Nolen Street Woodland Hills, CA | I am looking for anyone whos family member worked at Douglas who may have known my father Gerald Street, he also worked at douglas and was on the B19 Test flights. I have some photos from 40 and 41 that I can share and would love copies of any photos you may have. Please email me at nolenswelding@yahoo.com. 05/06/2012 @ 16:09 [ref: 56773] |
Peter Kling Orange, CA | I also have a letter mailed by an uncle at Douglas Aircraft on that initial flight. It is an unopened, sealed letter with the March Field cancellantion of June 27, 1941 1:30p.m. I was 10-years-old and I recall the moment of take off from the Douglas runway. The rented aparment we were living in was right across the street from the plant and it was covered by a camaflouge net - the whole neighborhood was covered. I wonder if the mailing is worth anything more than the $.06 stamp or if I should just keep it in the scrapbook for the amazement of my future great grandchildren. 10/31/2011 @ 11:12 [ref: 49909] |
Norman Kight San Antonio, TX |
As a young boy living in Long Beach, Calif. I saw the B-19 fly over the city. I don't remember the year but I do remember the Air Plane and seeing it. 09/18/2007 @ 01:56 [ref: 17948] |
Michael J. Boone Greenbelt, MD |
Why was the B-19 not mass-produced for medivac, ECM, photo recon, inflight refueling, etc.?
In one flight, it could have brought 200 injured Marines from the Marianas to Australia, Hawaii or China and stayed 1,000 miles out of harm's way in the process.
It had a 6,000 mile range and once went to 39,000 feet!
Why the obsession to this day with it having been useful only as a gravity bomber? The alternative concepts were fully crystalized by 1940. A thousand C-19s could have been built for the price and materiel of one battleship or arcraft carrier.
Army-Navy rivalry again? MacArther would have made legendary use of them. He lost 27,000 men. Nimitz lost 97,000 men and made the Marines after Iwo Jima look like cannon fodder for the rank advancement of Navy officers.
I remember reading of a meeting where Roosevelt was deciding if the strategy of Nimitz or MacArthur would triumph in 1944.
Roosevelt was favoring Nimitz's idea because of his ignorant pro-naval prejudice, when MacArthur said "Mr. President, if you abandon seventeen million Christian Phillipinos you will loose the November election".
Roosevelt thereupon sided with MacArther's strategy, saved thousands of lives, and finnaly died himself a year later. 01/06/2007 @ 10:28 [ref: 15118] |
Paul Jordan-Smith Seattle, WA | I have a commemorative envelope for the initial flight of the B-19, addressed to my grandfather and containing a letter carried on the first flight from Grace Hartung, who shared with her husband administrative charge over Belmont Park field (site of the first airmail flight) during WW I. I am not a collector of memorabilia, so offer this for sale if any are interested. 10/30/2005 @ 19:22 [ref: 11615] |
Jim Gilchrist marshalltown, IA | I have in my possession a letter carried on the initial flight of the B-19 I also have a framed 24 x 18 color photograph. Any collectors interested please contact me. 01/31/2005 @ 21:08 [ref: 9323] |
Shawn Goutermont Sacramento, CA | I recently discovered a picture of my grandfather(wich worked for Douglas) standing in front of a B-19 at March Field,with about 30 other people(all signed the back). There is another B-19 in the background. With it is the commemoritive envelope (post marked June 27, 1947 from March Field) and a letter between my grandparents. Do you have a picture like this? If so who are the people? I have seen the picture of the first flight, this plane is not the same color. 09/17/2004 @ 20:45 [ref: 8284] |
jim gilchrist marshalltown, IA | I also have a commemorative letter sent on the initial flight of the B-19 along with a framed 18x24 color picture. 11/17/2000 @ 07:49 [ref: 1054] |
Tom Watson Cupertino, CA | As a 14 year old, I went with my dad to see the initial flight of the B-19. My farther worked at Douglas in Santa Monica during the war and unfortunately died while working there.
As a memento of this flight he sent his mother a comemorative envelop, which I have in my possession. Here are some of the particulars on the outside:
B-19
Initial Flight of
World's Largest Airplane
The Douglas B-19
Super-Bomber for
United States Army Air Corps
Clover Field
Santa Monica
California
to
March Field
Riverside
California
The date stamp: March Field Calif. 1941
June 27 1:30 PM
This was sent Air Mail with a 6 cent
stamp. There are two logo's shown:
1. USACorps(circle star with red dot) 04/13/2000 @ 17:41 [ref: 74] |