Date Span: 1937-1978; Bulk Date Span: 1942-1958
The papers of Arnold B. Crank relate primarily to his service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, and his later service in the Air Force Reserve until 1958. A good portion of the collection consists of orders he received while in the armed forces, along with training, medical, and other military records. Also included in the collection are printed materials, maps, and one sound recording.
Size: Less than one linear foot (about 1,500 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: The Truman Library has received no donation of copyright interest in the papers in this collection. Copyright interest in these documents presumably belongs to the creators of the documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Mark Olson (2005) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
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1921 (June 2) |
Born Arnold Bernard Crank in Columbia, MO |
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1942 (September 23) |
Entered active duty in the US Army Air Forces |
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1942-1943 |
Underwent training at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, TX |
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1944-1945 |
Assistant Chief Pilot, 1403rd Army Air Forces Base Unit, European Division, Air Transport Command |
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1945 (February 14) |
Temporary promotion to Captain |
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1945 (March 11) |
Reclassified from Service Pilot to Pilot |
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1946 (October 19) |
Appointed to the U.S. Army Officers’ Reserve Corps |
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1947 (March 14) |
Promoted to Major |
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1958 (January 5) |
Eliminated from the Air Force Reserve |
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1989 |
Died in Independence, MO. |
The majority of the Arnold B. Crank Papers document his service in the United States Army Air Forces between 1942 and 1946, and his later service in the Army Officers’ Reserve Corps and Air Force Reserve between 1946 and 1958. The collection includes correspondence, memoranda, printed materials, membership cards, flight records, tests, air maps, personnel orders, special orders, operational orders, airplane check-out and maintenance forms, medical records, legal documents, health insurance forms, fuel invoices, and yearbooks. The collection is comprised of one series, a Subject File, arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.
Crank entered the Army Air Forces in 1942. He ended his training in April 1943 with the rank of second lieutenant. In 1944, he was transferred to the Army Air Forces 1403rd Base Unit in the European Theater of Operation. His duties involved piloting a C-47 (called a DC-3 in the civilian market) and other aircraft, which he used to shuttle personnel and important cargo between air fields. He did not fly in combat. At the end of his service in Europe, his commanding officer awarded Captain Crank a commendation for outstanding performance of his duties.
From 1946 to 1958, Crank served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, rising to the rank of Major. During his service in the Reserve, Crank was also employed by the Kansas City Star. At various times, he worked as both a press photographer and aviation editor, and became president of the Kansas City Press Photographers Association. On December 9, 1957, Crank presented former President Harry S. Truman with a plaque at an Association dinner. Crank died in Independence, Missouri, in 1989.
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Container Nos. |
Series |
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1-2 |
SUBJECT FILE, 1937-1978 Correspondence, memoranda, printed materials, membership cards, personnel records, yearbooks, and other items relating mostly to Arnold B. Crank's military service during and after World War II. Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically. |
[ Top of the page | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]
Box 1
- Air Force Reserve Orders
- Airman's Guide
- Air Maps
- Airplane Check-Out and Invoice Forms
- Airplane Flight Reports (Blank)
- Individual Flight Record
- Kansas City Press Photographers Party--Sound Recording
- Maintenance, Evaluation, and Delay Explanation Forms
- Memoranda and Correspondence
- Operations Orders [1 of 3; November 1943-April 1944]
- Operations Orders [2 of 3; May-December 1944]
- Operations Orders [3 of 3; July-September 1946]
- Periodicals
- Personal Affairs and Medical Records
- Personnel Orders
- Printed Materials
- Radio Facility Chart [1 of 4]
- Radio Facility Chart [2 of 4]
Box 2
- Radio Facility Chart [3 of 4]
- Radio Facility Chart [4 of 4]
- Special Orders [1 of 3; 1942-1944]
- Special Orders [2 of 3; January-August 1945]
- Special Orders [3 of 3; September 1945-July 1949]
- Tests and Operating Procedures
- Training and Service Records
- Yearbook--CAVU, Class 43-A; U.S. Army Air Forces, Goodfellow Field, Texas
- Yearbook--CAVU, Class 43-C; U.S. Army Air Forces, Goodfellow Field, Texas
- Yearbook--CAVU, Class 43-E; U.S. Army Air Forces, Goodfellow Field, Texas