Civil Air Patrol in WWII

AhistoryoftheUSAirForceAuxiliary
19May2012PalmSpringsAirMuseumPresentedbyMaj.SimonHousmanandCapt.CrystalHousman,PCRCA435 emcee

Founders & Origins

photo:1943CoastalPatrolBaseNo.12Brownsville,Texas

Origins of Civil Air Patrol

Internationalsituationduring the1930s:

WarinAsia WarinEurope AmericaisUnprepared

September1,1939

Origins of Civil Air Patrol

IntherunuptoWorldWarII,civilianpilotslobbytheGovernmentto letthemserveonthedomesticfrontintheeventofwar. In1936,GillRobbWilsonmakesaworktriptoEurope.Heisalarmed tofindGermanfactoriesrunningfulltilttomakearmaments.

Gill Robb Wilson

LearnedtoflyinaFrench MoranParasolmonoplane. WWIAviator(atright). WilsonsbrotherJoeisatleft. Joewaskilledduringthewar. AviationwriterforTheNew YorkHeraldTribune FirstdirectorofNewJersey BureauofAviation

Origins of Civil Air Patrol

Wilsondraftsanationalplanfortheorganizationofcivilianpilots andbeginstosetupaprograminhishomestateofNewJersey. Wilsonenlistsotherstosupporthisplanandbeginpitchingit.

Guy Gannett

OwnerofasmallNewEngland newspaperchain. TheGANNETTchainstill existstodayandpublishes:

USATodayandMilitaryTimes TheDesertSun 81otherdailynewspapersand 23televisionstations

Thomas Beck

PresidentofCollierCrowell PublishingCo.

PublishesColliersWeekly newsmagazineandColliers Encyclopedia In1940sheyday,company produces20million periodicalsamonth

SpeakeratFebruary1939 NationalAviationForum

Fiorello LaGuardia

FirstDirector,OfficeofCivilian Defense 3termMayorofNewYork (19341945) ServedinCongresstwice WorldWarI:USArmyAir ServiceMajorincommandof bomberunitonItalian Austrianfront

LaGuardia(right) withGen.Eisenhower

Gov. Charles Edison

SonofThomasEdison 19371940ServesasAsst. SecretaryandSecretaryofthe NavyappointedbyPresident Roosevelt Resignsin1940tocampaignfor GovernorofNewJersey Summer1941:grantsGillRobb WilsonpermissiontoformNJ CivilAirDefenseServices

Gen. Henry H. Hap Arnold

Pilotandaviationrecord holder.5StarGeneralbyend ofWWII ChiefoftheArmyAirCorps (1938) CommandingGeneral,US ArmyAirForces(19411945) November1941:Supports Wilsonsplanforacivilian pilotcorps.

Administrative Order 9

December1,1941 ByvirtueoftheauthorityvestedinmeIhavecausedtobecreatedand organizedabranchofthisOfficeofvolunteersforthepurposeofenlisting andtrainingpersonneltoaidinthenationaldefenseoftheUnitedStates, designatedCivilAirPatrol. F.H.LaGuardia,U.S.DirectorofCivilianDefense CivilAirPatrolisofficiallyfounded,sixdaysbeforetheJapanese attackonPearlHarbor.

CAP is born.

ThestandardCivilianDefense insigniawasmodifiedwith symbolsforscoresof functionsairraidwardens, groundspotters,etc. ForCAP,aredpropeller appearedinsidethetriangle.

FromCAPhistory.org

Early Volunteers
Photo:1943CoastalPatrolBaseNo.10Beaumont,Texas

Theyweretobecome,ineffect,anairforcewithouttheredtape,a groupofmenandwomenwithboundlessenergyandenthusiasm whowerewillingtoflyeveninweatherthatkeptthemilitary groundedand,whiledoingso,payfortheirowngas,equipment, andrepairs.

FromthebookTorpedoJunctionbyHomerHickam,Jr.

1999.DellPublishing

General John F. Curry

ChiefofStaffoftheAirService, SecondArmy,France,World WarI December1941,appointedas CAPsfirstNational Commander FormsstatelevelCAPunits calledWingsin48states

4050,000volunteersinthe firstthreemonthsof1942. 100,000volunteersbyend oftheyear 150,000bytheendofthe War Volunteerswereages1981 Manywerevolunteerswho couldnotqualifyforactive militaryservice Allwalksoflife:aristocrats, executives,countryboys, andwomen

WWII CAP Coastal Patrol pilot and artist features Civil Air Patrol as a storyline in his syndicatedcomicstripSmilinJack,whichappearedinnewspapersfrom19331973.
Source:CAPhistory.org

Zack Mosley

Steve Patti

OriginalCAPmemberandformermemberofPalmSpringsCAPSquadron. PromotedtoColonelMay5,2012asCAPWWIImembersarerecognizednationally.

20% of the volunteers are women.

Women fly inland liaison, forest fire patrol, and other missions. They conduct support duties at Coastal Patrol bases.

ColonelNannetteMossSpears CharterMember,NewJerseyWing

CAPpilotsprovidedtheirownairplanesandequipment,and oftencouldntcoverexpensesontheir$8perflyingday governmentpay,whichoftenarrivedtwomonthslate. CivicorganizationsacrossthecountrychippedinwithSink aSubClubs,stagingfundraisersforCoastalPatrol.

Coastal Patrol: U-boat Defenders

Coastal Patrol

OperationsbeganMarch5, 1942;endedAugust31,1943 90dayexperimentlasted18 months Startedwith3bases;ended with21:FromMainetoMexico 86,865missionsflowntotaling 244,600hoursandcovering over24millionmiles

Aircraft

ThisisasampleofCAPsWWIIeraaircraft,clockwise: Stinson10A,Fairchild,SikorskyS39,adifferentFairchild

Source:capHistory.org

Coastal Patrol

Found91shipsindistress Found363uboatattack survivors 5,684specialconvoymissions flownatrequestofUSNavy 17minesspotted

1943CoastalPatrolBaseNo.17ZootSuit&1manraft. CAPpilotNormanW.Rehrig,CAPT

DuckCl ub
Duckemblemswere bestoweduponCAP aircrewmembers forceddownatsea duringamissionand wholivedtotellabout it.SimilartoArmyAir CorpsCaterpillar Club. 118CAPvolunteers becameDuckClub membersduring coastalpatrol operations.

Close Call

InMay1942,aCAPaircraftspottedastuckNazisubmarine justoffshoreofCapeCanaveralandcalledformilitaryhelp. Shortofbombers,ittooklocalmilitarybasesseveralhoursto respondandthesubgotaway.WithclearancefromGen. Arnold,CAPmemberstookmattersintotheirownhands.

May1942 90hpStinsonVoyagerswereeachoutfittedwithone 100lbdemolitionbomb. Twolengthsofbailinwirewereattachedtothebombs anddepthcharges.Thewirescameupthroughthefloor, andyellowandredhandgripswereattached.Ifthe observerpulledaREDhandle,thearmingpinwas pulled;andwhentheYELLOWhandlewaspulled,the bomborchargewouldbedropped. Someoneinventedasimple25bombsight,whichwas amazinglyaccurateforlowaltitudebombruns. seenext

WhenthebrassatWestPalmBeachsMorrisonField heardthatCAPplanesweregoingtobeequippedwith bombsanddepthcharges,theyorderedourunittoget thhelloffandsetupabaseatanew,smallairportat Lantana,about5milesaway... Thebrassreasonedthatifoneofusnovicebomber pilotscrashedanoverloadedplanehaulinadepth chargeontakeofforlanding,wedblowonehelluva holeinaveryvitalrunway!

FromthebookBraveCowardZackbyZackMosley

Coastal Patrol

83bombsanddepthcharges weredropped 2confirmedGermansubssunk 57additionalsubsasprobables 26Auxiliarymenperished 7criticallywounded 90aircraftwerelost

Air Medal
824AirMedalswere issuedtoCAPairmen. TheFlying Minutemenwere awardedforflyingin excessof300hours each.

Source:archives.sercap.us

August31,1943 Thecoastalpatroliscloseddown.TheCAPhasmostly succeededindrivingtheUboatsfromourshores. Conventionalmilitaryforcesarepreparedtofightand wintheBattleoftheAtlanticfartherouttosea.

AftertheGermansurrender,oneofHitlershighrankingnaval officerswasaskedwhytheNaziUboatshadbeenwithdrawnfrom UnitedStatescoastalwatersinearly1943. Theanswerwasexplodedinacurtguttural: Itwasbecauseofthosedamnedlittleredandyellowplanes!

FromthebookFlyingMinuteMenbyRobertE.Neprud

1948.Duell,SloanandPearce

Other Wartime Missions

Photo:1943LosAngelesCadetSquadron

Other missions

TowTarget(atright,BiggsField, Texas.PhotobyCol.StevePatti) BorderPatrol SearchandRescue Mercymissions Recruitingandtraining Cargoandcourierflights

April1942 TheCAPinitiatesindustrialcouriermissionstokeep manufacturingplantshumming. Initsfirstmonth,theCAPmakes286emergency missionstoGrummanAircraftalone.

PatrollingforForestFires.
Source:FromMainetomexico

June1942:CAPpilotsstartpatrolsontheborder withMexicofromBrownsville,TXtoDouglas,AZ.
Source:FromMainetomexico

More Missions for America

CAPpilotsflyoverdumps lookingforrecyclablescrap materialsforthewareffort. NevadapilotsworkedwithFt. Rileyscavalryonsearchand rescuemissions CAPvolunteersbuildover200 basesthatpavethewayfor civilianaviation.(photoatright)

Source:FromMainetomexico

More Missions for America

ChicagoHeightsSquadron successfullyexperimentswith usingcarrierpigeonstoferry messages.Indiana,Kansas,and Nevadafollowsuit. Airambulanceservicein remoteareas(right). Deliveringpackagesto lighthouses.

andinCalifornia Whenducksandgeesemigratetwoweeksearlyin1942 and1943,CAPpilotsflymissionsoverthericefields outsideSacramentotochasethemoffwhentheythreaten toconsumetheharvest.

Source:FlyingMinuteMen

Cadet Program
Photo:1943LosAngelesCadetSquadron

Cadet Program

EstablishedOctober1,1943

ages1719yearsold AviationCadets PreEnlistmentscreening andtraining

RevampedJuly1,1964 Today,hasnearly26,000cadets ages1221

After World War II: Public Law 476

Still going strong: Modern Era

CivilAirPatrolisinits71styearwithover55,000volunteersnationwide

Significant CAP Missions Modern Era

For more information:

PalmSpringsCompositeSquadron11 70totalmembers:

28Cadets(ages12+) 42SeniorMembers(adultsage21+)

MeetseveryWednesday6:30pmto9 PalmSpringsAirMuseum,Pacific Hangar www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com

WeinviteyoutocheckoutourcurrentSearch& Rescueaircraftondisplaywithaircrewmembers:

MissionPilotGeneRamirez MissionObserverBruceMarble MissionScannerChadRoberson