Remembering an Unsung Giant

C-133 maintenance facility at Tachikawa AB, Japan (Bob Woods)

The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster and Its People

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C-133 Book Ordering

Remembering an Unsung Giant: The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster and Its People is the definitive history of the C-133. Click here for the order form for the book and all other Firstfleet Publisher products.. Resellers please contact me for information on pricing and to make final arrangements for a purchase.

Book Preview

For a preview of my C-133 book, I have posted the two-page Table of Contents and the first page of each of the 24 chapters. The Title Page has links to each succeeding page.

Firsfleet Publishers has three publications in addition to the DVDs.

1. WWII unit patches. A disc with over 470 WW2 unit insignia (90+ USN/USMC). They are in 300 dpi tif format, capable of much enlargement (Item Kilo).

Go to WWII Patches page for information and to order.

2. The Douglas C-132: The Ultimate Turboprop Transport. (Item Lima, Mike) facsimile edition of a 146-page report on the Douglas XC-132 logistics transport together with a magnificent 36 x 72 general arrangement drawing in 1:72 scale. The report gives a high level of detail about how the C-132 would have been equipped, had it gone into service. There are two additional chapters. One gives more background on the C-132. The other is a history of aerial refueling, which would have been a C-132 mission. The history carries into the 1950s and concludes with an "alternative history" section, written as if the C/KC-132 had been bought. Pricing is $60 plus $4 S&H (add $5 sales tax for WA addresses).

3. C-133 video and picture discs (Item India). 90-minute video detailsfinal flight of C-133 61999 from Anchorage, AK to Travis AFB, CA in Aug 2008. The illustrations disc contains more than 2,100 C0133 pictures and documents. These include all pictures from the book and 142 pages from the 84th MAS unit scrapbook, scanned at 200%.

e-mail: Cal Taylor at firstfleet@aol.com

Flight Orders

The question comes up frequently, of where can copies of flight orders be found. To my knowledge, flight orders and special orders were not filed anywhere outside the issuing unit. I know of no way that such orders can be located now.

Reunion Information

The Dover and Travis reunions in May 2014 were the final such events. They were the seventh at Dover and the 20th at Travis in the year marking the 60th anniversary of the first contract to buy the C-133. Rick Spencer has been the resident philosopher and MC at Dover. He has written a compelling farewell to the Cargomaster and an excellent presentation about the significance of the C-133 and its people during fifteen years of USAF service.

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Sales Outlets

Several museums now stock the book. So far, they are:

AMC Museum, Dover AFB, DE

Hill AFB Museum, Ogden, UT

Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum, Travis AFB, CA

The museum's C-133 page is at this link.

National Museum of the USAF, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ

C-133 Model Available

Gene Hooker's vacuform 1:72 C-133 model remains available on special order. The kit has a 40+ page illustrated instruction manual, excellent decals and all the trimmings to build a truly impressive model. Contact Gene for production and availability details and go to the Gallery page for more info on specifications and costs, plus a photo of a completed model.

Other Great Books

Jerry McAuliffe's book, U.S. Air Force in France, 1950-1967, is excellent. The C-133 flew through Chateauroux a lot, so here is the source for everything about that base and the rest during those years. It has 464 pages, hundreds of photos and color shots of wing and squadron insignia for all flying units stationed in France, including US Army and Royal Canadian Air Force. Contact him at milspecpress@aol.com . Click here for a new website for Jerry's book. I have read the whole book, and it is excellent. It gives a fascinating picture of the way that French and American government policy changes impacted the lives of USAF, RCAF and Army personnel serving in France. There are excellent diagrams of all the airfields, summaries of facility development and insights into living in France in those years.

Lou Martin's book is available now. Close Encounters With the Pilot's Grim Reaper details Lou's close encounters in 60 years and 19,000 hours of flying. Starting when he was 17, the book includes 22 years in the USAF, five years as a JAL captain, three years in Iran before the Shah's fall and 19 years as an FAA inspector and time as a war bird pilot for the Planes of Fame Museum. Lou provides an excellent picture of life as a pilot in the transition from the WWII Air Force to Korea and beyond. The book has 540 pages and more than 80 illustrations. It lists at $24.50 plus S&H. Contact Lou at 13268 Huntington Terrace, Apple Valley, MN 55124 or by e-mail at pilotlou@aol.com. For an enthusiastic review by James Etten, in the London Flight Times, go here.

Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee: My Love Affair With Flight is the excellent and exciting autobiography of Col James Haun, whose career spanned the period from the late 1930s into the 1960s. Haun was sworn into the Tennessee National Guard by then-Major William Tunner, who became the key proponent of airlift. The updated the book includes added photos and a cover painting featuring the Spitfire Col Haun flew with an RNZAF squadron. He also has an audio tape version, read by Col Haun. There is also an audio version. Go to the book website for pricing and ordering info.

S.A.C. Great Years is MSgt Tom Kaye's fascinating story of his life as a Cold Warrior in the Navy and the Air Force. He was an aircraft mechanic ashore and afloat on CVA-42, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, before enlisting in the Air Force. He started working the B-47, which remained his favorite airplane. A tour at Midway introduced him to the C-133. Kaye's tale tells how it really was for a young enlisted troop in the years from 1950 to 1972. Lots of fun and full of great detail. The book is available from Trafford Publishing for $17.95 plus S&H.