Many Other WWII Missions

Civil Defense

A few weeks after Pearl Harbor, Ohio aeronautics director Earle L. Johnson (later, early CAP national commander) hatched an object lesson to combat public apathy about civil defense – he dropped “flour bombs” on Cleveland factories, plants and a power station. The next day, he told disbelieving plant managers they had been bombed overnight; the proof was in white all over their roofs.

Shortly after, CAP got into the civil defense business guarding airports, flying the coasts and borders looking for infiltrators (there were some!) and patrolling power lines, forests and other strategic assets.

One-third of the 1,600 civilian airports kept open during WWII were only maintained because of CAP operations or CAP security. CAP itself operated 215 airports, improved 108 and built 81 from scratch.

Target Tow

CAP planes flew as targets
for trainee anti-aircraft
gunners and searchlight
operators. Towing a target
sleeve behind them for
gunners to shoot at, CAP
pilots flew 20,593 towing
and tracking missions
totaling 46,725 boring
(but sometimes terrifying)
flight hours.

Liason and Courier

CAP flew more than 3.5 million pounds of urgent cargo, mail and spare parts to air bases and defense plants during WWII. CAP’s Second AF Liaison Service under Colorado’s Bill “Pappy” Madsen was a light plane airline linking facilities in 17 states.

Infiltration of spies and saboteurs was a constant worry. Subs had landed saboteurs on Long Island and Jacksonville, Florida, beaches. Because of German overtures to Mexico, CAP’s Southern Border Patrol watched over the Southwest.

Protecting Forests

CAP helped protect the nation’s strategic forest products from fire, including arson. In charge was CAP Illinois Wing Commander Jack Vilas, who had been the nation’s first “aerial fire warden” patrolling Wisconsin timber as early as 1915. CAP still flies fire patrol today.

Search and Rescue

Called on to locate missing training or ferry flights in the U.S., WWII CAP began the search and rescue operations that are its hallmark today. Nevada CAP even organized a cavalry of mounted desert/ mountain rescue personnel, using 24 mounts from the quickly obsolete U.S. Cavalry at Ft. Riley, Kansas.

 

I.    The Gathering Threat II.   The CAP Subchasers of WWII III.   Many Other WWII Missions IV.  Post-War: Now What? V.  The Cold War Years VI.  Search & Rescue VII. CAP Today		NEXT >>