Lester J. Maitland
Encyclopedia
Lester James Maitland was an aviation
pioneer and career officer in the United States Army Air Forces
and its predecessors. Maitland began his career as a Reserve
pilot in the U.S. Army Air Service during World War I
and rose to brigadier general in the Michigan Air National Guard
following World War II
.
In 1927 Maitland and Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger completed the first transpacific flight from California to Hawaii. Although the recognition accorded them was less in comparison with the adulation given Charles Lindbergh
for his transatlantic flight
only five weeks earlier, Maitland and Hegenberger's feat was arguably more significant from a navigational stand point.
Maitland continued his career in the Air Corps
, serving in combat as a bombardment group commander during World War II. He later became the first director of the Wisconsin Aeronautics Commission and the Director of Civil Defense
for the state of Michigan before changing professions and becoming an Episcopal
minister.
in 1899, Maitland graduated from Riverside High School in 1917. He enlisted as an aviation cadet in the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
three days after the United States entered World War I and was assigned to pilot training at a School of Military Aeronautics on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas
in the fall of 1917. His flight training took place at Rich Field
in Waco, Texas
, after which he received a rating of Reserve Military Aviator and was commissioned in 1918 as a 1st lieutenant in the Aviation Section, Signal Reserve at the age of nineteen. After a stint as a flying instructor, he was sent to gunnery school at Taliaferro Field, Texas, but the war ended before he could be sent overseas.
in Ohio from November 1918 to April 1919 as a pilot with the Testing Squadron. Maitland was transferred to Luke Field
, Hawaii
, and assigned to the 6th Aero Squadron on May 13, 1919. He petitioned to remain in the Army and received a regular commission as a 1st lieutenant in the Air Service on July 1, 1920, when that service was recognized by law as an organizational part of the Army. Leaving Hawaii in May 1921, Maitland became an aide to General Billy Mitchell in July and was selected as one of the pilots to take part in the sinking of the battleship Ostfriesland, a military experiment set up by Mitchell to prove the effectiveness of air power
against ships. In September and October 1925 he acted as an aide to Mitchell during the Morrow Board hearings.
During the 1920s, Maitland competed for the Air Service and its Air Corps
successor in air races and pioneering flights as part of the service's program of generating favorable publicity. While Operations Officer for Col. Augustine Warner Robins
at the Fairfield Air Intermediate Depot (FAID) in October 1922, he was part of the Army team at the National Air Races held that year at Selfridge Field
, Michigan. On October 14, he reputedly became the first U.S. pilot to fly faster than 200 mph (320 kmh) and received a letter of congratulations from Orville Wright. Flying a Curtiss R-6 racer
over a 50-kilometer (31 miles) course, Maitland finished second in the Pulitzer Trophy race, behind Army test pilot Lt. Russell Maughan
but ahead of four Navy and eight Army racers, averaging 198.8 mph (319 kmh) and reporting brief blackouts during the tight pylon turns. On March 29, 1923, he set a world's absolute speed record of 236.58 mph (380.75 kmh) over one kilometer in the R-6, but the record was disqualified because he failed to maintain level flight.According to the Air Service News Letter of May 2, 1923 (Vol. VII, No. 9, p. 2) the disqualification was made by Orville Wright, the official observer of the National Aeronautics Association, for an unintentional "technical violation." This came soon after his second place finish in the Pulitzer Trophy Race, which occurred because his fuel pump failed after one lap, forcing him to fly the remainder of the race with one hand while he hand-pumped fuel with the other. However he broke his own record in October when he flew at a recorded speed of 244.94 mph (394.19 kmh), also in the R-6.
On March 17, 1925, Maitland was assigned command of the new 18th Headquarters Squadron (redesignated from the 18th Observation Squadron) at Bolling Field, a position he held until June 4, 1925, when he returned to FAID. In November 1926 he became Assistant Executive Officer to Assistant Secretary of War for Air F. Trubee Davison
.
While stationed in Hawaii, Maitland sought permission from the Chief of the Air Service to organize a flight between Hawaii and the mainland. Not until December 1926, however, was he granted authorization. Others had also been working on the project, including 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger
, former Chief of the Instrument Branch at McCook Field. Hegenberger had overseen the development of a number of navigation instruments that would make the trip feasible but like Maitland had also been transferred to Hawaii, where his repeated written requests for a transpacific flight were likewise refused. In 1926 Hegenberger returned to McCook, where he helped test a navigation system using signals from low-frequency radio beacons. The transpacific flight from California
to Hawaii
was then approved to demonstrate the difficult task of navigating to a small island using the beacons as a navigational aid.
On June 15, 1927, Maitland and Hegenberger took the chosen airplane, an Atlantic-Fokker C-2 transport plane nicknamed the Bird of Paradise
, and a team of aeronautical engineers cross country to check fuel consumption and the reliability of the aircraft and its navigational instruments. On June 24, while in San Diego, California
, the results of the tests were reported to Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis
and he approved the flight to Hawaii. The next day they flew to Crissy Field
, at the Presidio
in San Francisco, California
.
On June 27, Maitland and Hegenberger made the short hop from Crissy Field to the newly-opened Oakland Municipal Airport
, whose 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) runway was much preferable for the takeoff roll with full fuel load, and departed the next morning just after 7 a.m. for Wheeler Field, Oahu
, with Maitland as pilot and Hegenberger as navigator. Although assisted as planned by the Signal Corps beacon on Maui
, the directional radio receiver in the C-2 operated only intermittently before cutting out altogether. The earth inductor compass on the C-2 failed just after takeoff, and despite increasingly cloudier weather, Hegenberger navigated most of the charted Great Circle
route by dead reckoning
, using a magnetic compass and driftmeter supplemented by celestial navigation
observations. Contact with several ships at sea was used to verify their position and adjust the original flight plan.
23 hours into the flight, before dawn on June 29, the crew observed a lighthouse beam on Kauai
in the Hawaiian Islands at their estimated time of arrival
, but still in complete darkness, decided to circle until daybreak before landing at Wheeler. The Bird of Paradise completed its trip of 2407 miles in 25 hours and 50 minutes, and was greeted by thousands of spectators. In becoming the first to make the transpacific crossing to Hawaii, Maitland and Hegenberger earned the third awarding of Distinguished Flying Cross
by the Air Corps and received the MacKay Trophy
for that year. Of the feat, the official history of the United States Air Force states:
In 1928 Maitland and Charles Lindbergh were invited together to the White House to meet President Calvin Coolidge
.
a serialized comic strip
about aviation in 1929 with artist and fellow World War I pilot Dick Calkins
. The pair continued to release Skyroads until they passed the writing and drawing duties to Calkins' assistant Russell Keaton in 1933.
After his tour in Washington D.C. concluded in December 1929, Maitland served at Kelly Field
, Texas, as a flight instructor in the Advanced Flying School. He was promoted to captain in 1932. Maitland served in various positions in the Training Command at Kelly, including senior instructor in Attack, to September 1934, when he entered the Air Corps Tactical School
at Maxwell Field as a student in the comprehensive 845-hour, 36-week course. Making up the 59 members of his class were five majors, 40 captains including himself, 13 first lieutenants, and one second lieutenant. In addition to 49 Air Corps officers were four Army officers, one from each of that service's combat arms, two Turkish Army
aviators, one Mexican
captain, and three Marine Corps
aviators. Among Maitland's Air Corps peers were future generals Muir S. Fairchild
, Barney Giles, Laurence S. Kuter
, Haywood Hansell, and Hoyt S. Vandenberg; and aviation pioneer Major Vernon Burge
, who as a corporal in June 1912 had been the first certified enlisted military pilot. Maitland graduated in June 1935. From September 11, 1935, to July 16, 1938, he commanded the 8th Attack Squadron
at Barksdale Field
, Louisiana, flying the Northrop A-17
attack bomber.
On July 20, 1940, Major Maitland and his wife Kathleen "Kay" Maitland were sent to the Philippine Department
for a two-year tour of duty in command of the 28th Bombardment Squadron. By seniority he was also made base commander of Clark Field
, where the 28th BS was stationed. On March 13, 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and command of the 28th BS passed to a more junior officer, but Maitland remained base commander at Clark. Shortly after, the Army extended the tours of all Air Corps personnel in the Philippine Department by an additional year, fearing aggressive Japanese moves against the Philippines, and ordered their dependents to return to the United States. This created a serious morale problem that Maitland combatted at Clark, at the suggestion of a subordinate, by issuing an order in May 1941 that all base personnel (including himself) had to grow beards. He modified the order in mid-August, making beards optional, but he and many others maintained their facial hair.(Link to photograph).
completed its reinforcement movement to the Philippines and its commander, Lt. Col. Eugene Eubank, was senior to Maitland at Clark Field. When the FEAF was activated on November 16, Maitland was named as executive officer of the Far East Air Service Command. The FEAF was surprised and largely destroyed by Japanese air attack on December 8, 1941, and Gen. Douglas MacArthur
ordered its headquarters withdrawn to Australia on December 24. Maitland joined a small group of staff officers flown out from Nielson Field
on Christmas Day by Captain Paul I. "Pappy" Gunn
in a former Philippine Air Lines
Beech 18
.
Reassigned to duty in the United States, Maitland was named to command the 386th Bomb Group
, flying B-26 Marauder
s, upon its activation on December 1, 1942, at MacDill Field
, Florida. He organized the group and moved it on February 9, 1943, to Lake Charles Field
, Louisiana, to complete its group combat training, which was accomplished without a loss of any B-26 to accident in more than 10,000 hours of flight.The B-26 had a reputation among pilots as a "hot" aircraft that was notoriously difficult to fly for novices. Although the 386th BG did not lose a B-26 in training, a Lockheed B-34
assigned to tow targets for aerial gunnery practice did crash with loss of life. In June 1943 the group moved to England
and was assigned to the 3rd Bomb Wing
of the Eighth Air Force
on June 4, 1943. Assigned to the new station at RAF Boxted
, the 386th did not immediately enter combat because heavy losses in May to B-26s attacking at low altitudes forced a suspension of all B-26 operations to develop new tactics. Over the following seven weeks the 386th embarked on an intensive training program covering aircraft recognition, flying control procedures, German fighter tactics, combat formations, and medium altitude bombing (between 10000 feet (3,048 m) and 15000 feet (4,572 m)),.
After flying four diversionary missions in mid-July, the 386th BG began combat operations on July 30, 1943, attacking the Luftwaffe
fighter base at Woensdrecht Airfield
in the Netherlands
. The attack was the first at medium altitude by B-26s in Europe and was sharply contested by Focke-Wulf Fw 190
fighters of II./JG 26
. The group, attacking alone, suffered its first loss, a bomber at the rear of the formation nicknamed Wolf and carrying 2nd Lt. Cyrus S. Eaton, Jr., son of the investment banker
. Another B-26, Two Way Ticket, crashed on takeoff and was a total loss.Eaton was the only survivor of his seven-man crew and became a POW; the crew of Two Way Ticket all survived.
The group continued its attacks on Luftwaffe bases in France and the low countries
throughout the summer of 1943. On September 24, 1943, the 386h moved to a new base still under construction at RAF Great Dunmow
, and flew its final mission as part of the Eighth Air Force on October 8, an attack on airfields in the vicinity of Lille
that was abandoned because of bad weather. It flew 32 missions as part of the Eighth AF, losing six bombers in combat. The 386th developed the procedure for the simultaneous release of bombs by formations
of B-26s and earned a Distinguished Unit Citation while under Maitland's command. On October 18 the 386th resumed operations from Great Dunmow as part of the Ninth Air Force
, with Maitland leading the group in an attack on Beauvais-Nivillers airdrome in France. He also led the group in an attack on the construction site of the fortress of Mimoyecques, France, on November 5.
At age 44, Maitland was one of the oldest pilots to see combat in World War II, personally leading four of first five missions of the 386th in a B-26 nicknamed the Texas Tarantula, but his tenure was cut short when he was relieved of command on November 18, 1943, possibly for excessive drinking.Bartsch noted that Maitland was commonly known to be a heavy drinker (December 8, 1941: MacArthur's Pearl Harbor, pp. 65-66). Maitland received the Silver Star
, a second award of the Distinguished Flying Cross, and five Air Medal
s. The first group history, The History of a Bombing Outfit, said of its first commander:
's first state aeronautics director. He resigned the post in 1949 over the lack of priority the state gave airports and flying. He accepted a similar post with the state of Michigan
and in 1951 went on to become Michigan's Director of Civil Defense, for which he was appointed a brigadier general
in the Michigan Air National Guard
. In the mid-1950s Lester Maitland's career goals shifted and he was given permission by the state of Michigan to begin seminary studies. He would go on to become a lay-minister in the Episcopal Church. His first appointment was as lay-vicar at a parish in Iron River, Michigan. He retired as rector emeritus in Red Bluff, California
.
Maitland died at a convalescent home in Scottsdale, Arizona
in 1990. He was 91 years old.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Lester J. Maitland, U.S. Army Air Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight. As pilot of the United States airplane, by his masterly skill, courage, endurance, and tenacity of purpose, with his navigator, Lieutenant Maitland successfully piloted his airplane on 28–29 June 1927, from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, over the greatest expanse of open sea yet crossed in a nonstop flight. Lieutenant Maitland, with full knowledge of the dangers and difficulties, traversed over 2,400 miles of the Pacific Ocean with marvelous accuracy of direction, and thereby demonstrated conclusively the practicability of accurate aerial navigation. His masterful exploit is worthy of the greatest praise and has bestowed much credit on the United States Army.
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer and career officer in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and its predecessors. Maitland began his career as a Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
pilot in the U.S. Army Air Service during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and rose to brigadier general in the Michigan Air National Guard
Michigan Air National Guard
The Michigan Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is, along with the Michigan Army National Guard, an element of the Michigan National Guard...
following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In 1927 Maitland and Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger completed the first transpacific flight from California to Hawaii. Although the recognition accorded them was less in comparison with the adulation given Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
for his transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
only five weeks earlier, Maitland and Hegenberger's feat was arguably more significant from a navigational stand point.
Maitland continued his career in the Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, serving in combat as a bombardment group commander during World War II. He later became the first director of the Wisconsin Aeronautics Commission and the Director of Civil Defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
for the state of Michigan before changing professions and becoming an Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
minister.
Early history and World War I
Born in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in 1899, Maitland graduated from Riverside High School in 1917. He enlisted as an aviation cadet in the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
three days after the United States entered World War I and was assigned to pilot training at a School of Military Aeronautics on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the fall of 1917. His flight training took place at Rich Field
Rich Field
Rich Field is a defunct military airfield near Waco, Texas, used for flying training during World War I. It was named in honor of 2nd Lt. C. Perry Rich of the Philippine Scouts. He had been instructed to fly by Lt. Frank P. Lahm in May 1913, then crashed his Wright Model C into Manila Bay on...
in Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, after which he received a rating of Reserve Military Aviator and was commissioned in 1918 as a 1st lieutenant in the Aviation Section, Signal Reserve at the age of nineteen. After a stint as a flying instructor, he was sent to gunnery school at Taliaferro Field, Texas, but the war ended before he could be sent overseas.
Between wars
Following World War I, Maitland was assigned to McCook FieldMcCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917-1927...
in Ohio from November 1918 to April 1919 as a pilot with the Testing Squadron. Maitland was transferred to Luke Field
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Ford Island was a military use airport on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, United States. Prior to 1962, it was designated as Naval Air Station Ford Island until its downgrade from NAS to NALF...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and assigned to the 6th Aero Squadron on May 13, 1919. He petitioned to remain in the Army and received a regular commission as a 1st lieutenant in the Air Service on July 1, 1920, when that service was recognized by law as an organizational part of the Army. Leaving Hawaii in May 1921, Maitland became an aide to General Billy Mitchell in July and was selected as one of the pilots to take part in the sinking of the battleship Ostfriesland, a military experiment set up by Mitchell to prove the effectiveness of air power
Aerial warfare
Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift...
against ships. In September and October 1925 he acted as an aide to Mitchell during the Morrow Board hearings.
During the 1920s, Maitland competed for the Air Service and its Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
successor in air races and pioneering flights as part of the service's program of generating favorable publicity. While Operations Officer for Col. Augustine Warner Robins
Augustine Warner Robins
General Augustine Warner Robins is often credited as the Father of Logistics in the modern United States Air Force, then known as the Army Air Corps...
at the Fairfield Air Intermediate Depot (FAID) in October 1922, he was part of the Army team at the National Air Races held that year at Selfridge Field
Selfridge Field
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, Michigan. On October 14, he reputedly became the first U.S. pilot to fly faster than 200 mph (320 kmh) and received a letter of congratulations from Orville Wright. Flying a Curtiss R-6 racer
Curtiss CR
|-See also:-External links:* *...
over a 50-kilometer (31 miles) course, Maitland finished second in the Pulitzer Trophy race, behind Army test pilot Lt. Russell Maughan
Russell Maughan
Russell Lowell Maughan was a pioneer aviator and U.S. military pilot. His career spanned a period in which the Air Force, then part of the U.S. Army, was known as the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps; U.S. Air Service; U.S. Army Air Corps; and U.S. Army Air Forces. Maughan was born March 28,...
but ahead of four Navy and eight Army racers, averaging 198.8 mph (319 kmh) and reporting brief blackouts during the tight pylon turns. On March 29, 1923, he set a world's absolute speed record of 236.58 mph (380.75 kmh) over one kilometer in the R-6, but the record was disqualified because he failed to maintain level flight.According to the Air Service News Letter of May 2, 1923 (Vol. VII, No. 9, p. 2) the disqualification was made by Orville Wright, the official observer of the National Aeronautics Association, for an unintentional "technical violation." This came soon after his second place finish in the Pulitzer Trophy Race, which occurred because his fuel pump failed after one lap, forcing him to fly the remainder of the race with one hand while he hand-pumped fuel with the other. However he broke his own record in October when he flew at a recorded speed of 244.94 mph (394.19 kmh), also in the R-6.
On March 17, 1925, Maitland was assigned command of the new 18th Headquarters Squadron (redesignated from the 18th Observation Squadron) at Bolling Field, a position he held until June 4, 1925, when he returned to FAID. In November 1926 he became Assistant Executive Officer to Assistant Secretary of War for Air F. Trubee Davison
F. Trubee Davison
Frederick Trubee Davison , usually known as F. Trubee Davison, or Trubee Davison, was an American World War I aviator, Assistant US Secretary of War, Director of Personnel for the Central Intelligence Agency, and President of the American Museum of Natural History.Davison was the brother-in-law of...
.
Flight of the Bird of Paradise
See main article: Bird of Paradise (aircraft)Bird of Paradise (aircraft)
The Bird of Paradise was a military airplane used by the United States Army Air Corps in 1926-1927 to experiment with air navigation by the use of radio beacon aids. On June 28–29, 1927, the Bird of Paradise, crewed by 1st Lt. Lester J. Maitland and 1st Lt. Albert F...
While stationed in Hawaii, Maitland sought permission from the Chief of the Air Service to organize a flight between Hawaii and the mainland. Not until December 1926, however, was he granted authorization. Others had also been working on the project, including 1st Lt. Albert F. Hegenberger
Albert Francis Hegenberger
Albert Francis Hegenberger was a Major General in the United States Air Force and a pioneering aviator who set a flight distance record in 1927.-Biography:He was born on September 30, 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts....
, former Chief of the Instrument Branch at McCook Field. Hegenberger had overseen the development of a number of navigation instruments that would make the trip feasible but like Maitland had also been transferred to Hawaii, where his repeated written requests for a transpacific flight were likewise refused. In 1926 Hegenberger returned to McCook, where he helped test a navigation system using signals from low-frequency radio beacons. The transpacific flight from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
was then approved to demonstrate the difficult task of navigating to a small island using the beacons as a navigational aid.
On June 15, 1927, Maitland and Hegenberger took the chosen airplane, an Atlantic-Fokker C-2 transport plane nicknamed the Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise (aircraft)
The Bird of Paradise was a military airplane used by the United States Army Air Corps in 1926-1927 to experiment with air navigation by the use of radio beacon aids. On June 28–29, 1927, the Bird of Paradise, crewed by 1st Lt. Lester J. Maitland and 1st Lt. Albert F...
, and a team of aeronautical engineers cross country to check fuel consumption and the reliability of the aircraft and its navigational instruments. On June 24, while in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, the results of the tests were reported to Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis
Dwight F. Davis
Dwight Filley Davis was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.-Biography:...
and he approved the flight to Hawaii. The next day they flew to Crissy Field
Crissy Field
Crissy Field is a former airfield, now a part of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, California, United States. Historically a part of the Presidio of San Francisco, Crissy Field was closed as an airfield and eventually the National Park Service took control over it...
, at the Presidio
Presidio
A presidio is a fortified base established by the Spanish in North America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile native Americans and enemy colonists. Other presidios were held by Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
On June 27, Maitland and Hegenberger made the short hop from Crissy Field to the newly-opened Oakland Municipal Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
, whose 7000 feet (2,133.6 m) runway was much preferable for the takeoff roll with full fuel load, and departed the next morning just after 7 a.m. for Wheeler Field, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, with Maitland as pilot and Hegenberger as navigator. Although assisted as planned by the Signal Corps beacon on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, the directional radio receiver in the C-2 operated only intermittently before cutting out altogether. The earth inductor compass on the C-2 failed just after takeoff, and despite increasingly cloudier weather, Hegenberger navigated most of the charted Great Circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
route by dead reckoning
Dead reckoning
In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating one's current position by using a previously determined position, or fix, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time, and course...
, using a magnetic compass and driftmeter supplemented by celestial navigation
Celestial navigation
Celestial navigation, also known as astronavigation, is a position fixing technique that has evolved over several thousand years to help sailors cross oceans without having to rely on estimated calculations, or dead reckoning, to know their position...
observations. Contact with several ships at sea was used to verify their position and adjust the original flight plan.
23 hours into the flight, before dawn on June 29, the crew observed a lighthouse beam on Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
in the Hawaiian Islands at their estimated time of arrival
Estimated time of arrival
The estimated time of arrival or ETA is a measure of when a ship, vehicle, aircraft, cargo, emergency service or computer file is expected to arrive at a certain place...
, but still in complete darkness, decided to circle until daybreak before landing at Wheeler. The Bird of Paradise completed its trip of 2407 miles in 25 hours and 50 minutes, and was greeted by thousands of spectators. In becoming the first to make the transpacific crossing to Hawaii, Maitland and Hegenberger earned the third awarding of Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
by the Air Corps and received the MacKay Trophy
MacKay trophy
The Mackay Trophy was established on 27 January 1911 by Clarence Hungerford Mackay, who was then head of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company and the Commercial Cable Company. Originally, aviators could compete for the trophy annually under rules made each year or the War Department could award the...
for that year. Of the feat, the official history of the United States Air Force states:
The flight...tested not only the reliability of the machine but the navigational skill and the stamina of the two officers as well, for had they strayed even three-and-a-half degrees off course, they would have missed Kauai and vanished over the ocean.
In 1928 Maitland and Charles Lindbergh were invited together to the White House to meet President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
.
Air Corps years
Maitland wrote Knights of the Air, a history of early aviation emphasizing "aviation firsts" that included his own transpacific flight, and was published in 1929.Knights of the Air was published by Doubleday, Doran & Co. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1478065 He then undertook writing SkyroadsSkyroads (comics)
Skyroads, a serialized aviation-based comic strip, was published from 1929 to 1942.After Charles Lindbergh's crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, aviation became the focus of several comic strips. Tailspin Tommy was the first, but it was soon followed by others, including Skyroads.Skyroads was created...
a serialized comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
about aviation in 1929 with artist and fellow World War I pilot Dick Calkins
Dick Calkins
Dick Calkins , who often signed his work Lt. Dick Calkins, is a comic strip artist who is best known for being the first artist to draw the Buck Rogers comic strip....
. The pair continued to release Skyroads until they passed the writing and drawing duties to Calkins' assistant Russell Keaton in 1933.
Kelly Air Force Base
Kelly Field Annex and is a former United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas. In 2001, the runway and land west of the runway became "Kelly Field Annex" and control of it was transferred to the adjacent Lackland Air Force Base, part of Joint Base San Antonio...
, Texas, as a flight instructor in the Advanced Flying School. He was promoted to captain in 1932. Maitland served in various positions in the Training Command at Kelly, including senior instructor in Attack, to September 1934, when he entered the Air Corps Tactical School
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. Created in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia, it...
at Maxwell Field as a student in the comprehensive 845-hour, 36-week course. Making up the 59 members of his class were five majors, 40 captains including himself, 13 first lieutenants, and one second lieutenant. In addition to 49 Air Corps officers were four Army officers, one from each of that service's combat arms, two Turkish Army
Turkish Army
The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire...
aviators, one Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
captain, and three Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
aviators. Among Maitland's Air Corps peers were future generals Muir S. Fairchild
Muir S. Fairchild
General Muir Stephen Fairchild was former vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force. He was born September 2, 1894 at Bellingham, Washington, and died March 17, 1950 at Fort Myer, Virginia.-Early service:Muir S...
, Barney Giles, Laurence S. Kuter
Laurence S. Kuter
General Laurence Sherman Kuter was a Cold War-era U.S. Air Force general and former commander of NORAD...
, Haywood Hansell, and Hoyt S. Vandenberg; and aviation pioneer Major Vernon Burge
Vernon Burge
Vernon Lee Burge was an aviation pioneer—the first American enlisted man to be certified as a military pilot. After ten years as an enlisted man, Burge was commissioned during World War I and served the next 25 years as an officer....
, who as a corporal in June 1912 had been the first certified enlisted military pilot. Maitland graduated in June 1935. From September 11, 1935, to July 16, 1938, he commanded the 8th Attack Squadron
8th Special Operations Squadron
The 8th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operates CV-22 Osprey in support of special operations.-Mission:...
at Barksdale Field
Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-southeast of Bossier City, Louisiana.The host unit at Barksdale is the 2d Bomb Wing , the oldest Bomb Wing in the Air Force. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force...
, Louisiana, flying the Northrop A-17
Northrop A-17
The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F was a two seat, single engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the US Army Air Corps.-Development and design:...
attack bomber.
On July 20, 1940, Major Maitland and his wife Kathleen "Kay" Maitland were sent to the Philippine Department
Philippine Department
The Philippine Department was a regular US Army unit, defeated in the Philippines, during World War II. The mission of the Philippine Department was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army...
for a two-year tour of duty in command of the 28th Bombardment Squadron. By seniority he was also made base commander of Clark Field
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
, where the 28th BS was stationed. On March 13, 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and command of the 28th BS passed to a more junior officer, but Maitland remained base commander at Clark. Shortly after, the Army extended the tours of all Air Corps personnel in the Philippine Department by an additional year, fearing aggressive Japanese moves against the Philippines, and ordered their dependents to return to the United States. This created a serious morale problem that Maitland combatted at Clark, at the suggestion of a subordinate, by issuing an order in May 1941 that all base personnel (including himself) had to grow beards. He modified the order in mid-August, making beards optional, but he and many others maintained their facial hair.(Link to photograph).
World War II
Maitland was on the headquarters staff of the newly-created Far East Air Force when the United States entered World War II. On November 3, 1941, the 19th Bomb Group19th Air Refueling Group
The 19th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas...
completed its reinforcement movement to the Philippines and its commander, Lt. Col. Eugene Eubank, was senior to Maitland at Clark Field. When the FEAF was activated on November 16, Maitland was named as executive officer of the Far East Air Service Command. The FEAF was surprised and largely destroyed by Japanese air attack on December 8, 1941, and Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
ordered its headquarters withdrawn to Australia on December 24. Maitland joined a small group of staff officers flown out from Nielson Field
Nielson Field
Nielson Field was the location of the Far East Air Force headquarters. Most of the aircraft of the FEAF were based at either Clark Field or Nichols Field.- Laurie Reuben Nielson :...
on Christmas Day by Captain Paul I. "Pappy" Gunn
Paul Gunn
Colonel Paul I. "Pappy" Gunn was a former U.S.naval aviator known most for his actions in the Second World War as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces...
in a former Philippine Air Lines
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines, Inc. operating as Philippine Airlines, is a flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered in the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name...
Beech 18
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
.
386th Air Expeditionary Wing
The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. It is currently stationed at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait in Southwest Asia...
, flying B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s, upon its activation on December 1, 1942, at MacDill Field
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
, Florida. He organized the group and moved it on February 9, 1943, to Lake Charles Field
Chennault Air Force Base
Chennault Air Force Base was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located near Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was closed in 1963.-Origins:...
, Louisiana, to complete its group combat training, which was accomplished without a loss of any B-26 to accident in more than 10,000 hours of flight.The B-26 had a reputation among pilots as a "hot" aircraft that was notoriously difficult to fly for novices. Although the 386th BG did not lose a B-26 in training, a Lockheed B-34
Lockheed Ventura
The Lockheed Ventura was a bomber and patrol aircraft of World War II, used by United States and British Commonwealth forces in several guises...
assigned to tow targets for aerial gunnery practice did crash with loss of life. In June 1943 the group moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and was assigned to the 3rd Bomb Wing
98th Bombardment Wing (World War II)
The 98th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Force Reserve, based at Bedford Field, Massachusetts...
of the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
on June 4, 1943. Assigned to the new station at RAF Boxted
RAF Boxted
RAF Boxted is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Colchester; about northeast of London...
, the 386th did not immediately enter combat because heavy losses in May to B-26s attacking at low altitudes forced a suspension of all B-26 operations to develop new tactics. Over the following seven weeks the 386th embarked on an intensive training program covering aircraft recognition, flying control procedures, German fighter tactics, combat formations, and medium altitude bombing (between 10000 feet (3,048 m) and 15000 feet (4,572 m)),.
After flying four diversionary missions in mid-July, the 386th BG began combat operations on July 30, 1943, attacking the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
fighter base at Woensdrecht Airfield
Woensdrecht Air Base
Woensdrecht Air Base is a military airport near the town of Woensdrecht, about 10 km south of the city of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. It is located near highway A58 and the border with Belgium....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The attack was the first at medium altitude by B-26s in Europe and was sharply contested by Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
fighters of II./JG 26
Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and...
. The group, attacking alone, suffered its first loss, a bomber at the rear of the formation nicknamed Wolf and carrying 2nd Lt. Cyrus S. Eaton, Jr., son of the investment banker
Cyrus S. Eaton
Cyrus Stephen Eaton was a Canadian-born investment banker, businessman and philanthropist in the United States, with a career that spanned seventy years....
. Another B-26, Two Way Ticket, crashed on takeoff and was a total loss.Eaton was the only survivor of his seven-man crew and became a POW; the crew of Two Way Ticket all survived.
The group continued its attacks on Luftwaffe bases in France and the low countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
throughout the summer of 1943. On September 24, 1943, the 386h moved to a new base still under construction at RAF Great Dunmow
RAF Great Dunmow
RAF Station Great Dunmow is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately mi west of Great Dunmow, north of the A 120; about miles northeast of London...
, and flew its final mission as part of the Eighth Air Force on October 8, an attack on airfields in the vicinity of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
that was abandoned because of bad weather. It flew 32 missions as part of the Eighth AF, losing six bombers in combat. The 386th developed the procedure for the simultaneous release of bombs by formations
Combat box
The Combat box was a tactical formation used by heavy bombers of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. The combat box was also referred to as a "staggered formation"...
of B-26s and earned a Distinguished Unit Citation while under Maitland's command. On October 18 the 386th resumed operations from Great Dunmow as part of the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, with Maitland leading the group in an attack on Beauvais-Nivillers airdrome in France. He also led the group in an attack on the construction site of the fortress of Mimoyecques, France, on November 5.
At age 44, Maitland was one of the oldest pilots to see combat in World War II, personally leading four of first five missions of the 386th in a B-26 nicknamed the Texas Tarantula, but his tenure was cut short when he was relieved of command on November 18, 1943, possibly for excessive drinking.Bartsch noted that Maitland was commonly known to be a heavy drinker (December 8, 1941: MacArthur's Pearl Harbor, pp. 65-66). Maitland received the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
, a second award of the Distinguished Flying Cross, and five Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
s. The first group history, The History of a Bombing Outfit, said of its first commander:
His leadership of the group had been strong and colorful. He had been rough on those who did not produce but fine to those who had. He had given a lot of character to the group, and although he had been rough at times, had been fair always. The group was sorry to see him go.
After World War II
In 1947, Maitland was appointed WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
's first state aeronautics director. He resigned the post in 1949 over the lack of priority the state gave airports and flying. He accepted a similar post with the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and in 1951 went on to become Michigan's Director of Civil Defense, for which he was appointed a brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in the Michigan Air National Guard
Michigan Air National Guard
The Michigan Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is, along with the Michigan Army National Guard, an element of the Michigan National Guard...
. In the mid-1950s Lester Maitland's career goals shifted and he was given permission by the state of Michigan to begin seminary studies. He would go on to become a lay-minister in the Episcopal Church. His first appointment was as lay-vicar at a parish in Iron River, Michigan. He retired as rector emeritus in Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Tehama County, California, United States. The population was 14,076 at the 2010 census, up from 13,147 at the 2000 census....
.
Maitland died at a convalescent home in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
in 1990. He was 91 years old.
Citation for Distinguished Flying Cross
- General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 16 (1927)
- Action Date: June 28–29, 1927
- Service: Army Air Corps
- Rank: First Lieutenant
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Lester J. Maitland, U.S. Army Air Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight. As pilot of the United States airplane, by his masterly skill, courage, endurance, and tenacity of purpose, with his navigator, Lieutenant Maitland successfully piloted his airplane on 28–29 June 1927, from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, over the greatest expanse of open sea yet crossed in a nonstop flight. Lieutenant Maitland, with full knowledge of the dangers and difficulties, traversed over 2,400 miles of the Pacific Ocean with marvelous accuracy of direction, and thereby demonstrated conclusively the practicability of accurate aerial navigation. His masterful exploit is worthy of the greatest praise and has bestowed much credit on the United States Army.