(H)our History Lesson: The Armed Forces Presence in Pensacola and Escambia County, Florida, World War II Heritage City

“A U.S. Navy Vought OS2U-2 Kingfisher ready for takeoff at NAS Pensacola, Florida (USA), circa 1943. An instructor is sitting on the wing giving the pilot a final word before a training flight.”

U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation

About this Lesson

This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Pensacola and Escambia County, Florida designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains readings and photos to contribute to learners’ understandings about the Armed Forces presence there. It examines Pensacola and Escambia’s defense contributions to the US and its Allies. The lesson contains readings to learn about and reflect on the contributions of, and challenges faced by, African American and women service members. Extension activities include “then and now” perspectives and learning about the first Asian American woman in the WAVES.

Objectives:

1. Identify local military landmarks and stations and describe their contributions to the war
2. Describe contributions of, and challenges faced by, African American service members
3. Describe contributions of, and challenges faced by, women service members

Materials for Students:

1. Photos (can be displayed digitally)
2. Readings 1, 2, 3 (one secondary, an adapted primary, and one primary source)
3. Recommended: Map of the region
4. Extensions 1 and 2

Getting Started: Essential Question

How did the home front Armed Forces presence in Pensacola and Escambia County contribute to the success of the United States and its Allies in World War II?

Read to Connect

Reading 1: The Armed Forces Presence in Pensacola and Escambia County

By Sarah Nestor Lane 

Escambia County and its county seat, Pensacola, Florida, played a vital role in the American war effort during World War II. The area's climate, long coastline, and airspace over the Gulf of Mexico made it ideal for military operations. Pensacola and Escambia County became home to several important military installations. Some of the military installations dated before World War II and the government further developed them. Some have been decommissioned since the war, and some are still in use today.  

Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) and the Naval Air Training Center (NATTC)

Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP), established in 1914, became known as the "Cradle of Naval Aviation" and the “Annapolis of the Air.” During World War II, NASP trained over 28,000 pilots, almost half of all naval aviators who served in the war. The base's training programs were rigorous and demanding, and they produced high-quality pilots. Allied pilots, such as from France and Great Britain, also trained at NASP.  

NASP played an important role in the development of aviation technologies. The research and development facilities helped develop fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes. NASP also served as a testing ground for new aviation technologies.  

The Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), established in 1940, trained thousands of personnel and aviators. One type of training was flight training. These included primary flight training, advanced flight training, and gunnery training. Pilots were trained in a variety of aircraft. Ground crew training included how to maintain aircraft and load and unload weapons. Another type of training was technical training. Technical personnel operated equipment such as weather radar, radio systems, and cameras.  

The following are some of the important locations of NASP and NATTC that were in Pensacola and/or Escambia County:  

Corry Field  

Corry Field was the oldest of the outlying fields at the Naval Air Technical Training center. Corry Field was a ground crew training base located in north Pensacola. Naval Air Station personnel used landplanes at “City field” starting in 1923. The Navy dedicated the modern hangars and landing areas on December 8, 1934. The field became an auxiliary air station on January 15, 1943. It was home to different schools. These included the Aviation Machinist's Mate School, the Aviation Ordnanceman School, and the Aviation Electrician's Mate School. There was an outlying field for aviation electrician's mate training. Mates, as a type of Naval officer, had specific training and important roles on their ship. Ordnancemen tested, handled, and maintained military supplies. In 1944, the Corry Field station consisted of over 2,500 officers, enlistees, and students.  

Saufley Field  

The US Navy commissioned Saufley Field as an auxiliary air base on August 26, 1940. The U.S. Government had acquired the land for the US Navy. Walter Holden and his family had owned the land and farmed 80 acres. The Navy allowed the family to stay but reduced their farm to a half-acre.  
Saufley Field was the main flight training base at the NATTC, on Santa Rosa Island, south of Pensacola. Saufley Field had many runways and aircrafts. These included primary trainers, advanced trainers, and gunnery trainers. There was a smaller ground crew training base adjacent to Saufley Field. This was for aviation machinist's mate and Ordnanceman training.

Bronson Field  

Bronson Field was a Naval Auxiliary Air Station in western Escambia County. Commissioned on November 18, 1942, it was a multi-runway paved airfield with seaplane ramps. The air station trained those working with dive bombers, fighters, and seaplanes. (The station, decommissioned in 1946, is now an area called the Blue Angel Recreation Park.) 

Ellyson Field  

The US Navy purchased farmland in 1940 to develop into Ellyson Field. Operations started there in October 1941. The Navy used it to support training operations at NASP. There were taxiways, runways, hangars, administrative buildings, barracks, and a mess hall. The Navy designated it as a Naval Air Auxiliary Station in January 1943. There was an instructor school for NASP housed at Ellyson Field, too.  

Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens 

Fort Barrancas is a historic fort located on Santa Rosa Island, off the coast of Pensacola. The fort was originally built by the Spanish in 1797 but was surrendered to U.S. forces during the War of 1812. It was used from then on to protect Pensacola from attack, including during the Civil War. During World War II, the Armed Forces used Fort Barrancas as a coastal defense installation. Service members manned the fort's guns to defend from enemy ships and submarines.  

Fort Barrancas also served as a training facility for the Army Coast Artillery Corps. The fort's training facilities trained soldiers on how to operate coastal defense guns and fire control systems. The NATTC used Fort Barrancas for gunnery training and the storage of ammunition and explosives. 

Fort Pickens was first built beginning in 1829. The fort defended Pensacola Bay and the Navy Yard and Depot from foreign attacks. It was also used during the Civil War. During World War II, Fort Pickens housed gunnery training, was a storage post, and a lookout post. This included use by the Naval Air Training Center.

The fort had thick walls and was in a remote location. This made it ideal to store a variety of ammunition and explosives, like artillery shells, bombs, and torpedoes. Also, the fort had clear views of the Gulf of Mexico. They used the fort to watch for enemy ships and submarines. 

The WAVES in Pensacola and Escambia County  

The Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) was a branch of the United States Navy established during World War II. It allowed women to serve in non-combat roles. The WAVES were first deployed to NASP in 1942. The WAVES served in various capacities at the locations across NASP and NATTC.  

WAVES worked as mechanics, control tower operators, radio operators, meteorologists, photographers, nurses, and administrative assistants. They also worked as instructors, teaching new recruits and training gunners. They were among the first women to serve in the military in non-traditional roles. The WAVES also volunteered time at local Pensacola charities.

Armed Forces Presence: Community Impact  

The armed forces presence in Pensacola and Escambia County in World War II was extensive. It had a significant impact on the community. The military installations played a vital role in contributing to the Allied Victory. The increase in population and development of the area boosted the local economy. Civilians also worked on the local stations and contributed to war efforts. 

Reading 2: Calvin Lee Tolbert

Background: This text uses excerpts from the Veterans History Project interview of Calvin Lee Tolbert (1924-2021). Tolbert served from when he was drafted in 1943, to 1946. Excerpts of the interview are embedded in this narrative. Some excerpted transcripts have been edited for clarity. 

Calvin Lee Tolbert 

Calvin Lee Tolbert grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He started working in the defense industry at the Crown Cork and Seal Company in February 1943. The company was founded as a packaging and closing business, with the “crown cap” sealing beverages like soft drinks. During the war, the company produced supplies supporting the war effort. Tolbert worked on constructing airplane components. 

At Crown Cork and Seal Company Tolbert experienced discrimination. Tolbert said, “Everything was completely segregated, and they did not want people of color to work in the defense plants.” He experienced strikes at the workplace where white workers refused to work on shifts combined with African American workers. “We were resented . . .” and there were signs in the work areas to segregate employees.  He befriended a fellow worker at Crown Cork and Seal who was Jewish, and they teamed together on work. His Jewish coworker and friend also experienced workplace discrimination, but they were allowed to work together. The duo was recognized for their first-rate efforts, and Tolbert remembered being in a local African American newspaper for their partnership at the plant. Tolbert and his partner were “Two young guys that we were proud of the fact we were doing an excellent job.” 

Tolbert Drafted  

Tolbert’s life changed when he was drafted. Tolbert would end up using some of his skills with airplane parts from Crown Cork and Seal to be successful. Tolbert was drafted in October, and by November 1943 he was in the Navy. However, the Navy was not his first choice: “I said I would like to go to the Army because my brother is in the Army. And they said they’re going to send me to the Navy. I said I don’t want to go to the Navy, because at that time the only people of color in the Navy were cooks and stewards.” 

Despite his preference, draft leadership assigned him to the Navy, and transported him to Chicago to begin training. Tolbert completed basic training at Camp Lawrence of the Great Lakes training area, a segregated duty station for African Americans. 

After about thirty days of basic training, it was time for Tolbert’s assignment and first station: 

“During that time, they test you to determine what to do with you as personnel in the Navy, because everything in the Navy is compartmentalized. Everyone has to go aboard a ship, and everyone has something to do. 

And I discovered that my mechanical aptitude was extremely high... having just worked in an aircraft plant and what not. So, I had my choice of service schools. Everybody in the Navy was sent to a school and I chose the Aviation Metal school because it was a long school, and I was sure the war would be over by the time I had finished in 6 months. . .  

Once you were finished you were shipped to where you were needed... And in the Navy, they went by the alphabet, so if you had the end of the alphabet … the guys that were fortunate and lucky... They went to California, … New York, and all these beautiful, wonderful duty stations. And we ended up on the Battle of the Southern Front, like Pensacola, Florida . . . Mississippi, and those types of places. . . .5 of us went to Pensacola, Florida....Of all the bad ones, that was the better one. Because it was the largest one.” 

When traveling to Pensacola, Tolbert and his peers were required to ride in segregated train transportation starting in Evansville, Indiana, and they faced discrimination in using meal vouchers along the way, such as at a stop in Nashville.  

Tolbert at Naval Air Station Pensacola 

After finally arriving in Pensacola, Tolbert and his peers had to ride a bus from the train station. On the bus ride, they were asked, “Where you fellows from?” 

They responded, “We’re just down here from Great Lakes, Chicago.”  Tolbert recalled, “No one sat beside us. They all stood up and moved past us, but you could feel the tension.” The newly arrived sailors had not realized they were required to sit at the back of the bus filled with Navy personnel.  

Tolbert was at Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) until the war ended. His first ride on the bus was not his only experience of discrimination and segregation. Tolbert connected his experiences in the factory at Baltimore to his experiences at NASP. 

 “At Crown Cork and Seal, we were building the planes, and in Pensacola, Florida we had to keep them flying, but not at first, because when we arrived at Whiting Field, they had had people of color, sailors, who had no particular training just… step work. But they had never had any trained or seaman, trained Blacks, trained to do any specific jobs. And so, then when we went to the hangar that morning to get our sheets assigned and get our assignment, they said they had never had any Negroes in the hangar, and they weren’t going to start with us. And since we’d been trained a week ago out on the field, we would become plane captains. . . . 

At each plane ... they had about 5 and 200 planes on the field and each plane had two people in charge.  They had a plane captain and the second mate. There was two men. You had to run the engines up in the morning and take care of the plane and then you had to sign a sheet saying that plane could fly that day. And if it couldn’t, then you’d say it couldn’t and you'd put on there what was wrong...The troubleshooters come down and take a look. 

Of course, I’ve never even driven a car. I didn’t know anything about an engine. Here’s a great big plane with these engines and I was going to be responsible for. But it didn’t take you long to learn. . .” 

Tolbert continued in this work, but after six months, he was up for testing for promotion. Due to the discrimination against himself and his peers, they had not been permitted to work in the hangar in the metal shop – what he had been trained to do prior to arriving in Pensacola. “We couldn’t be what we were trained to be.”  Tolbert and his peers were sent to an alternative school and tested in engine maintenance, to align with their new assignments as plane captains. 

Tolbert and his peers passed the test to become 3rd class Petty Officers. However, passing this course caused questions within the Bureau of Labor and upper levels of Navy leadership: “Why, if they trained us to be metalsmiths... why are we taking the machinists’ test? And they became very unhappy. . . . It was my understanding there was a shakeup in the Pensacola command.”  

Tolbert’s Memory: Discrimination on City Buses  

Tolbert’s memory of riding a bus in Pensacola stood out to him as part of the reason why being an African American service member in the area was challenging. 

"So much happened there in Pensacola I could go on for hours talking about our experiences… and I can remember when at Corry Field I got leave to come home and I decided to go into town to do some shopping to bring presents to my sisters and what not.  

Corry Field was two miles from Pensacola, so I went into Pensacola, and I did the shopping and when I came out with these bags and things, I knew the buses there. In Pensacola city buses – people of color had to put your money in the box. And white people sat in the front, so you got off and went in the back (doors). Sitting from back to front. 

And so, I had all these packages, and I did that (pay my fare), and I got on the back... And so there were sailors sitting on the side seat and this side seat... I sit down with all these bags and a voice rang out – “Shine on the side seat!” and the bus came to a stop.  

A little colored lady in the back said, ‘honey, they’re talking about you.’ And so the driver came back and said, ‘Sailor, I am sorry; I apologize. But it’s Florida law – you can’t sit beside white people or facing them or beside them.’ And see, I was facing the three white sailors, and I said, ‘Well I prefer to get off,’ and he said ok, and I got out the back door and he waited, and I went (up front) and he handed me my fare back.’ 

Conclusion 

Eventually, under examination and the “shakeup” in command, Tolbert and his peers were permitted to take the proper test to become aviation metalsmiths. He remained at Naval Aviation Station Pensacola until leaving the Navy in 1946. Tolbert published a book later in life, “A Most Unique Storyteller.”  Tolbert described his work as “An overview of my existence and survival behind Lady Baltimore’s soiled skirts and complicated community life until enforced civil rights." 

Reading 3: Interview

Background: The excerpt is from an interview of Pat Connelly. Connelly was a Specialist G (gunnery) in the WAVES in World War II. Connelly was from Appleton, Wisconsin, and served in Pensacola, Florida. The full interview is here as a part of the “Homefront Heroines” collection. 

Interviewer (Kathleen Ryan, KR): Tell me about, about instructing. You went down to Pensacola and got instruction at this point? 

Pat Connelly (PC): We went through the same program that the men did. We shot machine guns, shot guns, pistols. We did the whole thing,  as if we were going to be gunners. And then those who went on, sometimes to a more advance(d) gunnery. We were the very, very beginning. How to aim was what it really was. That's why we shot guns and machine guns and all. How to aim. 

And we were teaching how to aim at planes coming in at a point. When there's this Melrose -- what was the name of that big movie that was about the PB, the B17s? I took my girls to that. I said, "You see those guys? Those on the tunnel hatches and that sort of stuff? Or on the nose? The tail gunners? That's who I taught." 

KR: So you were teaching people who were flying in planes, aiming at planes. And people who were also - 

PC: The gunners, yes. 

KR: But would it be also people who were on the ground? Who were say, aboard a ship? 

PC: No, no. It was all in the air. . . . 

KR: That's got to be really hard to learn. How to shoot at a moving target while you're moving? 

PC: Well, it was, that was what we were teaching. How to aim ahead to allow for this, you know? And it was very basic then. Now they have computers. But then, we had this mock-up and we had a screen with the plane coming in and they would shoot. We could push something that would show if they were right or wrong. It was very basic there. When they went onto other ones, they did very different, more advanced type of shooting, you know. So that it was, we learned about aiming and allowing for distance and all. There was pretty -- there was something called a "pursuit curve" that the plane came in. They had to come in like this and there was one point here where they would turn. And that was where you had to hit them, to come in at you. Other than that, your gun was ahead of it. That was basically what we had. It was a four-week class and then they all went on. 

KR: So you ended up, you said you were in one of the first groups of women to do this? 

PC: I was in fourth one to go through. In there, there's a story about the first class being graduated, yes. 

KR: So you were the fourth group to go through. At this point they were kind of diversifying the types of jobs women could do in the military? 

PC: I think this was one of the first times they went beyond things like storekeeper and yeoman and all. 

“SNJ and NJ trainers at NAS Pensacola 1942”

Credit: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation

By the numbers:

• $4,866,000 allotted in January 1942 by the U.S. Government in improvements to Naval Air Station Pensacola (1942-1943) (Pensacola News Journal; April 23, 1944)

• NASP graduated 28,625 pilots during World War II, nearly half of the naval aviators who served.

• Allied pilots trained there included 2,775 British and 58 French pilots (Credit: U.S. Naval Institute)

• Escambia County contributed $114,054.96 to the 1945 Red Cross War Fund Campaign. Their quota was $93, 500. Top contributors included the Naval Air training stations and Fort Barrancas. (Pensacola News Journal; May 5, 1945)

Quotation to consider:

“While rejoicing, our hands and minds and hearts must be alerted to the remaining task ahead . . . There is still the pressing need for more and better trained aviators, aircrewmen and mechanics, for a big overhaul score by A & R shops, for an intensification of our combined efforts here in Pensacola and in the naval air training command. Let’s get on with the war.”

- Rear Admr. C.A. Pownall, USN, chief of naval air training, May 9, 1945; From article “Thousands Work Overtime Free in V-E Gesture: Navy Chief Tells Local Celebrants Peace Lies Ahead”

WAVES mechanics work on a North American SNJ (1944)

Credit: National Archives; Naval History and Heritage Command

Student Activities:

Questions for Reading 1 and Photos

1. Why was Pensacola and Escambia County developed as a military training and operations area?
2. What were some of the important locations of NASP and NATTC in Pensacola and Escambia County?
3. Who were the WAVES and how did they serve in the area?
4. What were some of the ways that Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens were used during World War II?

Questions for Reading 2

1. What challenges did Tolbert face while working at Crown Cork and Seal Company?
2. Why was joining the Navy not Tolbert’s first choice?
3. Tolbert called the southern stations the “Battle of the Southern Front.” What does he mean by this? Why would these not be desired duty stations for African American service members?
4. What discrimination and segregation did Tolbert face during his time of service in Pensacola?
5. Summarize the contributions of Calvin Lee Tolbert to the war efforts, both in industry and service.

Questions for Reading 3, Photos

1. What did Pat Connelly teach at the Pensacola Naval Air Station?
2. How did the training program that Connelly taught help to prepare gunners for combat?
3. Explain how Connelly's story reflects the changing role of women in the Navy (and military) during World War II.

Extension Activity

Naval Air Station Pensacola: Then and Now in Videos

Watch two videos: one showing “Then” (1930s-1940s) and one documenting “Now” (2021-on) of Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP). While watching, consider the following questions: 

• How has NASP developed over time? 
• What developments from World War II do you think are still seen within NASP? 
• How did NASP develop Pensacola as a home front city, and how does it continue to impact the area today? 

Videos 

• “Then”: NAS Pensacola's Golden Era of Training  (2:55) 
• "Now”:  “NAS Pensacola” (2:22) 

Profile of a WAVE: Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy

Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy overcame barriers to serve in the U.S. Navy. She joined the WAVES in 1942. She had been rejected the first time when applying, due to her race. As part of her Naval career, she spent a brief time at Naval Air Station Pensacola, where she became the first woman gunnery officer. 

“Susan Ahn Cuddy was the first Asian-American in the WAVES, the first female gunnery officer in the U.S. armed forces, the first Asian-American woman to work in naval intelligence, and the first Asian-American woman to be a codebreaker and section chief in the National Security Agency.” 

Read more about Lieutenant Cuddy and her service: 

• Article 1 (with video): Navy Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy Carved the Path for Asian American Women (by U.S. Department of Defense) 
• Article 2: Lieutenant Susan Ahn Cuddy: Asian-American Trailblazer (by Naval History and Heritage Command) 

Resources

“Corry Field is One Year Old as Auxiliary Base: Anniversary Just Another Day for Training Fliers.” The Pensacola News Journal. January 16, 1944.

Florida During World War II: State Library and Archives of Florida

Florida World War II heritage trail (floridados.gov)

Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida (navy.mil)

“Saufley Field Loses Legendary Character” Pensacola News Journal. April 25, 1943.

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This lesson was written by Sarah Nestor Lane, an educator and consultant with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, funded by the National Council on Public History's cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.