In World War II, during the European war efforts, movements of troops often were made via C-47 aircraft (commercial DC-3 at the time) carrying and dropping paratroopers into a battle area and/or towing CG-4 troop-carrying gliders, loaded with troops, which were towed to the designated battle area where the gliders would disconnect from the tow cable and land in open areas to disgorge their troops.

Huge numbers of troops were transported and effectively dropped or landed in order to meet a specific need or opportunity on the battlefront.  Flights were usually in several formations of three planes flying at a very low elevation in order to avoid radar.  When the drop or landing sites were sited, the aircraft would elevate to appropriate levels for paratroops to jump and for glider disconnect.  Such flights were designed to surprise local enemy troops since the planes/gliders were coming in so low that they were vulnerable to ground fire; obviously, the situation could be very dangerous to planes and troops.  Many times paratroopers were dropped into areas where foreign troops had been forewarned which meant encountering heavy ground fire but were often confronted with obstacles placed in the designated landing areas and, with no power other than batteries for landing lights at night, they of course were committed to land…often with dire results.  Obviously, many men could be and were lost in such situations.

In August, 1944, in the Battle of the Bulge in Europe, the US lost a great number of crews and planes needed for the foregoing efforts so to meet the desperate need for flight crews to man the C-47’s, the Air Corps opened two fields for training Troop Carrier tactics—Malden was one of the fields.  At that time, at Bergstrom Air Field in Austin, Texas, there existed many troop carrier crews, through with their training and preparing to depart for overseas so the first pilots of those crews were rerouted to these two new Troop Carrier training fields.  I and many of my friends were thus sent to Malden and were immediately established as instructors.

The need for new crews was so desperate that many pilots who had just finished fighter-pilot training were sent to Malden to be trained as C-47 pilots and to be trained in Troop Carrier tactics.  Obviously none of the trainees were too happy about being rerouted to twin engine training and dropping paratroopers or towing gliders but, of course, they had no choice in the matter.

Shortly after arriving at Malden, I married Johnie Sue, a girl from Austin and we lived off-base in a four-apartment building alongside the highway into town.  It was an interesting time for a couple of newly-wed, nineteen-year olds.  We had an upstairs apartment with one bedroom and a space heater, which burned coal from a small pile in the backyard.  Johnie Sue had to learn to cook on a kerosene cook stove and no eating utensils could be found anywhere (plastic utensils weren’t invented yet and metal was totally restricted to tools of war) so we had to check-out utensils from the base.  In spite of such minor problems, we and our friends thoroughly enjoyed our sojourn in Malden.

    -Jack B. Hanks, Malden Army Airfield Instructor

Mary Helen (Crane) Foster went through basic training at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX.  After her graduation, she was assigned to Malden.  When she arrived, she was given the task of checking out planes that needed maintenance or that had completed maintenance.  Her log book shows mostly that she flew Vultee BT-13A’s, but some other planes also.  She shared this task with a male pilot and they would typically fly each plane solo.  They would sometimes fly a plane to check out a student pilot’s complaint and sometimes to see if the repairs had been made properly and that the plane was again ready for service.  In July of 1944, the base changed over from instruction in the BT-13A to instruction for Troop Carrier Command pilots flying the C-47A.  Her log book shows her first flight in the C-47 to have been on July 13, 1944.  She flew the C-47’s for maintenance until December 20, 1944.  She had gotten permission to ferry planes over the Atlantic to England and had plenty of volunteers at Malden to fly with her as crew, but the end of the war with Germany intervened.  At that time, the surplus of male pilots released from Europe caused the Army Air Corps to dismiss the Wasps. 

An article in The Dallas Morning News stated that Mrs. Foster flew BT-13s and C-47s and DC-3s at Malden Army Airfield, MO.  She was the only female pilot on the base.  “I reported in, and the commanding officer said, “I didn’t ask for a woman pilot”.”  And I said, “Sir, I didn’t ask to come to Missouri”.  The following picture shows Mary Helen Crane on the wing of a BT-13A.  This photo was taken on her first day assigned to Malden Army Airfield.

    -Contributed on behalf of Mary Helen (Crane) Foster by Paul Chapman

I was in personnel at Malden from September 1944 to January 1945 during the Troop Carrier glider pilot training era.  At the time of the Battle of the Bulge, things didn't look so good for us.  Practically overnight, they transferred 100,000 Air Corps guys into the infantry.  I was one of them.  I got over to Manila in May 1945 and was discharged in August 1946.

       - B. Keil

I really enjoyed my 6 months at Malden in 1956. Good people, great instructors, and friendly girls!! Flew in the ANG for several years and then spent 31 years @ American Airlines. Now happily retired and working on and flying WWII airplanes in the CAF.

    - G. B. 57M

LOOPING THE BRIDGE AT CAIRO — There seems to be much interest in the stories about someone looping the bridge at Cairo, Illinois.  Here are a few stories (with no names mentioned) and presented herein as memories only (some are conflicting):

“When we arrived in Dec. '56 there was still much talk about the student who looped the bridge at Cairo in a T-28.  He might have gotten away with it if he had not hit the water and peeled back the skin on the flaps.”

“This story just may fall into the urban legend category; although I do vaguely recall our AAA flight commander mentioning, in a safety briefing, that someone had been seen flying under the Cairo bridge.  I recall his saying that the aircraft number was not gotten, so they could not identify the pilot.”

“It is not an Urban Legend.  The instructor of the student who pulled off this caper lived across the street from me in the housing area between the main gate and the highway.  He told me about the event.  The bulletin board in the flight line briefing room had pictures of the T-28 showing some of the skin on the flaps peeled back and the outline of the ribs in the hollow prop blades visible where they went in the water.
This is the way I recall the instructor’s version of the story.  The student was a very good pilot given his experience level or else he would have killed himself in this crazy exercise.  From the time he first arrived at Malden, he became obsessed with the thought of looping the Cairo Bridge.  He drove over it in his car and flew over it during solo flights in the local area.
One day he was flying a T-28 solo and decided that “this was the day.”  He circled the bridge to look for barge traffic then backed off a long distance to gain airspeed –too much airspeed as it turned out.
He passed under the bridge just fine and started pulling up into the loop – well beyond the bridge.  By the time he got inverted and started down the backside of the loop, he had not gone back beyond the entry side of the bridge very far and he was almost looking straight down at the bridge.  He was now in a horrible dilemma.  If he did not pull enough back elevator pressure, he would go into the water almost straight down.  If he applied too much, he might either hit the bridge or enter a high speed stall.  As it turned out, he completed the loop, passed back under the bridge, just skimmed the water with the belly of the aircraft and ran a foot or so of the prop in the water for some short distance.  Amazingly, he recovered and flew the aircraft back to Malden undoubtedly a terrified young man.
After landing, he parked the aircraft on the maintenance line and wrote up the engine as “running rough.”  No doubt.  Other than the skin and prop damage, I do not know if there was indeed engine damage but I suspect that there was.
In spite of intense questioning by the administration at Malden, the student denied any wrongdoing.  Finally, I understand he was flown to an Air Force facility and given some other “help” which “improved his memory” sufficiently for the story to be revealed.  I do not know what punishment was given other than early termination of his flight training.
I do not wish to embarrass any individual.  I do not want any names.  I just think it is an interesting flying story and I would like to know more about it.  My recollection of the story was second or third hand and may be pretty fuzzy after 49 years.”

“I remember the student pilot and the bridge incident.  While stationed in Hawaii, one day my wife went to the commissary and ran into an 'ole high school friend from Malden that met and married a student pilot from the Malden Base.  We visited many times  since they lived only a block away.  One night we were talking and I mentioned to him about how he met and married the lady from Malden.  He told me that he washed out as a student.  I asked if he was there when that “dummy” flew under the bridge, he replied "Yes" I was that “dummy” that did it and he told about the "Welcome Party" that was waiting for him when he finally got the plane back to base.”

“I heard the same story when I was there in the mid-fifties flying T-6s.  I have no doubt it was done as we buzzed lakes and fishing boats trying to tip them over and one guy tried for an altitude record.  On the record I would deny it happened or that anyone in my class did anything that could be construed as a violation.”

“I cannot recall whether we were in the T-28s, or were still in the T-34s at the time.  I would suspect that it was probably a T-6, flown by one of our upper class members.  I say this because I don't think that anyone in my class had enough flying time to be that daring/foolish at the time.”

I can verify that story as the young cadet was a "table mate" in the spring of '56. It was a T-28 and he did deny any wrong doing, but the condition of his "valiant steed" belied that premise. He was considered a very good pilot and we were sorry to see him go.

     -- J.R. 

Worked midnight/8 AM shift, July 1955.  The T-28 with peeled belly skin, deformed landing gear doors and split prop tips sitting over a wet outline of the plane is fact.  The Preflight crews could not understand this.  The write up in the 781 form stated " Rough running engine." The system probably washed the student out of the program.  This could have been the best of combat fighter pilots.

"I could have become the first person to solo in the T-34 in our group, but I told (my) instructor that I didn't think I was quite ready - scared to death is more like it. He seemed quite annoyed but didn't try very hard to change my mind. Later that day a cadet soloed and claimed the "first" title. I soloed the next day, second in our group. I didn't think about it at the time, but now I wonder if all the instructors had a betting pool, and the instructor whose student was first to solo claimed the money. I probably was responsible for my instructor losing a nice bit of pocket change!

"This same instructor was an avid hunter. One late afternoon as we were winding up a training flight in a T-34 and preparing to head for the base, the instructor took the controls and dropped down almost to tree-top level, and we skimmed here and there over wetlands for several minutes. A very junior officer doesn't ask his instructor what he's doing, but the instructor (an exceptionally nice fellow) explained that he was looking for promising spots to go duck hunting that weekend. This happened at the T-34 auxiliary field - I think it was near Dexter.

"My T-28 instructor was named Schutt (which may not be the correct spelling of his name). He was a good pilot and a good instructor, but he had the well-deserved reputation of being a masterful butt-chewer. One day I was practicing instrument takeoffs, and uncharacteristically performed the procedure almost perfectly, reaching the assigned altitude without a waiver. "Very good, Lt. So-and-so," came Mr. Schutt's voice on the intercom, using the name of another of his students. "This is Lt. ---," I replied giving him my name. "Oh," he said. Well, I counted it as a compliment, which were rare enough and valued highly, even if it was credited to someone else."

          - L.F., Class 57-A, 1955-56

When I was at Malden in Class 53-G, Instructor James S. Campbell invited me to his home for Thanksgiving dinner--I never had forgotten this.

   -- R. Van Sickle Class 53-G

To Jim Summers - Flight Instructor "Extraordinaire"Ode to Malden AFBFolks said at Malden,"Strap on your chute"- That was profitable, 'Cause the girls thought we were cute. Initially landings were not always smooth, It was challenging at first, trying to get in the groove-'Stage' points were high, in the bouncy beginning, (and, in addition), Cadets had to be 'caged' to keep them from sinning. The Runways were smooth-or so we were told,And the conscientious Instructor had to be bold - While a good landing was always in mind - Alas, the Runways were not always so kind. But, with some 'sweat' and a few "Oh My Gods"We somehow managed to defeat the odds- We all do have great thought son those years gone past,And through it all, The indomitable Instructor was the best!

    -- Phil R. (Class 52-F Sept 51--Sept 52)

I was an Aviation Cadet with 55-A Class, the best time of my life was in Malden AFB. I remember one funny thing I was the first Cadet to be a member of the Malden Ladies Club. I was graduated with 57B Class in Reese AFB. This year (2007) we have our 50th Anniversary.

I am retired from the Peruvian Air Force with the rank of Colonel.

  -- R.V. Manrique Class 55-A

 "There was a cafe across the highway from the MAB entrance that some of us visited occasionally when we wanted an alternative to mess hall food. One day I ordered a hamburger
and told the waitree to "cut the onions." In Texas that means don't put onions on the burger. What the waitress brought me was a hamburger with the onions shredded like cole slaw!"

           - L.F., Class 57-A, 1955-56

"I was a student in Class 54 Quebec. We were at Malden from September 1953 through March of 1954. I went from there to Webb AFB, Texas, and wound up flying fighter-interceptors for most of my career. I retired in 1972.

I have many fond memories of Malden. I recall a pretty young girl who I dated while I was in training there. I recall that W.S. lived on a small farm near Dexter. Nostalgia demands that I know if she is still around and what may have happened to her. Like everybody whom I met in Malden, she was a fine person." (Note to W.S. - contact MAAPS and we'll try and get you and J.C. together to catch up on old times!)

          -- J.C., Class 54-Q, 1953-54 

When I first started working at MAB I was l8 years old and started on the flight line - recording air time and also taking minutes on aircraft accidents.  I worked for Major Voss and he conducted all of the investigations.  I worked there until it closed and then I went to the commissary and worked until the end of December in l945. 

I did all of the shorthand (verbatim) no machines, nothing but a pen or pencil and Major Voss told me if they got too fast on their explanations of what happened that I should kick his shins lightly.  One Monday morning I was having a bad day (remember I was a teenager then and catting around a lot at night) so I just kept kicking his shins.  About l0:30 he asked for a break and called me aside and wanted to know "what in the hell is wrong with you today",  I shaped up after that.  I have a lot of fond memories of that base and it was certainly a new experience for a little old country girl that had made a few trips over Riddle Hill into Malden and that was about the extent of my traveling 

I distinctly remember one of the cadets crashing in a woods west of Malden (near Riddle Hill) and I had to go out with the aircraft accident investigator and we talked to farmers and I put my old typewriter on the top of a hay trailer and I took statements and typed them up in the barnlot and the people signed them and we went on our way and held our investigation later.

I worked on the flight line again after Mr. Anderson came there.  I worked for the Director of Flying and the Aircraft Investigations Officer until I left there in 1953.

     -- L.K.

I was at Malden in 1944 for C-47 Transition Training and while there met my wife...She was from Kennett.  We married Oct 16 1944...Still married...I returned to Malden as a Ground School Instructor in 1951 and left in 1959.  I also owned and operated Polly's Jewelry, next door to Willy Millers Men's Store...Bill Norrid bought my house when I left...MEMORIES!

    --J. Contino