The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-04-28

COLnUAt CEeWo arc WV pUoy w COAAC
so here In Italy the school goes to t
To keep bombardiers and gun
ners refreshed on developments in
our own and enemy armament, q
travelling schoolhouse built in an
ordnance spare parts truck is tour
ing 18th Air Force bases under the
direction of the Operational Train
ing section Of Air Force headquar.
tiers.
In February, the school was only
an extra truck and an idea Of Col
onel Edward p. Mechling (4001
Cumberland street,. FL Paso, Tex,
air ordnance offlcer here. Mechling
wanted to show air force personnel
the latest wrinkles of new bombs,
new fuses, our own armament and
the new weapons German ingenu-
ity throws against our aircraft
from time to time.
Lessons From Combat
The information he wanted to
get across was highly practical,
and most Of 1t had not been avail
able during home training, partly
because 1t was learned only re-
Gently by combat experience, part
ly because 1t might take weeks to
teach cadets all enemy and all
u. s. equipment, where 1t takes
only hours to teach experienced
crews what they want to know
about German not Japanese -
equipment, and about the specific
plane, gun and bombs each crew Is
using right now.
Mechling called In Major Edward
r. Cullen (28 Fulton street, Wee
hawken, N. j., and they thrashed
out what they wanted. Then, to an
ordnance specialist Just arrived
from the U. s., Captain Harry M.
Randel, they turned over: the
spare truck; orders. for the Job:
two or three bombs, q fuse chart,
and o lone 50-caliber machine gun;
and q stair Of one other officer and
two men.
This school Is just a bad dream
that worked out perfectly" Captain
Randel Of 1921 E. Lexington street,.
Allentown, Pa. said Of the finished
truck. I'VE had no training pro-
grams, no visual aids, no equip
ment when we started. We traded
cigarettes to Italian carpenters for
nails, We borrowed wire and fit.
tings when storekeepers got care
less or weren't looking. That socket
right there is Colonel Meetings.,
but he doesn't know 1t. He dreamed
up our own visual aids out OF scrap.
ped bits Of plywood and plexiglass-
then we had to find dyes to color
the plexiglass. The blue dye came
from an Arab III Tunis for a pack
Of cigarettes: the red dye is air
plane lacquer mixed with acetic
acid and then strained. That's typ.
ical Of the whole school. but now
we're getting across to the combat
crews the information they're 20.
ing to need on their next flight"
BOmb Techniaue Exulained
At the rear OF the truck. a cut.
away bomb.rack shows how vari-
GUS bomb-clusters and bombs upI
to 100 and 200 pounds should be
fastened in the rack. gafe-tied. and
banded together. The remainder OF
the display Is on boards inside the
truck which can be removed and
set I'D In briefing rooms.
Over each exhibit in turn. a
light controlled by q homemade
series switch flashes on to hold the
audience attention as the exhibit
is discussed during the lectures.
One board shows u, s. nose and
tail fuses - safe, cutaway, to show
componentS and action, and
armed. 1t includes fuses which
have been ruled obsolete because
Of their dangerous senSitivity II
just In case one should get into q
bomb load by accident. Charts
above the board show how far the
bomb must travel before the spin
ming vanes arm the fuse, as we'll as