Boyertown High School - Bear Yearbook (Boyertown, PA)

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REPURT Gen. Spaatz A BHS Graduate At the age of fifty-one Lieu- tenant General Carl A. Spaatz is the deputy chief of staff for air in the African Campaign. Spaatz is a tough, wiry, energetic fight- ing man, the outstanding mem- ber of a small group of distin- guished American aces of World War I who still remain in mili- tary service. His story is one of the most interesting in the annals of military aviation. Carl Spaatz was born in Boyer- town, Pennsylvania, on June 28, 1891. As a boy he helped to manage his father's newspaper. He also served as a page in the state legislature. In Boyertown High School Spaatz distin- guished himself as an outstand- ing athlete in many sports, espe- cially football. In 1910 at the age of nineteen Spaatz entered West Point. There he became an outstanding basketball player and received awards for expert marksman- ship. In 1914 Spaatz graduated from the U. S. Military Academy. He was named an infantry lieu- tenant and sent first to Honolulu and later to San Diego, Calif. However, Spaatz was not satis- fied with the infantry. In 1915 he applied for and received a transfer to the air service and became the twenty-fifth Army man to earn his wings. He was later moved to Texas where he became attached to the South- west Air Command. It was at this time that Spaatz served under General Pershing in Mex- ico, attempting to quell the up- rising of General Villa. By 1917, Spaatz was a major in the 31st Aero Squadron in France where he organized the greatest aviation training center of the war-the U. S. Army Aviation School at Issoudon. But the major was not content with a desk job although he was receiving honor and high praise for it. He bombarded head- 2 i . l LIEUT.-GEN. CARL A. SPAATZ IS A B.H.S. ALUMNUS, CLASS OF' '06. quarters incessantly with re- quests for a transfer to active duty at the Front. All his re- quests came back disapproved. He carried his case to the highest command but he could not effect a transfer to active duty with a pursuit squadron. In the late summer of 1918 Spaatz was ordered to report at the Aviation Headquarters in Paris. The major had heard rumors that he was to be sent back to the United States. Also, he had heard rumors that there was soon to be a tremendous American oiensive in the St. Mihiel sector. Spaatz realized he would soon be out of this war in which he wanted to take a man's part-in which he yearned to serve his country by fighting in a pursuit cockpit behind stutter- ing twin machine guns. One phenomenon of World War I was that nearly all the roads to the Front led through Paris. Spaatz, ordered to Paris, selected one of the few roads which led to Paris by way of the Front. Spaatz, sensing that the big show would soon be over, had decided to take his man's part in the War. It is related that Spaatz, minus insignia of rank, made his Way to the Second Pursuit Group at Souilly. There the A.W.O.L. major went to the C.O. of the 1 fr. ' 13th Pursuit Squadron, a gradu ate of the major's iiying school and demanded that a serviceabli pursuit be rolled out on the field A Spad was quickly rolled fron the hangar and Spaatz was sooi winging over Germany. He dir not care that his flight was un authorized, that he was absen without official leave. Majo Spaatz was at the Front wher- he had begged to be sent for 2 year. . The major's disappearanci created a great disturbance ii official circles in Paris. Had no the major deserted? Could no the major speak German as wel as he spoke English? As far ai the French were concerne4 Spaatz was a spy. Spaatz returned, but only long enough to have his ship servicer and to request confirmation o, the downing of an enemy plane In the days that followed thl major's victories mounted Finally he was made flight leader Then the French military police were sent to bring ii Spaatz for questioning. Bu Spaatz was missing. He had las been seen fiying into Germany. Early in the morning thr major's flight of five Americai planes ran into a flight of sevel Fokker D-8's, the deadliest oz German fighter planes. It wa: every man for himself. Spaatz managed to shoot down one Ger man fighter, but a Fokker got oi his tail and the major's Spad wa: riddled by German bullets. B3 expert maneuvering Spaatz sho down the second Fokker. Thr maj or's plane was badly damagem and he just managed to lane within French territory. Thi major was taken to Aviatioi Headquarters where he expectem a court martial. Instead, he re ceived the D.S.C. for extra ordinary heroism in action. After the War Spaatz made : name for himself in experimenta aviation. In 1929 he commander the Army plane, Questio1 Mark, on its famous 150 houi endurance flight over California For this feat Spaatz received th- D.F.C. Lieutenant General Spaatz i generally acknowledged to be th- right man for any hard job ii war or peacetime aviation. H' is also one of the best liked mei in our Air Forces and an exper tactician who can be counter upon to outguess the enemy.

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' '51 nr in G'-Graaf :rd mil if at I Jane Rickert, Dorothy Thomas, Laura Landis, and Nancy McNey are snapped before the girls' entrance. Boys look back as they enter school building. This is a typical scene on any clear day-boys sit on the steps while girls chat and laugh. LE TTERS TO THE EDI TOR FROM LIFE Sir: I am tremendously interested in your project for the M1943 Bear, and we are much flattered and pleased that you would like to use a format similar to LIFE's. We have nf objection at all to your doing this, the only restric- tion being that we cannot give permission for you to use the LIFE slug - - that is the box with the name of LIFE' in it which appears in the corner of the cover. If you use the name LIFE, change the size and shape of the box and the type of the letters. Best wishes to you for a most successful year book, and I hope you will let us see a copy of it when it is completed. JOHN TOWNSEND Educational Director Time and Life New York, N. Y. TOWARD A BETTER WORLD Sir: The Vice President has re- quested me to reply to your letter of January 15, in which you asked him for a, statement for use in the 1942-43 Yearbook of Boyer- town High School. We believe that the January 26 radio address of Mr. Wallace to high school students throughout the country contains a number of statements any one of which may be suitable for your publication. We are therefore enclosing a copy of this speech. MARY HUSS Personal Secretary to The Vice President Washington, D. C. The following was taken from Vice President Wallace's speech, HBuilders of Tomorrow .-ED. . . . One thought I would like to leave with you above all else is this: The world you will live in will be what you and the others of your generation make it. There will be plenty of problems and obstacles-the course of hu- man progress, like that of true love, never did run smooth. It will be your job to study these problems and overcome these obstacles. . . . If we in the United States face the facts, and then take whatever action those facts re- quire, we shall have done our full part in helping toward the res- toration of human lives and hu- man values for which millions have already paid the highest price that man can pay. Sharing vitally in this great task will be the high school students of today, who are the leaders and builders of tomorrow. Serious discussion just before the las bell rings. BEAR photographer takes an un rehearsed picture of Mrs. Reary There are always those who stanl outside and talk, even if the ther mometer is below zero. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE