Black Wings Tour: Engineer Aviation Battalions

Stand in front of the C-46, where you’ll see the Engineer Aviation Battalions diorama. Many African-Americans served in support units during World War II, and the Engineer Aviation Battalions, or EAB, with their skilled engineers and construction workers, were one of the more significant support units. The self-contained EAB became the core of aviation engineering efforts during the war. The original concept envisioned a small group of skilled construction and engineer troops, closely trained alongside air units, with the ability to repair bomb-damaged airfields, to camouflage airfields and if necessary, to defend airfields. These troops would also be capable of constructing light duty airfields in forward locations. Aviation engineers employed the same basic construction techniques around the globe. After an area had been cleared of trees or other obstructions, Caterpillar tractors towing carryalls cleared the area. Most of the black EAB units formed during World War II served in the Pacific or China- Burma-India Theaters of Operation. The first two black aviation engineer units shipped out of the United States were the 810th EAB and the 811th EAB. Between December 1941 and December 1942, the number of battalions jumped from 12 to 51, and three-quarters of them were already overseas.