The Civil Air Patrol of Civil Defense Patrol came into being during the Second World War, when the United States thought our coastlines, especially, were vulnerable to submarine attacks. Another worry was the merchant vessels, cargo ships and other amphibious vessels that carried supplies and soldiers.
The Civil Air Patrol established U.S. coastal patrol flights to deter and prevent enemy operations. On April 29,1943, FDR pulled the Civil Air Patrol in under the Department of War. Youth training had begun in October 1942, available to both male and female participants.
Members were used in several different capacities. Some patroled along the Mexican border, others provided carriers services or looked for enemy or lost aircraft. They provided disaster relief, if needed, and tracked special forest patrols. These men and women served their country while at home, helping to defend it from anyone who tried to do it harm.
Ohio organized officially civilian aviation for our domestic defense, training civilian pilots. Now the Civil Air Patrol is an auxillary of the U.S. Air Force.
The Crescent-News reported on July 26, 1943, on page one:
"2,500 See Red Cross - Air Patrol Demonstration at Airport Sunday
A crowd estimated at 2,500 persons witnessed the combined demonstration of Defiance Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol and the Defiance chapter of the American Red Cross at the Defiance County Airport, one mile north of the city, Sunday afternoon...
Major Kavanaugh...explained the three-fold task of the CAP in emergency reconnaisance, courier service and anti-submarine patrol. In the latter service, Major Kavanaugh related the CAP has driven off 54 submarines about to attack the Allied ships off the American coasts.
He told the ease with which men can step from the Civil Air Patrol into the Army Air Force and revealed that 16,000 former CAP members, including 24 from Defiance, are now in the armed forces...
...planes piloted by Warren Weible and Claire Stambaugh, joined Steffel's plane for a demonstration of formation flying.
The three ships (aircraft) then began an anti-submarine patrol. Sighting a 'sub' near the middle of the airport runway, the planes dropped 'depth charges' until they forced it to 'surface' and then dive bombed until the enemy craft was destroyed.
Both depth charges and bombs were small paper sacks of lime which 'exploded' when they hit the ground. About 75 per cent of the bombs scored hits on the pattern drawn on the ground to represent the sub...
The entire program was under direction of CAP Lieutenant K C. Weakley, commander of the Defiance Squadron."
Our ancestor joined the Civil Air Patrol; he was required to take flying lessons and keep a log of dates, times and places he went. In the middle of the country, they were mainly used for home defense and disaster relief.
Dianne Kline, Researcher
