not since Fcbru.nv I when J:Il> Zeros m.nk- their last st;n'ld ; Rnbnnl, kId the XIII ','ighter Commaucl ct gaged in ucn.rl comb.u. :--low. after a 200 mile sea and air trip :IS part of the 1 ')th .\'1'1 It \\'a, back in action, This task force. couun.mdcd bv Brig. Cc: Larl \\', Hnrnc-; spc.uhcuck-d the ncutr.rliv. tion of Dutch F:Ist Indies airtlelds, It pr viclcd air cover for the I Ialm.ilu-rns invasioi and on Septemher 6. ')2 XIV l.ightnin escorted bombers to "lind:mao, a recor 1.4()() mile trip, Oulv a [up Topsv W:IS ab to get into the air .mcl it was knocked dow For pilots ::11(1crcvvmcn who made the 101 trip from the Solomons to :--lew Cuinca. th victorv \\'as a stirring climax to the Sausap operation. {:{

50

AIR

FORCE

imultaneously

with

t fl'gllL!r

iuttrval-;

thc cstahlishmcnt of ackuck cmpL!cclIlcnts. .iir r.iicl .\11J1 'It right arc tilltllg ,acb wit h dirt. lillillg

With the plones cOlllinL: .uu] L:oillL: \\'ith elSc. this Cl It'ld t iun. to rig lip thc illl'\ILliJk w.i-h Ill'! I ;:'c.

DECEMBfR,1944

51

'~

--

- "....

.:.:

" "

THE
L

ABC OF

D-DAY

When an invasion is in the cards, Stat Control shuffles the deck lor the right answers

et's suppose a date has neen set for the beginning of the Battle of Japan. Intelligent planning requires a readily available source of accurate and complete information. The Air Staff wants to know exactly what, when, where uud how-e-whnt subordinate units arc able to do, \1'11en the required numbcr of four-enginc bombers and fourengine pilots will be sent to the proper stations, where supplies and equipment mav be speedily loea ted, and how deficiencies in the number of trained crews will affect the success of a mission. These arc thc uuk uown factors in the air war equation that hav to be answered in the cr uciblc of combat. \Var 1Il0\TS fast and so do aircraft. Conditions change hourly. Data must be swift, concise. Reports have to be gathcreel. digested and presented in a clear, life-size picture. Figllfes must be at fmger-tip level, reduced to a common denominator. The accent must be on speed, ximpl icitv, system. \\Tho undertakes to furnish such factual material? \ Vho serves as the Army Air Forces' "Information, Please"? \\Tho collects, compiles, analyi'.es and tabulates the flood tide of facts that swirl into headquarters? The questions arc purely rhetorical, for thcv have alrc.rclv been answered. They \\:ere answered ('JIl J\Iarch 9, 19-E,

when the Office of j\[anagemcnt Control was uskcd to set up it\ Statisticd Control Divisinn. And just how well the reply \\'as made is shown in the ascendant superiority of American air tactics O\'Cf its opposition. The fledgling organization was gi\"Cn a man-size mission. Unlike most youngsters who plague their elders with continued and prodding inquiries on topics of unlimited rangc, Statistical Control found itself from the vcrv first on the answer end of a rapid-fire 'quiz. Each month Statistical Control's various branches arc required to furnish for usc in AAF Headquarters 21:; reports on status and location of aircraft and equipme-nt, combat operations and training, as well as l , :;00 replies to requests for special information. How is the task performed? Try to imagine a great ne\\'spaper with star reporters posted all over the globe, wlicrever an airplane flies under USAAF command. These reporters arc statistical officers, and their duties arc to cover the planes, personnel and operations of their outfits and transmit their "stories" on six duilv and weekly forms to the "desk" in Washington. ]<'rom the engineering, ordnance, weather and communications officers, the S-2, the S-3 and the deputy commander, they compile such newsworthy bits as the condition and disposi-

tion of all aircraft within the group and their opcmtions for the week, including type of missions flown, al ti tude at \\11 ich they were flown, number of unsuccessful sorties and why they were unsucccssful, number and types of bombs expended and the type of bomb release employed. This information is sent to \\'ing, command and air force levels to be used as the basis for administration and plan. ning, then forwarded to \Vashington where it provides the foundation for accurate estimates of air force cupabili tics and requirements. From these estimates come the staff decisions which affect C\Tn' AAF squadrou in the world. Sure, it;s statistics, cut and dried. But statistics arc the fingers that point the wav to efficient man,lgenlent and savings in time. moue}' and motion. Statistics arc the check and double-check ill the uncertain business of war. Statistics, if you will. arc cold figmes leaping to life and becoming the unseen member of a bomber crew. And like that muchneeded ounce of prevention, they can

52

AIR

FORCE

;nl,nlc Amcric.m airmcu just ;IS surclv ;i' the Litest adv.mccin mcd iciu or th~~ Ill\lot safet:-, :lpplJancc, '} .ikc :1 look at D.(Liy in 1;.Ilr0pc .md 'cc hIm Statistical Control knocked the ~lllssll'ork out of str;ltegl .uul sLlckcd l lu. dcck so that defcat I;light he dealt tel t hr: cncmv. , lirvt l;lnl~' thc problem of <upplv. J liCIT wcrc O\er =;00,000 difFercnt itellls (If .\.\1' cqllipmcnt andsp;IIT p;nts IIlulcd for the r.ipidlv mouut ius: numi)LT of ;lircL!ft hcing rc.ulicd in the l nitcd hlngd0l1l, .md oncc tllcsc storcs "LTC procurcd, the ditTicu]tl' of knOll. ;IIL: where .md in \\'hat quantitics to dis. :rihnte tium vccmccl a ruu.rwav night. ;11;IrC. Ior thc solution, th suppl, clivi'Ion of :\ir Service Counu.uul hl';ldqu;lr. ters t to Control -v-tcm. In order to exercise control over th is 1'IethoLl of parts, it was decided to l,tlhlish a rcporting method built ;,i ..und t li fr.uurwork of ;1 .\ LIster List. Hut in cndc;l,oring to compile such ;1 11't. it \I:IS <udclcnlv cliscovcrcd th.it in t l. vital cltegory'of airplane fr.nucv, lngines and acccssorics, no complct list (If sparc parts had ncr been asscmhlcd . I his \Ias in Lite I c)-1-), .md time lIas ;,JO\"ing short. lmuu-d iatclv, the group of h iahlv -killcd milit.nv and civiliuu person Ill' 1 (h;lrgcd with the completion of the project, steppcd np their "orking (L1\' to J () hours rcgu];,,'I\', SlTcn (];1\'.'>;1 week during the ll!ontl;s of OetOh~T and No: " em bcr. And bv Dcccn IlKT I, I cJi ) thc date on 'Ihil'h the reporting svstcm 1\ as to lxxomc effectilT-thc .\ LIster list \I'as rCH1I'. The ncvv procedure lIas trice] out in thc cnntiucntal United StltcS, and :IS 'oon as it [xc.nuc .ipp.ucut th.rt it II'as ilighll CltCCtilC in prO\idim; thc hlsic ':;Ita ncccss.rrv for C\lJl'ditions handling d -upplics. its Introduction in the 1'~llro. :'c;m theater bcr.unc ;1 high.prioritl con-ich-r.rt iou . \ !:Ii. I':r\\'in A Stru-hncr. Tcchnical \ssist;mt, St.it istic.rl Control Officc, \1 SC. hc.iclccl a team of officcr'> who hll to I':ngland to L1\' thc prclimin.rrv [:ronnch\Ork. \LIj. Ccn. Ilngh J. Knerr. Gcmra] Spaat/'.' dcpntl in chargc of .rc]'1ImistratioI1, \Ias quir]; to scusc thc . c rv rca I :lssistmcc this rcporting xvst cru would prO\i(le in putting the thl';lter's 'upph h ou-.c in order heforc the inv.r-ion hcg;m. Ilis onlv concern \\';IS how '(Ion it' could lx. pbced in opcrutiou. .vccorcli ng1l', .\ L! jor St ucbncr took off rn :1 hurried round-trip flight to thc S tl to to .nra nge for the ncccssa rv Llhulating-In:lchine cq u ip nu-u t and PCI:' -onncl. And :; I Clals from the d.rtc on .vh ich it \\;IS (lecidl'd to invt.ill the ,\'S' (Continucd on P;lgc flO)
urncd the St.rt ixtic.il

WHAT <IS YOUR AIR FORt

I. Q. ?
Ilerc IS vour mou th lv br.uutwixtrr. Chalk up fin' points for c:lch corrcct~lnS\\'l'r. .\ ,core of ()() or ;Ihml' is excellcnt: -:; to S=;. l;ood: fl() to ;U, not too h.ul: hclm\ ()(), hk. Isk, .\m\\crs on 1';1"1' fl() . ."
1.

'lh

.rpprovnu.i tc xt.itutc mile;lgc from t l: nort lnru tip luvou in the I'hilippilll" to Kvuvh u , III tIll' sOlltl,LTII p;lrt of J:lp;III, 1.S
()f

10, :'\e\\'
CI

Ca-t!c ,\1111\ Air ted nCIITS t . Sc:;ttlc. \\

:1111.

B;lsc i, lo-

!\, J)ad'JlI.Olllo
n.
C.

!\. 2:;11
H,

1.111111

\\'i]lIIim;I(JIl, Il. J):ilbs, Tna,'

Dcl.

"
)1,

- ,II
,1111

11. Thc

;\ TC route Crcsccnt Ca r.rv.m

!\. Ciliforllia II. Dcl:I11':lrc c.. ,\ !1I1l!;1l1:J )1, I-'lurida to

known :IS rum from

the

2. Tli u.uur popul.nlv B. '-: is thc \. Tn.miuutor

H.

gl\ln

to the

Crm:ldcr LIiJul\ Lilllllcd

10 ;\mtT:l]LJ to Illclia :llld Cliilla to .\lalka ;\Erica

c. C(JJII1ILJl1dcr
D,

12. 111e purpose

of :1 centrifngc
\,;11)(11\

t.m];

I'>to \lub]I, 1I0t

B.

3.

The Coood Conduct ,,\\;lrtic'd to olTicos.

.'\. '1
fIIC fOflllflS:i

LI!'c

4.

i, located off thc Ch incsc

:/11(] l'cipilli;

co;"t
H. C D.

lxtwccu
IfJll~ J..:(Jll~

s . SCP:IT;/tc Il. Scnc a, c.. Scp:lTatc cool.ur! Il. Coo] thc 13.

f;a'

a rc\crl'l)ir for ('(JII!allt ,\olid p:lTticlc\ !rnlll tI,C ]wt ('oobllt

.\, S/J;/Jn;IJ:li
J

a1ld SjJJ~;IP()TC C:IIlItJlI alld 11:1II(Ji SILJIlg1lai aJ1(I JIOllg kOllg

Lcvtc is thc third Philippiuc Islands,

.\. True

Ltrgcst
H.

of the

1"aI.'c

14. In

S. for clch three \'(';1[, of service cnl i-tcd nuu rn:ci\c 110\\' 1111]('1;

of :111increase

in b.r-: p;ly?

order to comnumicntc with .\II{ lou.:, the Official Service [ouru.rl of the ;\,\1-', it is ncccs,;!rl to go through channels.
True
H.

A.25% H. :;o;;)
c.

A.

1"ah.c
IS

1(/';;) )1,2U% is the P,\O?

1 S. 111c \\'ingsp;l1l of the B.29 gll;1 tel' th.m the B.I C). .v. 1 [lIC H. 1 'al,\c
16.

6. \\'ho

The
ctl1cd
A, H.

property
i'c",it,

of oil to How

IS

7. Corrcaidor fell on \. J)(,(~cllll>cr 2'). iv H. Scptelll1>cr -, 1'J42 c. ,\/:/\ (" 1')42 D. j:JIlILJf.' W, ]1)42 8. The

I'cnl1cahilitl.
\

c.. I'rn\l!fc: fador Il. ;\dhc\i"CllCSS

letter "X" lx-fmc thc numcricul dcsign;ltioll of ;111;IIrCLlft nll;III' the pl.m is !\.Oil",ldc H. ]\]lcrilllcllta! r: .. \ ,cnicc tcst aircraft Il. L(]lIippcd "ith rad;Jr

17.111c approx im.itc <tntutc mileage [roiu lorruos.r to .\ l.mila is

s . 111(, Illile\ 1\, -:;() niilc C . .;:;() )Ililcs n. ] J)()() miles

9. The

dteetill range of the r.nmon in tl u: noxc of the B.2:; is ;IJllJr(l\i1I1"tch'

!\, :;IJli\;JfCIs
H.

18. USSR sbncls for United States Soviet Russia, s, 'Irue H. /':I!'l'
19. \\';nral1t \, Trllc

of

,.IiI;Ii\;JfC]s
:.11(1(1

officers court'> martial. these

11];]\

not -crvc on
I ;d.\c

.
H

c.
n.

] .lJli(J

':IT<1, \ ;lTds

20. Iclciltih'

aircraft,

..

DECEMBER,1944

"

It saves hundreds of lives in Italy and France

By all AIR
F(

)RCl-: ()\"t'rsc;/s Staff Correspondent

"

he made her first appear~.mce in l t.rlv. She \\'as the first plane in at Dole, at Sistcrou, at florence-and where she w.i-u't the first she \\ent in right behind the fighter-bombers who \\TIT ronte-bla,ting for the inf.mtrv. Slics just a lumbering C--t7, but to the medicos and the wounded \\'110 w.ut for her wherever there's act iou, she's the most wunclcrfnl airt-r.rf t in the "odd. They call her the 'Blood Plane'. . The Blood Plane carries whole blood, not plasma. Blood consists of fluid and cellular clements. \\ 'hen a donor gil es blood In t l ic State,. cell, arc rcruovcd and rcm.uu nu; f1111d. which is pLt,nla. i, fr()/en .md dried, ThIS dried pLt,nu keep' indefinitely without refrigeration, c.m be c.uricd cvcrvwhcrc and gill'n to a m.ui iumudi.rtclv after he is injured. But when a man h~IS a severe wound, or a bad hemorrhage or is h.ullv <hocked, or is about to be operated upou, he may need more tlLII1 the Huid wh ich the pl.u.mu provide" IIe needs red blood cells. and the oulv \\'~l\' lhcv can be replaced is hv fresh whole blood. lJI;fortu'n~lteh:. however, whole blood can he kept onlv for a rcl.it ivt-lv short time, and then oulv under con-Lmt refrigeLltion, Blood donations under cOl'llhat conditions arc difficult. if not impossible. Hence the Blood Plane. In [uuu.irv 10-t-t. with the big puvh in l t.ilv coming up. the Surgeon of the }\lcditcrr.mc.m Theater decided to sct up a hlood hank that eonld provide for whole hlood tram. [uvions elmer to the front lines, at field and evacuation hospitals. \Vithin a month Col. V. II. Cornell, Counu.mding Oiliccr of a J\lcdical General Laborutorv. had the hank organized with nurses, \Vacs, and the soldiers themselves making donations, Capt. John J, l\!cCLl\\'. [r., was appointed its supervisor. At first, the blood \vas sent to the 5th Arrnv at the Cassino front bv truck. Anzio beachhead troops received it vin LST. \Vith the front still almost static, these types of transport were sufficient. Then came the hre~1k-th rough, On that day at 1000, the Lab received an urgent request from Anzio for whole blood.

Colonel Cornell cilled the ATC for a tr.mvport. .\t l-)() of the s.u nc da:' a C--t7 landed on the .;\cttuno airstrip in the bc.rchluad with a full load of blood. Frou: then on, that C--t7 bee.nne the Blood Plane. Shortly thereafter, the Troop Carner Command took OIlT, and from then on the plane has not missed a single d.iv's dcl ivcrv to Lt. Gcn. \brk Clark's :;th Anuv. After th~ hreak-tlll'ollgh it followed the Armv up the hoot' of Italy. It flew to Rourc, Tartpliuia. Crossctto, Fallou icn, Ccciu.i, Sienna, l-Torcucc, and into the Po Vullcv. The Ccucr.rl \lcclicJ1 LJ1l \\'~IS reach, too, for the iuv.rsion of Soutllern lr.mrc. .md another c--tl "~IS a-.signcd to them l rom Troop Carricr. j''h-ing into Fr.mcc was haz.irclous due not only to uuknown fields that were without towcr and radio the first fc\\, clays. hut al,o to had wc.i tlicr. The flights lxc.uuc longer and longer until the round trip \\~IS about 2.(J()() m ilcs. On some davs clcl ivcr ics in Fr.mcc were missed, It \\'as not bee.ruse th~ pilot didn't trv to hring the plane in. On cl.rvs when even the fish didn't swim , the men in the h licks' of the j\c!l;mced Section of the Cener~J1 \ lcd ical Lab often heard the plane trying to find the field and thcv would s\VClt out the Lmcling. Sometimes the plane would call the small tower to cxpl.uu th.it it \\'~I, goiug to trv to sit down at a field about 60 or 7() miles to the rear. 'I'Le men on the hlood trucks would r.icc clown the wet, muddv roads to the next airport, Often they'd find this field closed and the pl.mc trying another one. And off they'd go ~lgain, Those drivers rcallv deserve a few medals, D~1\' after cLly sees the medics clown on the field \\'aitinf; for the Blood PLlne. The:' know the pilot wil l hring it in it it is luuu.mlv pm,ihle. And he does, To date. there hale been no accidents. despite the fact the pLlues arc fl\'inf; well O\Tr 120 hours a month in all tvpcs of weather and land ing on inadequate fields. The pilots arc proud of their work. There arc no dead hauls. On the return trip any extra space is filled with air evacuation put icnts. The flyers like the work. It isn't easy but it is highly satisfying. And it isn't c\cry troop carrier outfit that lin's at a Lab, gets briefed by doctors, and has a medico as CO. AIR FORCE

54

Rendezvous
[Cont iuuccl from P:lge

')

for relea,ing the ho.rt . it is stated that the bo.it IS rele:lsed ,0 that it will alight d()\nl\l';I1c1 from the survivors and that they mav drift towards it. Almost an\' boat. p.ut icul.nlv O1IC of the Iiull design shown in the pictun, will drift, C ven in a hght brccz, f:Jst el10ngh so that c vcn a powerful. naked survivcn would find It difficult if not impossible to overtake the drifting (Taft, The j ;0 yard buoyant lines

cedure

The Intercom
As a uicdinm for the cxchanac of ideas . .-\II( FOHeE presents these .nr-w c r . 10 Its Qucstion of the vlourh. Replies :Ire those of per. sonnel leLently returned irom combat duty 111 the areas indicated,

QUESTION: Where were you last Christmas?

Edward Ackley. intelligencc officer, S/S9t. Alden Cranmer. air \\'arning. l Ilt h Capt. 1 ;th __ I--m('e: "()II (;II:Il!:JI,:ln:ll. \Ir One of \il I-'orce: "In the :'\:lg:1 hills of north. c:1,teru BUllu:!. ()111 Ch rivt m.i-, dinner \\':IS the uun got S()jlle red ('loth .u] dressed hilllself lip :1' S,mt'l C!:JIl'. lie had :1 cotton dropp('d to II' from :1 C 47. \\.c h:ld turkcv. g'lllle \\ig .uul lxar d , .n ul lie roclr .tr ot IIIII c-r.mlx-rr, S:llle('. potatoes. peas and coffce. till' isLII IlI Oil ,I truck \'isil lug all of the in\\'e l'H'11 In:lde clurrv pic. (hIe of the mer: ,Ltll:ttiollS. \\'e also h.l ;1 'strollmg b.md. got out hi"l mouth or~;11l .mc] w \;IIl~ s pl.ivcd. s:uli; carols and old songs, Chnxtm: r.rrol-. It \\'a; quit IIUllSll:I1 10 The .mr] \\'l' :I11 joilled in. It ,ing '( ih. Lit tlr TO\m ""'Ined pccul i.rr to all of lkthkhem' ;.tlilll of liS to cekhr'lte feet up in the l lim.rCh rivt m.i-, in t l. lropi lav.t iuou nt.unv. Ouccil heat of the South of mv fril'nds ill the \11 thc men C47' dropped Ille :1 PacifiC. note \\.i\hill~ uu: a h.rcl reLciH'd ChristuLls \\'l'eks he. '\ lcrr; Chr ist ma. .-\11 pacLlges fore. sc, \H' lnokc them in :111. it I\as the str.m(lilt .n u] h:rc] a real gest Christm:ls I ever celebration." had."

JIIay be of ,ome help but t hcv also will clnft with the boat .mcl would pn-scut rather a <mall t.rrgct, part icul.ulv in choppv water. It would seem to mt: t h.it the hull should he dropped ,0 as to :llight as ncar to the - nrvivorx a, povxiblc but c1efiIliteh' up"';lId from them. Thi, pr occclurc wouhl offer the xurvivorx the maximum oppor tuu itv to inter c cpt the hull :IS It d r if t s tow.u d them lather than :1\\':1\ f roiu t hcm. FYt. "'infield I I:Perkins, Al.uuogordo. 0:. ;\1. .Yo. 1)('('(//1.\1' t h c t lirr !U!)':!' par(Jchutes Izich l o ucr ,!I(' Iuwl cu-t us .v I'U arulior ..... pretcn t in u t lu- hou! from drifling rIleal and eTlal.li m: t h c mcti t o drift [() it.c-E.
11

"0\

S Sgt. Ch.irk-, Dear

of Uniform? 1".<1 itor: \re 0:CO, al. lowl'd to \\l':lr chcv rom wit h the ,\ir (:orps imigni:1 sewn on. :1, slrown. Stav.i. helh licld, Texas
DClI

Out

lxlit or: I wouclrr if YOU could gin' us SOllie information cOlJ('emi;lg special imignia whirh .n-t ructor-, at 1l:lng schools arc .mt horizcd to
v,

ClT~

Lt. j':ugene
,1...,'('(>

.\,

hikheski.

S:m Anronio on page

q u c .... 'ion

an d nTl,'i/{Tr calumn

:::L-Ed.
That
PCIT

Maj. James Shreeve. cOlllmllnic:ltiollS offi, ccr. ;th .\ir ""lICC "I \\:1S in Port vlon-sbv. \\e IJ:I(I :1 bii strike on \\e\\:lk. .nul Chll;t III:IS \\':IS :1 reilll:lr \\orking d.rv for us. The bO\s wcr :1 littk COil('e'lill'CI ':I"Ollt gettillg b.uk on :1 Cluist m. ]):1\' miv.ion. hilt thcv "II ret ur IIcd , Th.it g,I\T 'IIS good re:lsOIl tor a double celebration. hilt w;: didn't h:IH' much to ('elc"r:il'l' with. Somcbodv \\'ho seellll'C1 like S:mLI CLIlIS h:ld the rc.i] holi,L!\ spirit. thouah. hl'C:lllse hc Ilew in hard c.mdv, u nt s. fresh fruit. fre:sh H'ge. tahks. .nu] even eggs and hurter. So it rc.illv turnccl out to "e :1 fine cclcbr.it iou after aIL" 5/59t. Adolph DiMinno. gUllncr. 1 ;th .vir lorcc: "1 \\'a, in Vl.irr.ikcch. \friCI. \1\' (IT\\' went to :1 Christlllas ,Lmee giH'n hv t hc Rcd Crov., \\'(' had just l.uu lc] ill\fricl .ul it \\':IS all \TI\' strauge to IIS-,\r:lhs all OH'I the plac. Frcuch wouu-u to d.mcc wit h. .iucl ('arol, heill~ sling ill :1 v.n ictv of Llllgnages, Thl'\ had :1 bi~ Chrivt m.r-, t rcc ill I he ccutcr of the dallce Iloor decorated with colored lights juxt like it i, clone here. The bench provided t(J\'S for :111 of the cluldrcu ill the to\\'I1. :Illd e\cn though \\e \\'ere thou s:mds of Illile, from ,\merica. \\C felt right ;It homc,"

T /59t. Paul Covert. gUllncr. Sth .Vir Force: "I \\':IS in thc plet11les'lnc J-'.ngbsh \'ill:tge of ];O\'illi;elon. uc:ir Loudon. I 'pellt Ill\ Christ 11l:IS pl:t\illg f:Ithn 10 ;1 lot of Ilri'tish war crph:lllS, The kids wcr hronghl over to our ],:I'e .md the men lined IIJl .nu] ':Idopte(]' :1 \'ollngster :IS he clililbed del\\11 [n nu the truck. I got :1 SiX\T:n old blond tyke. His f.it lu-r \\,:IS killed ill the IZ\I" .mc] his iuot hcr \\:IS killed durim; the B:lttlc of Hrit.iin. The nun on the b:lse h.rd m.rdc 'I v.nicl v of tovs for the kiels.' .mc] \;e pLI\ cd S:mt:1 Cl.m, .md llallckel 1 hem out. I never h.rd :1 better time." Lt. William Brennan. homb.uclicr. l-Ith .\ir Force: "1 \\':IS riding d()\\'I1 the Hurura road in :1 jeep OIl Clu istma eTC. \\'e drm'e Gil nuk-. iuto Kunmuu; 10 attend Inichnght Illas, which was celebrated in a h:lllg:lf. On Christmas J):I\'. \\C had a p.ir tv and the men 11l:lde .ilnmiumu St:ILS for the tree ont of a cracked lip .urpl.mc. \\.c llllllg (olored lTepe p:I[)(T in the Illess hall .mrl rc.illv did our-clvclip proud. Vlost of our Chr ivtm.r \\as spent thillking and t.ilkius; about home, \\'e had .sOIllC re('ords and eTel\ hod, joined in sim;in~ enols :llld the uSllal .sougs, It \\:IS :1 \\'lm. dnful Christlllas,"

Man

lrlitor:

I accept vour invit at ion on thc hack cover d the October i-su of .\1 H I'OHU to let \Ill I folks hear from Inc, . \:ext lchrunrv ~ -:-th \\ ill he the ~ ;th .uuuvrrsarv of m:n/s ,on'plcst of the str.rtosphcrc. at \\'hieh time t lu wr itcr \\':IS the fir.st man in :1 Il\'ing machine to explore the possibilities of Armv \ir lorc m ilit.rrv opcr.it iou-, in or above t hc <trntovphcn-. \\'hen the Kraut and other gangsters tried to get the npper hand. r UPI)('f level. those 'air blitz ~:IIH;sters found the U. S. alrcllh up there waiting for t lnm. . , . That "man" in the open (ockpit m:l('liine of ~:; \c:m :Igo is still h:m~mg on to tIle tlnC:ld of his life. par : 1:l1h p:n:I1\Zcd In :1 hlood clot or nitro~eu ~uhhk in the riiht ,ide of his hraiu. One (Continned ou P:lge I

r,o

DECEMBER,

1944

55

The fighters

called for help and the bombers came through

tomcd to di\'ing for the nearest shelter whenever hig bombers passed ovcrhcud-s--Hockcd out to the airdromes like children to a circus. Thev watched as the aircraft turned onto the apron that r:lIl il; a brge semi-circle around the field. They saw the bomb bay doors open and the bombs come gently down guided by careful hands. 'I'hcv waved and cheered as the engines revved up and the en;pty pl.mcs took off to return the next day and the next with still more bombs, :IIlJlliunition, g:J.)()linc and other ~Upp]il'S for the fighters. But even the efforts of the B-2-fs were not enough. TIle drive to the north \\as in fu]] s\l'ing again, th is tunc for Belfort Cap. gate\\'ay to Ceflu:llI\". It \\~IS decided to add a fleet of A-20s and whatever C--f7s were av.ul.rblc: for these

or the 12th Tactical ,\ir Conun.i ud it lIas a criticul hour, From the day the 7th Ann)" h.ul ,;tonned the beaches of southern 1- ranee, the ground troops had been driving forward, never Im,llIg momentum, never being curtailed by their own insufficiencies. And with hom b and gun pOlIn that had torn the Ccrumn ~trong points to rubble ami dust, the 12th had provided the air support and led the \\ay. No\\' thcv had the l\a/,is on the IlIII. 'I'hcv had to keep operating. But they needcd supplies of rahon~, .unmunit ion and gasoline, needed them budlv. The ground forces couldn't 1;e called upon for aid. Thev were h.ivins; their own hc.rdachcs keeping their 011"11 units supplied. From the lx.ach hc.ul it was a 31 2-d:I\' turn-around by truck. j\nd the roads h:/(l :1))Ollt rC:lChed t'heir c'Ixlcih". So for once, instead of helping thc hom bel'S, the figh tc;'s and light at t.uk pl.uus c:l1ll'C! upon the bouibcrs to help them, And help univcd IIi th on t clclav. From the l :;th Air Forcc first (';1;11e a fleet of :8-24s. Shifted from ,stLltegic bOinbing Inissions. thcI' were assigncd to fly the g:lso]i11e .md supplic from their Italian h:lses to the t.utic.r] counu.md m cn in southern .md ccutr.il l'rancc. l<ach B-24 \\"as fitted to c.urv ciu ptv gasoline drums in the rear section, u nf nzccl :;()() POUII(!crs II'lTe hung in the bomb )XI\"S, \vhile lJJ:ll1V elses of ,:;0 culilx.r .n m nnu it ion and food sujJplies were di~tril)\]tcd in wh.rtcvcr stor:lge space \\as left" In addition, each pl.mc made the short flight with a full load of fuel in cvcrv available tank, In tight fornl:ltio'ns they flew to airdromes that hut a week hefore hnr] heen targets fe;r the new occupants. 1\ LIIlv of the crew mcm hers in the B-24s were groundmen who were making their fir~t mission to help with the nnloading. Thev were astonished at the destruction the AAF had wrought upon the targets they passed over. \\'hen the phnes lauded, the townspeople-long uccus-

British ferried

soldiers helped unload f.;as drums. .mnuuuition and bornhv. into southern France from 1 :;th Air Force hases in Italv.

56

AIR

FORCE

smaller pl.mcs could get mto the forw.n d fields where the B-2.fs couldn't land, 'I 'here \\;IS such a dciu.md for the cargo now that the A-20s and C--t7s of tell taxied to with in hmc dist.mc of t hc coinh.rt 1'--I7s, The groumhuen pumped the g;l.soline from Olle pLllll' to another like a blood tr.mvtu-.ion. "lIuv lifted bom l, clovvu f rom the hOluher's buv. fuzed tltel;l, and reltllug tltelll oil tile Tllllilderlwlts, . 1\ 'lu;Jil indlcltlon of \\1I:It the Tltllmlerholts did with thescsuppliD m.iv he gaiued from their score in a siugle day's opeLltiO!lS, Oil tlLlt (by thcv nailed -I, loeonI<lti\('s, destroying H of the-m. 1e;I\lllg () danLlg('(1. In addition, tluv dalllaged or destrol'l'<l 2() Llilro;ld CILS clrrllllg (;erlll;11I troops and supplies to tlte Iklfort Cap, Of 12 :;.O()() rounds of .un nuuut ion Hown in Oil one cl.iv, a 1'--17 group fired ()O.OOO rouud', 111tO cucmv eOl!\OIS ill the Belfort (;ap .uc.r. C rnd n.il lv, the r.icc to h'l'p tIll' figlt tel'S ,uppli('(1 w.t s hcing 11'011. Tltc rCSCITC of Ill;ltcricl \I:IS 1I1OIIIIting Ilillt eleh delivery by the ingcllious Coiu hi t l<xprcss, l uclccd. the cklivcrv of surplus r;:lsolinc her;;lll to pme ;1 prohlcm . It \I'as c.isv to store rations, .un iu u n it iuu and bom hs, but hir;1t oct.me gasolinc could not he pourcd ou a field, when no more storar;c tlllks were ;ILli!:Ihle .. \ licutcn.uir at nne field c.uuc up wit]: an am\ITr. hllding four wiu t.mk ens nearby. he secured pcrru iv.ion from the french authorities to have the elI'S iuovcc! to a sidinr; on the .iirficlc'. This clone, the cars were thorour;hh' ck:ln('(l, .n] :: :;,000 gallons of the prcciou. fncl found ,stoLlgc Sp;llT. Bv this t iinc. thc front had hcconu: m orc stabilized. .\s the ground forecs 1I10\Td in to sLlml hefore. the Bclfmt C;IP, the moves from a ird romc to aird rmuc bcc.nuc le" freque-nt. and Brig. Cen. Cordon l'. Salille h;lppih' announced th.rt his ] 2th Tactical Air Couun.u] \Ias in slyell shape-they had several (LI\'s' supph' of neeessan' matenel. ,,'ith thc rccsLihlislllllcllt of tl. r;lilro;ld lincs, thc curergency was over, and th Comb.rt 1'~xpress ninde its List supply run. Thc B-2-1s went hack to dcli,ering hombs on xtr.rtegic targets. the ;\-20s rcturucd to fh'ing their errands of ill-will, and the C--t 7s flc: on to meet other clcm.mcls. The 7th Annv \I';lS rc\(h'ing itself for the RIttle of Belfort Gap. Thanks to their hig friends and the suppl ic thcv had brought, the 12th Tactical Air Command was ready to take its usual place, the pl:icc np front,

THE CARELESS DIE EARLY

(Colltllilled

{/(JIll ]'age 17)

'*

After the bombers iI"c1 nn]o:lcled tilea

CIU;(!l'S, llIeelis drained tile r;;\soline hOIll tile Iling LmKs, lcaliIlg j\lSt l'IIOllgh for tlie rl'tIlT1l trip,

aceidcn ts, of fros tbitc ClslI;!l tics. a nd of d rowu iIIgs \\'h ich It;IIT OCCUlTed in tltc List 1 ~ mouth-, In "\lIgmt, 1 (!-t " CClleLI! .vruukl. impecting t lu- Sth Air },'mec, );1\1' thc 1'1',0 ;11 \lurk. \\-llclI CCllcLtI ,\r!JoJd got b.uk to \\';I,ltingloll, he told the "\ir StItt, "\\e Ilant Per)OIl;t1 l<qlllplllcllt OITiel'ls IIUII'," Rcgub!iom .md TO, were dC\i,cd .ul rcvivcc]. TLlining of till' ITO at the A.\I,' Schoo] of .vvi.tt iou \ lcd icinc, Ran. d()lplt I'll'll], 'lcx.i. heg;11I IIIIl'lc thc e("lIse for the Unit (h'gcn Officcr left ott, Capt. Sid ncv C, \ \cC;II'ic and Capt. [ Icurv Dolll'lllall were hrollgllt h;rck From the Stll Air force to iuvt ruct xtudcut-, OIl air-se;1 resc-ue and 1'1':() orgalli/,;ltioll. a ncl , mc.uuvlu!c. Capt, Salllllcl R, \1. Rcvuold-, aviation pltnio]ogi,t, hustlecl to hlgbnd to get thc l.rtcst iufor m.i t iou on PI,:O in-f ruc-t ion. latcr, the AAI'-SA\I cour:: I\'as 1ll00'cd to .\.\I''S.\T ;It OrL!mlo, lLr., exp;lIlded .uicl placed under the Al'lo \lcdiea] Dcp.ntmcut. Bv October. \dlCII the Orlando COlllSC II; IS tcrm inntccl, inorc titan 2,()()O 1'1,:Os had lxcu tr.riucd. The three-week Orl.mclo course, of ,hotgllll proportions, \Ias ctlclIl;ltecl to gilc tIle 1'1':O-to-hc .SOJIIC rc;t1 illsight into the Ihcr's problcmv. Tllc stuclellt olTicLT' m.ick: !lights in an altitude cold ch.uu bcr, "caring o\I'gcn IILI,ks a ur] v.nious tljlc, of in-ulntcd .md hc.rtcl xuit-, to get ;1 tlste of -t() below Il'lO at ,0,00(1 feet ;lhOlc SC;1 lcvrl. Thn S;III ho a m.m losc) 11111sCllbr cOlltrol ;md t hcn P;I\SCS out IlhcII he gets OX\'gCII w.urt. The\' lc.nncd to fit 1I1;ISks .md test them for leaks. 'Iluv r.m tlm;lIgh dingh:' drills in a B-17 mock-up, and f ound out hoI\' c.ixv it is to xn.rf u IlhCII \'011 h.iv onlv -t'; sccollds to get in tl;at rubber LIft. Thc:' \I~TC t;l1lght llO'\1 to opcn .i ncl infl;lte the Olle'IIJ:III and fjIC-III:11l life Lifts in the water. By ,itting out ill a fllT-l1lan Lift From Sll1l,et to sunr ixr, tlicv observed that three is a crowc] "lid Ille is a iuuh scene. '('hel' rode 1'\;11\' CLI,h bo;lts .md .\rull' B-17s in vm air-sea ,car(:h off Dayto'lla Be;leh wh ich provcc] .that it's easier to lose ;1 LIft th.m to fillcl one. Tl u-v put Oil Vl.rc \Ve,ts and p.tr.rchutcs .md jumped into the chiu k from a towcr, The high 'I)f)t of the cour-c, and thc lOll' spot ill mor.rl, \\'as a hvc-d.rv struggle with s.md flics, sunburn and sour Slcllll;ICh in a jllllgle surviv.rl problrru on a s\lamp island which thc Florid.; real ntIte jokl'ls ga\c hack to thc liv.n cls. Thc PVO gocs forth hom Orl.mclo witl: ;1 bundle of ;\J)'I'IC'IIITilal Jiteratllle prepared bv the /\rctic. Desert a lid Tropic 1nfonna lion Cell tcr, \Ih ich lc.icl s one to the imprc"ion that ;1 iu.m ]o,t in the jllllgle, far from heing a hero jmt hccausc he survive. is llestrm'ing gO\TfIllllent proPl'ltl' if he loscs \I'l'ight .u] is ,\\\'01. if he c.m't gct himself rcscl!ed ill -t8 homs, l''roll! all of this, it is CIS\' to ,cc tll;lt the l'l'~() h;\s ;m unh;lppl' joh, 1 cITrdhillg' is goillg ;dl right, 1m CO is likeh' to forget hill!. Bllt if ;Illlthing gm', I\TOllg \Iith the cqllipll!Cllt or the nlen ming it. hc i, ill the middle. llc\ just ;1 grolll!d-gripper \I'ith lHJ pbn' to go. Bllt hc's a ml'lllhLT of the cOlllhil tl';IIII. thLTC ;It the hridlng ;l1ld hick for tIle illtClTog:ltioli. ;rllc1 lIc gets his rl'II;lrcl \I'illll hc secs :111 1 () of :I (TCII' C()JIIC hick frOlll a ditclllll~, Ilis c1ll1gh\' drill ;Illd life Lift ill'plTtiom did th:lt. I k C!ll look prolld \Ihell thc flight SmSI'()J1 hLI~' that tlll.I' 11:llcld kId :111 o'\lgell :Ieeidcllt ill ;1 llH)Jltll. lJlT:IIl,e it ',1:" llc Ilho tr;rillcd tIll' (TnlS Oil t]LiI ~~-P()illt', ()O-wcond O\I~ell pre!light check :Illd ollh' he \1110 Lllell' lllollgh to ilisPlet e,wll .\ireo regllLttm di:rpllr;lglil for 'prillg kllSioll, \\Jll'll l!e;ldqll;\rkrs reports tlLlt higll ;t1titllc1c frosthik h;l, hllll Cllt lJ,) percent. ;IS in the Sth "\ir j'-mee. the 1'1<:0 call SJllile :It the \\';l\' he toiled 011 OllllJIlJder tcsh ;lJld ate Ollt thc gllllllers 011 fl':lrllillg to Ilork \Iith tlll'ir gloles 011, ;',

J.

DECEMBER,1944

51

frightened rabbit from the deserted runway of Hengyang Air Field. Demolition bombs were set, fuzes were burning; in a matter of seconds, huge charges of TNT would crater the airstrip. Safety precautions had been taken, but even the battlehardened officer in charge of the little party was apprehensive when the roar of an airplane engine came out of the overcast sky. Almost certainly it was another [ap, and the demolition crew was out in the open with a jeep full of potential destruction. To be safe from the explosions, they were putting distance between themselves and the field. To escape imminent strafing, they would have to seek shelter in a nearby revetment located so close to the mined field that falling rocks might do as much damage as Jap bullets. Choosing between certain and probable death, the officer swung the jeep recklessly into the revetment. 111e plane screamed low across the field and the crew, hugging sides of the revetment, sighed with relief as tho field was blasted by three heavy bombs and the plane zoomed away. It meant just that much less work for them to do. In charge of the crew was Lt. Col. Richard \V. Treiber, Airdrome Defense Officer of the China Air Service Area Command, and twice wounded veteran of two world wars. All day long, with the enemy pounding the field relentlessly from the air and ground attack a decided possibility, he and his crew of 11 men had worked like demons to complete the job of mutilating Hengyang. Demolition of airbases was one job the China Air Service Area Command had hoped never to carry out, but the Japanese drive to control the Hunan Kwangsi railway and establish a line of communication to French Indo-China has slowly driven back Chinese ground forces and necessitated abandonment of several forward bases of Maj. Gen. C. L. Chennault's 14th Air Force. Colonel Treiber and his men at Hengyang were the first to carry out the demolition phase of the CASAC's Airdrome Defense plan for all China bases. But trained crews, prepared well in advance for such an eventuality, have proved their worth again and again as the [apancsc push onward through China. The Air Service Command has never left a base behind without mutilating it thoroughly. Buildings, machinery, bomb and arnmunition slits. runways-c\"(?ry man-made implement of war has been blown to piece~ o' hammered into useless junk. It is almost impo .-render r unwavs permanently useless, but CAS;' achieve t;lC impossible.

jeep, laden

with leftover

explosives, scurried lIke'

Runwav somewhere in Cluna being mined with an ingenious pattern

of bombs.

Here coolies dig hole at point marked with white circle

bomb is placed ~ hole dug bv eoolics.r..~!~Col. Richard \Y. Treiber shave. hloek fTNT which will he pllt.iri~bSc of bomb. Demolition

'..

.
--:

It.

It

It

r
58

.......

..
AIR FORCE

The job of the CASAC ;s to maintain, supply and reclaim soon as there is mdication that the installation may have to all military aircraft and to build, maintain, supplv and debe abandoned. After the field is deserted and rcadv for the fend all American airdromes in China. Operating under dcmolil ion crew. drums arc placed inside each building. Maj. Gen. T. J. Hanley. [r., Commanding General of the The crew shoots holes in the containers and from a safe China-Burma-India Air Service Command. and Col. Clarpoint outside. hurls burning material through windows or cnee P, Talbot, Commanding Officer. the CASAC docs a doors to start the blaze. job which, in its tremendous scope. is peculiar to the China "One tiiuc," the Colonel related, "Lcould n 't get the stuff area. Its activities on this rapidlv developing war front arc burning and the building filled with g,IS fumes in no time. constantlv coordinated witl: General Chennault. who carries But I finally got it started, and took off, \\Then I was about responsibility for the personnel. materiel. adequate main. halfway down the path. the building went 'Woosh!' and I tenanee and protection of all American airbuses and installafound myself running a race with a window sash!" tions in China. Bomb and ammunition slots arc destroyed by dumping \\'ith typical thoroughness. the Air Service Command has gasoline inside and igniting it, The tremendous heat sets off set up air and ground defense for these installations, com. the explosives and the main problem is planning their de. plctc with annexes. struetion so that they can be handled speedily, yet allow the One of these annexes includes a detailed plan for the crews to reach adequate shelter. For explosive demolition c1estruetion of each airdrome in the event ofabandonment of any rca] size, hastily built lean-to's serve to keep crews to the enemy, and provides for an adequate Clew to carry safe from falling rock and fragments. out the complex and dangerous job.' . To illustrate unforeseen dangers encountered in this work. In the case of Hengyang, a 12-man'crew wrecked in 14 Colonel Treiber recalled the burning of a building full of 50 hours an installation that took thousands of men 11 months caliber ammunition at Hengyaug. to construct. After that, on July 6, came the destruction of "We fired it and ran like mad for the nearest revetment , Paoching. Lingling followed, and on September 20, airstrips before the cases began to explode. Fvcrvthing went fine at Kwcilin were demolished, As the [apancse advanced, until a stray slug hit a gasoline drum ned to us and the Tunchuk on the West River hadtobe demolished. In everv ~tuff began to trickle down the hill toward the fire.... instance, the job was done by a handful of men specially We didn't stay much longer." trained for the particular airdrome, and alwavs the demo. , Thc "Annex Plan" provides for tim tvpcs of demolition. Jition was completed within a few hours after' the field was "destructive" and "explosive." "This." Colonel Treiber said. abandoned. "means that we destroy as much as \IT can by fire and by Colonel Treiber, who since the loss of Hengyang has been brcaking it up with sledges. \\'e take earc of most machinmade Chief of Personnel and Training Division in thc China ery this way, though sometimes when it is too big we have Air Service Area Command, knows the peculiarities of to use explosives." American basesin China. Three times he has made a com. The final job is attempting to make thc runway useless to plete round of them, first to .draw up a detailed defensep1liIl;". .the enemy. This is done by mining the strip with an in. fpr each, and then to tram crews to carry out cj,efenStf{f genious pattern of bombs devised to accomplish greatest against ground or air attack and execute the "Demolition' damage in the least time. Annex" in ~., event of abandonment. ' Nose plugs arc taken out of the bombs and a half-pound Proud o(t.befact that there has been no single casualty in block of TNT is shaved round to fit, then inserted, To this carryingt:,'amounting number of demolition jobs, the is attached either an electric or non-electric detonator cap. Colonel ' "close coordination" with the success. When there is time. the bombs arc buried in the runway "A well-trained crew," he said, "ordinarilv encounters little to accomplish a m.iximum of damage, but sometimes it is dangerinhandling explosives. However, these jobs have t{), necessary to tic two or three together and explode them be dqpeib: ,that every phase must be carefUllv ,.on the surface. planned one will be endangered to When !\Sing non-electric explosives, the safety cord fuze . '" man is doing." and prima cords arc ,i:t for approximately five or six minutes. dure followed in the Demolition An. depending upon the immediate circumstances. A jeep "Colonel Treiber, is first the burning of sweeps hy each mined spot to pick up the man who touches estruction of boinb and ammunition slots the mines off. "When using such fuzes, there is always a dumps. While this work is going on, the run. standby iccp," the Colonel explained. "With this fuel. you taxi strips and parking stands are mined and made can never be sure your jeep isn't going to 'conk out." ,.' for exploding. When electrical detonators arc used, the crew usually Jsually, the demolition of .buildings is a comparatively builds a lean-to over the switch box for protection from simple job, Drums of g<lS<?!ineareset mtar each structure as falling stuff. ,~:""~kAsked about the problems of getting out of the. area after the destruction is completed, the Colonel observed laconically, "That's the touchy part of it!" But the records show that not a man has been lost on a demolition job. If, in the future, the China Air Service Area Command is forced t<'Jdestroy more of its bases to keep them from the hands of the enemy. there is ample certainty that the job will he done well. At each base, crews arc constantlv tr.uncd for this joh and thoroughlv acquainted with peculiar aspects of their particular job, The men assigned to this llcntbreakmg, but essential. task have been taught to handle bigb explosives safclv and cfficicntlv and to carrv out their "",igulllents in the face of cvcrv conceivable obstacle. The destrtletion thus far has proved their courage and skill.
Text prepared by Public Relations office. 14th Air Force

DECEMBER.

1944

59

THE ABC OF D-DAY

t

Rendezvous
(Coutinued fro II I I'a<.;e :;:;)

Cont inu.xl

[r om P:l~e

:;:; I

tern, the complete ort;:lniz:llloll ill the I'~TO w.rs est:lhhshed. Did the svstcm P:l\' off? It worked so well. that on D.da\'. less th.ui onch.ilf of OIlC percent of :III t:ictica] aircraft of the St h .md 9th Air Forces were grollilded for l.uk of parts. :\'cxt c.unc thc translatioll of supplv int o .ut iou. l ut clliecncc provided inforru.it ion Oil what tan;ets would be neutralized wl uu , while the Air Staff decided Oil how much time the pre-invasion "prcxcssiui;" xliould take. However. quest ions were .tlwav. bobhing lip, like "\\'hat will be the :l\cra~e .iltit udc of attack and the nut icip.itcd bombillg accnracv at that al t ituclc?" "11m\' m.mv bombs will have to be dropped to ~ct the required number of hits?" "110\\' n1:lIIV bombers will have to bc put O\'lT the tar~l:t to drop the required number of bombs," To settle thcse .mcl ot lur tille poinf -. it \\'as evident th.it oulv :1 complc: chcck on c(jlnb:lt opcrat ious O\'lT :1 lorn; period coul.l possiblv provide the data required. Yet St:lIlStical Cont rol , with :1 li;ht flick of its 1,orm i-f reports. served Ill~ the Ilt;ll\c, in short orrlcr. \lodiflcatirl11 rcprcscuts another t:m~k f rcuucutlv unrave-led with t imclv a\Sist:llllc In' Stat COlltroL In .thc ETO' hIck ill C:lrI;' I ')-f i, for cx.unplc. it \\,:IS dccided to iIIClC:l'C 1\ 17 arm.uncut bv installing twin :;()s in the nose in order to counter cncmv fighter plalles '\hich were attacking hC:ld01I. Ollh.:;:; percent of the bombers ill a grollp nee.led this c1r:lIIgC, since a formation is so cleplmcd t li.rt the noses of aircraft in ccrt.iiu positions arc adeqllatehprotected bv the tail ;mlS of 01 her planes. It \\'as the job of the modifJc:ltiolls officer to dircct the Arm' of 1\ l-s from the airbascs to the depot .md back again, without cit he; strippillf.; the airb.ivc lx.low combat strcuuth or o\'lTcrm\'lling the service f.rcilit ic. \\'I1:lt \\':IS more, he had to kecp track of those bombers under his jmisdiction which had lxcn armcd in this w.rv. xiucc it was this f.ntor wh ich decided \\'h:'lt plane would lead each clcmcut. This seemed simple cnouah, but when the air forces bet;:ln massing ships for bif.; offensi\'l's, the situat ion became so involved with details that modifications officers were on the \crf.;c of throwing lip their hands. Here, too. Statistical Control stepped in .u.d c.uue up with the right idea-on the nose. An appendix was added to the rcgul.u aircraft status report and an arr:mgcmcnt was made for fOf\\'ardillg it to higher levels. Under this plan, gronp knew bv serial number what aircraft had been modified, air division knew bv quantity, and command knew by perccntaf.;cs, But any time command wanted to know bv serial numbers, the necessary iuforuiat ion could be supplied within the hour. Preparation for Dxlav in Europe was a big order. Stat Control took off its tabulators, rolled up its index files and went to work. Preparation for Dvday in the Pacific will be an equally large undertaking, But Stat Control has its machinery set up. its report system ora.mizcd and its comprchcnxivc data reach, for action,

m.rv think

t li.rt \\:lS a terrible price for any human to p.iv, but we got the "upper hand" in air power back then, and from where I now SIt it seems to me my present comfort is earned .... I am much improved and able to get about with mv cane and try to keep mv time g:unfullv occupied .... Some folks think I am dead, but mv desire to Jive seems to keep me alive rega~clless of what folks think. l\!aj. R. W. Schroeder (Retired) P. O. Box 87, Clcuvicw, Ill.

To .1Jajor Schroeder n'en' ui rrn an in the A .'IF o//'es {[ debt "/ ~r(J{itlltl('; many uu'c their lircs. This pioneer f/.Ier nuul c his first rcroril <ccnt into tit I' upper air in 191/3. Ilithin two\.cars he luu] pushed his ('eilin!, [t om 2ii.1I1I1J to :n,IJIlU ject (the [us! pi/ot to fI({\' :W.IJIJIJ [cet), collecting inrol ual.l t ,1iI/" on .flight conilitions in t h at region, t h ci r I'j,
fef.f on man and machine. His Jlif.!,/r/s
llTU'

nuul in open cue/,'p;t j(}hs in which jell' men uoulil cure to rls]. their nccl, t od u.v. WI' t('l'n' !Iappy to h ear [rom him und to puss ott his tltouglits to all our readcrs.-Ed. WAC Happy Dear Fditor: .. , This is not a courpl.unt, neither :l sn<.;<.;cstion. But the gir( pictured on the luck cover of vour

Ortohcr
"All right, Cathey-dress it up!"

19.H

issue

Answers to Quiz on Page 53

1. (Il)
(A)

\.000
TTIle

looked vcrv familiar to me. .';1(1 if it's possiblc please send me her n.uuc and address. Sgt. Donald ~I. Luke, Dcar Editor:

Indianapolis,

Ind.

2,
;.

(A \ Dominator
(D)
(B)

4, S.

Shanghai

and

lIong

Kong

5'/e
:\ffairs Officer
:\\;1\'

.. , I ha\'c no squ.rwk, commcut or suggcstion to offer, but I'm :l\dnlly puzzled.

Cuu \'CJl1 tell me t hc name of the \\'ac \\hosc picture appears CJl1 the back cover of .\IR FORCE for Octobcr. I know I've sceu her. either in mv lbsic GO-or hack home. I think :'011f 'mag:lzine is grc:lt and I read C\"lT\' page reli~iol1Sh' evcrv month. I'vt, Frances Drcuu.ui, Baton Rouge, La. Dcar Editor: ... On thc hick CO\Tr of vour October isslle there is a picture of an enlisted \\'a(', Thc pict urc is of au nr-qu.unt.mc-e of mine witl: whom I have lost contact. It was quite a surpri-,c to sec her in nnifor m. If it is at all possible I woulr] likc full n.unc, grac!c and completc address. It. IIc11fY R. IIales, :\IcClell:1ll Field, Calif. De:lr Editor: ... \\'hilc looking through y011f October issue, I noticed ,"011f ad on the hack cover. There is but O1;C picture of a girl. I am vcrv milch interested in learning her name ami addrc. thc reason being that she looks verv milch likc a girl I knew back home and haven't seen for O\'Cr 1\\'0 vc.n s. I know she joined the forces, but that's all. Is her name

6, Personal
(c:)

6. I 'J-+2

fl.
9, 10. 11. I :. I;.

14, 1:;.

16, 1-. 18.

Expcr irncntul (c) 2,000 vards (c) \\'ilmington. Del. (Il) Delaware to India and China (,\) Sepa ra tc gas \':1 pors (Il) False. Lcvt e. with approximatch' 2.800 sqn:lre miles. is the eighth largest of thc islands. Luzon. :\ lmd.uiuo, Samar. 0:egros. Panav, Palawan and M indoro arc largcr in that order. (B) False, Direct communication is authorized. (Il) False. The 1\29 win~sp:ln is approximately l l l fcet; the H19. 212 feet. (B) Vivcositv (c) 4:;0 ' (Il) F:J1se. Union of Soviet Soci:ilist Republics
(ll)

19.
20.

(,\)
The
t hc

TTIlc

C -fli Commando C47 Skvtr.un.

(left)

and

6D

AIR

FORCE

I T;ln((-~Lelcvrc. and i~ her home in Center line. :'\1ich.? It. P;1111 Carclelh. ~e\\' York. ~. Y.
Lieut cnan t Gardel/a
l rc s

gels
st ar

t lir
She

gal.
is Franc

Or at
cs

t,

he

has

(J

lu-o.]

t.

Lcbcrrr, Our Error

oj Ccn t cr Linv; ,Hit'h.

Ed,

" _ , BEFORE DECEMBER " 1941

Dear Editor:
... In vour issue of AIR FORCE dated J ulv, 1944,' on the article "Land and Lin: HI the Desert," I wish to call to WHIT attcn t ion an error in the picture \\hi('h shows a sLilT sergeant firing the \[.11 Distress Flare \\'Ith the :\1.8 :\ircraft Projector and vet the caption beneath that picture st.rtcd that he \\'as firing the Yen' pistol. It is impossihle to fire anv aircraft flares with the Yen' pistol. .. ' Cp1. Charles Kapner, Charleston. S, C. Correct, The ""IT' ill t lic photouru a n ".1/-11 dist rr ... .tlffrt," s uit h pvrotcchnic, A.Y-.Hfi."-Ed. Section
pl:
II

1903, DI!C., 17:

First controlled power airplane flights made by Orville and Wilbur Wright at I<ittty'Hawk, N. C. Bids on heavier than air "flying machine" Chief Signal Officer. 'Fifteen airplanes purchased by the Army. in an airplane, at called for by

1907, DEC. 23:

1911, DEC. 31: 1914, DEC. 16:

i ru:

is /ir. .'pistul.

First radio message ever received Manila, P. 1., from Corregidor, Maj. Gel1,C.:r.

Kind Words
IkIT

1918, DEC. 23: 1919, DEC. 31:

l'.k.l1.0hYf.. . made pir<;ctor of Air Service.

Editor: Notable technical developments of the year include leakproof tanks, free parachute pack, reversible and variable pitch propellers," supercharger, siphon gasoline pump, fins and floats for emergency water landings, and a 37 nun cannon in a 1>01111>eT, first canllon mounted and th(; fired inan Americaa-builcairplane . Major accomplishments listed by Air Service engineering division are:l1~e GAX armored attack plane; 700 hp "" ... engine, the new 'Martin bomber, and aerial firing of 37 mrn cannon,

... I have just seen thc new :\m FORCE aIHI hasten to eongLltnhte von on the new format. It is muc-h more dvu.un ic and ccrtainly has a greatcT reader nppc.rl. Lt. Col. :\ler1c .\rmitage. Atlantic Citv Dear

Editor: . . . Let me add mv mice to thc chorus of praise I'm sure von arc rceei\'ing on your I.it cst (October I issne . , . Art, l.ivout and COp\' arc thc best I ha\'(' ever SCC;1 in :\IR FORCE ... S/SgL Max Shnlm;m. "'in,ton S:rlem. ~. C. Dear Editor: . , "'e want to tell vou that \\'C think the new cover of ,\IR F;lRCF is tops. Bnt ld cover-s-new con'l-it's the best darned ,nagazinc of its 1\'1)(' anvwucn-, Yon ccrtainlv do ;1 magnifiecnt job and we're proud to be on yom mailing livt , , , Ford 'Iotor Co" Dearborn, \Iich, Dear Editor: , Yom nc: front cover is vcrv at trac t ivc, hath the dnign and thc photo (e, pcciullv the photo I, Kecp np the good work. S/Sgt, P, B, Cunuinnh.uu. :\PO Sh2. c/o Postmaster. ~c,,' York. ~. Y. Dc;]r Editor: l l oor.iv for \'ClIIT new cover on the October issue of :\IR FOH(T-certainh' IS ;] rrand improvement. ' Cp1. Tom Hl.mdford , Cedar Ke\'. Fh, Dear Editor: ... Overall Litin!; for :\m FOHCF '"pcrior without hesitancy, T/Sgl. J. :\. Casc\'. Bolling Field. D, C

1920, DEC. 31:

,.

1922. DEC, 18: 1925, DEC. 31:

Helicopter test-flown one minute, 41 seconds. Developments of the year include the Douglas CI transport,standardi(;e~l airway light beacons, the radio beacon, and oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers and brakes. Goodwill flight from Texas around South America begun. Return on May 2, 1927. Distance: 22,065 miles.

1926, DEC. 21:

1927, DEC, 14:

1\1a;. Gen. J. E. Fediet succeeds '\laj. Patrick as Chief of Air Corps.

Gen. M . .1\1.

1931, DEC, 18:

W orld duration record for gliders is established. time: 21: 34: 15. l\taj. Gen. Corps. B. D. Foulois
IS

Flying

1931, DEC. 22:

appointed

Chief of Air

1935, DEC 1.2:

~
PICTCRE CREDITS furnished
and/I)f p ri nt of
...hou ld Lihra rv.

Mass flight of 29 bombardment planes of 7th Bombardment Group made from Hamilton Field, Calif., to Vero Beach, Fla. Elapsed time, 11.50. Device insuring automatic fuel transfer in airplanes with reserve fuel tanks is developed. Five B-I0s make goodwill night C. Z., to Bogota, Colombia. from France Field,

All p!lotograpfl<; in t hiv issue .~:rc!ug!J ot1ill,d :\Tn1\' Air F(\r(c~ ':go,;I COIro" :-'lltlrCl'\ Rcquc s t s tor r ~:\ t'lgr:lrhS ~ ~ dir cctc-d a r-r-c.r: ing to the A:\F
:\:\F,

1935, DEC. 31:

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1936. DEC. 14.18:

llECEMBER,1944
I

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By Capt. E. E. Churchill
Air

'Weathcr

H.CCOI111;lj'S;lI1CC Sql1adron

.::.i'....;...~ ....... than ~I y~a ,.; .; a .. ... .>.~ ih

e '.

,',;'.\ >/1 ~th Air I' 0 sious a week the uncertain

predictable weather was costing the erage of three or four .rbort ive miss of others \\"ere being gronnded bv thcr coud ition-, en ron te and O\Tr the.target. . c and gasoline \\';IS beIng sqnandered by flying, '. r hours toward Ltrgets. oulv to find them.:' 11ure to ut il i:. the tn.rxinnuu number of bo s giving the 1Ilelll\ au oppOltunlh to put his ". <aek)nto opcr.mou [x t orc till' could hc p.ud encore' visits: And seeing then hom hs Jettlsoncd m to the ocean mstead-of exploding on tlrc tllgets II:IS h;lIing a depressing effect on bomber CIT\\'S. Weather was at the root of t h c-: uucomplctcd missions. but weather forecasters were not to hLIIllC', Their reports ended abruptly at the borders of cucuiv-lu-ld t cnitorv wh ile targets for whieh thcy were c\]K'cted to forecast were often hundreds of miles bcvond . Then there lIas .motlicr coiu plication-the freakish niovcmcut of air 1I1a'Ses across the Alps frequently resulted in a cOlllplete about-fare in the \\c;lther within an hour or two. 'I'hcre had to he a practical solution to these problems The 13th found it in \\cather reeo!lnaiSSallee. The principle involved is a simple one. l nxtc.ul of sending a hundred bomhers on a flight th.it might he wasted, a LIst fighter plane is first -nt 0\ er the tan;et to take a look at the weather .md report b.rck. There \\;IS notlllng \\Tong with the idea itself but it took months of e:\perimenting before it rc.il lv paid off, The pl.m of dOllhlc-eheekillg the \\c;lthcr hegan on a limited scale in \Lllch, 19-n. \I'irh clch gl(JIIp,eneling out its own wcatln-r ship .md for\\arding its fmdings thwngh channels-to headquarters. But tneliness of tr.m-.m ixxion , lack of uuiformitv and coordin.ition , and gc'nera! inaccuracies of the: almost nullified their effeeti\Tness. Plam !nd per ere still being necdlcssh lost. prcciou time lind re still heing \I'aste'lL and ch.mccs of the 'ions continued to he reduced .ipproximatclv "by inadequate weather infnnn.rtiou. ".. " 0' iron out these wrinkles in the s\'Stcnl. the 13th Air F~rce Weather Reconnaissance Deta(:hmcnL destined to blossom four mouths latcr into a filII-fledge'll squ.rdron , w.rs organized on.~aveUlber 3. 19-+0, with six hand-picked, battle-seasoned ilots, each wit]: 1; to '); com hat missions under and 22 enlisted men witl: an a\Trage of two and.,experienee as P-3S mechanics. AIR FORCE

The day may look dreary as hell but these flying weather snoopers in Italy can usually find a target for our bombers

In spite of the emtomary difficulties of supply. administration and communications attendant upon a new outfit, the results were amal'.ing. In less than a week after the organization of the detachment, abortive mi~~ions had been practically erased. By the end of February, weather rccounaissancc flights had been officially credited as the decisive factor in the success of 15 missions that otherwise would not have been attempted. Cases Iike th is were typical: Flying cntirely by instruments for two and a half hours, two p- 38 pilots had emerged from the soup half an hour after xunrisc to find both targets clear. A subsequent search along the front had ferreted out several breaks large enough to permit passage of the bombers. This information, radioed back to Bari, enabled the rerouted heavies to complete one of their most successful missions and to catch the Germans, who had been lulled into a false sense of sccnritv '1 result of the heavy belt of weather, completely hv surpri On another day, planes had been loaded and crew for twin daylight strikes on submarine peus at :\ and b.illbcaring works at 'I'urin. Just before tnkc-o the mission had been temporarily cancelled. A trcucli front, cutting at right angles across the route to thc ta had wedged its wav over Corsica and ,', ni chances of piercing ~t seemed slim. Yet. fi\ became of a last minute report by weather c the bombers were chasing each other down thc nu :\ Iiss ions flO\\'11 by wca thcr rccounaissa nee arc oughly divisible into three principal categories. First, there arc the general area missions in which planes arc dispatched on a staggered schedule throughout the day oyer various routes radiating from thc basco Reports from these area-blanketing flights not only gi\T operations officers a detailed weather picture for the planning of the next day's operations, but thcv also arc of inestimable value to the HAl' in charting night born bing missions. Still more important arc the target check missions, 10\\'11 a short time before take-off time to pry into any questionable weather conditions which may have developed during the night~and to gi\'e the green light to waiting bombers if the prospects arc promising, or to hold them at home if the picture is dark. Finullv, when the soup is thick and the breaks arc few, there arc pathfinding missions to locate openings for outbound and homing bombers whose rnaxirnnin-rnngc flights ICl\T no surplus fuel for scouting around on thcir own. Secret of the success of thc target check missions is timing. Iuformatiou on weather conditions over the target area loses its value in direct proportion to thc time lag in reporting it. It was discovered early in the game that if thc target is four hours away, you can't wait until the weather rccon plane returns to make its report before you send vour bombers off. By the time they arrive, the weather may have changcd and the target may be closed in. Wherever possible, thc pilot radios his findings in simple code to a powerful h~ming station, from which point they arc promptly transmitred to the staff weather officer and all units which might benefit from the reports. If the distance from base to the target is beyond the 350-400 mile radio range, a second reconnaissance plane is sent out behind the first to pick up its signals and rclav them home. Thus, the bombers may be half \\;IY to their targets before the reconnaissance plane's return. DECEMBER,1944

Llstest trauvnus-.ion method of all is the onc h' ",hell the weather recon pilot radios his information dire cli:: :0 111C leader of the bomber group while both arc in flight. l! 1hc main target, for example, is Schwcinfurt and that cit:,. is blanketed by heavy overcast, there's a sporting chance t];,lt either Stuttgart or Regensburg is clear. The P- 38 \\ c.ithcr plane leaves in advance of the bomber flight, takes r(;l(liJ1g$ at several points ,llong the way, observes conditions ;1: the selected targets~or at points ncar them-s-and heads hICk. The route of the bombers, mcnnwhilc, may be directed either toward the main target or on a median course inr ,Ill possible targets. Some point on the course is design;;tu] ;1') the "Turning Point." There is also a "Point of Intcr-cc tion" where bombers and the observation plane should p;I'" (;;L!I other. This is placed a short distance from the Tl:ming Point. If the bombers have received no wurd from the weather plane by the time they reach the Tmning Point, they proceed to the m.rin target as planned. Expert na\ig;ltion and careful timing on the part of the weather plane pilot arc paramount in this particular kind of operation. I'lying on opposite courses at high speed, bOll1b.:p; n bscrvation plane arc left only about 20 to 25 minr- intercommunication. If the weather pilot docn't n n hers within this brief span, his mi-vion h:1S on is not able to determine whether a tl[~Lt cd in all instances, \Vhen cloud cover O\CI tJ1C to 7/10, the bombing possibilities arc unccrtuin. The" rvation planes arc most useful in making snre that time is not wasted in going to impossihlc targets, .md that a clear target is not passed up. Dcspi tc several \'er~' definite drawbacks, the P- 38 '.',;15 chosen as the best mailable ship for reconnaissance purpo'e'i. Its range enabled it to poke an inquisitive nose into the most distant targets; its speed ga\'e the pilots a greater a(h;111tage in leaving attacking l\1c~serschmitts behind, and its ceiling permitted it to explore actual conditions through which the high-flying bombers would pass. Its armor pl.iting was left intact, but three of its five guns were removed to make room for an extra VIII' radio set and battcrv, an electric K-2+ aerial camera and a radio range recei\'Cr: With pilots doing triple duty as their own observers, n.ivigators and gunners, a streamlined report sheet. attached to a clipboard clamped on the pilot's leg, was devised to make it easier to record pertinent weather data. A simple grid svstun is used to locate definite areas of hcnvv weather, to define pin-point targets within these areas aiJd to report the extent and orientation of fronts. Among the weather factors observed arc the extent, base and height of clouds, approximate wind direction and velocity, temperature at e\'Cry 2,000 feet of elevation, poor visibility, fog, haze, rain, snow, icing, turbulcrrcc, thunderstorms and the levels of condensation \'apor trails. Weather reconnaissance, one of the newest and most promising phases of strategic bombing. received its greatest tribute in a recent st.itcmcnt-c-with no strings attachcd-smade by A-3 of 1 ;th Air Force. It was that the operations of the reconnaissance unit had slashed at IC1St six months from thc length of the war in the \Iecliterranean by making it possible to carry out continuous hombing strikes and thus thwart the Germ;1I1 efforts to repair d.nnagc to kcy factories and milir.iry installations.

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us.... Second lieutenants arc so numerous around the l st Air Force Pilots Procc'>sini; Center at Riclunond. \'a .. that t hcv travc! 111 SII':Hms. It's a rare bird amoni; them 11,110 has been commissioned more t h.m :1 month and whet her t hcv admit it or not. most of them arc still cadets at heart. \ l.ittcr of fact. Capt, Charles Smith. opcr.it ions officer. i;ot so wcarv of rdllsilli; rcqucxt-, for thrccd.iv p:lsses that he pl.mtcd :] bnobv trap, Confronting a pair of \'0ll1li; innocents. Captain Smith xai.] sharph: "Yon nu-n h:IIT been in the .vrmv more th.m :1 ICIr. You should know bv 110\1' where to' i;et 10m p:\sses. Go sec' the tlrst seri;cant." \\' ith

GOT ANY

"()J-.:."
NIlII,

"lid thcir scrgc:lllt. whcr thc hcl] is that

"\\'c surrenclcr. good food'"

USA, To our :]ttention has come tlie neat Irick of I'll, Fd\l:ml 0, SpLitt. 2ille:lrold pre .ivintion cadet, who is n-por t ccl to h:IIT performed 6,-12<) CO!lSeCi tin' sit ill'S from a I prollc positioo, ,\n .\,\1,' c:lmp nC\l'sp:qK'r "I\'S. "SLlrting hom :1 pronc position wit l: hands locked behind his neck. Spratt r.uvccl to tOllch elbo\\'to,knee :ilkrn:lteh' in thc prescribed m.mncr , and returned to the prone position each time," It's not tl,e 6.-129 IH.'re excited about. hut thc fact t h.rt he aeeomplishcd elTn one, ;\ceording to our dictiouurv. if Spratt Il'as prone, he \I:rs fLit on ],is f.icc. China .. \ Chiuc:: bom hcr erell of the I-Ith \ir hncc be(';I]]IC' .sep:ILltcd from its formu tiou while returning hom :1 miv.iou. .vftcr losini; contnct with other bombers. the crew CIT]]t]]:Jlh found a f.nn il i.tr landmark, the Y:mi;tz,c river. This prO\'CCI nseless. however. hen the n:l\'ig:ltor confessed that he Il'as too confo.scd to dctcnuinc the direction of their 1>:,ISe.Hnt shortlv afterward the bomber ch:]]Il;Cd course :md' IITnt straight homewithout the nal'igator. \\'heo he arrived. IIT:HI' and footsore some cl.ivs later. he expl.uncr]. "The pilot made me bail out and a.sk somcbodv. Theil I made markers 0]] the gronnd, Then I h.rdda wal k horne."

of command at his S\VPA hcadquartcr-, ba.se, ;\t wing headquarters mess the major ,:I\'S he is served. -vcral times a week. one h:;1f inch stubs cut off the butt end of :lsp;Jrai;ns stalks. \\'hen vivit ius; uaval head (11I:lller.s at mess he \I':IS sen'cd the middle part of asparai;ns, Then. OIlC nil;ht. accord illg to the major. he dined at another pbee :l1ld realized ,sllddellh' tllat he had reaehcd both the top of the (:ommand and the stalk, It was ellQ mess, .md there OIl his plate IHTe the asparagm tips, North Africa. Lt. C. A. \lcEI'CI, of SaIl ,\Illrmio, \I':IS asked to cleseribc the ontstand illg inciclcut of his flliJli; carccr . The pilot "It cl0\\'1 1 .ind pon'lered such matters as

brand new airplanedril'Cf hats held pol itch in their hand. the t\l 0 licllten:lIlts applucl to the first scrgcant. I lc made out !lIO I<n listed 1\len's pas\Cs and the IOllng pilots headed for the bright lights of \\':Ishington. D, C. "[ust a minute.' thc 'lTgc:mt called after them. "Youll h:ln' to get thc CO',s S1gnatnre on tbose passcs," ~ The lieutcu.mtx walkc! into t he old m.mv (}tfIee. ,s;dnted, :lIld pLll'ed t hr P:lssC\ npon his desk, The CO gbnced at the p:lsses, then at the gold bars, then at the vouthful f:lces-thcn he ro:lred. It II:rs thc );cl] 0\1' of " man too busv to apprcci.itc clowu-; The ll!lSllSpccting otfIeers had prc-cutccl passes Ilude out to ]\'t. J:lke Snake .md l'\'t. Joe HIO\\'. France. It I\'as one of thosc b:HI da\,s clurIng the Third .\Inl\ s rnsh from St.' 1,0 to the Ccnn.ru border: :\'ob()(h' I\':IS vcrv SIIlT where t lu- leading clements' of the ~rollnd troops IHTe. .md Om I' -lIS out ahead IITrc hanng t roublc iclentihlllg Lugets. Fin.rllv, one flight spotted a likcl , looking cnhuuu of troops Ilslng Iiorse dr.rvu IThicles-llsllalh :1 'ign of Ccrmalls, The tli;litns dropped t lui: bombs. 1I'1m'h that d:11 IJ;lppened to include leaflets ach'isini; the cncuiv to surre-nder. pronllsing good food .md cil:iliz,cd treatment. Tlie p.ivof] c.uuc a Icvv d:IIS later wlu:u one of the Iorwarcl eO\nnl:nlC] posts of t hc Tac, tical Air hlre'C \\':IS vivit cd bv se\er:il dozen grim I' Third .vnnv iut.mtrvnrcu.

missions, hOlllhillgs he said. "I glless it pcncd in I,'relleh \ cat a sandwich made a tube of American

and dogfii;hts, "\VelL" II':IS something that hap lorocco. ] saw an :\rah of K,ration biscuits and sh:I"ing crc.un ."

Burma. If Ion need .mv fmthcr proof that om nurses aim to plcnsc. here it is: A flii;ht nurvc II':]S the first whit woman to vixit :1 rem ole hndinl; strip in northern Bunna. ,\s she II':IS about to leave. she askcd the mCII If there II:lS amlhini; she rould send them, Onc man :\skcd for :1 red head, .Yuot lu-r IT(lnested :I brunette. ,\ t h ird indicated that he IITnt for hlolldes, The nurvc prouuvcd to .scc what she could do .md departed, ,\ fell d:II's later. .ru ,\TC \ir \'\'aenation pl:lne !:J1I,kd on t hc strip wit]: xouu: nurses who II'UT detailed for clut v t hcr :IS a result of cucmv air action, There: were three uur::-. .\ red h~'acl. ,\ brunette. .vncl u blonde, China. Sonic of the bovs who helped clc strol' om .iirficld .it Kwciln. report that it w.r-; Oil t hc who]. :1 pret tv i;looml hmi ness, I Iowcvcr , :1 ccrt.un spu it of g:ue!l' is said to ha\'c prevailed whcu thel' c.uuc to burning t lu: orrlcrlv sh.uk. \ \ ith it went the First Sergeallt's dut , roslers, includim; as sigmucllt of the next 11'CC'k'sgllard detail. 1.,

Southwest Pacific. :\ major in a :;th Air I'-orce figl,ter wing ehim.s that he has found au e:ISI \Ial to clcl cnn iut, the v.mou- levels

64

AIR

FORCE

1911. The man fumbling around iu this dishpan is Rilcy Scott who is about to tryout his mechanical bombsight. 1'\\"0 18-lb. bombs hit the targct-wcll, almost anyway.

') ,

We're more than 2,300,000 individuals 75,000 airplanes 16 complete air forces spread around the globe. But above all, we're one outf1t, one team. And that oneness gives us the team-power necessary to f1nishour job.