Douglas D. Olson

Fighter Training at Santa Rosa Army Air Field 1942-1945

by  Douglas D. Olson

Reviewed By  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $24.00 Order directly from the author, Douglas D. Olson, 4284 Deer Trail Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95404. (707) 539-4241. Price in the USA is $20.00 postpaid. Contact him directly for overseas orders. This is an unusual book in many respects, since it is a history of a little known Army Air Force training base used during World War II to train fighter pilots. However, it is exceptionally well researched with many previously unpublished photos and a lot of specific information about the aircraft that operated there. It is a history of Santa Rosa Army Air Field, located near Santa Rosa, California, telling the story of the base's design and construction, operations, expansion, and eventual closure in late 1945. It subsequently became the municipal airport which is currently used today. Santa Rosa Army Air Field was used to train pilots in P-39, P-63, and P-38 operations, and in addition, many interesting planes visited the base during the war, or were used in a support role, including the TB-26, RB-37, UC-78, AT-6, C-45, C-47, AT-11, B-25G, L-5, P-59, and P-80. There is even a photo of a captured Japanese A6M-5 Zero which was demonstrated to the trainees during the war. Units included the 354th FG, 357th FG, 367th FG, 328th FG, 12th TTS, 478th FG, Santa Rosa Provisional Fighter Squadron, and the "Chained Lightning" P-38 Ground Trainer Project, which would be an excellent diorama project. This was a war weary P-38 that was mounted on pilots to give trainee pilots experience in the various procedures associated with flying the P-38 without having to risk the airplane or pilot in the air. The photos alone make this book worth getting. Most fascinating are the aerial photos of the base when it was camouflaged early in the war when a Japanese attack was still anticipated. Although the photos are not always "collector quality", they were taken by official base photographers, and compare favorably with most airplane photos taken during the war. Many types are illustrated, including the elusive Lockheed RB-37 "Ventura" which is rarely illustrated in any publication. Serious modelers will find this book very useful. By the way, the author, Douglas D. Olson, is a highly renowned aviation photographer and historian, with a collection of photos that numbers in the thousands. He began photographing aircraft at the end of World War II, and is still going strong. I have known him since the fifties, and have the greatest respect for him as a photographer, writer, and historian. Don't miss out on this one.

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.