News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

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THE AIR FORCES NEWS LETTER fer the school at Wichita Fells, the total cost of tIllsproject has been brought up to $12,442,455.88. The contract for the construction of the neces- ;ary temporary buildings and facilities for the flying school at Lubbock amounts to $3,973,365.58, while the contract for the additional work at Ellington Field calls for $1,877,794.85. History is repeating itself at Lake Charles, 1& During World War 1 days, Gerstner Field, located in its vicinity, was the site of an advanced flying school for pursuit pilot training. Just recently, the War Department awarded a contract in the amount of $1,604,236 for the construction of an advanced single-engine flying school at Lake Otarles, the project including 125 temporary buildings, with fencing, railroad spur, roads and the necessary utilities. Gerstner Fielu was literally torn apart during the early part of August, 1918, for it happened to be in the path of a violent hurricane. When the Gulf storm hit the field, the wind velocity was 80 miles per hour. Several hours later, an inspection of the wind meter (a whirling anemometer) disclosed tha t its bearings had overhea ted and did not register higher than 120 miles an hour wind velocity. Personnel at the field, imperiled by falling timbers, sheet metal roofs, and sundry pieces of flying wreckage, managed after a hard struggle to reach some gravel cars on a railroad siding back of the barracks and there, pelted by the hard driving rain, watched the field pass by in review. Robbed of their contents by the wind, which neatly scooped the sand and gravel and sent it skyward the gravel cars started rocking violently, causing much apprehension among the refugees. Suffice it to say, the hurricane left a scene of utter ruin and desolation. At Wellston, Ga., about 13 miles south of Macon, a depot is to be constructed on a tract of approximately 2,200 acres. The construction contract, amounting to $10,625,654. covers a complete air field, 23 industrial buildings, 38 military buildings, a sewer system, sewage disposal plant, locomotive storage, railroad sidings, and other utilities. Vichy, Mo. (not France) will be the site of the statior of the 124th Observation Squadron, dependent u,on satisfactory acquisition of the real estpte involved, some 1,300 acres. Construction of the usual necessary buildings are planned. This squadron, although under command of the Air Force Combat Command, will support the Sixth Division, located nearby at Rolla, Mo., by furnishing its aerial observation. At Muroc Dry Lake, where the ancient sands of a prehistoric lake bed provided for a number of years target sites for Air Corps bombing and gunnery prowess, there is to be constructed an armament and instrument inspection and adjustment building at 32 an estimated cost of $176,000. This building will contain tools and instruments for testing machine guns and bomb sights, bomb releases and bomb racks. Medium, light, heavy and dive bombers are all used at the Muroc bombing range. Targets are built as requirements demand or outlined on the ground in lime or white paint. ()l a 52-acre tract of land adjoining Scott Field, Ill., a reception center for the Sixth Corps Area will be constructed at an estimated cost of $546, . 000. About 1,000 men will be garrisoned at this reception center, where 22 barracks and other necessary buildings will be constructed. Enid, Okla., will be the site of a basic flying school, the contract for construction of 136 miscellaneous buildings and utilities involving the sum of $3,940,000. Due to the sharply increased activities at Bolling Field, D.C., occasioned by the transfer there of the Air Force Combat Command and a large unit of the Maintenance Command, the construction there of a post headquarters and operations building at an estimated cost of $300,000 was authorized. The building will be of cantonment type, occupying approximately 820,000 cubic feet of space. There will be some 3,300 square yards of concrete approaches, walks and parking areas. For the construction for an air field at Pine Camp, N.Y., of housing and miscellaneous facilities required1forthe observation squadron in connection with the Fourth Armored Division, a contract in the sum of $758,500 was awarded. The laying of solid, durable roads in a hurry and at low cost is a problem which is expected to be solved through the introduction of a new type of paving material which is being tested at Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana. A'soil cement is made from a mixture of natural materials and cement, and the road can be used almost immediately after paving, eliminating the necessity of long-distance hauling of sand and gravel. If this type of paving proves successful it wilt prove invaluable in the laying of airport runways and roads at defense bases in the island possessions. Soil cement, nearer actual cement than many other materials the Army is using, is made by mixing cement with soil during a process of plowing, harrowing, discing, dragging and then rolling. The surface is then sprinkled, covered with straw and left to cure for about a week before it is opened to traffic. Runways being built at Baer Field will have two 100-foot strips of this soil cement on either side of a 100-foot strip of solid cement. Twenty-five thousand square feet of road will be put down at this field. '-
,J - r . ! I I ~ f or~ .. I ~ • •.... \nM ~~ 90~.~. , ff CAQa€Ss T~\LK COSTS LtV€:>
Page 2 and 3:
TABLE OF CONTENTS Pag"! Reorganizat
Page 5 and 6:
THE BIG BABY SOLOED B,19 Test Fligh
Page 7 and 8:
ENLISTED PILOTS BEGIN TRAINING Gulf
Page 9 and 10:
CABBAGE AND X-C DON'T MIX World War
Page 11 and 12:
___ --' ...J '- _ .. ,._-J "' --l..
Page 13 and 14:
SIXTEEN NEW FIELDS "CHRISTENED" A D
Page 15 and 16:
MAXWELL MANEUVERS TEACH FIELD DUTIE
Page 17 and 18:
FLEDGLING SON OF FAtvf.OUS FATHER C
Page 19 and 20:
FRESNO BASE FIRST SINCE CIVIL WAR T
Page 21 and 22:
......J .... _ ...... A rest camp f
Page 23 and 24:
------- ----- -----.. ---- --- -- -
Page 25 and 26:
THE JOB OF AIR CORPS TEST PILOTS Mu
Page 27 and 28:
A ... .&. ... "'.....J.....J -.,.,.
Page 29 and 30:
.All tb1'ee f01'lll8 of converted i
Page 31 and 32:
KEEP ,EM FLYING! Blood and hunger,
Page 34 and 35:
GENERAL ANDREWS COMMANDS THE CARIlm
Page 36 and 37:
The Army Air Forces' first glider,
Page 38 and 39:
GUDERS ••• (Ooncluded) spect
Page 40 and 41:
WE LEARNED... llpee!. So8riDg 18 a0
Page 42 and 43:
'The dive bomber is used to support
Page 44 and 45:
THEN THIS... and we were still ing
Page 46 and 47:
increased it. al t1tude of flight 4
Page 48 and 49:
ALASK.A Lalld 1l.Btd: Hcmgar und e:
Page 50 and 51: LANDING various materials under con
Page 52 and 53: 8pecialized training for their part
Page 54 and 55: SOVIET .•. low al ti tude or llhe
Page 56 and 57: "VIET ." (Ooncluded) Junker-87 bomb
Page 58 and 59: WE LEAIlJWED... (Concluded) nights.
Page 60 and 61: FACILITIES. •• (Concluded) twee
Page 62 and 63: Whenever a birth occurs. all physic
Page 64 and 65: SUPPORT ••• (Concluded) deliv
Page 66: C friend? ) ( foe?) < •
Page 69 and 70: Photo Interpretation MATA HARI WITH
Page 71 and 72: , .! J, I t .':';'1 ~ ~ It':::. , .
Page 73 and 74: Our New Bases AsslgDlDent to Newfou
Page 75 and 76: THE JIR FORCES NEWS LETTER .. of th
Page 77 and 78: OVERSTUFFEDAERIAL WATCHMEN Barrage
Page 79 and 80: Warriors By Oliver Townsend from th
Page 81: RELATIVE RANK IN WORLD'S AIR FORCES
Page 84 and 85: could outdo Rube Goldberg. Be has t
Page 86 and 87: THE dIR FORCES Nr:WS U:TTr:R and ap
Page 88 and 89: Wanted: More Pilots RESERVE OFFICER
Page 90 and 91: THE AIR FORCES NEWS LETTER would be
Page 92 and 93: THE AIR FORCE8 NEW'S LETTER The que
Page 94 and 95: THE ,1IR FORCES NEIPS LETTER believ
Page 96 and 97: THE .IlIR FORCES NEWS LETTER The of
Page 98 and 99: THE AIR FORCES NEil'S LETTER CARlAD
Page 102: SUPPLY DIVISION KNOW YOUR AIR~RAFT
Page 105 and 106: Loulsl ••• Maneuvers End Supp
Page 107 and 108: IN THE FIELD WITH THE ARMY AIR FORC
Page 109 and 110: ---0 - - - 0- ---- THE WINGED By Ol
Page 111 and 112: Air OperadoDs In Alaska By Lieut. J
Page 113 and 114: THE AIR FORCES NEWS LETTER is about
Page 115 and 116: furways .1 rarnc \.JUIIUUI AERIAL T
Page 117 and 118: the danger from aircraft falling or
Page 119 and 120: .. An Equipment Review GERMAN AIRCR
Page 121 and 122: Graham CA-ackersfor Grounded Flyers
Page 123 and 124: A Veteran Retires FRANK P. LAHM APP
Page 125 and 126: New Marine Air Units MORE FEATHERS
Page 127 and 128: Wholesale Mess nail Feeding Them by
Page 129 and 130: The Bristol LIght Bom.ber Night Fig
Page 131 and 132: THE MONTH IN REVIEW hy FALK HARMEL
Page 133 and 134: Your Lite insurance SELF PROTECTION
Page 135 and 136: en eng ing the application. It is h
Page 137 and 138: LAHM .•• (Continued From Page 1
Page 140 and 141: "I I., K.NOW YOUR AIR~RAFT
Page 142 and 143: HEADQUARTERS ARMY AIR FORCES WASHIN
Page 144: THE .tIIR FORCES NEWS LETTER . ;:..
Page 147: THF ATR FORCES NEWS LETTER ,I I whe
Page 150 and 151:
THE AIR FORCES NEWS LETTER chanical
Page 152 and 153:
C I ~ . fjQ III ....
Page 154 and 155:
he reports direction and distance f
Page 156 and 157:
DEFENSE 0 00 (Continued From P.~. 1
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e shown repeatedly if necessar,. Fi
Page 160 and 161:
THE AIR FORCES NliWS LETTER has in
Page 162 and 163:
Air Forees Seareh Oeean Flight Ende
Page 164 and 165:
"E" Awards at Langley Engineering M
Page 166 and 167:
accessory emergency unit (emergency
Page 168 and 169:
NOVEMBER F941 Further Expansion Und
Page 170 and 171:
THE AIR FORCES NEWS LETTER Decorati
Page 172 and 173:
would have been consumed in filling
Page 174 and 175:
£AMEIlA ••• \Continued 'r_ P
Page 176:
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News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

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