Name: Beaumont's Civil Air Patrol in World War II
Brand: Penny Clark
SKU: 9781467106207
Price: 23.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Penny Clark

Beaumont's Civil Air Patrol in World War II

9781467106207

$23.99

During World War II, Beaumont and Port Arthur were leaders in oil refining, which literally kept the Allied wheels moving toward victory. The Germans recognized the importance of Texas oil and sent submarines to sink American ships carrying the valuable cargo. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Coastal Base No. 10, located at the Municipal Airport in Beaumont, Texas, in 1942–1943, helped alleviate the submarine menace by logging over 14,000 hours in the air over the Gulf. CAP was unconventional. As a part of the Office of Civilian Defense, CAP’s members were civilians, many of whom were too old for the military. Other members owned airplanes or had experience flying to help go on missions patrolling the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico searching for enemy submarines or survivors of sub attacks. Although the men had training in military protocol, they remained civilians and often returned to their homes after completing their missions.

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Bill O'Neal

East Texas in World War II

9780738584645

$24.99

Texas made a remarkable contribution to the American war effort during World War II . Almost 830,000 Texans, including 12,000 women, donned uniforms, and more than 23,000 Texas fighting men died for their country. America's most decorated soldier, Lt. Audie Murphy, and most decorated sailor, submarine commander Sam Dealey, both were Texans. Texas A&M, an all-male military college, placed 20,000 men in the armed forces, of which 14,000 were officers--more than any other school in the nation, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe, was born in Denison in northeast Texas. Adm. Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet, was born and raised in Texas. Almost 1.5 million soldiers, sailors, and fliers trained at scores of Texas bases. Texas oil fueled the Allied war effort, while Texas shipyards and defense plants provided a flood of war machines and munitions during the war effort.

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John Hamilton

Fort Bliss

9781467129152

$23.99

Established as one of many frontier Army posts in 1849 following the Mexican-American War, Fort Bliss, Texas, has endured as an Army installation when most other frontier posts have faded from memory. From a small collection of adobe buildings, it has seen growth, decline, two closures, and ultimately survival as the major Army maneuver post that it is today. The post, named for West Point math prodigy and soldier William Wallace Smith Bliss, has served many roles in America's conflicts and has seen the march of technology in war fighting. Its role today includes training for the Army's only armored division, known as 1st Armored Division; training for major Army air and missile defense forces; serving as a mobilization platform for Army soldiers and civilians to deploy to support America's missions overseas; and testing of major equipment to be adopted for military use.

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Mark Lardas

The Cruiser Houston

9781467127424

$24.99

The cruiser Houston was the first warship named for the Bayou City, and the ship proved a favorite of the city for which it was named. It was also a favorite of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who traveled on the Houston no fewer than four times. Houston was twice the flagship of the US Navy's Asiatic Fleet. In the opening days of World War II, it battled the Imperial Japanese Navy, culminating in its midnight loss at the Battle of Sunda Strait. The Cruiser Houston tells the story of this magnificent ship and the city of Houston's reaction to its namesake's loss.

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David Ford

Fort Hood in World War II

9781467134712

$24.99

On January 14, 1942, Col. Andrew D. Bruce announced that the location of the new Tank Destroyer Tactical Training and Firing Center was to be near Killeen, Texas. This announcement put into motion a whirlwind of activity and construction that resulted in the creation of one of the largest military bases in the world. On September 18, 1942, Camp Hood was officially opened. Eight short months after the opening of Camp Hood, the base nearly doubled in size. Building from scratch, the spirit of a black panther, as depicted on the tank destroyers shoulder patch, was channeled into anti-tank combat teams. These teams were trained to fight the formidable might of Germany's panzer divisions.

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Jan Barton

Nacogdoches in World War II

9780738579733

$24.99

Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, has a long and colorful history starting in 1716, when the first mission, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches, was founded. The people of this rich area have since come together countless times to survive challenges. During World War II, patriotism brought everyone closer as the young men of the area left to fight for their country. College enrollment declined drastically until a masterstroke by its president brought the nation's first WAC school to the campus. An unexpected ice storm killed valuable timber, bringing Nazi POWs to the area to harvest the pine trees. On the home front, everyone got involved in the war effort. They knitted, rolled bandages, collected scrap metal, bought war bonds, grew victory gardens, and participated in rationing and blackouts; but most of all they sacrificed their sons. They came together during those years and still come together today to celebrate the historic town's past and to honor its veterans of all wars.

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John M. Manguso

San Antonio in the Great War

9781467131759

$24.99

San Antonio, Texas, has been called Military City USA for many years. It earned this sobriquet not only by virtue of its major military installations but also because of its close and cordial relationship with the US Armed Forces. But in 1916, the year before America entered the Great War, all of that was still in the future. Fort Sam Houston was the largest US Army post in the country, but its attention was focused on the border with Mexico. This changed on April 6, 1917, as the United States needed to quickly raise an expeditionary army of three million men with its attendant air service and send it overseas. This volume portrays the growth of military facilities and infrastructure in San Antonio during World War I that started the Alamo City on the road to becoming Military City USA.

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William Bradle

Daring World War II Raid on Ploesti, The

9781455629145

$23.99

An in-depth look at the doomed U.S. Army Air Force attack on Romanian oil fields vital to Hitler's success.

In 1943, the Allied powers were grasping for anything to undercut Hitler's power and relieve his relentless pressure on the Red Army, which had already suffered a staggering 11 million casualties. The U.S. Army Air Force planned Operation Tidal Wave, which would take off from Benghazi, Libya, fly low and maintain complete radio silence to escape Axis observation, and bomb Hitler's vital oil fields in Ploesti, Romania. On August 1, 177 B-24 bombers prepared to take off. Fourteen hours later, only 88 B-24s returned.

Operation Tidal Wave was a massive strategic defeat. However, it proved the mettle of the USAAF and provided a rallying point for the public. Author William R. Bradle offers the definitive account of this doomed operation: the strengths, weaknesses, heroism, and failings and takes readers into the thick of the action with thrilling accounts from many of the crews.

Praise for The Daring World War II Raid on Ploesti

"This account of the Ploesti mission does an admirable job of laying out the planning, personalities, and attendant conflicts among many participants, the mistakes made and losses inflicted by the Germans and Romanians. An eminently readable story that further emphasizes and demonstrates the mettle of the Greatest Generation." —New York Journal of Books