Joe ‘Smokey’ Caldara spent his youth in the Mt. Savage area where he gained notoriety as a sport figure and would go on to serve an illustrious career as a member of the US Air Force. Joe was born in 1909 and attended schools at Mt. Savage and Buffalo, NY. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 1931, he joined the US Army Air Corps. At San Antonio, Texas, he was a member of the first class to receive flight training at the new Randolph Field, known as the ‘West Point of the Air’. Caldara received primary flight training in open cockpit bi-planes that included the Consolidated PT-3 with a 180 hp Wright engine, the Douglas BT-2A with a 400 hp powerplant, a Curtiss PW-1 Hawk with a 300 hp Pratt & Whitney engine, and a Boeing P-12 fighter powered by a Pratt & Whitney 600 hp engine.
While undergoing training Joe Caldara gained the nickname, ‘Smokey’, a name that stayed with him through his lifetime. As a young, hot pilot he thought it appropriate to fly under a high tension power line. Caught in the act by his instructor, Caldara was called on the carpet, given a royal chewing out, and given the moniker ‘Smokey’ for his errant ways, hot dogging, and disregard of regulations. This resulted in his near elimination from the flight program. But Caldara proceeded to do well on his follow on check flight and proved his aeronautical expertise, enabling him to pursue his long military career.
After eight months at Randolph, ‘Smokey’ moved across the city of San Antonio to Kelly Field for advanced training in four phases of Air Corps Aviation which involved observation, bombers, attack, and pursuit aircraft. He flew the Curtiss P-10 gull wing bi-plane with a 600 hp Curtiss Conqueror engine followed by the large 13,000 pound LB-5 Keystone bi-plane bomber with two 420 hp Liberty engines. Next was the low wing attack A-8 Curtiss Shrike with a 675 hp Curtiss Conqueror engine and then the pursuit Boeing P-26 Peashooter low wing fighter with a 600 hp Pratt & Whitney powerplant. Completing his Aviation Cadet training, Caldara was awarded his Army Air Corps silver pilot’s wings and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in October 1932. The following Christmas Eve he married the former Christine ‘Crissie’ Finzel, also from Mt. Savage, then a junior year student at the University of Maryland.
At Kelly Field, Caldara was assigned to the highly sought single-engine aircraft, then known as pursuit airplanes. Although there were few differing aircraft in the Air Corps inventory at the time, Caldara flew almost every type including the Ford Tri-Motor. He visited the Mexico Farms Government Field several times flying a P-12, and once in a Keystone bomber that got stuck in the mud, requiring assistance from a team of horses to get to drier ground. Smokey used the Boeing P-12’s roaring engine and howling propeller to good advantage when he buzzed his home town of Mt. Savage. The high school principal let the students outdoors to see the modern and exciting aircraft in action.
Caldara’s Keystone bomber approaching Mexico Farms, and on the right Lieutenant Caldara in front of the Boeing P-12 in which he buzzed Mt. Savage.
Second Lieutenant Caldara helped establish Barksdale Field in Shreveport, Louisiana where he first met Major Millard F. Harmon, Commander of the pursuit group there. It is noteworthy that the Mexico Farms Government Field’s radio towers were dismantled and reinstalled at Barksdale Field in 1934.
Smokey left the Air Corps in 1934 but maintained his pilot skills by participating in the Air Corps Reserve program. During this time he was employed by the Goodrich Tire Company. In 1939, realizing that war was imminent, he returned to active duty with the rank of Captain. He then flew the North American AT-6 ‘Texan’, the Curtiss P-36 ‘Hawk’, the Lockheed P-38 ‘Lightning’, and the Curtiss P-40 ‘Warhawk’. Caldara visited Mexico Farms several times while stationed at Bolling Field in Washington, DC, usually flying an AT-6. Shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Joe was transferred to bomber units and was promoted to Major. After the US entry into WW II, Smokey and his crew brought a Boeing B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’ to Bolling Field from Sebring, Florida.
A reported sighting of enemy ships off the coast of Long Island, NY caused a wide alert to be sounded. Due to America’s lack of preparedness, the only airplane at Bolling or the Navy’s nearby Anacostia Field capable of fighting was a single AT-6. The AT-6 had but one 30 caliber machine gun used by Bolling Field pilots for aerial gunnery practice. However, all pilots, including Smokey, were sent on patrol in all the other aircraft available to patrol for possible enemy action, even though these craft were unarmed.
This T-6, photographed at Mexico Farms, displays the Bolling field insignia on the fuselage.
The now Lieutenant Colonel Caldara and his crew flew a B-17 to the Southwest Pacific theatre of operations at New Caledonia, passing through Hawaii. During the time of her husband’s overseas duty, Mrs. Crissie Caldara was persuaded to teach mathematics at Allegany High School by Principal Ralph Webster. Smokey used a tender expression ‘His Ever Lovin Dove’ in referring to his wife, borrowed from the comedic movie actor W. C. Fields. Caldara named his B-17 ’Ever Lovin Dove’ and Smokey piloted it as the first bomber to land at Henderson Field on Guadacanal during the fierce fighting with the Japanese forces in New Guinea.
Ironically, Major General Millard F. Harmon, Smokey’s friend from the Barksdale assignment, was the Army Air Force area commander and selected Caldara as his personal pilot. A late 1942 story as related by a new pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Guy M. Townsend (later to become a Brigadier General) involved Colonel Caldara who was piloting the ‘Ever Lovin Dove’ in the New Caledonia area. Extreme weather conditions existed with only an alternate possibility of ditching the B-17 in the ocean. This situation forced Smokey to attempt a hazardous instrument approach at Townsend’s base. The landing approach at this base was treacherous and was such that a most unusual ‘home made’ timed approach was designed with descents and turns to be made at critical key points. The young Lieutenant Townsend was able to talk Caldara through this approach with the weather so bad that the runway could not be observed until just at touchdown. After this precarious approach and safe landing it became known that Colonel Caldara’s passengers were Generals Twining, Harmon, Jamison and Everest as well as Admirals Halsey and Nimitz. The VIP’s were congratulating Smokey for the most outstanding flying the generals and admirals had ever observed. Colonel Caldara turned to Townsend and said, “Lieutenant Townsend is the one responsible for our safe landing”. Caldara then asked Townsend how long he had been a 2nd Lieutenant, and Townsend replied, “Since May, Sir”. Colonel Caldara then stated, “Well, you are now a First Lieutenant”. It should be noted that this B-17 was the same as the aircraft displayed at the Cumberland Airport in 1946. This was also the same aircraft flown by General Nathan Twining.
At New Caledonia Smokey became acquainted with Charles A. Lindbergh, one of America’s greatest and most revered heroes. Lindbergh was teaching pilots the techniques of aircraft engine fuel control management in order to increase fuel savings and extend the range of wartime operations. Later, this long range technique enabled Lockheed P-38 ‘Lightning’ fighters to fly greater distances and have an increased time in the war zone. This enabled the pilots to intercept and shoot down a Japanese ‘Betty’ Bomber, as it was known by the Americans. The ‘Betty’ aircraft was transporting Admiral Yamamoto, the architect of the sudden Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.
While Colonel Caldara was assigned on a temporary assignment to the Pentagon in Washington, the ‘Ever Lovin Dove’ was shot down. After a period of time local natives found the air crew safely on a deserted island. After returning to New Caledonia, Lt. Colonel Caldara welcomed Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, during her tour of the South Pacific theatre of war. Mrs. Roosevelt had traveled to New Caledonia on board a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber. General Harmon adopted this B-24 for his personal aerial travel and again designated Caldara, who was now a full Colonel, as his pilot. Colonel Caldara named the B-24 ‘Ever Lovin Dove II’.
Smokey stated he never like this particular Liberator and always tried to manage the fuel by switching tanks or transferring fuel whenever General Harmon, an inveterate cigarette smoker, was not lighting up. Often General Harmon would use enroute flight time to catch up on his sleep. Colonel Caldara, as pilot in command, would instruct a crew member to stand by the General and, if necessary to admonish him not to smoke, fearing he would awaken and light up without forethought. After Smokey moved to another assignment and left the crew, the ‘Ever Lovin Dove II’ departed Pearl Harbor, with General Harmon onboard, and was never heard from again. No evidence of a crash or oil slick on the ocean was every located. Smokey told his wife he felt the B-24 could have exploded. The author, as a former B-24 pilot, was aware that when a Liberator wing fuel tank leaked gasoline it would flow into the bomb bay area creating a potential dangerous situation for an explosion. For that reason, Poling relates from his experience, the B-24’s were flown with the bomb bay doors slightly open to allow for ample ventilation of the fuel from that area.
By the end of WW II in September 1945, Colonel Caldara had become the Assistant Chief of Staff of Air Operations in the South Pacific. In 1946 he attended the Air Force Air War College back in the US. From 1947 to1949, Colonel Caldara’s duty station was in Alaska as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Alaska Air Command. Boeing B-17’s and Boeing Superfortress aircraft were bombers operating in that area. Since Air Force regulations precluded government transportation of animals, Smokey and Crissie drove their automobile to Alaska over the then crude Alcan Highway. Abroad was her pet German Shepherd dog. Mrs. Caldara relates that with Smokey’s rank they were usually able to obtain good housing, but there were times when the opposite was true. Due to a mix up in orders regarding base housing, the Caldara’s endured a stark period during their first winter at Anchorage. Their accommodations consisted of a rented one room log cabin, with only a fireplace for heat and cooking and only an intermittent water supply. Smokey advanced to the Chief of Staff in the Alaska Air Command the following year and they were then able to obtain quarters on the base.
Caldara again met Charles Lindbergh as he traveled through Anchorage and their discussion turned to German Shepherd dogs. Smokey invited ‘Lindy’ to his home to see their German Shepherd and, as it was Thanksgiving Day, Mrs. Caldara had the rare privilege of inviting Lindbergh to their traditional turkey dinner. Crissie recalls that she was apprehensive regarding Lindbergh due to his pre-WW II ‘America First’ activities to endeavor to isolate the US from the war in Europe. However, she found Lindbergh to be a friendly and likable individual who readily discussed his famous 1927 New York to Paris solo flight in the Ryan monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis.
Caldara’s next assignment was to Fort McNair’s National War College in Washington. He then moved to the Pentagon as the Air Force member on a team working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which was followed by a move to the 15th Air Force at March Field in California. After transferring the 55th Air Wing, equipped with highly modified B-29s, known as Boeing B-50 bombers, from Puerto Rico to Topeka, Kansas, Caldara was promoted to Brigadier General and given command of the 21st Air Division in 1952. When the Korean War ended, Smokey was given command of the Far East Bomber Command in Japan. Subsequently, he activated and was given command of the 3rd Air Division on Guam which flew the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress inter-continental bombers.
General Caldara was perhaps best known for his dedication and innovation in the field of flight safety. In the 1950’s, at Forbes Air Force Base in San Bernadino, California he became the director of the Flight Safety Division overseeing the total Air Force effort in reducing aircraft accidents. It was there that he was promoted to Major General. His efforts were directed towards overseeing the total Air Force effort to reduce the number of aircraft accidents. The dedicated and innovated approach taken by General Caldara in his five year program was instrumental in an accident rate dropping from 22 for each 100,000 of flying hours to a then all time low of 4.5 per 100,000 hours. This was during a time when total flying hours increased and jet supersonic fighters became the stable of much of the Air Force flight effort.
During visits to Edwards Air Force Base in California, General Caldara became a Mach 1 pilot when he broke the sound barrier in a North American F100F ‘Super Sabre’ jet fighter, a two place aircraft. The speed of sound at sea level is approximate 670 miles per hour. Later he flew a Lockheed F-104 ‘Starfighter’ at Mach 2, or twice the velocity of the speed of sound.
General Caldara never lost sight of his roots in Mt. Savage and frequently returned to this area whenever any opportunity was available. During his tour of duty as the head of Air Force Flight Safety, Betty Mullenax, as the secretary on the Cumberland Airport, recalls that General Caldara visited the airport at least five times. He would often generously bring as passengers enlisted Air Force personnel who had family in the area. The author recalls that in the 1960’s, the General flew into Cumberland on one occasion during his tour of duty as the head of Air Force Flight Safety. As observed by the author, Caldara was piloting a Douglas C-54 and proceeded to make a left hand approach to the old runway 06 maneuvering the four-engine Air Force aircraft closely around the existing airport beacon and over Wiley Ford. He made an extremely close in base leg, especially for a large aircraft, and planted the big bird on the first part of RW 06. It was an impressive sight to see.
As a result of the success of Smokey’s inter-related programs, he was designated the first Deputy Inspector General of Safety. Consolidated under his command were all of the Air Force safety functions which involved air, missile, nuclear, and ground safety. General Caldara retired from the Air Force in 1964. He continued in the aviation safety field, serving for four years as the President of the Flight Safety Foundation, Inc. After retiring from this position Smokey continued to be consulted by several aviation companies, including the major airlines. The Caldara’s resided in North Arlington, VA and, with finally full retirement, later resided in Sun City, Florida. Major General Caldara passed away in January, 1995 at the age of 85.
Joe Caldara as a young pilot standing by a P-12, and nearing retirement in his Major General’s uniform.
General Joe Caldara served his country with meritorious distinction, and Mt. Savage’s ‘Favorite Son’ will be long remembered.
(Many of the interesting facts were related by Mrs. Christine ‘Crissie’ Caldara, the General’s widow and life long companion, who is a most charming lady appropriately proud of her husband’s accomplishments. Suter Kegg, well known Cumberland Times-News writer, also provided useful information in a 1995 article.)
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Wings Over Cumberland 