Preparing for a Physiological Air War: 50 U.S. Army Airfields in 33 Days! Lt. Col. Randy Lovelace's Survey of Aero Medical Problems in African, Indian and Chinese Theatres of Operation (25 Nov – 28 Dec 1942)
Authors: Dean Jay B. 
Published: November 2023

“Pursuant to War Department Letter orders dated Nov 24, 1942, [Lt. Col. W. Randolph Lovelace, II, Medical Corps], proceeded to the above‐named theatres to secure information on aviation medicine, oxygen equipment developed at Wright Field and the status of evacuation of sick and wounded by air” (Aero Medical Laboratory (AML) Report No. ENG‐M‐49‐697‐1B, 1 May 1943). Thus began Lt. Col. Randy Lovelace's whirlwind tour of U.S. Army airfields overseas, stretching from Trinidad to the Far East. Lt. Col. Lovelace was accompanied by Brig. Gen. David N.W. Grant (Air Surgeon for the USAAF), five TWA pilots, and representatives of Air Transport Command (ATC). They left Washington D.C. on Nov 25th 1942 and flew eastward in C‐87 and C‐47 military transports, making stops at 20 U.S. Army airfields in transit before arriving in Kunming, China on Dec 10th. Flying westward, they made 30 additional stops before arriving home on Dec 28th. Fifty air bases in 33 days! In route, Dr. Lovelace interviewed 60 American and British airmen, including flight surgeons, fighter pilots and bomber crewmen. Lovelace procured samples of captured enemy O2 equipment and also documented the conditions under which American O2 equipment was used and the problems encountered; e.g., O2 masks and supply lines filling with ice at high altitudes. Recall that in 1942, with very few exceptions, most military aircraft lacked pressurized cabins. Thus, dependable O2 equipment was required for any mission flown above 10,000 ft. He reported that when no enemy danger was present, B‐24 & B‐17 heavy bombers seldom flew above 25,000 ft; however, German flak was accurate up to 30,000 ft, necessitating ascent into the stratosphere. B‐25 medium bombers operated at 12,000 ft or lower, and P‐40 fighters were used for ground strafing and dog fighting up to 18,000 ft. Armed with only cameras, Mosquitoes & P‐38's flew photographic reconnaissance missions over Italy and Burma at 35,000 ft. The British RAF used three stripped‐down Spitfires to make repeated flights to 42,000–43,000 ft to shoot down German Ju‐87 pressurized photographic reconnaissance planes over Africa. In the process, RAF pilots suffered decompression sickness and oxygen want. Twelve recommendations were made by Lt. Col. Lovelace following his tour of duty: accelerate development and testing of pressure breathing O2 equipment; larger O2 supply for ball turret gunners in heavy bombers; improve O2 generating units; distribute CO detection kits to all theatres; conduct a survey of occurrence and location of burns incurred by aircrews in flight to learn how to avoid such burns; have the Wright field AML develop a pamphlet with brief instructions on aero medical and emergency procedures for all personnel flying abroad with ATC; standardize litter‐retaining equipment; flight test helicopter ambulances; add patient‐retaining safety belts for airplane ambulances; develop a refrigerator for storage and transport of serums, vaccines and whole blood; expedite research on dehydrated foods; and have the AML publish a monthly Air Surgeon's Bulletin for all flight surgeons that reports the latest information on aviation medicine.

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