COASTAL PATROL BASE 138 Plaque Dedication Falmouth Airport GUARDING THE HOME SKIES When the Army Air Corps flew off to war, the civilian volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol filled the void left behind—even driving Nazi subs from US coasts. For their courage and bravery, for their unusual civilian wartime service of CAP, the members of the Massachusetts Wing, Civil Air Patrol recognize the volunteer Minutemen and women of Coastal Patrol Base #18, Falmouth Mass for their service and dedication during World War IT MASSACHUSETTS WING www.MAWG.CAP.govIn Honor of Coastal Patrol Base 18 By Captain John B Flattery, Civil Air Patrol/ Coastal Patrol Squadron 18 Mande In 1942 German submarines were lurking off the US Coast wreaking havoc on shipping. The US Navy was stretched very thin as the United States was being pushed into a war it did not want to take part in. Many of the bases were recruiting pilots before our organization be-came known as Civil Air Patrol. Due to many military operations off ‘Coast Patrol Base Reunion Photo the coast, and the US fear of a Pearl Harbor repeat, civilian air-craft were forbidden to fly within 100 miles of the coast. Many of these pilots wanted to fly to continue their hobby and to help America. One of these groups was Coastal Patrol Base 18 in Falmouth, MA On a cold November morning the pilots were warming up their aircraft for another new journey. Every day was an adventure as no one knew what the new dawn would bring. They swore to protect shipping from German U-boats; they were also protecting their families from possible infiltrators and saboteurs. They wanted to protect our way of life, the American way of life. None of them thought of medals as they flew, they thought only of enjoying their hobby flying and providing support for the American military. To look at the aircraft, none of them stood out as a military plane, in fact these were the same aircraft they flew as a hobby, hastily cobbled together to be usable for the task at hand. Fast forward to today, it’s still a cold day standing out on those old grass runways, you can almost hear the rewving of the engines as the pilots readied their aircraft, this sound carried on the wind amidst the quiet sounds of nature now a constant part of this reserve.These individuals gave their all, some lost their lives in pursuit of the freedoms so many of us now enjoy. We come here now to memorialize these individuals and to once again put names to faces so that they may never be forgotten, and so they live with us forever in our hearts, minds and the sky. Resource Information from: The Flying Minutemen: The Story of Civil Air Patrol by Robert E Neprud and From Maine to Mexico: With America's Private Pilots in the Fight against Nazi U-Boats by Louis E Keefer Coastal Patrol Base Facts ‘© Operated from 25 August 1942 to 31 August 1943 © 93 Personnel © Over 1500 Missions © Over 5,000 Hrs on Routine Patrol * 6 Subs sighted «2 Suspicious oil slicks found © 0 Planes lost at sea * 0 Planes lost in forced land landings ‘* 0 Fatalities in the line of duty: PRC Ua RCT: Pee ce ae Peo Con