Home Front: Eyes on the Coast

Just off the coast of the United States, a menace lurked in the water. German U-boats were a very real problem for merchant vessels and war ships during World War II. With all available military airplanes and pilots needed on the front lines, and the Coast Guard mostly lacking aviation assets, the U.S. needed to get creative. Enter: the brand new Civil Air Patrol. This entirely civilian effort put private planes and pilots to work spotting U-Boats and other threats in the water. They even carried bombs on coastal patrols. The CAP also did search and rescue, medical flights, border patrol and more--roles the organization still serves today.

Thanks to our guest in this episode

• Dr. Frank Blazich of the Civil Air Patrol and the Smithsonian's American History Museum

You can find the transcript for this episode at s.si.edu/homefront3

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