In the late 1930s, over 150,000 aviation-loving volunteers wanted to use their skills and planes to protect their country. The Civil Air Patrol was born a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, the Civil Air Patrol logged over 500,000 flight hours and sank two enemy submarines. The Civil Air Patrol has an interesting history from World War II to the present day. In the early stages of the Civil Air Patrol, there was a strong need for national defense on the east coast, where German U-boats had sunk multiple cargo ships and were replenishing within miles of the coast. The U.S. Army Air Force had made the decision to allow the Civil Air Patrol to fly ninety-day test patrol missions up to one hundred and fifty miles off the East Coast to search for enemy submarines. While the Civil Air Patrol aircraft were unarmed, they served as a valuable asset in calling for support from Navy, Coast Guard, and Army aircraft to designate fire on the enemy. During the 90-day trial period, three Civil Air Patrol bases were established along the East Coast to conduct coastal patrol. First base was in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Second base was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and third base was in Lantana, Florida. These patrols generally last from two to four hours depending on the type of mission, whether it is escort or patrol. On escort missions, Civil Air Patrol aircraft escorted merchantmen and cargo ships fifty miles until they had to RTB (return to base) due to fuel shortages. It was not until May 1942 that the Air Corp and the government saw the need to arm CAP aircraft when a Civil Air Patrol plane sighted an enemy submarine off the coast of Cape... middle of paper... .. can and, if possible, find the plane. All cadets can be considered more responsible and reliable than most. They have little room for jokes and no room for negligence or error. Every “real world” operation carried out by Civil Air Patrol can have a negative outcome if all parties do not give their best effort. Every operation carried out by Civil Air Patrol, whether training or not, must be carried out with maximum discipline and control to obtain the best result available. Works Cited http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/about/Citation. https://suite.io/andrew-glikin-gusinsky/59s62m4Citation. http://www.gawg.cap.gov/sar.htmQuote. http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/guarding-the-home-skies/Citation. http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/about/history_of_civil_air_patrol/Citation. http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/about/from_the_national_commander/