"An Honorable Place in American Air Power" Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Operations, 1942-1943

Author Frank Blazich has spent years researching and compiling disparate records of Civil Air Patrol's short-lived--but influential--coastal patrol operations of World War II, which he synthesizes into the first scholarly monograph that cements the legacy of this unique and vital wartime civil-military cooperative effort.This volume relates the proud history of an important organization, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and its efforts to use civilian-owned aircraft and volunteer pilots to help combat the U-boat menace that threatened America's shores in World War II. Though that story is not well known, it has been chronicled previously, but not with Frank Blazich's attention to detail and important corrections to CAP's effectiveness during the war. CAP's substantial accomplishments will be familiar to members of that fine organization that does much to inculcate a spirit of "airmindedness," as Billy Mitchell called it, among today's youth and motivate them towards careers in both civil and military aviation. But Blazich has gone far beyond a statistical recounting of sorties and hours flown, of the long tedious hours of patrol, and the sheer terror of engine failure far out at sea or an airfield closed in by weather as the fuel gauge approaches empty. Instead, he uses the successful mobilization of civilian "experts" (and they certainly knew more about aviation than many members of the general population) to come to their nation's aid in a time of crisis. By doing so, he reminds future commanders and planners to consider the use of civil resources and highlights issues that are likely to emerge in mobilizing these important assets, from the legal status of noncombatants to the importance of logistical support and sustainment.The potential uses of civilian aviation experts in future crises are limited only by the imagination. The Civil Air Patrol, as currently organized and equipped, could easily provide reconnaissance and light logistical support in the event of war. CAP aircraft, manned and unmanned, fixed-wing or rotary, could be used to in real time verify or dispel "deep fakes" of events, helping combat the information warfare our adversaries are becoming so adept at. These same platforms could provide vital reconnaissance during natural disasters, from delivering life-saving medical supplies to relieving much more expensive and already heavily tasked military assets from the burdens of searching for survivors or compiling imagery of damage. As climate change threatens our globe, CAP orbits equipped with thermal sensors could help monitor forests for wildfires during critical periods so they can be extinguished before they become life-threatening infernos. And aircraft could assist in securing the nation's porous borders, whether on land or at sea. Similarly, civilian cyber specialists could lend their expertise in times of cyberattack to help defend the nation's vital economic and communications infrastructure.Thus Frank Blazich's work is not only an excellent history of events over 75 years ago, but it is also a blueprint for leveraging all aspects of our national power in times of crisis. It will certainly appeal to the membership of the Civil Air Patrol, who will find inspiration from the sacrifices of a previous generation of Airmen, 68 of whom gave their lives in their nation's defense. But it will also help inform current and future commanders, planners, and civilian leaders on the capabilities of this remarkable organization and provide suggestions for the incorporation of civil assets to support future military and disaster relief operations, whether in air, space, or cyberspace.