The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-03
MINUTE MEN OF 6. A.P. END
 SUB PATROL

New Bren, N. O., Feb. 3 = (UPO The Flying minute men" of the Civil Air Patrol, who used their own money, planes and vacation time to help spot enemy submar- ines during the critical days of the battle of the Atlantic, now are sur- rendering their jobs of coastal pa- trol to the Navy, to take up other home front war assignments.
 Originally organized the week before Pearl Harbor, the CAP now has 75,O0O airmen in 43 states op- erating from 1000 airf1elds under the national command of Earle L. Johnson.
 The coastal patrols, organized by the CAP early in 1922 as 90-day experimental service, played such an important role in combating the submarine menace that on April 29, 1943, they were taken over from the office, of civilian defense and formed into an auxiliary arm of the Army Air Forces.
 Praising the only civil organiza- tion allowed to wear the U. s. in- Signia on their uniforms, assistant secretary of war for air, Robert A. Lovett, called the transfer of CAP recognition of a job well done"
 High praise also was given the CAP by Admiral Ernest J. King, commander -in-chief of the United States Fleet, and Vice Admiral Adolphus Andrews, former com- ,,ooJor of &I,a Eoctar,o Coo ElrnY1- tier, when the coastal patrols were discontinued.
 In the beginning, however, mili- tary authorities expressed doubt that the civilian flyers would be able to render any real service.
 After year of coastal patrols, CAP pilots had flown more than 24, ,000 900 airplane miles over the ocean, spotted 173 submarines, dropped bombs or depth charges against 57, gained official credit for the sinking of two in addition to those sunk by Army or Navy air. craft they called to the spot.
 Observers in the planes had To- cated 363 survivors of ship Sinkings or plane crashes at sea, spotted 36 bodies, and found IT floating mines, some of which were directly in the path of troop ships. Frequently they reported ships or aircraft in distress.
 When the coastal patrols were first established the U-boats were taking a heavy toll of Allied ship ping. The submarine toll rose from F ships in January, 1942, to 42 in March. During May the sinkings had grown so numerous that all shipping was halted until conveys could be organized.
 At that time the Navy was spread thinly in the Pacific and in deep water parts of the Atlantic. To cover the eastern sea frontier of 1,200 miles from Halifax to the Florida Rays there were only a handful of sub-chasers left over from World War I, five old eagle boats, three ocean-going yachts, four blimps and less than a dozen god Coast Guard vessels.
 While the Nazis were sinking hard against American shipping lanes to win the war quickly and crack American morale, the CAP began coastal patrol work that lasted more than 8 year, and ex- tended their bases from Canada to Tampico, Mexico.
 Army and Navy air forces drew of the younger pilots, leaving CAP pilots whose average age was 38. They were joined by doctors, nurses, mechanics, radio operators, and photographers who made up complete patrol units.
 Manpower and equipment short ages were handicaps at first. In the early days elderly civilian volun- teers arranged their vacations after receiving emergency calls which read, Bring money for a month and picks and shovels, be- cause therell be no landing field till we've built one"
 One coastal patrol outfit at a new base along the vulnerable North Carolina Coast could not take off because they had no life preserv- CTS, regulation equipment. Seven dead Germans in 1ifebelts washed up on the beach one night and the next day the patrols took off fully equipped.
 With the surrender of their anti submarine patrol system. the Ely ing minute men, will take over Army assignments such as forest fire patrols, searching for lost planes, maintaining liaison patrols taking emergency relief of flood and disaster areas, and flying prac- tice of anti-aircraft gun and Searchlight crews.
 ARES INAIIGI1RAL. RECnRn