These readers have won points toward a “Know-It-All” Certificate
Bob Kozak
2 points
Sandy Adrion
2 points
Sandra Cobb
2 points
Dave Edwards
2 points
Julia Harris
1 point
Megan Plauger
1 point
Linda Zinn
1 point
To participate in Postcard History’s Quiz #3 answer the question associated with each card and fill in the form below with your name, email address, and the correct answers to the questions, then click the red “Send” button.
When you earn five points by answering all questions correctly in any upcoming quiz, Postcard History will present you with a “Postcard History Know-It-All” Certificate.
A new quiz will appear every 2 weeks!
Know-It-All Quiz #3
August 30, 2020
Curt Teich Large Letter Military Postcards
Postcard History’s Postcard Quiz #3 is turning your attention to five Curt Teich large letter cards from across America. We will center our attention on Chanute Air Force Base, near Rantoul, Illinois; Camp Ellis, in Fulton County, Illinois; Hammer Field in California; Fort Knox, near Elizabethtown, Kentucky; and Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Chanute Air Force Base was established by an act of Congress in 1917 and named for OctaveChanute (1832 – 1910) a French-American aviation pioneer. The money set aside to build the base and the necessary facilities was 620 million dollars. The list of major accomplishments that took place at Chanute would fill pages, but among those events was the formation of a pilot training program that changed the face of America’s military.
Question 1. – In March 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron was formed at Chanute Air Force Base. What name was given to the 99th Squadron when their activities were reported to the public?
Camp Ellis, named for Sergeant Michael B. Ellis, a World War I Medal of Honor winner, was a United States army service facility in Fulton County, Illinois. Those who marvel at the way things work should salute America’s earlier generations. Construction of this facility started in September 1942 and the camp opened exactly seven months later. Twenty different service units were assigned to Camp Ellis; two of which were the 475th and the 476th Military Police Escort.
Question 2. – Of all the training units that spent their days at Camp Ellis, what was the primary responsibility of the Military Police Escort Units?
Hammer Field opened in June 1944 as a training base for the 4th United States Army Air Force. It is located near Fresno, California and has the distinction of being one of the least used (less than one year) military facilities ordered during World War II. It was eventually returned to civilian use, but during its service era over twenty-one military units were operating out of Hammer Field, including the United States Army Air Force Band. Another especially important unit was the 450th Army Air Force Base Unit.
Question 3. – Hammer Field was the home of the 450th Army Air Force Base Unit. What special training was given to the members of this unit?
Fort Knox is the oldest of the installations on our list. It was established during the American Civil War and was one of the few military posts contested by both the Union and the Confederacy. Named for Henry Knox, America’s first secretary of War, the facility is also the home of the United States Bullion Depository that is thought to be the safest place in America. Through the years, dozens of United States Army personalities have gained from their association with Fort Knox, but today only one remains prominence – General George Smith Patton, Jr. Fort Knox is also the home of the General George Patton Museum of Leadership.
Question 4. – During the war years (1941 to 1946) Fort Knox served our nation in a most peculiar way – our national documents were taken from the United States Archives in Washington, D. C. to the depository at Fort Knox. Name the three documents that made that unusual journey.
Fort Sill is an army post near Lawton, Oklahoma. A friend who once served there when it was called Camp Sill dubbed it his home in the corn field. Lawton is 85 miles southwest of the state capital. The history of Fort Sill began when the fort was surveyed in 1869 by General Philip H. Sheridan, not to be confused with General William Tecumseh Sherman of “Sherman’s March to the Sea” fame during the last year of the American Civil War. General Philip H. Sheridan remained in the Union army after 1865 and was responsible for a campaign designed to stop raids against border towns in Kansas and Texas. The fort is named after Joshua Woodrow Sill, who was Sheridan’s friend and brigadier during early Civil War battles in Tennessee.
Question 5. – What famous Indian Wars leader is buried on the grounds at Fort Sill, Oklahoma?
The “March to the Sea” general was William Tecumseh Sherman, not the similarly-surnamed Philip Henry Sheridan.
Bob,
You are absolutely right. That was sloppy on my part. Apologies.