lellis19

I really enjoyed the old photos of planes that are rarely seen on UH and life around the airbase prior to WW2. You did a good job on restoration of very old and small size photos.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

Great photo's - thanks for sharing.
My uncle was a blimp pilot in WWII stationed in New England - he had a picture of the blimp he flew - like the one you have... I think it would be fun to go for a ride in one...

Tdearing Loc: Rockport, TX

Fabulous work.

FL Streetrodder

I have to congratulate you on the excellent job you did on resurrecting the old photos, a masterful job! I have quite a number of 35mm color slides that were taken by my Mother's younger brother who was a B-17 pilot in WW II. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet him as he went down with his plane returning from a bombing run over Germany. I have previously posted a few of the copies I made after scanning the slides and will have to see about posting a few more. An interesting insight into the history of our nation.

ntonkin Loc: western Upper Peninusla of Michigan

thank you for posting these photos. My family is from the area. Grosse Ile is a large island in the Detroit River, very close to the shore, a short bridge ride from Trenton. The base was at the extreme southern tip of the island, and flyers headed out over the Detroit River towards Lake Erie. This base was in service until sometime in the 1960's, and is in service today as a civilian airport. I remember going there with my kindergarten class and having a tour. We went to the riggers' shed and a young rigger stood one of my classmates up on a rigging table and put a parachute on him. I have always remembered that--maybe I already knew in some way I would one day marry a paratrooper... When she was a 17 year old high school girl, my mother was the secretary to the NAS Grosse Ile base commander. When she wasn't taking dictation, she was counting tracers in boxes of ammo belts.

My dad was at Port Moresby also, as an MP. New Guinea was very difficult duty. there was lots of disease as well as enemy soldiers. My dad suffered from malaria and trench foot for the rest of his life. I am glad both our dads came back.

This base, probably because of Detroit's proximity to Canada (in the British Commonwealth), trained British flyer trainees as well as American. Several British flyers who died during flight training at Grosse Ile are buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery west of Trenton. When I was a child, the Trenton vets groups always held a remembrance service for them on Memorial Day. George H. W. Bush trained at Grosse Ile and lived in a house a half block from where I grew up. He always said their time in Trenton was a happy time for he and Barbara. I suppose it was, it's a nice part of the world. Also those wartime young people knew how to make the most of the time they had together--maybe it was all they were going to have.

The low brick building in one of the last photos is still standing, and perhaps the water tower is there. Twenty or thirty years ago, they used to have a festival once a year where people came dressed in clothing and uniforms of the era. I don't know if this is still held.

thanks again for posting robyn tonkin

flathead27ford Loc: Colorado, North of Greeley

Fantastic photos. WW II is my favorite war to study.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

The Navy used Stearman bi-planes as trainers. I used to work for a structural engineer who was a fighter pilot in WWII, flew in a P-51. He bought a fully restored Stearman painted in accurate Navy colors.

When he got to his mid 80s his much younger wife made him quit flying so he sold it.

Bubalola Loc: Big Apple, NY

Nice piece of history, KT! Thanks for sharing your excellent work!

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Thanks for the info!