HEADQUARTERS - 448th SUB DEPOT

February 1944

Work accomplished by an organisation is reflected by their surroundings. A campaign of clean-up carried out on the living site, Engineering and Supply sections was further intensified this month. Thanks to hard work by all men, especially that of Greek-born Sgt Samaras, the detail Sgt who combed the countryside for shrubbery, etc, the following appeared in the Station Daily Bulletin #47, par 12, Feb 16:

"Attention of all personnel is directed to the area occupied by the Sub-Depot as a living site. It is the cleanest and most outstanding on the base."

This of course spurred the men on to new heights. Our site can now match an English yard for uniformity and neatness of appearance. The site consists of ten Secco huts, main latrines and picket post, every building having its own latrine. One building is occupied by the officers, one building houses 20 dept heads, one for the day-room.

Half of one is used for Squadron Supply while the other side of the partition 10 double-deck beds hold 20 men. Each of the other buildings have 17 double-deck beds. The day room, newly re-modelled with all the comforts of home, contains easy chairs, writing tables, ping-pong tables, library, home made stove from an oil drum, poker, blackjack and dice tables. The last three items being the most used, resulting in a lot of heartaches and joys on pay day.

The latrines, as might surprise you, is rather a popular place for officers as well as enlisted men. The phenomenon is explained thus. A private, Chester White, has a dry cleaning establishment there and turns out excellent work with machine-gun rapidity. Sporadically he cuts hair, relieving the regular

squadron barber, Pfc Alex Ostash. Sgt Samaras' ability to cook is another incentive for the fellows to crowd the latrine. His restaurant experience in Washington, DC. has popularised him, for a man's stomach is his God. If the delicate aroma of quail doesn't attract your attention, its rabbit or good `ole coffee'.

The long awaited promotion orders of Captain Miller arrived on Feb 1. Congratulations to Major Miller.

Early February saw the arrival of the first T.D. men here for training, seven on the 10th and 19 on the 12th. Lt Wolf arrived on the 20th and was given the job of Assistant Adjutant. Lt Fanelli and Capt Wilcox arrived on the 27th, the former is to study Lt Hall's Engineering tactics, while Capt Wilcox studied the whole set-up, concentrating mainly on supply. Altogether 10 new men were assigned during the month bringing our strength up to seven officers and 232 EM. 36 EM and three officers arrived on T.D. Our total strength now is 10 officers and 273 EM.

On Valentine's Day, Major Jolicouer conducted Lt Col Leber, Station Commander on a tour of the entire Sub-Depot.

After a hurry-up meeting at Abbots Ripton attended by Major Jolicouer on the 17th, we began planning in accordance with Plan `R'.

Part of the Carpenters' Shop was moved to Yeldham hangar and box construction immediately began. Added to the list of inspections was a surprise visit by Col Stitt, Depot Commander on the 26th, his initial visit. Contrary to the old saying, `While the cat's away the mice will play', Major Jolicouer being hospitalised for 14 days for a tonsilectomy, all depts were presentable and everything met with Col Stitt's approval.

A concrete ramp for loading and unloading and storage of oxygen cylinders for Supply was begun by Sub-Depot personnel on the 23rd and completed on the 28th. It greatly expedites the handling of the cylinders which formerly was a dangerous hazard.

There was slight increase of teletype requisitions during the month, 251 being sent, while there was a decrease in routine requisitions on the depot, 318 being placed; 2,629 were filled over the counter, or 80% of all placed.

Some 383 truck loads carrying 765,500 gallons of 100 octane fuel were received during the month, 780,140 gallons being issued. Supplies arriving totalled 55 truck loads while 44 loads of repairable and serviceable items were sent back. Only 16 new ships arrived during the month. 592 cylinders of breathing oxygen had to be trucked in besides the welding oxygen and acetylene which are hauled from London.

One of the best remembered `Belly landings' was 42-31448 (532nd VE-A HALFBREED). This ship was a B-17G with the new Bendix chin turret when it first arrived on the station, and after a few missions it ended up on its belly and the Sub-Depot `inherited it'. At the time, parts for chin turrets were practically non-existant and the turret on `448 needed parts and plenty of 'em.

In order to return the ship to operations as soon as possible, it was decided to close up the hole left by the chin turret and install flexible nose guns, such as the B-17F had. These changes gave the ship the outward appearance of a B-17F rather than a G. Inasmuch as the ship's number was '448, the Sub-Depot asked for and received permission to name and decorate the ship. It was appropriately named `The Halfbreed' and was decorated with a halfbreed Indian warrior holding a bomb ticketed for Berlin. The Indian had the old squadron insignia tattooed on his chest. The old `Halfbreed' was shot down on its third mission after being released from the hangar.

Another never to be forgotten ship was the target ship stationed at our field - the B-17E - 41-9043 (534th GD-A1 LITTLE ROCKETTE, after formerly being PEGGY D originally with 97th BG). It was desired to make an assembly and weather ship out of it; so the work of modifying it was started by the Depot Fabric Shop.

All they had to do was remove all the paints from the ship and paint fancy red stripes here and there on it. They did a very good job though and broke the ice for other depts who had to: 1 manufacture and install 12 floodlights to illuminate the ship while in flight; 2 Change engines and props; 3 Put a floor in the bomb bay; 4 Relocate oxygen system under floor in bomb bay; 5 Install two additional seats behind pilot and co-pilot's seats and, 6 Install 56" wheels and accompanying equipment.

The damage repaired on other ships covered every conceivable cause and/or effect. Flak holes, 7mm holes, holes in the skin, holes in spars and other important structural members, 20mm holes and damage caused by the subsequent explosion of the projectile.

Then there was damage caused by taxiing accidents or motor pool vehicles running into the plane or being run into by a plane, planes trying to land on top of one another causing serious wing damage to one plane or ruining the empennage of the other, the metallised `chaff' needed to interfere with the enemy's radar equipment would get fouled in something causing more damage.

On top of these causes, waist gunners in the heat of battle would `shoot up' their own horizontal stabilizers and even leaflets dropped over Germany had to hit 42-31047 and damage it so badly that it was in the hangar for a week while the Sheet Metal Shop and hangar crew swarmed over it, straightening, replacing, changing and rebuilding parts of it.

Of the 168 airplanes in our hands for this month, 97 were for general maintenance, 25 for repair of battle damage and six were modified. In the Parachute Shop 1,050 chutes were packed and 130 harnesses adjusted; 216 electric suits and accompanying equipment repaired by the Electric Shop.

The Engine Section built up 33 engines; 28 props were clean, inspected and eight new ones assembled; 122 governors were tested and repaired; 39 oil coolers were flushed, cleaned and repaired by the cooler shop.

A sideline in the Welding Shop is the stretching of steel helmets to allow them to go over the pilot's earphones, a form has been made for this, however only 101 were fixed this month compared to 316 last month.

Addition of another new lathe in the Machine Shop's impressive lay out, makes it possible to get out taper pins faster. In addition to the manufacture of taper pins, the multiple jobs performed by this dept includes: modification of all kinds of 50 cal machine guns; sights, adaptor bolts, slottings, gun covers, modify safety blocks and also make bolt studs, rebuild turrets with new parts, ammo stops, gun chargers repaired, manufacture gun stops.

Manufacture spar fillers of all sizes and shapes, and cut gusset plates; making of our own special tools such as dies for cutting special washers; G-clamps for removing taper pins; wrenches of all kinds, riveting peens, bucking bars, broken spark plug removers, flaring tools and jigs.

Comply with all new Tech Order changes, such as testing of Rockwell testing of landing gear motor keys and shafts. Parachute stiffeners (count 600); check tolerances on different parts of the plane, modify bomb twists, made 2,000 incendiary plugs for bombs. Make 300 angle braces for external bomb racks, oxygen charges and fittings made, armature re-facing, alignment work.

Keep all machinery in parts all over the base utilities, Fire Section, Ordnance, Mess Hall, Searchlights off base. Concrete mixers, street sweepers, parts for trucks and equipment such as Jeeps and Cletracs.

Acquisition of another British type bomb trailer coverted to a mobile sheet metal shop brings our total of these units to seven - each has a 6' x 15' platform with a compressor, generator, table for work on planes all over the field. This crew of 31 men headed by T/Sgt Leikam and T/Sgt Antoniu work around the clock, patching up seemingly unrepairable damage successfully. The location of their shop is in Hangar # 1, where most of the badly damaged planes are brought, greatly expedite the repair. So in the shortest month of the year our total of planes in and out was greater than any previous month.

R.D.Jolicouer,
Major, Air Corps,
Commanding.