Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Operations, 1942–1943

“An Honorable Place in American Air Power” Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Operations, 1942–1943 Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD Colonel, CAP Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama Air University Press Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Director Names: Blazich, Frank A., Jr., author. | Air University Maj Richard Harrison (U.S.). Press, issuing body. Title: “An honorable place in American air power” Managing Editor : Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol operations, 1942-1943 Dr. Christopher Rein / Frank A. Blazich, Jr. Design and Production Managing Editor Other titles: Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol operations, Luetwinder Eaves 1942-1943 Description: [Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.] : [Air Uni- Project Editor Donna Budjenska versity Press], [2020] | Includes bibliographical refer ences and index. | Summary: “Military historian and Illustrator Civil Air Patrol (CAP) member Frank A. Blazich Jr. Daniel Armstrong collects oral and written histories of the CAP’s short- Print Specialists lived—but influential—coastal air patrol operations of Megan Hoehn World War II and expands it in a scholarly monograph Nedra Looney that cements the legacy of this vital civil- military cooperative effort”— Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2020019712 (print) | LCCN 2020019713 (ebook) | ISBN 9781585663057 (paperback) Air University Press | ISBN 9781585663057 (Adobe PDF) . | Air defenses 600 Chennault Circle, Building 1405 Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6010 —United States—History. | Civil defense—United States—History. | Anti- submarine warfare—United States—History. | World War, 1939-1945—United States. https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/ AUPress/ Classification: LCC UG733 .B53 2020 (print) | LCC UG733 (ebook) | DDC 358.41450973—dc23 | Facebook: SUDOC D 301.26/6:C 49/2 https://www.facebook.com/ LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020019712 AirUnivPress LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov and /2020019713 Twitter: https://twitter.com/aupress Published by Air University Press in December 2020 Disclaimer Air University Press Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the organizations with which they are associated or the views of the Air University Press, Air University, United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. This publication is cleared for public release and unlimited distribution. This book and other Air University Press publications are available electronically at the AU Press website: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress. Contents List of Illustrations v Foreword vii About the Author ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Abbreviations xv 1 Introduction 1 2 Origins of the Civil Air Patrol 11 3 Paukenschlag and the CAP Experiment 39 4 Learning and Expansion 67 5 From Maine to Mexico 99 6 Challenges and Transitions 129 7 Past Reflections and Future Possibilities 161 Appendix A: Activation of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Coastal Patrols 185 Appendix B: CAP Coastal Patrol Personnel Killed on Active Duty 187 Appendix C: CAP Coastal Patrol Base Commanders March 1942–August 1943 189 Appendix D: CAP Coastal Patrol Flight Hours October 1942–August 1943 191 Appendix E: Aircraft on Active CAP Coastal Duty as of 28 April 1943 193 Appendix F: “Definitely Damaged or Destroyed”: Reexamining CAP’s Wartime Claims 197 iii CONTENTS Appendix G: Proposed Plan for Organization of Civil Air Defense Resources 205 Bibliography 223 Index 235 iv Illustrations Figures 1 Gill Robb Wilson 13 2 Milton Knight 15 3 Maj Gen John F. Curry 27 4 Civil Air Patrol organizational chart as of December 1941 30 5 Letter from William D. Mason to Earle L. Johnson of 4 February 1942 48 6 Sectional chart used for navigation by 1st Lt Henry E. Phipps 54 7 First Task Force, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 13 March 1942, 55 8 Flight line at the First Task Force 56 9 Radio testing and maintenance 71 10 Two-ship formation on patrol 74 11 Col Earle L. Johnson 76 12 Fourth Task Force, Parksley, Virginia 77 13 Tanker Eclipse torpedoed on 4 May 1942 86 14 Oil slick and debris from the merchant steamer Ohioan 87 15 Stinson Voyager 10A armed 88 16 Ninth Task Force, Grand Isle, Louisiana 101 17 Tech Sgt Addis H. McDonald with oil-soaked life jacket 102 18 Capt Warren E. Moody 107 v ILLUSTRATIONS 19 President Roosevelt awarding Air Medal to CAP personnel 112 20 Map of coastal patrol base locations, September 1942. 113 21 Cpl Louise T. Story at teletypewriter 117 22 Mechanics working on engines 131 23 Recovered wreckage of crashed CAP coastal patrol aircraft 132 24 Fabric replacement on aircraft 133 25 Aircrew at mission briefing 137 26 Stinson Voyager 10A in three-tone camouflage 141 27 Recovery of Panam survivors 147 28 Lowering of flag at Parksley, Virgina 150 29 CAP Cessna intercepted by F-16 171 30 WaldoAir camera systems installed on a CAP Cessna 182-T 174 31 CAP Cessnas and MQ-9 Reaper of NY National Guard 176 32 CAP Cessna 172 P of Connecticut Wing in Operation Bird Dog 178 vi Foreword This volume relates the proud history of an important organization, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and its efforts to use civilian- owned aircraft and volunteer pilots to help combat the U- boat menace that threatened America’s shores in World War II. Though that story is not well known, it has been chronicled previously, but not with Frank Blazich’s attention to detail and important corrections to CAP’s ef- fectiveness during the war. CAP’s substantial accomplishments will be familiar to members of that fine organization that does much to inculcate a spirit of “airmindedness,” as Billy Mitchell called it, among today’s youth and motivate them towards careers in both civil and military aviation. But Blazich has gone far beyond a statistical recount- ing of sorties and hours flown, of the long tedious hours of patrol, and the sheer terror of engine failure far out at sea or an airfield closed in by weather as the fuel gauge approaches empty. Instead, he uses the successful mobilization of civilian “experts” (and they certainly knew more about aviation than many members of the general population) to come to their nation’s aid in a time of crisis. By doing so, he re- minds future commanders and planners to consider the use of civil resources and highlights issues that are likely to emerge in mobilizing these important assets, from the legal status of noncombatants to the importance of logistical support and sustainment. The potential uses of civilian aviation experts in future crises are limited only by the imagination. The Civil Air Patrol, as currently organized and equipped, could easily provide reconnaissance and light logistical support in the event of war. CAP aircraft, manned and unmanned, fixed- wing or rotary, could be used to in real time verify or dispel “deep fakes” of events, helping combat the information warfare our adversaries are becoming so adept at. These same platforms could provide vital reconnaissance during natural disasters, from de- livering life- saving medical supplies to relieving much more expen- sive and already heavily tasked military assets from the burdens of searching for survivors or compiling imagery of damage. As climate change threatens our globe, CAP orbits equipped with thermal sen- sors could help monitor forests for wildfires during critical periods so they can be extinguished before they become life- threatening infer- nos. And aircraft could assist in securing the nation’s porous borders, whether on land or at sea. Similarly, civilian cyber specialists could vii FOREWORD lend their expertise in times of cyberattack to help defend the nation’s vital economic and communications infrastructure. Thus Frank Blazich’s work is not only an excellent history of events over 75 years ago, but it is also a blueprint for leveraging all aspects of our national power in times of crisis. It will certainly appeal to the membership of the Civil Air Patrol, who will find inspiration from the sacrifices of a previous generation of Airmen, 68 of whom gave their lives in their nation’s defense. But it will also help inform cur- rent and future commanders, planners, and civilian leaders on the capabilities of this remarkable organization and provide suggestions for the incorporation of civil assets to support future military and disaster relief operations, whether in air, space, or cyberspace. Ac- cordingly, Air University Press is proud to publish “An Honorable Place in American Air Power.” CHRISTOPHER M. REIN Managing Editor, Air University Press viii About the Author Dr. Frank A. Blazich Jr. (BA, University of North Carolina at Cha- pel Hill; MA, North Carolina State University; PhD, The Ohio State University) is a curator of modern military history at the Smithson- ian Institution’s National Museum of American History. A veteran of the US Air Force, he had his first edited book, Bataan Survivor: A POW’s Account of Japanese Captivity in World War II, published by the University of Missouri Press in February 2017. He has published widely and delivered public talks on numerous topics relating to modern American military history. His work has appeared in various publications, including the North Carolina Historical Review, The Northern Mariner, Marine Corps History, the Naval War College Re- view, Air Power History, Army History, War on the Rocks, and the Washington Post. In his free time, he is a colonel in the Civil Air Patrol and director of the Col Louisa S. Morse Center for Civil Air Patrol His- tory. He previously served as the corporation’s National Historian from April 2013 to March 2018, during which time he served as prin- cipal historical advisor for the Civil Air Patrol Congressional Gold Medal effort. ix Preface On the eve of American entry into World War II, the Office of -Ci vilian Defense (OCD) established the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), an organization of the nation’s private pilots and aviation personnel for national defense purposes.

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