Control tower at Station #174 (AFHRA/Camp)

Control Tower

Radio call codes:
486th/Sudbury Base    FICKLE
832nd Squadron          TRAPPIST
833rd Squadron           PEBBLY
834th Squadron:          DEEPSEAT
835th Squadron           NIGHTDRESS

The primary purpose of the Sudbury Control Tower, Station #174, including the 'Caravan',  was to provide airfield services supporting the operations of the 486th Bomb Group (Heavy).  The Control Tower operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a  week, with four 8-hour shifts, one being a swing shift, Each shift was supervised by a Watch Officer. The Caravan was a portable vehicle positioned at the take-off/landing end of the operational runway, its bright red and white checkered squares usually made it highly visible. Similarly checkered Jeeps provided the towing power to re-position the Caravan.

Tower personnel were trained in airfield operations with additional training in the RAF's 'Flying Control' practice such as standards for flying in England,  barrage balloon considerations, relations with the RAF, Air/Sea Rescue procedures,  diversions due to the notorious English fog, rain, snow weather conditions. When radio silence  prevailed,  communication between the Tower and the Caravan or with the Aircraft was by  lantern or flares.  Otherwise, voice radio and wireless were used.

The Control Tower occupied the entire  second floor of the small two-story building The glass wall facing the airfield gave a clear view of the, runways and nearly the entire perimeter strip and aircraft parking pods. A railed catwalk outside and along the window wall set back found frequent use for firing flares or rockets or flashing lantern signals, and provided a vantage point for authorized observers. The 'Greenhouse' was a rooftop glass-walled super-structure, which, with its unobstructed 360-degree visibility, was manned for  the departure and return  of combat missions.

The Sudbury airbase for a brief period of time in the Spring of 1944 was considered to be busier in terms of aircraft takeoffs and landings than O'Hare, Chicago, the acknowledged world's busiest at the time. The switch-over from B-24s to B-17s accounted for this distinction.:  B-17s arriving to replace the B-24s; B-24s flying operational Missions; training flights in the newly-arrived B-17s underway while phased-out B-24s were being ferried away. The situation returned to normal once the conversion from B-24s to B-17s was completed.

It was not unusual for stragglers returning from bombing missions to make emergency landings at Sudbury, RAF as well as 8th AF, bombers as well as Fighters. On occasion, an entire Group would be diverted to Sudbury when its own base further north was socked-in by the weather.

Below are the Personnel of the Sudbury Tower component of the 76th STATION COMPLEMENT SQUADRON as of 8 May 1945:

[NEXT]

- CAPT John R. Rumisek
Control Tower Officer

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Last Name

First Name

Rank

Crew

Unit

Rumisek John R. CAPT Control Tower 76
Rutenberg Allan A. 1st LT Control Tower 76
Soffel Theodore L. 1st LT Control Tower 76
Bulen William 1st LT Control Tower 76
Cook Wesley SGT Caravan 76
Connolly John J. S/SGT Caravan 76
Dempsey Howard T/SGT  Control Tower 76
Forsyth Robert C. S/SGT Control Tower 76
Fuller James H. SGT Control Tower 76
Garrison Wallace R. CPL Control Tower 76
Goodman Sidney SGT Control Tower 76
Groobert Samuel S/SGT Control Tower 76
Hall James E. SGT Control Tower 76
Murphy John J. CPL Control Tower 76
Murray Leo A. CPL  Control Tower 76
O'Connor Timothy J. T/SGT Control Tower 76
Passafiume Sam, Jr. SGT Control Tower 76
Rival Joseph R. SGT Control Tower 76
Smith Melvin D. SGT Control Tower 76
Stevenson Hugh D. CPL Control Tower 76
Tegg Phil SGT Caravan 76
Waterman Robert F. SGT Caravan 76
Weingarten George CPL Control Tower 76
Weisberg Harry CPL Control Tower 76
Young Wilson N. SGT Caravan 76
 
Abramoff Isidore 76
Balding Richard G. 76
Bartlett Willard F. 76
Black Leonard M. 76
Bruno Alfonso E. 76
Bukovac Matthew E. 76
Burnette Clarence A. 76
Busterd Joseph R. 76
Cameron Neil C. 76
Cappelino Frank S. 76
Copland James W. 76
Derian Richard E. 76
Duncan Harry M. 76
Fischler Henry B. 76
Fordes Harry J. 76
Galyan Homer S. 76
Giles Lawrence E. Jr. 76
Gleason Joseph H. 76
Harsh Theodore W. 76
Henninger Leon H. 76
Hudson John W. 76
Johnson Wallace S. 76
Jufpewiecs Harry J. 76
Justowiez Harry J. 76
Kent Edward R. 76
Khoury Joseph 76
Killian Edward J. 76
Klement John S. 76
Lion George 76
Long Ervin S. 76
Lopez Albert J. 76
Mairet Paul F. 76
McDonald James A. 76
Norman Herbert F. 76
Ogilvie Jason F. 76
Price Gerald R. 76
Renninger Leon H. 76
Roberts Charles P. 76
Rogan George Jr. 76
Scherrer Alvin J. 76
Shaver George R. 76
Sherman William D. 76
Smith Charles A. 76
Tool Charles S. 76
Turner Alfred F. 76
Ward Paul K. 76
Weaver Wilbert I. 76
White Volney E. 76
Williams Talmadge 76
Zydron Millard A. 76

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updated 03/19/00

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