US Army Air Corps in Saipan

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What you see here is all that I know about my father, George Dermer.  I recently re-discovered a boot box full of his photos, mementos and other pieces from his time in the Army Air Corps during World War 2.

As with many others in Saipan after liberation by the Marines, he was a member of the 73rd Bombardment Wing that took him from training in Great Bend, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska to a transport ship across the Pacific.

He was part of the Communications ground crew with the 498th Bombardment Group, 875th BSQ - "The Vulcans".

As you can see some of the photos are great while others have not aged gracefully.  The only treatment to the photos was to digitized them then polish them up with some contrast and cropping - nothing else was done.

I hope that you find these photos interesting and thought provoking.  I would appreciate if you can share any information and insight on what you see here.  This is an ongoing project and I will be adding any personal quotes from the back of those aging photos and any information that I can add.

Thank you for your interest.


XXI Bomber Command - 73rd Bombardment Wing

Here is a list of AAF Units on Isley Field, Saipan (APO 237 SF) in 1945:

73rd Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy), Hq & Hq Sq
497th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), Hq            Tail Code: A[] (squared)
     869th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
     870th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
     871st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
498th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), Hq            Tail Code: T[]
     873rd Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)                Patch: Elephant
     874th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)                Patch: Dragon
     875th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)                Patch: Vulcan
499th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), Hq            Tail Code: V[]
     877th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
     878th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
     879th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
500th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), Hq            Tail Code: Z[]
     881st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
     882nd Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
     883rd Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
65th Air Service Group, Hq & Base Serv Sq
     3rd Air Engineering Squadron
     573rd Air Material Squadron
91st Air Service Group, Hq & Base Serv Sq
     322nd Air Engineering Squadron
     572nd Air Material Squadron
303rd Air Service Group, Hq & Base Serv Sq
     327th Air Engineering Squadron
     73rd Air Material Squadron
330th Air Service Group, Hq & Base Serv Sq
     52nd Air Engineering Squadron
     301st Air Material Squadron
435th Aviation Squadron (Attached)
15th Photographic Laboratory, Bomb Gp, VH
16th Photographic Laboratory, Bomb Gp, VH
17th Photographic Laboratory, Bomb Gp, VH
18th Photographic Laboratory, Bomb Gp, VH
558th Army Air Forces Band
Bulk Allotment (Flight Control Center)
237th Army Postal Unit, Type F (Attached)
870th Chemical Company, Air Operations
887th Chemical Company, Air Operations
323rd Signal Company, Wing