ram957 Posted November 13, 2019 Share #1 Posted November 13, 2019 I'm conducting research into a WWII USAAF Navigator. I found a newspaper photo of him, and nine other classmates, dated April 1943. The photo states that they graduated from a Navigator School at an Airbase in the Hawaiian Zone...I've had no luck locating the school...Any and all help is appreciated...Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5thwingmarty Posted November 14, 2019 Share #2 Posted November 14, 2019 What airfields were in the Hawaiian Zone? The closest field I can find with Navigator training was in California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted November 14, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted November 14, 2019 The only airfields I know of were Hickam and Wheeler and I don't believe either of them had Navigator schools. The photo of his class has only ten students , so I'm thinking that it may have been a Pan Am Contract School, but I thought they were all in Florisa...The search continues.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5thwingmarty Posted November 14, 2019 Share #4 Posted November 14, 2019 Pan-Am had a school in Coral Gables, FL and that is the only one I know of. Other Navigator schools I know of were Ellington in Houston, Hondo (Texas), Kelly (Texas), Mather in Sacramento, San Marcos (Texas) and Selman (Louisiana). By the end of the war it was cut down to Ellington, Hondo, San Marcos and Selman. I know there were a few bombardier "classes" taught at outlying bases early in the war but have not heard of any such navigator classes. Learning to navigate over the open ocean sounds like a really bad idea to me, but they could have done it. If this class was numbered like the other navigator classes, it would probably have been called 43-4. The only book I have that might have members of a navigator class 43-4 is from Mather. If you give me his name I can check the book just to see if he is in it. Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted November 14, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted November 14, 2019 Thanks Marty...…..Robert H. Wirostek ASN- Enlisted 20953464 Commissioned ASN----0-2045310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted November 14, 2019 Author Share #6 Posted November 14, 2019 Photo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5thwingmarty Posted November 15, 2019 Share #7 Posted November 15, 2019 I checked my Mather Field book and could not find him. This was the only navigator class book I have with 43-4 in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share #8 Posted November 15, 2019 Thanks for checking.....looks like I have a bit of research to do ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5thwingmarty Posted November 15, 2019 Share #9 Posted November 15, 2019 Reading the photo caption, I don't think the school was necessarily at an airfield in the Hawaiian Zone, I think the photo may have just been taken at such an airfield. In reviewing my references, it looks like Ellington, Hondo, Mather and Selman had classes numbered 43-4. Of these I think Selman's class 43-4 might have been only the fourth class to graduate from this school. The other schools look to have had more prior graduating classes. I forgot to include the Pan-Am school in Coral Gables which also had a class 43-4. Somewhere I have a book from Turner Publishing for Selman Field that lists most of the graduates from this school. Hopefully I will be able to find it this weekend so I can check for his name in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share #10 Posted November 15, 2019 Great Thanks...now that I reread it I can see that your interpretation makes sense.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5thwingmarty Posted November 18, 2019 Share #11 Posted November 18, 2019 I finally found my Selman book. Unfortunately he is not listed as a graduate from a class at this school. I also found that Selman class 43-4 was the 4th class in 1943 but was the 9th class overall from this school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ram957 Posted November 18, 2019 Author Share #12 Posted November 18, 2019 Thanks for your help ! Hopefully NARA will have his records and I'll find something in there..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now