I'd like to get some input from the more experienced IARC gurus.  I realize different cards may be different, but just to get a bead on my understanding of the material, I'd appreciate a critique--thanks.


Jim


The first part of the card is plain language (Format A per R. Mann's book) so that is a no-brainer.  The following is the coding verbatim as printed on the card with my translation effort afterward.



EGLIN PGPG 0612BAS         B0612BASUT   A 36A 42 83665 0602  4223        4223
EGLIN PGPG  612BASSXGBPG  612BASUTEX A 36A 42 83665   1 1   4223   8   4223
CINCINTIATCFERRYACFTGBPG   610BAS   A 36A 42 83665  1 19  5321   9   4223
CINCINTIATCFERRYACFTLURFC               A 36A 42 83665  1 23  5321   9


STNO  296UATE   21745  RFC                 A 36A  42 83665    21


My translation:

Eglin Proving Ground, 612th Base Unit (Fixed Gunnery School), Intercommand transfer on 6-2-43 (date based on plain language portion);

(Change of status) Eglin Proving Ground, 612th Base Unit from Excess status to test status on 1-1-44, Eglin, AMC Area 8;

Cincinatti ATC, Ferry Command, Gained from 610th Base Unit (Eglin Proving Ground Complement) 1-19-45, Cincinatti, AMC Area 9, from Eglin;

Cincinatti ATC, Ferry Command, lost to RFC 1-23-45, Cincinatti, AMC Area 9;

With RFC, assigned "STNO 296 UATE", 2-17-45, RFC, AMC Area 21.



 
 
For the record, this A-36 (according to the MUSAF website) is extant as "Margie H" on display at the Museum.
Comments/corrections welcomed--thanks.

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Jim:
Thats only part of the ARC...can't make a judgement call with only part of the puzzel..
 
Terry T.

Do you need the first portion, which I termed the "plain language" portion or something else?
 
 
Jim
 
 

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Jim:
Using the first line
EGLIN PGPG 0612BAS         B0612BASUT   A 36A 42 83665 0602  4223        4223

you explain it as
Eglin Proving Ground, 612th Base Unit (Fixed Gunnery School), Intercommand transfer on 6-2-43 (date based on plain language portion);

Where did the date (1943) orginate come from?
 
military date would be 6 Feb 1943 or it may read 2 Jun 1943?
 
On history cards the date sometimes are written backwards.  and longer than four digits..unless its 3 Feb 1942
 
 
Terry T.
 
 
 
 

Terry,
   The plain language portion is as follows (spacing is just as on the card):

EGLIN (BY AIR) 11-19-42
                   11-26-42


WRIGHT           1-18-43       BUD. 1-19-43
            1-23-43

EGLIN              6-22-43       BUD. 1-26-43

The rest is the coded portion already mentioned.  The dates are the difficult part.  I still write dates the mil style ddmmmyy.  The dates in the coded portion is difficult to determine in most cases when the first numbers are less than 12.

Jim

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So your taking dates from one line and adding it to another, you not supposed to do that.
 
Eglin was a Proving Ground, late 1944 it went back to a reg base..the Proving Ground evaluated, modified & test aircraft, there was no fixed gunnery school..so the AABU # was of Eglin PG..
 
Take each line for what it has, and don't put info there that was not there before...make it simple and stright forward..and it will come out something like this. when you put it into your datebase..from my P-38 daatbase.
 
s/n 41-2315 
c/n 222-5533 
Model #222-60-09 
P-38F-LO      
V-1710-49/41-33390 
V-1710-53/41-34225 
      
Rec 2/25/42
P-38E, redesignated P-38F 4/5/42
Long Beach F.C. 4/14/42
March Fd (1FG) 4/24/42
North Isl (78FG) 5/19/42
Wrecked, 9/18/42, crashed,DBR
To SAD for survey 9/18/42;
Condemned 9/21/42;
Hamilton survey voucher #538443, 9/23/42
SAD survey approved for Hamilton Fd 1/20/43

 
This works for me..it may not for you.
 
Terry T.

With the dates being chronologically listed, I thought it would be correct to add the year after the day/month listed.  The way I understand the entire life-cycle for this particular plane is that it went from Eglin to Wright, then back to Eglin before being sent via Cincinatti ATC to RFC for disposal.  With the plain language protion dates in mind is where I derived the dates for the coded section.  Is that correct since the dates would be listed in order of status change/reassignments?  I am seeing many of the coded section dates being not much more than the "1 1" or "6 2" like the above ARC.  Is that just a quirk of the person entering the data originally, or is it part of the format used--something I can "look forward" to?
 
Thanks for the corrections and advice--very much appreciated!
 
Jim

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Jim:
There are no plain language definitions on history card format, so when you refer to it,  I guess it was put in the book by Bob Mann for easier reading.
 
 When one reads a card there is information in there that they seek, you must find out what you want to keep, and what you want to discard, a reference book is not going to tell you that. But you should NOT put dates or information where they don't belong, your changing the format on which the card was written.
 
 How hard is it to follow the cards have basic information, there notes and intials made by the clerks who wrote on it and that does not pertain to the aircraft information itself.
 
 Use the information about the aircraft, and try and not make up things that are not there. Down the road it will come back to haunt you. I would guess the book was written the way the author would go about looking at a card and how he would define it, that does not neccessarly mean it's the right and only way.
 
 I been thru 1000's of history cards, without the help of someones book, trial and error, and finally getting help from Maxwell via code books, etc for WWII era.  At first it was hard, the more I did the easier it became, some things to this day I still trying to learn about..Project #s  
 
 
Terry T.

Understood.  My purpose is to decode the entire card and build a "service history" for the aircraft--hence the dates etc.  However, I definitely see the point of not reading into it what is not there--point well-taken.  What would be the best way to do what I am trying to do if there is no year included in the date? 
 
 
Jim

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Jim:
The history card only gives a brief history of the aircraft. How can there be no year in the date?  If the year begin say in 1942, then months/days come next, untill the next year, is that what you mean? Sometimes there no years between months because your in the same year.
 
If someone asked me what the date is, would I say, 19 Jul, or 19 Jul 2008?
 
Terry T.
 

Terry,
     In the first part of this thread where I posted the coded portion of the ARC, the dates used were month and day with no year included--i.e., "1  1" and "1  19" etc.  When I wrote the year in, based on the earlier parts, you said to not add anything.  I added the year to those lines where the dates are as described above by deducing the year from earlier lines as you mention to do in your recent post.  I agree that when one mentions a date, we typically use the year in conjunction with the day and month, but I don't think I'm following your instructions here.  Do I add the year based on previous lines and dates or do I not?
 
 
Best,
Jim

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Jim:
Without seeing the card, everything so far as been an edcuated guess. The card has basic information about where the plane went after it was accepted by the military. Post the card..so we can see what your seeing & how you read it..
 
 
Terry

Here's what I am looking at:
 

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Jim:
Still hard to read. So I looked thru my USAAF ARC microfilm reels, and found the reel that should contain your card.
I will look at it on my reader and see what it has to say..
ACR-69 42-79973/42-84905..
 
Terry T.
 

Jim:
I pulled up the card, nothing interesting there..when from North American to Eglin, short trip to Wright & back to Eglin PG, until, is was RFC..
 
From Warbird Directory 1992
Essex Wire Corp, must have bought it & then registered it as N39502
(Bendix Racer #44; #2) 1946
(Bendix Racer #15, "City of Lynchburg") 1947
Crashed during race, Cleveland,OH 1 Sep 1947
Hanby Enterprises
Charles P. Doyle, Rosemount, MN 1966/1969
The aircraft on display was obtained from Charles P. Doyle of Rosemount, Minn., in 1971. Restored by the 148th Fighter-Interceptor Group, Minnesota Air National Guard, it is painted as the A-36A flown by Capt. Lawrence Dye, 522nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron, in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy.
 
Terry T.

Terry,
     Thanks.  So am I fairly close in the details of my translation?  Also, thanks for the post-war history.
 
Jim

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