Servicemen at the entrance of an aircraft
Gift of Evelyn Scott
Description:
Photograph. Two servicemen at the entrance of an aircraft door; one is sitting in the doorway, the other is leaning against the aircraft. Presumably the Aleutian Islands. No date
Image Information
Donor:
Accession Number:
Date:
1940
1943
Hometown:
Branch:
Theater of Service:
POW / KIA:
Topical Subjects:
Collection Level:
Items from William E. Watson, who served with the 36th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 11th Air Force in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The 36th Bombardment Squadron was activated in 1940 at March Air Force Base in California. Watson was one of the original Army Air Force members assigned to the unit and was sent to Lowery Field in Denver, Colorado, for training. In March 1941, the unit was assigned to Anchorage, Alaska, for reconnaissance and mapping of the Bering Sea using Douglas B-18 Bolos. Shortly after arriving in Anchorage, the unit was assigned to the naval base on Kodiak Island. While there, Watson maintained the Consolidated B-24 Liberators on the base. Before the attack on Dutch Harbor in June 1942, the 36th was on Umnak Island in the Aleutian Islands. After the attack, members of the 36th were assigned to B-17E crews for bombing missions. Watson remained with the 36th in the Aleutian Islands until he was ordered back to the United States in July 1943. Items from the collection include a newspaper clipping and photographs of Watson’s time in Colorado and Alaska.
Geography:
Aleutian Islands
Latitude:
56.383
Longitude:
-131.317
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials:
Airplanes--American--Alaska