War Games ...
Sun Apr 19, 2026 4:57 pm
A few rarely seen photos of aircraft involved in the 1941 Louisiana & Caroline War Games.
Re: War Games ...
Mon Apr 20, 2026 4:42 pm
Hmm. I spy four P-35s in the tenth photo, near the end of their career.
Re: War Games ...
Tue Apr 21, 2026 12:24 am
I've always been interested in the '41 war games, basically the last prewar maneuvers.
Lots of aircraft with unique markings.
Many Don't know the Marines took part with a F4F Wildcat unit.
A popular image of the maneuvers is this rare color photo of an Piper grasshopper getting fuel at a rural gas station as horse mounted Cavalry rides past.
The old meeting the new.
Within a year, the Willys MB "Jeep" was just entering production, the days of horses with scout forces were numbered, replaced by the Jeep and the grasshoppers.
The photo caption says it is from the Louisiana games in which case it would be a YO-59.
If you look closely, you'll see yellow paint under the OD finish and inside the cockpit door.
Perhaps the YO-59s were literally "off the shelf" and not fully painted in Army colors?
Here is a recent university article from a Texas university..
https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/9595.asp
Lots of aircraft with unique markings.
Many Don't know the Marines took part with a F4F Wildcat unit.
A popular image of the maneuvers is this rare color photo of an Piper grasshopper getting fuel at a rural gas station as horse mounted Cavalry rides past.
The old meeting the new.
Within a year, the Willys MB "Jeep" was just entering production, the days of horses with scout forces were numbered, replaced by the Jeep and the grasshoppers.
The photo caption says it is from the Louisiana games in which case it would be a YO-59.
If you look closely, you'll see yellow paint under the OD finish and inside the cockpit door.
Perhaps the YO-59s were literally "off the shelf" and not fully painted in Army colors?
Here is a recent university article from a Texas university..
https://www.sfasu.edu/heritagecenter/9595.asp
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Re: War Games ...
Tue Apr 21, 2026 6:28 pm
I wonder if the airstrip in the first picture is the one built near Marston, North Carolina during the maneuvers. An early use of PSP if it is. This from Wikipedia:
"Marston gave its name to the pierced steel planks developed and deployed by the U.S. military in World War Two called ‘Marston mats’. During November, 1941 maneuvers near Marston, North Carolina, the 21st Engineer Regiment (Aviation) constructed a 3,000 foot runway in eleven days using eighteen railway carloads of 36,000 panels of pierced steel planking. Developed by the Carnegie Illinois Steel Company, the 10 foot by 15 inch steel panels, with 87 holes, weighed 66.2 pounds each, and could be emplaced without special tools, then lifted and moved to a new location.
"Marston gave its name to the pierced steel planks developed and deployed by the U.S. military in World War Two called ‘Marston mats’. During November, 1941 maneuvers near Marston, North Carolina, the 21st Engineer Regiment (Aviation) constructed a 3,000 foot runway in eleven days using eighteen railway carloads of 36,000 panels of pierced steel planking. Developed by the Carnegie Illinois Steel Company, the 10 foot by 15 inch steel panels, with 87 holes, weighed 66.2 pounds each, and could be emplaced without special tools, then lifted and moved to a new location.