Did you know an American patriot "bombed" three American war factories in World War II?

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP), one of the lesser-known U.S. auxiliaries in World War II and since, helped the war effort through a variety of activities carried out by civilian pilots: training, courier and transport flights, target towing, search and rescue, and anti-submarine and border patrols. Most people probably don't know that the birth of the CAP involved someone "virtually bombing" three war plants.

The CAP was born of a concern shared by pilots: the Axis powers shut down general aviation (civilian flight excluding commercial transport) in the parts of Europe they controlled as an anti-sabotage measure, and aviation was also greatly restricted by other belligerent nations, too. Several U.S. individuals started lobbying for an organization that could support the war effort and would help general aviators avoid a complete shutdown. The federal government got behind the idea, and the Civil Air Patrol's creation was formalized on December 1, 1941.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor exactly one week later, on December 7. As pilots feared, general aviation was shut down... for two days, after which it was restored everywhere except the West Coast. Earle Levan Johnson, a Cleveland realtor, state legislator and aviation fan, thought that free flight over most of the country might enable saboteurs to use light aircraft, and decided to make a point. He loaded up his own aircraft with three small sandbags and went on a "bombing raid": flying at 500 ft (150 m), he dropped the three bags on three local war factories, waited until the next day, then informed the plants that they have been "bombed."

Johnson got his point across, and the Civilian Aeronautics Administration grounded all civilian aviation until airport security could be improved. Not coincidentally, this also caused a large influx of civilian pilots into the freshly established CAP. Johnson was never punished for his stunt; in fact, he was made the second National Commander of the CAP in March 1942, oversaw the wartime activities of the organization, and reached the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Air Forces shortly before his death in an aviation accident in 1947.

Save 25% until December 2!

We are offering all our available tours with a discount of 25% if you book and pay in full by December 2, 2024. After this deadline, you will get a discount of 22% if you book and pay in full by December 30, 2024. Note that this offer applies only in case of new bookings, and it cannot be combined with other special promotions. As before, we will continue our mission of bringing history to life and sharing the stories of the Greatest Generation with our Passengers. Feel free to browse our website to find the right tour for you. We encourage our former Passengers to return and continue their journey with us on our tours meant for returning and new Passengers alike, such as our Channel Islands tours, War in Poland Tour, Britain at War Tour, World War I Tour, Italian Campaign Tour and the Third Reich Tour. 
If you have any questions related to this promotion or our tours, please contact our travel consultants at info@beachesofnormandy.com or by calling our toll-free number: +1 855-473-1999.