1942, Maxwell Field, Alabama

Maxwell, Apr. 1942. Dad sent these pictures to his mom and wrote on the back of all of them. His bunk is the lower one in the background. This notation is so like Dad. He really loved to do sewing repair on things that didn't make it to the sewing machine. I can't tell you how many suitcase/purse parts that he has put back together for me with a strong needle, dental floss and a pair of pliers. So here is, sewing stripes on someone else's uniform. And how totally like him to be doing kind things for other people.

(Me, sewing Nick Arabrinko's stripes and stars.)

He makes a notation about his moccasins--see them under the bed? Uh, oh, Ralph. You misspelled "moccasins." Ten points off! Alert Regis!

And this is another theme that continued through his life. He always had moccasin slippers. And when I was 8 or 9, while we were living in Castle Heights, he sewed me the swellest pair of moccasins you ever saw. He even did a beaded design of a thunderbird on each one. I think I have a picture of me wearing them somewhere.
some history and information on Maxwell Field/Air Force Base follows. The Davitt family returned to Montgomery two more times.
In 1918, the U.S. Government purchased the Wright Brothers flying field for a military depot, and on November 8, 1922 the field was officially named in honor of 2nd Lt William C. Maxwell, a native of Atmore, AL, who lost his life in an aircraft accident during WWI. The mission of the base changed in 1931 when the Air Corps Tactical School was moved to Maxwell from Langley Field, VA. During WWII, this school was moved to Orlando, FL and Maxwell became the Eastern Headquarters for flying training. In 1942, the Southeast Army/Air Forces training center was established at Maxwell,making it the largest pre-flight training school in the nation. At this school, thousands of American and Foreign students learned the fundamentals that helped to achieve victory for the allies. In rapid succession, Maxwell Field was used as an Officer Candidate School, an Advanced Flying Training School, a B-24 Navigation School and a B-29 Transition School.

1942: Date With a Cloud

Dad sent photographs to his mother as well as to MaryJane. He usually wrote on the picture or the back. this one has:
Momsy: Got a date with a cloud - Ralph
June 29, 42
Hawthorne
(photo by J.P.Dean)
Momsy??? And did the Wright brothers build that plane?
............................
added later.......
further investigation reveals that this is a
Boeing Stearman PT-17

The wings were of wood with fabric covering while the fuselage had a tough, welded steel framework, also fabric covered. Either a Lycoming R-680 (PT-13) or Continental R-670 (PT-17) engine powered most models, at a top speed of 124 mph with a 505-mile range. An engine shortage in 1940-41 led to the installation of 225-hp Jacobs R-755 engines on some 150 airframes, and the new designation PT-18.

The plane was easy to fly, and relatively forgiving of new pilots. It gained a reputation as a rugged airplane and a good teacher. Officially named the Boeing Model 75, the plane was (and still is) persistently known as the "Stearman" by many who flew them. It was called the "PT" by the Army, "N2S" by the Navy and "Kaydet" by Canadian forces. By whatever name, more than 10,000 were built by the end of 1945 and at least 1,000 are still flying today worldwide. http://www.warbirdalley.com/pt17.htm

We also know, now, that he was at the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

1941, Hawthorne School of Aeronautics

May 3, 1941. Hawthorne School of Aeronautics, Air Corps Training Detachment, Orangeburg, South Carolina, Class of 42-J Primary.

The Hawthorne School of Aeronautics was a civilian flying school which was chosen by the Army Air Corps in 1940 to provide primary flight training for its pilots. This training commenced in 1941, using the Boeing PT-17 Stearman biplane. http://www.eaa1367.org/main_pages/history.htm

Ralph G. Davitt, back row, 2nd from left. He has recorded the names of everyone in the photograph on the back so in case you think you recognize anyone, I'll look them up for you.

Uncle Bob told me a story and I have vague memories of Dad telling us that he survived a plane crash. Maybe it was here--in the biplane. He was flying solo and in the plane there were two gas tanks. When the first ran out of gas, you flipped a switch to bring in fuel from the second tank. When Ralph tried to flip the switch, it was jammed. No more fuel. He had to land the plane. The field he was aimed at had recently been cleared of trees, but not fully. It was a field of stumps. He put the plane down and was doing fine until one of the wings caught on a tree stump. The plane whipped around and hit a bunch more stumps until it was smashed to smithereens. He wasn't injured, but the plane was totaled.