Aviation Ephemera

[U.S. Army Air Forces / Air Transport Command]

Passenger Guide [Middle Pacific] [c.1947] [With Laid-In Fleet Logistic Support Wing Letter for the JRM 'Mars' flying boats]

[Middle Pacific] / Hawaii-Region: Army Printing Plant, c.1947.
Crossing the Ocean in the Age of Propellers
An evocative artifact of the 'Golden Age' of military transport, documenting the massive logistical pivot from total war to global peacekeeping in the Pacific Theater. 

This guide served as the essential orientation for personnel transitioning across the 'Middle Pacific' network, covering destinations from the Hawaiian Islands to occupied Japan and China. While the primary text details flight decorum and survival—including the famous advice for women to wear slacks for parachute safety—the unique laid-in letter from the Fleet Logistic Support Wing (Alameda, CA) adds a critical layer of naval aviation history.
This supplementary document provides specific safety protocols for the JRM 'Mars' flying boats, the largest Allied aircraft of the era, which maintained the vital 'bridge' between California and Hawaii.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Provenance/Add-on: Includes a rare, 2-sided typed letter from the Fleet Logistic Support Wing out of NAS Alameda, California.
+++ Content: Detailed orientation for 11 Pacific destinations including Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Siam, and Alaska.
+++ Aviation Specifics: Outlines flight decorum, safety procedures, and the post-war conversion of C-54/DC-4 aircraft for passenger service.
+++ Rarity: WorldCat/OCLC locates only 2 institutional copies (Stanford and Claremont Libraries).
+++ Specs: 8.5 x 5.75 inches; v, 54 pp. Illustrated with original mid-century drawings and sketches.

CONDITION: Very Good. The pictorial stapled wrappers are tight and square with moderate shelf handling wear. The rear cover shows some wrinkling along the bottom edge and lower corner. Internally, the text is clean with light, even age-toning. The laid-in 8 x 15 inch letter is well-preserved with original folding creases.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Produced by the Army Printing Plant in the 'Middle Pacific', this guide captures the U.S. military’s rapid evolution into a global administrative force. It reflects the unique culture of post-1945 air travel, where military transport (ATC) was the only reliable way to navigate the vast distances of the Pacific.

The laid-in letter is particularly significant for its link to NAS Alameda and the Martin JRM Mars flying boats. By 1947, the Mars fleet (named 'Hawaii', 'Philippine', 'Marianas', 'Marshall', and 'Caroline') was setting world records for passenger and cargo loads on the Alameda-to-Honolulu run. The letter's safety instructions represent the high-stakes reality of flying these 'Behemoths of the Bay'—vessels so large they were essentially flying ships.

SUBJECTS: U.S. Army Air Forces, Air Transport Command, NAS Alameda, Pacific Theater Logistics, Martin JRM Mars, Post-WWII Occupation, Military Aviation Ephemera, Travel Guides, Military Manuals, Ephemera, Aviation History.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: OCLC # [Various, only 2 institutional records found].

Item #21653

Price: $385.00