This collection consists of at least 300 copy prints, all of which are stamped "National Archives Luftwaffe Collection" on the back. The photographs appear to have been taken by German photographers, presumably Luftwaffe personnel, and the images are generally informal in subject and composition, more like "snapshots" than official photographs. Subjects include shots of Luftwaffe personnel and aircraft, as well as other Allied and Axis aircraft.
These prints were evidently selected and copied for NASM's collection from the larger collection of captured World War II German photography which resided at the National Archives from the mid-1940s until the late 1960s or early 1970s. At that point, the originals were returned to West Germany and are currently housed at the Bildarchive of the Bundesarchiv. While 300 prints are directly identified, there are probably an additional 100-200 images scattered in the Archives Collection which also came from this collection.
Provenance:
Unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Hyman Fred Helman (1920--1975) enlisted in the US Army in 1942. Helman served as a drummer in the 30th Infantry Division band. This collection consists of sixteen black and white photographs relating to Helman's service with the US Army during World War II.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of sixteen black and white photographs relating to Hyman Fred Helman's service with the US Army during World War II. The photographs are various sizes ranging from 4.5 by 3.5 inches up to 10 by 8 inches and many include handwritten captions by Helman. There is a group photograph of the 30th Infantry Division band and four views of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay taken on Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands. There are several other photographs taken on Tinian which show North Field, a radio station, the 505th Bombardment Group's theater, and the beach. Additional photographs in the collection include a distant view of a ship in Tinian Harbor; a view of personnel taken on board a ship; a view of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands with an aircraft just visible in flight; a view of a US amphibious tank; view of a lookout post; and a view of what appears to be local residents in the vicinity of the Northern Mariana Islands on a small boat.
Arrangement:
Photographs are loosely organized by subject.
Biographical / Historical:
Hyman Fred Helman (1920--1975) enlisted in the US Army in 1942. Helman served as a drummer in the 30th Infantry Division band.
Provenance:
Lee Helman, Gift, 2023, NASM.2024.0003
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Herbert A. Hazen was a member of the Air Technical Intelligence branch of the US Army Air Corps during World War II. Hazen was sent to Germany to investigate and recover interesting German aeronautical technology. This collection consists of approximately 0.5 cubic feet of material relating to Herbert A. Hazen's military career during World War II, including photographs, news clippings, ephemera, correspondence, a diary, and humorous poems and other writings by Hazen and his fellow service members.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 0.5 cubic feet of material relating to Herbert A. Hazen's military career during World War II, including photographs, news clippings, ephemera, correspondence, a diary, and humorous poems and other writings by Hazen and his fellow service members. The photographs include images of Hazen, the Lippisch DM-1 in Germany and in the United States, test pilot Hans Zacher, and views of various military facilities and operations as well as bombing damage in Europe. Hazen's diary has entries from 1943 to 1945 and includes mention of the Horten IX (Ho 8-229, "Go 229"). Most of the ephemera in the collection is from Paris and includes a booklet of picture post cards, a travel guide with fold-out maps, and a program from the Folies Bergère. The collection also includes pocket German to English and English to German dictionaries.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order, arranged by topic as received from donor.
Biographical / Historical:
Herbert A. Hazen was a member of the Air Technical Intelligence branch of the US Army Air Corps during World War II. Hazen was sent to Germany to investigate and recover interesting German aeronautical technology. Arriving in Germany in 1945, he was assigned to recover an experimental aircraft, the Lippisch DM-1 delta wing glider (now in the National Air and Space Museum's artifact collection). The glider was still under construction at Prien am Chiemsee near Munich, and Hazen lived there for some months. He befriended local craftspeople and oversaw their work to complete the glider, and then to build a special crate to hold the glider during shipment to the United States. Once the Lippisch DM-1 arrived in the United States, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) engineers tested the glider in the wind tunnel at the Langley Research Center making it the first piloted delta wing aircraft built to undergo flight tests. Although the DM-1 never flew, information gained from its testing led to the successful design, construction, and flight testing of the Convair XF-92A, which was the first delta wing aircraft to fly.
Provenance:
Bruce Hazen, Gift, 2023, NASM.2023.0021.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the McCullin Family, in memory of Second Lieutenant James L. McCullin
Lion with blue wings : the story of the Glider Pilot Regiment, 1942-1945 / by Ronald Seth ; with forewords by Viscount Alanbrooke, Sir Leslie Hollinghurst
The Harold F. Pierce collection consists of documents relating to Pierce's career in aviation medicine, particularly his service as a flight surgeon in World War I and World War II and his work on the Henderson Pierce rebreathing apparatus. Materials include correspondence, photographs, military records, certificates, technical drawings, and news clippings.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately three cubic feet of material relating to Harold F. Pierce's career in aviation medicine including correspondence; photographs; military records; certificates; technical drawings; and news clippings. The collection also contains a scrapbook which covers Pierce's service in World War I, his experiments at Oxford University and Columbia University, the Wilmer Institute, and World War II. Notable figures found in the collection include John Paul Stapp; David Goodman Simons; James A. Healy; Albert William Stevens; Sir William Osler; Merritte Weber Ireland; William H. Wilmer and others. The collection also contains personal letters from Pierce to his family written during his time in service during both World Wars. Large format drawings include maps of the Second and Third Aviation Instruction Centers, France, during World War I, and technical drawings for his rebreathing apparatus.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into two series: Professional Materials and Personal Materials.
Series 1 contains documents related to Harold F. Pierce's career in aviation medicine, particularly his service as a flight surgeon during World War I and World War I.
Series 2 contains Harold F. Pierce's personal documents, including letters of appointment, resumes, news clippings (both biographical and on subjects of interest), photos and portraits, and family materials.
Some of the materials were organized by L. Pierce (the donor, Pierce's daughter) into categories, particularly those related to aviation, the Henderson-Pierce rebreathing apparatus, and inventions. Select paragraphs of correspondence were clipped from the original document and placed under these categories. These materials frequently were kept in the category in which they were found. Numerous notes (underlining, checkmarks, dates, etc.) made by L. Pierce can be found on documents throughout the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Harold F. Pierce (1889-1963) received his degree from Clark University in 1912, having previously served in the Navy. He then worked in the electrical engineering and testing laboratory of the General Electric Company. After entering academia, he was an instructor of chemistry at Dartmouth College and transferred to Harvard Medical School.
When the United States entered World War I, Pierce was working on gas mask technology for the Bureau of Mines. In 1917, he joined the American Expeditionary Forces, U.S. Army Air Service, Sanitary Corps in World War I as a flight surgeon. During his time in service, Pierce helped to develop the Henderson-Pierce rebreathing apparatus, based on his prewar work with Yale University's Professor Yandell Henderson. He was instrumental in establishing medical research laboratories, first at Hazelhurst Field, Mineola, Long Island, and then in France at the 2nd Aviation Instruction Center, Tours, and the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center, Issoudun.
After leaving the military in 1919, Pierce continued his studies and work with rebreathing equipment at Oxford University as a tutor and demonstrator of physiology, including involvement with British Mount Everest reconnaissance expeditions. In 1922, he earned a BSc (OXON) Degree in pathology.
He returned to the United States to serve as Associate Physiologist at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, earning his Ph.D. in colloidal chemistry in 1927.
From 1927 to 1935, he served as Associate Professor of research ophthalmology at Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. (He had served with founder William H. Wilmer in WWI.) In 1935, he received his M.D. and served as Assistant Resident in medicine at Bellevue Hospital, New York City. He also assisted in the design of the capsule for the Explorer II manned high-altitude balloon launch.
Pierce rejoined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942 serving as a flight surgeon and altitude physiologist at the School of Aviation Medicine, Randolph Field, Texas. In 1945, he was transferred to the Avon Old Farms Convalescent Hospital in his home state of Connecticut.
After World War II, Pierce served as medical director of the Connecticut State Welfare Department and as a consultant in aero-physiology at Hartford Hospital until retiring in 1960. He is recognized as a pioneer in the field of aviation medicine.
Provenance:
Ms. L. Pierce, Gift, 2014.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
During World War II, members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) ferried planes, towed anti-aircraft artillery training targets, flew tracking, simulated bombing missions, performed radio control, flight tested aircraft, gave instrument instruction and performed many other duties. Their work allowed more men to participate in aviation combat roles. Bernice Falk Haydu (1920-2021) was a member of WASP class 44-7. This collection contains yearbooks, membership rosters, songbooks, photographs, correspondence, etc. from her WASP career.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains documents from Bernice Falk Haydu's career with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Materials include yearbooks, membership rosters, songbooks, photographs, correspondence and calling cards, and Falk's civilian employee pass for Pecos Army Air Field.
Arrangement:
Arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
With the entry of the United States into World War II, many American women pilots longed to volunteer their skills to serve their country but were barred from flying for the US military due to their gender. Some American women pilots, including well-known racing pilot Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, had already offered their services to the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), ferrying aircraft from the manufacturers to and between air bases and freeing up male Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots for other duties. Cochran's experience with the ATA led her to lobby long and hard for a similar organization in the US. Initially, two organizations were formed to allow American women pilots to participate in the war effort. On September 10, 1942, the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), consisting of commercially licensed women pilots under the leadership of Nancy Harkness Love, was created as part of the US Army Air Corps' Air Transport Command. On November 16, 1942, a women pilot training program designed to supply pilots for the WAFS was begun under Cochran's leadership as the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). Initially based at Howard Hughes Municipal Airport in Houston, Texas, the WFTD was soon moved to Avenger Field at Sweetwater, Texas. On August 5, 1943, the WAFS and the WFTD were merged to form the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), with Cochran as director of the WASP and its training division and Love as director of the ferrying division. Between November 17, 1942, and December 7, 1944, the 1,074 women who earned WASP wings flew 60 million miles for the US Army Air Corps. From light aircraft, the WASPs advanced quickly to fly every type of Air Corps aircraft in use at the time. Except for aerial gunnery and formation flying, these women received the same training as the male pilots. WASPs ferried planes, towed anti-aircraft artillery training targets, flew tracking, simulated bombing missions, performed radio control, flight tested aircraft, gave instrument instruction and performed many other duties. Their work allowed more men to participate in aviation combat roles.
Bernice Falk Haydu (1920-2021) was a member of WASP class 44-7. Known as Bee Falk at the time, she volunteered for the civilian Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in early 1944 because she loved flying and wanted to help the war effort. She trained for seven months at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, where she logged 210 hours in various aircraft. She went on to serve at Pecos Army Airfield as an engineering test pilot and a utility pilot before the WASP program was canceled in December 1944. After the war, she worked as a freelance flight instructor, ferry pilot, and later owned a Cessna dealership and flight school. Haydu served as president of the WASP alumni association, Order of the Fifinella, between 1975-78, spearheading efforts for recognition for the WASP. In 1977, the WASP were granted military veteran status. Haydu was one of three surviving WASP to stand beside President Obama in 2009 as he awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the WASP for their service during World War II.
Provenance:
Bernice Falk Haydu, Gift, 1987, NASM.1987.0077
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of 35 reprints of historical images gathered for Anne Noggle's books, For God, Country, and the Thrill of It: Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II (published 1990) and A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II (published 1994).
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 35 large-format black and white photographic reprints of historical images gathered for Anne Noggle's books, For God, Country, and the Thrill of It: Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II and A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II. From For God, Country and the Thrill of it there are 21 images (including nine not used in the book) relating to training of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) at Sweetwater, Texas. From A Dance with Death there are 12 images (including two not used in the book) relating to Soviet air personnel assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment (later renamed the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, also nicknamed by the Germans as die Nachthexen or "Night Witches"), the 125th Guards Bomber Regiment, and the 586th Fighter Regiment (Air Defense). Women pilots pictured include Marina Raskova, Lydia (Lilya) Litvyak, Anna Timofeyeva-Yegorova, and other Heroes of the Soviet Union.
Arrangement:
Photographs are arranged into two series; Series 1 consists of photographs relating to WASP training at Avanger Field, Sweetwater, Texas; Series 2 consists of Soviet World War II photographs. Folders containing photographs used in Noggle's books are arranged in page number order.
Biographical / Historical:
With the entry of the United States into World War II, many American women pilots longed to volunteer their skills to serve their country but were barred from flying for the US military due to their gender. Some American women pilots, including well-known racing pilot Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, had already offered their services to the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), ferrying aircraft from the manufacturers to and between air bases and freeing up male Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots for other duties. Cochran's experience with the ATA led her to lobby long and hard for a similar organization in the US. Initially, two organizations were formed to allow American women pilots to participate in the war effort. On September 10, 1942, the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), consisting of commercially licensed women pilots under the leadership of Nancy Harkness Love, was created as part of the US Army Air Corps' Air Transport Command. On November 16, 1942, a women pilot training program designed to supply pilots for the WAFS was begun under Cochran's leadership as the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). Initially based at Howard Hughes Municipal Airport in Houston, Texas, the WFTD was soon moved to Avenger Field at Sweetwater, Texas. On August 5, 1943, the WAFS and the WFTD were merged to form the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), with Cochran as director of the WASP and its training division and Love as director of the ferrying division. Between November 17, 1942, and December 7, 1944, the 1,074 women who earned WASP wings flew 60 million miles for the US Army Air Corps. From light aircraft, the WASPs advanced quickly to fly every type of Air Corps aircraft in use at the time. Except for aerial gunnery and formation flying, these women received the same training as the male pilots. WASPs ferried planes, towed anti-aircraft artillery training targets, flew tracking, simulated bombing missions, performed radio control, flight tested aircraft, gave instrument instruction and performed many other duties. Their work allowed more men to participate in aviation combat roles.
The Russian Civil War which followed the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 provided new opportunities for women in previously male-dominated areas; Marxist ideology considered men and women to be equal citizens in both rights and responsibilities. Aviation became increasingly popular in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) throughout the 1920s and 1930s, with many women receiving training alongside men in aviation and aircraft mechanics through local aero clubs. In September 1938, three Soviet women made a record-setting long distance flight across the Soviet Union in the Tupolev (ANT-37bis) DB-2B "Rodina" ("Motherland"). The previous year, Marina Raskova, navigator for the flight, had become the first female staff instructor at the Zhukhovski Air Academy; Raskova later trained as a pilot and became a popular role model for young women who went on to serve as military pilots and navigators during World War II. After the Nazis invaded the USSR in June 1941, Raskova was able to convince Soviet leaders that women were a valuable asset and could play a useful military role. Young women recruited to join the 122nd Composite Air Group were sent to the Engels Military Aviation School where they were divided into four groups to train as pilots, navigators, mechanics, or armorers, based on their previous experience. They received the same training as the male recruits. In early 1942, three regiments which had been formed out of the 122nd Composite Air Group were activated: the 586th Fighter Regiment (Air Defense), the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment (later renamed as the 125th Guards Bomber Regiment), and the 588th Night Bomber Regiment (later renamed the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, also nicknamed by the Germans as die Nachthexen or "Night Witches"). By the end of the war the three regiments had flown a combined total of over 30,000 combat sorties, and many of the airwomen had been awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for their wartime service.
Anne Noggle (1922--2005) was a fine art photographer recognized for her feminist artwork on women, aging, and self-portraiture. Noggle served as a Woman Airforce Service (WASP) pilot from 1943--1944, was a stunt pilot and crop duster after the war, and was a captain in the Air Force from 1953--1959. Noggle remained an active pilot throughout her lifetime. At 38 years old, Noggle pursued a college education and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in art and art history, and a Master of Arts degree in photography from the University of New Mexico. She was the curator of photography at the New Mexico Museum of Art from 1970--1976 and taught photography as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico 1970--1984, which is recognized for their prestigious photography program. Noggle received numerous awards for her photographic work, including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Her work is in the permanent collections of the New Mexico Museum of Art, Albuquerque Museum, California Museum of Photography, Denver Art Museum, Minneapolis Institute of the Art, the National Gallery of Canada, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Harn Museum at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin. Noggle also was the author of several books, including For God, Country, and the Thrill of It: Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II, and A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II, which featured her portrait photography of the women fliers.
Related Materials:
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Art Collection includes 117 print photographs created by photographer Anne Noggle.
Provenance:
Anne Noggle Foundation, Gift, 2021, NASM.2021.0014
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) and Soviet Women Pilots Photographs [Noggle], Acc. NASM.2021.0014, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Mary White Gaunt served in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II as an air evacuation nurse was later a nurse at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where she cared for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Alan Bean following surgery he had there. This collection consists of material relating to Gaunt's career including, military records, two small pocket notebooks where Gaunt kept notes on her missions, a scrapbook documenting Gaunt's time stationed in the United States, and a second scrapbook documenting her time stationed in England. The collection also includes a packet of material sent to Gaunt by astronaut Alan Bean following his post-surgery recovery at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where Gaunt was his nurse. The packet includes a letter from Bean to Gaunt thanking her for her excellent care; a signed photo of Bean; some photos of other astronauts; and some National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) publications.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 0.39 cubic feet of material relating to Mary White Gaunt and her World War II service in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) as an air evacuation nurse. Types of materials in the collection include copies of her military records, two small pocket notebooks where Gaunt kept notes on her missions, a scrapbook documenting Gaunt's time stationed in the United States, and a second scrapbook documenting her time stationed in England. The scrapbooks contain mainly captioned photographs, but they also include some news clippings and ephemera. The collection also includes a packet of material sent to Gaunt by astronaut Alan Bean following his post-surgery recovery at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where Gaunt was his nurse. The packet includes a letter from Bean to Gaunt thanking her for her excellent care; a signed photo of Bean inscribed, "To Mary Gaunt -- The best nurse ever...anywhere;" some photos of other astronauts; and some National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) publications.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
Mary White Gaunt served in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II as an air evacuation nurse. She had worked as a night supervisor nurse at Midway Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota for a little over three years before joining the military in March 1941. Gaunt completed training at the Army Air Forces School of Air Evacuation and served in the United States including time in Colorado, at Camp Grant, Illinois, and as assistant chief nurse at Truax Field, Wisconsin. Gaunt was sent overseas in December 1943 where she was stationed at USAAF Station 489 (Royal Air Force Cottesmore), England and later transferred to USAAF Station 486 (Royal Air Force Greenham Common), England. During her service with the USAAF, which included assignment to the 811th and 816th Medical Air Evacuation Transportation Squadrons, Gaunt completed 99 combat sorties and 6 transatlantic air evacuation missions and participated in the following battles and campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. Gaunt separated from the USAAF in February 1946 at the rank of captain. In the 1960s, Gaunt was a nurse at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where she cared for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Alan Bean following surgery he had there.
Provenance:
Melissa Furman, Gift, 2022, NASM.2022.0028.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of 11.9 cubic feet of material chronicling Lee Ya-Ching's role as a pilot trying to raise funds for China during World War II. The collection contains the following types of material: correspondence, both official and personal; maps; publications; newspapers; invitation; programs from events; lecture notes; scripts from radio shows; photographs, both official and snapshots; trip schedules and agendas; address books; scrapbooks; and official paperwork and licenses.
Scope and Content note:
This collection consists of 11.9 cubic feet of material chronicling Lee Ya-Ching's role as a pilot trying to raise funds for China during World War II. The collection contains the following types of material: correspondence, both official and personal; maps; publications; newspapers; invitations; programs from events; lecture notes; scripts from radio shows; photographs, both official and snapshots; trip schedules and agendas; address books; scrapbooks; and official paperwork and licenses.
Note: The digital images shown for this collection were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product which did not reproduce all materials found in this collection; some items have not been scanned. In addition, some materials have been excluded from display due to copyright, trademark, or patent restrictions.
Arrangement:
This collection of materials listed in the finding aid is arranged into two series, Ms Lee's personal papers and her professional papers. Within each series, items are arranged by material type then chronologically. No attempt was made to translate foreign language material in the collection.
Biographical/Historical note:
Lee Ya-Ching was born in Canton, China in 1912. As an only child who lost her mother at a young age, Ya-Ching was raised by her father and grandmother. Under her father's guidance she
learned many skills, including martial arts, some previously restricted to male children. Ya-Ching attended English schools in Hong Kong and Shanghai and at the age of 16 was sent to London to attend finishing school.
In 1929 at the age of 17, Ya-Ching went to Geneva, Switzerland. It is there that she took her first ride in an airplane and vowed to learn how to fly. She enrolled in Ecole Aero Club de Suisse and, in 1934, became the first woman to receive a pilot's license from the school. Determined to continue her education, Ya-Ching went to the United States and attended the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland, California in 1935. In November of that year she became the first
woman licensed through the Boeing School. Upon completion of her training at the Boeing school Ya-Ching returned to China and began campaigning for a Chinese pilot's license, eventually obtaining the license in 1936. Seeing a need to train new pilots, Ya-Ching and some fellow pilots opened a civilian flying school in Shanghai in 1936.
When Japan invaded China in 1937, Ya-Ching volunteered to fly for her country, but was refused. Undeterred, she served her country by establishing hospitals. Leaving Shanghai for Hong Kong just before the city fell, she was finally given the opportunity to fly for China by piloting Red Cross planes ferrying supplies from Hong Kong to Canton. Realizing that China needed aid and supplies, Ya-Ching embarked on a Goodwill Tour of the United States and Canada in 1938. When the war prevented her return to China, Ya-Ching continued the tour expanding her appearances into South America.
Not much is known of Ya-Ching's life after the war. She returned to Hong Kong for a number of years. In the 1960's she returned to California, where she died in 1998 at the age of 86.
Time Line of Lee Ya-Ching
xxxx -- The following timeline covers key events in Ya-Ching's life, as well world events. Events involving Ya-Ching are shown in normal type world events are shown in italics.
1909 -- M. Vallon flies first plane in China
1911 -- China ousts the 2000 year old Imperial System for a Republic
April 16, 1912 -- Lee Ya-Ching is born in Canton, China
1916 -- Ya-Ching's mother dies of tuberculosis
1917 -- China enters World War 1 on the side of the Allies
1926 -- Begins career as a movie actress
1928 -- Leaves the film industry and goes to school in England
1929 -- The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is ousted from China Goes to Switzerland
September 1931 -- Japan seizes control of Manchuria
November 1931 -- CCP resurfaces in China and forms the Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi Province
May 1932 -- Amelia Earhart becomes first woman to solo across the Atlantic
1933 -- Begins flying lessons at Geneva's Cointrin-Ecole d'Aviation
1934 -- Receives her pilot's license from Ecole Aéro Club de Suisse
1935 -- Attends and receives license from the Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland, California
1935 -- Falls out of an aerobatic plane, earning her membership in the Caterpillar Club
1936 -- Receives her pilot's license from the Chinese Government First domestic airline established in China Opens a civilian flying school in Shanghai
1937 -- Flies for the Red Cross ferrying supplies from Hong Kong to Canton Japan invades China Earns Hong Kong commercial pilot's license Helps establish hospitals in Shanghai
1938 -- Begins goodwill tour of United States and Canada
1939 -- Appears in US film Disputed Passage with Dorothy Lamour
1940 -- Flies "Estrella China" to Caribbean, Central and South America Aids Ruth Nichols in raising money for Relief Wings
1941 -- Begins working for United China Relief
December 7, 1941 -- Bombing of Pearl Harbor forces American entry into World War II
1944 -- Begins Goodwill and Fund Raising tour of South America and Caribbean
August 1945 -- Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, followed by Japanese surrender and end of World War II
1946 -- Returns to China and retires
1946 -- Fighting between CCP and KMT (Nationalist party) resumes
October 1949 -- KMT retreats to Taiwan Mao Zedong establishes the People's Republic of China
1950 -- Receives Hong Kong private pilot's license
1963 -- Receives Hong Kong Special Purpose Pilot's license
1971 -- Permanently moves to the United States
1997 -- British rule ends in Hong Kong
January 28, 1998 -- Dies at the age of 86
Provenance:
Pax Cheng and Mary Wolfson, Gift, 2007, NASM.2008.0009.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
World War, 1939-1945 -- Civilian relief Search this
This collection was gathered by National Air and Space Museum curator Robert C. Mikesh for his publication on this subject, "Japan's World War II Balloon Bomb Attacks on North America." The collection consists of the following: magazine and newspaper articles on the Japanese balloons; manuscripts and independent articles; 83 photos Mr. Mikesh used in his book and 68 miscellaneous photos collected for research purposes; also photocopies of Japanese balloon illustrations and Japanese balloon propaganda reports. The collection also includes the working files of Kiyoshi Tanaka, the Supervisor Technical Lieutenant Commander for the Japanese Navy balloon project, and multiple copies of Mr. Mikesh's publication.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as originally numbered and titled by Robert C. Mikesh. Additional folder title information has been added by the processing archivist in brackets.
Biographical / Historical:
During World War II the Japanese constructed nearly 10,000 lighter-than-air balloons for the purpose of carrying destructive pay loads to the U.S. Between November 1944 and April 1945 these balloons made use of the prevailing west-to-east jet stream over the North Pacific Ocean. Nearly 285 sightings and fragment findings have been recorded in North America, and 5 deaths resulted. This was the first and only attack upon the American continent directly from an enemy homeland.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Several short films about Black aviation history, Blacks in the Air Force, aerial combat, Tuskegee Airmen, and World War II; and one short film about Robert Goddard and interplanetary space travel. Titles transcribed from physical asset include 'Blacks in Aviation,' 'Blackwings,' and 'Father of Space Age: Robert Goddard.'
Short films. Related to the exhibition 'Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation Audiovisual Records.' Undated.
Biographical / Historical:
The exhibition, Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation, profiled the men and women who had to overcome enormous social pressures in order to gain the right to pursue the dream of flight in both military and civilian circles. The exhibition, originally created and displayed at the National Air and Space Museum, was dedicated to the American Black Aviator, who has anonymously played a historic role in shaping the growth of modern aviation. See an expanded version of the exhibition circulated by SITES, including among its additional artifacts photo murals and audio-visual programs, and the flight suit worn by black astronaut Guion Bluford during preparations for his 1983 space shuttle flight. The SITES exhibition is divided into four parts: Headwinds, the black pioneers of World War I and the early 1920s; Flight Lines, the changing role of blacks in the 1930s and '40s; Wings for War, black involvement in World War II; and Era of Change, their breakthroughs in commercial aviation after World War II. The collection, Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation Audiovisual Records, contains the audiovisual materials created when the exhibit was borrowed and adapted for exhibit at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from April 1, 1984 - August 5, 1984.
Series Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the McCullin Family, in memory of Second Lieutenant James L. McCullin
Object number:
2013.52.2
Restrictions & Rights:
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
This collection consists of two photographs and a letter from Peter William "PW" Atkinson to Conrad Welling, written on January 12, 1941, discussing flying the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a letter from Peter William "PW" Atkinson to Conrad Welling, written on January 12, 1941, discussing flying the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. The letter also contained two photographs of Atkinson.
Arrangement:
By type.
Biographical / Historical:
Peter William "PW" Atkinson (died 1941) was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and recruited into the American Volunteer Group (AVG). The AVG, better known as the "Flying Tigers," was organized in 1941 as a mercenary air unit to support the Chinese against Japanese air attacks and help protect the vital supply route into China known as The Burma Road. On July 10, 1941 AVG recruits, including Atkinson, boarded the M/V Jagersfontein and sailed from the Port of San Francisco to the Port of Rangoon, Burma. After arriving August 15th, the pilots then boarded the train and headed northward to the town of Toungoo. Atkinson was in training at the AVG's Kyedaw Airfield near Toungoo, Burma when on October 25, 1941 he entered a power dive over the airfield when a catastrophic equipment failure occurred and his Curtiss-Wright P-40B Tomahawk disintegrated, killing him instantly. Atkinson was first buried in grave #3 of the Airmen's Cemetery at St. Luke's Anglican Church in Toungoo, but in 1947 an Army Graves Registration Service (AGRS) team went to the cemetery and disinterred four sets of remains identified as AVG and transferred them to Barrackpore, India where autopsies were conducted on the skeletal remains and they were re-buried. In late 1948 the bodies were again disinterred and transferred to Hawaii where they were interred in the Punchbowl Cemetery on Oahu, Hawaii. Atkinson's body remained in Oahu for 67 years until the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) staff reviewed the files and notified his family, leading to his remains being disinterred again in 2016. After DNA samples confirmed that the remains were Atkinson's, he was interred for a final time in the Rosedale Cemetery, Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States. Atkinson is commemorated on the Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.
Provenance:
Patty Welling Leugers, Gift, 2023, NASM.2023.0041
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
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