On Saturday, December 4, 2021 the WWII Air Base Preservation Committee and WWII Flight Training Museum held an Open House in Douglas. An estimated 300 people visited the City of Douglas WWII air base, home of the 63rd Flying Training Detachment’s thousands of WWII pilot trainees, for an open house event in beautiful South Georgia weather.
Visitors enjoyed splendid displays of WWII tent camps, equipment, weapons, uniforms, and varieties of other memorabilia as well as displays of locally-owned WWII aircraft and vehicles. The WWII living history reenactors of the Company C 63rd Signal Battalion brought US Army, Navy, Air Corp, and Coast Guard displays for all to enjoy and hear about life during the War. The Wehrmacht reenactors provided German weapons and a detail explanation on how Germany’s weapons evolved due to wartime shortages caused by Allied bombings. For those needing lunch or a snack, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and water were served up by Douglas American Legion Post 515. Tours of the WWII Flight Training Museum operated by the 63rd Preservation Society were popular all day. A highlight of the event was a fly-in and display of two U. S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II ground support jet aircraft from Moody Air Force Base.
“It was a great day to have the Open House,” says Dr. Carl McDonald, Air Base Preservation and Development Committee Chairman. “Altogether it was a day of remembrance, patriotism, education, and goodwill.”
Special thanks to Col. Sean Baerman, the 23rd Fighter Group Commander at Moody AFB for filling the skies over Douglas with two A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from the 74th Fighter Squadron Flying Tigers. The aircraft and aircrew added a special dimension to the day. The Air Base Preservation Committee and WWII Flight Training Museum hope to host more events in the future.