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WW1 bombing target

Discussion in 'Living History' started by RabidAlien, Mar 18, 2011.

  1. RabidAlien

    RabidAlien Ace

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    Not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, but here's the story: at work the other day, I was in between computer meltdowns (ie....users being idiots), and decided to check and see if there were any geocaches in the area (Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site). I found one at a nearby private airfield, Hicks Field. Reading a little bit about the cache, my ears perked up at the mention of a WW1 era bombing target. I checked Google maps, and after some zooming and comparison with a really close view, I finally found it. Its a sunken concrete outline of a biplane. The Canadians used the field (then known as Taliaferro Field) as a training base; one site reported that the Canadians bragged about being able to land and/or launch a plane every 50ish seconds. They'd line up and strafe these silhouettes, or drop bags of flour on bombing runs, and the field itself was used in WW2 as well (not sure about the targets). All but one have been lost to time and urban sprawl, but this one. It is in a farmer's field, who recognized its significance and has taken great pains to keep it preserved. He's fenced it in and plowed around it, and from what I've read does not allow casual wanderers to crawl all over it. Personally, I'd love to see it up close! But I recognize and respect what he's doing.

    Anyway, here's some Google pics, and a link to a site with some aerial photos.


    General vicinity shot, just north of Fort Worth, west of Dallas (in Saginaw)
    View attachment 12909

    Top arrow is location of target, bottom arrow is where one of the companies I IT for is located. Soooo close!
    View attachment 12910

    Zoom in pic from Google Maps.
    View attachment 12911

    website with image and story (click on the T
    aliaferro link)
    http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/TX/Airfields_TX_FtWorth_NW.htm#taliaferrotarget
     

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