Post War Quarters

Webber Food Warmer=Beer Cooler Wycofe

Murrey Webber, "Ace" Wycofe and I used this food warmer to cool beer when taking rides in the jeep to tour the island after the wars, we almost bought a surplus jeep to go home in once state side.

Once Scarce, Now Free Beer, no Limit Ice was now readily available as was beer. Ship loads of beer had been arriving as personnel were being shipped home and was now stacked up on the docks. After being taken off ration it had been reduced to 10 cents a can, it didn't move fast enough so it was made free, given away by the case. Large quantities were stacked in the open near salt water and was beginning to rust, from the outside in.

Flight Crew basket ball team Play and Pray

Basket Ball Court Flight crews helped build their own recreation facilities as this basket ball court near our prefab barracks. The bleacher seats are empty incendiary bomb box's. During the war the Flight Crews were kept busy flying or sleeping, but became restless pending their next mission and built such things as this Basket Ball court. The above photo includes late arrival crew members who set up tournaments between flight crews. I was in this area only to sleep and eat and though lights were rigged for night games they were usually over by the time I returned.

Home made basket ball court with lights & bleachers -- after the players went home.

Sqd Headquarters (administrative) 93^rd Sqd Headquarters

Post War Officers Mess, Webber near Bulletin Board near Mess Hall entrance

28^th Sqd Enlisted Mess Hall

Mess Hall Consolidation As things closed down the original ground officers mess hall was closed and we used a much better 28^th Sqd enlisted mess hall, prior photo.

New Friends I became acquainted with the fellow behind Murrey on the trip home. He had been on special assignment to Iwo Jima in charge of the emergency A-Bomb pit to unload and reload the A-Bombs in the event there was an aircraft malfunction. He also borrowed my Brownie camera as we came into San Francisco so he could get some pictures. Like so many, he was a fellow you’d like to know…….

35mm Cameras at PX We each bought newly arrived 35mm Mercury cameras at the PX and I got out the photo stuff Brownell left me and introduced Webber and Wycoff to developing negatives. We obtained 35mm movie film from the photo lab and used it to reload spent 35mm film cartridges. We also obtained more printing paper and printed our own pictures. Mostly we just shot up a lot of film and developed it to the size of the negative without trying to improvise an enlarger to make prints. Our prints would often come out clouded due to the rainwater and steel helmets used for rinsing prints.

Retained by MacArthur’s orders As aircraft and personnel returned to the states the only flight line personnel left were engineering officers gathered from all parts of the 20^th AF and retained per MacArthur’s orders – as essential. With an abundance of available engineers, Wickoff, Webber and I, were no longer needed and thus able to put our cameras to use documenting what was left. Most negatives were mailed to the states, sometimes being scratched, and prints made upon return.

Remove Cigar before aiming camera We loaded an insulated GI food container with ice and a case of beer and tour the island by jeep, taking pictures as we'd go. I learn the hard way to take the cigar from my mouth before putting the camera to my eye to shoot. A cigar would look like it exploded and be half down my throat, a reminder to remove it first.

War Surplus stored on 314 Wing black top We took pictures of big guns and equipment being stored on now empty black top.

Composite Views I took multiple panoramic shot sequences of the island from on top of one of the mountains,

I carried my camera out in Tumon Bay for this shot.

Abandon Marine vehicles and firing range

South East side Sunken Japanese ship

Japanese One Man Sub

Post War Agana Harbor

Wycoff and Landau on Pati Point

Ritidian Point site of 315^th Wing from Pati Point

Tumon Bay Area

Murrey Webber was a good shot I was a lousy shot

Saipan Pool Table Shortly after the war ended I was asked to go along to Saipan. It turned out they needed help on how to load the Saipan pool tables into a B-29 bomb bay for return to the 19^th BG. Little did I dream I would be one of few left – with the club and those tables all to ourselves.

Rota I had a good look at Rota, an island between Guam and Tinian, when we picked up the pool table on Saipan. Japanese still lived on Rota, though it was also one of the most bombed islands in the Pacific. Planes having trouble when taking off from Guam would salvo bombs on to Rota in addition to it’s use for practice bombing.

Empty housing Deserted prefabs Innovtative wash water supply

War Time Housing Abandon The 314 Wing, 19th Bomb Group areas, 28^th 30^th and 93^rd Sqds were selected to be kept for peace time use. Those in charge of continuing operations decided to build newer better housing on higher ground south of the air field, thus our housing area shown above was destined to be abandon.

Wycoff posed for a test shot to calibrate camera Wycoff tending to necessities while waiting to ship home.

Wycoff left behind When Webber & I boarded the truck taking us to the harbor for our return, Wycoff was there to see us off. If the tender gender there would have been tears. Webber said, he’s going to feel lonely for a while, everyone he knows are leaving. I said yeah, but he’s a gregarious guy “Ace” will not be lonely for long.