WW II bombing ranges

[ChrisK48]

Steve,

I have locations for a large number of the WWII targets in NM and AZ (as well as other states) on Google Earth. Send me a pm with your email address and I'll send you kmz files that you can load into Google Earth.

[lucky52]

I may have posted this before,but 2 of circular practice targets are still visible on Matagorda Island south of Port O'Conner,Texas.

[ALOHADAVE]

During the 1950s, two Bell Helicopter pilots found a recessed actual-sized World War I biplane silhouette west of the old Hicks Field location. Locals say it was used for practice bombing (using bags of flour) & for some strafing practice. Over the years the local farmers fenced in the site, hoping to protect it in some way. The site is on the West side of the creek and just on the opposite side from a new gas-well-head site on the creek. There is a new housing addition a half mile northwest from the site and the entrance to the housing is from Bonds Ranch Road. The road to the location is not for public access.
The site is located approximately 1.22 miles west of the old hangars [at the original Hicks Field], maybe 273 degrees.

I estimate the length of the fuselage to be approximately 20 feet, and the wingspan close to that.
The reason it has held up so long is because it is constructed of concrete & the finish is very rough.
I just hope we don't loose it to the sprawling urban development.

for more info see this link.
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Air ... rth_NW.htm

Taliaferro Field Bombing Target / Hicks Field Bombing Target, North Richland Hills, TX

32.917 North / 97.424 West (North of Fort Worth, TX)

[Taigh Ramey]

I have another question, from the one range I've found that is only a few miles northeast of the airport in Deming, at what typical altitude did they practice at? Doesn't seem they could get very high by the time they reached that target! Example here:

They trained very low with manual release by eye all the way up to the service ceiling of the aircraft that they trained in which was typically the Beech AT-11.
Here are some excerpts from a training manual that shows the outline for the course with both class time and bombing:

[Mark Allen M]

A bit of random stuff on Deming ...

[Mark Allen M]

... and if you have a bunch of spare time take a look at the rest of the albums. Lots of good stuff. Happy Xmas!

http://www.aafcollection.info/items/lis ... r=up&ct=20

[steve dickey]

Thank you Taigh I see from your AT-11 post that most of the altitudes were 13,000.
Mark thanks for those, I need to find some of those Blue Ox class books!! Spent a lot of time in that old library growing up!! Still being used!