Skip to main content

Naval History and Heritage Command

2017.48 Kit Hess Collection

78 page oversized scrapbook, 6 loose photos, plus one hardcover book entitled “From My Memories.” Materials are from the donor’s grandfather, Lieutenant Commander William Neufeld. During World War II, Neufeld was instrumental in the development of the Navy’s pre-flight training schools. He had a particular emphasis on athletics in the program, and on development of relaxation techniques for naval aviators. Photography, charts, and diagrams in the scrapbook show a wide range of activities in pre-flight training, including obstacle courses, fitness tests, swimming, water landing simulator, relaxation techniques, sports, calisthenics, life raft training, survival techniques, and the survival museum that Neufeld helped design. Photos do not have captions. Neufeld’s autobiography “From My Memories” has a lengthy chapter detailing the specifics of his naval service during World War II and his role in the development of pre-flight training schools. Included with donation is a brief write-up of Neufeld’s relaxation techniques, as related by his surviving family.
Download Image:
Low (PNG, 319x319px, 76KB)
Med (JPEG, 1280x1280px, 259KB)
High (TIFF, 3584x2580px, 9MB)
Title: Kit Hess Collection
Caption: Collection photo # 2017.48.01: Naval aviators train for an emergency water crash landing, during pre-flight school.
Description: 78 page oversized scrapbook, 6 loose photos, plus one hardcover book entitled “From My Memories.” Materials are from the donor’s grandfather, Lieutenant Commander William Neufeld. During World War II, Neufeld was instrumental in the development of the Navy’s pre-flight training schools. He had a particular emphasis on athletics in the program, and on development of relaxation techniques for naval aviators. Photography, charts, and diagrams in the scrapbook show a wide range of activities in pre-flight training, including obstacle courses, fitness tests, swimming, water landing simulator, relaxation techniques, sports, calisthenics, life raft training, survival techniques, and the survival museum that Neufeld helped design. Photos do not have captions. Neufeld’s autobiography “From My Memories” has a lengthy chapter detailing the specifics of his naval service during World War II and his role in the development of pre-flight training schools. Included with donation is a brief write-up of Neufeld’s relaxation techniques, as related by his surviving family.
Accession #: 2017
Catalog #: 2017.48
Donor: Kit Hess
Copyright Owner: Naval History and Heritage Command
After this Year: 1940
Before this Year: 1946
Related Content
Topic
  • Aviation
  • Readiness--training and inspection
Document Type
  • Photograph
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
Navy Communities
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials
Author Name
Place of Event
Recipient Name