P-51 Texas RTU Question
Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:47 pm
Where the heck is Matagorda, Texas and is the airbase still there?
Capt John Lessing with P-51 (B,C,D,K ???) at Matagorda, Texas 1944-45
Capt John Lessing with P-51 (B,C,D,K ???) at Matagorda, Texas 1944-45
Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:55 pm
South of Galveston, North of Corpus, East of Victoria. No AF mission there anymore.
Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:57 pm
South of Galveston, North of Corpus, East of Victoria. No AF mission ther anymore.
Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:58 pm
Pretty big area. There is the town, the bay, the island, the peninsula...
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:00 pm
Matagorda AFB still exists. It's hard to get rid of that much concrete. It is on Matagorda Island at the mouth of Lavaca Bay. It was a field used as a satellite field for Victoria AFB. It supported a bomb range there that was functional into the 80s. The island was off limts for all civilian pesonnel until after the Nicaraguan incident. The old base is now part of Matagorda Island State park and you can only get there by boat.
The longest runway of 6 is 10,800 ft, and they are all Xed out. A real waste of concrete.
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Airfields_TX_Corpus_NE.html#matagorda
The longest runway of 6 is 10,800 ft, and they are all Xed out. A real waste of concrete.
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/TX/Airfields_TX_Corpus_NE.html#matagorda
Last edited by RickH on Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:22 pm
Like Ober said South of Galveston, North of Corpus, East of Victoria. No AF mission there anymore. But......
Lynn
Lynn
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:43 pm
“The last two weeks of “Advanced were spent at Matagorda Island in the Gulf of
Mexico, just off the coast of Texas, about sixty miles northeast of Corpus Christi. We
flew our airplanes there from Moore Field and had a ball shooting at ground targets
and towed sleeves. This was gunnery school and we used colored ammunition so they
could count our hits. I proudly qualified as an Expert Aerial Gunner.
We were scheduled to fly back to Moore Field about the 3rd of December and graduate
on the 5th of December 1943. We would receive our commissions as 2nd Lieutenants as well
as our wings on this date and learn where we would be going next.”
From Pop's story. Class of 43K and flying P-40's. I'd like to copy his letter from my book but I can't get a PDF to upload, sorry.
Mexico, just off the coast of Texas, about sixty miles northeast of Corpus Christi. We
flew our airplanes there from Moore Field and had a ball shooting at ground targets
and towed sleeves. This was gunnery school and we used colored ammunition so they
could count our hits. I proudly qualified as an Expert Aerial Gunner.
We were scheduled to fly back to Moore Field about the 3rd of December and graduate
on the 5th of December 1943. We would receive our commissions as 2nd Lieutenants as well
as our wings on this date and learn where we would be going next.”
From Pop's story. Class of 43K and flying P-40's. I'd like to copy his letter from my book but I can't get a PDF to upload, sorry.
??
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:45 pm
John was a gunnery instructor there for about 18 months after his SWP
combat tour in P-39s and P-40s. Remember Judy Pays P-40F?? John was
flying the P-39 towing the target for the P-40s before they got lost.
He RTBed and made it back to Efate.
combat tour in P-39s and P-40s. Remember Judy Pays P-40F?? John was
flying the P-39 towing the target for the P-40s before they got lost.
He RTBed and made it back to Efate.
????
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:49 pm
2Lt John Lessing 44th FS Guadalcanal May 1943 by P-40F
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:53 pm
Cool stuff, Uncle Jack! 
??
Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:55 pm
You just have to like a guy that goes into battle with a P-40, a .45 and a big freaking knife 
Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:05 pm
It's pretty eery walking those old ramps and runways. The old rifle range is still there, there's plenty of brass, 30-06, 30 M1, 45ACP, 7.62, and 5.65.
Hangar floors are still there with the tracks for the doors. Lot of ghosts.
I had a park ranger ask me to identify a fuel tank one of them found out on the old range, it was a T33. bet that was an exciting day for the pilot !
If that weren't enough there are still trenches in place from the Civil War, dug by Confederate soldiers. They were flanked by Union soldiers who wanted to blockade the pass as it led to the now gone port of Indianola.
Lots of history on and around that ole island. Modern history starts with LaSalle's French colony.
Hangar floors are still there with the tracks for the doors. Lot of ghosts.
I had a park ranger ask me to identify a fuel tank one of them found out on the old range, it was a T33. bet that was an exciting day for the pilot !
If that weren't enough there are still trenches in place from the Civil War, dug by Confederate soldiers. They were flanked by Union soldiers who wanted to blockade the pass as it led to the now gone port of Indianola.
Lots of history on and around that ole island. Modern history starts with LaSalle's French colony.
Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:43 pm
Go to Port O'Conner, TX and keep heading Southeast until you hit water.., swim you will hit land.,. then head Southwest and until you hit more water.., then swim, tread, swim until you hit sand and dunes.., that is Matagorda!
Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:50 pm
I think the "Madagorda Peninsula" might refer to the other air base to the north, not what was the Madagorda Island Air Force Base. The Air Force base was located on the island, to the south of Port O'Connor. There was a base on the Matagorda Peninsula, which is now Pierce Field Airport (72TA), located to the north of the cut into the bay.
In the 80's it was a nice place to land and beach comb. You can still land there, but there are a lot of houses built around the field now. In the 80's there was just a burned hulk of a T-28. I was told it was stolen from Kelly AFB and landed there. The AF came and removed the engine, but vandals burned the fuselage before the Guard could return with an engine to recover the plane.
Off the end of the main runway (the one everyone used, which kept the grass down) was a Cherokee, or some similar small plane, that didn't make the take-off, or landed too long. It was upside down for a long, long time, just under the water's surface.
In the 80's it was a nice place to land and beach comb. You can still land there, but there are a lot of houses built around the field now. In the 80's there was just a burned hulk of a T-28. I was told it was stolen from Kelly AFB and landed there. The AF came and removed the engine, but vandals burned the fuselage before the Guard could return with an engine to recover the plane.
Off the end of the main runway (the one everyone used, which kept the grass down) was a Cherokee, or some similar small plane, that didn't make the take-off, or landed too long. It was upside down for a long, long time, just under the water's surface.