Chateauroux Air Station

Updated: 25 Aug 2010

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A Noble Saga
Written by Eric Archer

This is a page from the Chateauroux Air Station
Chateauroux, France Website

A Noble Saga
by Eric Archer*

On 4 September 2005, through an eBay auction, I acquired an uncommon U.S. Air Force aircrew holster to display with my collection of former USAF firearms. The seller was a militaria dealer from Crowborough, in the Wealden district of East Sussex. On 22 September 2005, after I unpacked my purchase, I began to clean the holster lightly. I unsnapped two fasteners to access all of the black finished leather. On the rough inside of a Y shaped strap that forms the belt loop, I found the left half of an old return address label with this information:
Major Da____
P.O. Box ___
Silk Purse Cont
APO 10, New

Through web research I was informed that APO 10 was assigned to Chateauroux Air Station beginning 9 July 1951. By searching for "Chateauroux" plus "Silk Purse," I learned an Airborne Command Post had been based at Chateauroux until 1965 when the operating unit, the 7120th Airborne Command and Control Sqdn (ACCS), was relocated to RAF Mildenhall.

The next day in bright daylight, I noticed a small blue ink marking on the rough inside of the holster pouch. Under magnification, I was able to make out five letters spelling NOBLE. Then began the quest to identify Major Da----- Noble, the user of the holster. A web search turned up a Major Daniel J. Noble who had been awarded the 14th and 15th oak leaf clusters to his Air Medal while flying F-84s in Korea. I later checked scattered issues of the Air Force Register for a Major Da----- Noble who was flight rated. I found the Korean War jet jockey, but he earned the permanent rank of Lieutanant Colonel on 1 July 1959, more than two years before the European airborne command post mission began.

Through web seaches I also had discoverd the Chateauroux website maintained by Jenelle Peterson. On 15 February 2006, I sent Jenelle a query seeking information on Major Da----- Noble of the Silk Purse Control Group. My query was promptly posted, but there was no answer until 10 May 2008 when Bill Kurasz phoned me.

A/2C William G. Kurasz served at Chateauroux in the 1616th Support Sqdn, Military Air Transport Service (MATS), from July, 1963 to July, 1965. Bill revealed that Major Da----- Noble was Dale Noble, an Army Signal Corps officer stationed at Chateauroux who served aboard Silk Purse Control Group aircarft.

Bill Kurasz made arrangements for me to phone the Nobles. We chatted for over two hours on 16 May.

The holster had been issued at Chateauroux to Major Dale Noble. He was assigned to the 7120th ACCS and flew aboard an EC-118A aircraft from Chateauroux and later from RAF Mildenhall. Dale also flew aboard the replacement EC-135 aircraft out of Mildenhall. He carried an Air Force issued .38 Special revolver with 4" barrel in the holster while flying. The holster and revolver were turned in at Mildenhall when Dale was transferred back to the U.S.

Dale was not flight rated but earned jump wings in the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in WW2. After the war he worked briefly as a USDA crop inspector. In 1947 Dale reenlisted in the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft Bragg. He was commissioned through Signal Corps OCS in 1952 and returned to Ft Benning for parachute jumpmaster's school. He later served in Signal Corps units in Korea, Japan, Germany (Karlsruhe), France (Perigaux) and the U.S. He was promoted to Major on 27 May 1963 before his Silk Purse Control Group assignment. The Army promoted him to Lieutenant Colonel after he returned to the U.S. from RAF Mildenhall. Dale retired from CENTCOM at MacDill AFB in July, 1970.

Bill and Carol Kurasz will be visiting the Nobles this Saturday (Flag Day). Bill will see if he can copy or photograph some material suitable for the Chateauroux website. One of Dale's souvenirs of Silk Purse Control Group service is an Air Force Commendation Medal. The yellow and blue ribbon looks great on Army green shade 44 uniforms, a combination not often seen.

Dale and Hazel Noble urged me to phone a friend from Chateauroux who had also served as a Communications Officer aboard Silk Purse aircraft.

Major Will Granger had served in several Air Force Communications Service units and earlier had accumulated over 5,000 hours as a troop carrier pilot. He retired from the Air Force in October, 1967. We talked briefly since his wife Barbara was making dinner. The Major happened to be the 7120th ACCS officer in charge of periodic handgun qualification. He confirmed that the handguns issued to the Silk Purse Control Group members by the Air Force were Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolvers with 4" barrels, a dull military finish, smooth walnut grips, and a lanyard loop on the bottom of the butt. These weapons, purchased by the U.S. Navy and by Army Ordnance during World War Two, are commonly called Victory revolvers by gun collectors.

About the author: Eric Archer, contributor of the saga of the NOBLE holster, enlisted in the Air Force and was discharged 18 April 1967. His one and only MAJCOM was Air Training Command a/k/a "The Flying Icre Cream Cone". All but two days of Eric's active duty was in the former Republic of Texas. He knew nothing about Chateauroux before he began to research the holster.