Need some help about 15 AF Bases and found a nice link about Tortorella 99th BG

Re:Need some help about 15 AF Bases and found a nice link about Tortorella 99th BG (jj463rd)

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:46:18 GMT

Thank you Marty and Jim for the information.I will mention that.I was wondering just about that too (about detailed info at the National Archives).It may prove difficult but at least we have your information at hand.
Thank you again -Jon

Re:Need some help about 15 AF Bases and found a nice link about Tortorella 99th BG (martyjhawk)

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:14:50 GMT

Jon,

I was looking at the microfilm copies of the 99th BG records last week and saw a set of aerial photos of their base at Tortorella. Of course these are poor copies of B/W photos, but at least some of the details of the field could be seen. I think I printed one of the pages off but the detail of the print was pretty poor.

Jim also e-maied Gary Staffo from the 99th association and Gary said they have pretty detailed info on most of the USAAF's major bases at the National Archives at College Park. I'm not sure if they can be contacted to request copies of anything or if you have to have someone go there to request copies.

Also, I was given copies of the layout of one of the 99th's bases in Africa. I will have to chack when I get home as to which base it is and then let you know which site it was.

Marty

Re:Need some help about 15 AF Bases and found a nice link about Tortorella 99th BG (jj463rd)

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:51:35 GMT

Thanks for those great clues Jim.That will help us with placement.From his thread over at a2asimulations he is asking anyone for a general layout of the base "I just need a good... "to scale" plan view of the base" from his words and perhaps an aerial photo.Perhaps someone else in the 99th BG might come up with that.I would assume that the takeoff/landing strip was around 2000 yards in length is that correct?

Thanks for your help -Jon Jarmon son of James Jarmon

Re:Need some help about 15 AF Bases and found a nice link about Tortorella 99th BG (jpeters140)

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:31:16 GMT

Tortorella was 8 1/2 miles east of Foggia on the road to Manfredonia, a small fishing vilage on the Adriatic.
It was about 1 mile south of the road...and the runways (2) were oriented N-S.....between the Manfredonia Road and the railroad was the 99th BG bomb dump on the east.

The runways were just south of the railroad.

My squadron tent area was along the north side of the railroad, est of the main road into Group HQ.
and the farm buildings that were used as the 348th BS Operations, Barber sShop, and PX were up against the railroad.

Our messhall was just north of the railroad, and when we exited the messhall, we stepped directly on to the rails. The rails were id'd as mfg by Bethlehem Steel.

Amendola was another 2 miles approximatley east of Tortorella, but was north of the Manfredonia Road and about 2-3 miles from the town.

The 332nd Fighter Group (Tiuskeege Airmen) was at Lake Lesina, with the runway running E-W on the peninsula that juts out into the Adriatic, north of Manfredonia.

JIm :-)

Need some help about 15 AF Bases and found a nice link about Tortorella 99th BG (jj463rd)

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:28:41 GMT

I have been looking for a while mostly on the Internet to find the exactly placements,layouts and orientations of 15th AF Airbases.I have been looking into this especially to help someone incorporate replications at first of 5th Bombardment Wing airfields into Microsoft Flight Simulator X for the A2A Simulations add on WOP II B-17.

I did find a few general maps showing the placement but these are somewhat vague and do not show the exact placement or layout of the airfields.However on one link that I found (after hours of searching on the Internet) about James J. MacIssac,RCAF of 205 Group,No 37 Squadron which shows a map, Wing Commander Dink Banker states on the following link in a quote that the airfields are orientated in the North-South direction except for Foggia-Main here
http://natureonline.com/37/4-37sqn-italy-airfieldcond.html

So at least I have the general idea that most of these airfields were orientated in the North-South direction.
Is this correct?

Also does any one have detailed aerial pictures of the other 5th Bomb Wing Airfields (I have the 463rd's Aerial Pictures of the base at Celone) of the following Bombardment Groups the 2nd,97th,99th,301st and 483rd and perhaps a sketch (drawing of those airbases) and other detailed information?

Here is a link where we are looking for help on this matter.By the way I am the second poster in that message board thread.We are trying to help save the history of those bases by replicating their placement,layout and orientation.Besides as a kid of a 5th Bomb Wing Vet in WW2 I'd like to have this knowledge and don't want it lost.
http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=13651

What I'd ideally like to see is to be able somehow to place the old airfields on Google Earth like this one on this link (see at the bottom of this page) to find the exact placement.To do this would be difficult.
http://www.storiedelsud.altervista.org/Venosa%20PSP/PSP%20indexENG.htm

and see how they matched the airfield with this building
http://www.storiedelsud.altervista.org/Venosa%20PSP/PSP%20reportageENG.htm

for the 485th BG at Venosa Air Field

If you can't help at least enjoy the link that I've found about the WWII History of James MacIssac and RAF No.37 Squadron at Tortorella who shared the base with the 99th BG starting here.Some nice pictures are in there too.
http://natureonline.com/37/index.html

Thank you very much for any effort on your part and also thanks for looking too.