The Moths

A L4 Piper Cub Performing Reconnaissance and Target Acquisition
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Satellite reconnaissance, behind enemy line target acquisition and surveillance cameras. Medivac helicopters, Army and Navy pilot training aircraft. Courier services. Emergency and short run transport. All necessary in today's armed forces and fulfilled by a number of high-tech, purpose-built systems for each of these functions. In WWII, there was one solution, the Piper Cubs refereed to as "Grasshoppers" or Moths."

Just prior to the War, the Piper Cub civilian planes were getting notoriety while shuttling the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Generals Eisenhower, Patton and Marshall to a variety of functions. These small-engine J-3 Cubs were converted for military use at the request of the War Department. According to Bill Piper, Jr., son of founder and aviation pioneer, William T. Piper, “this involved painting the J-3's olive drab”.

This scanned page is taken directly from the original story. The entire transcript of the story along with commentary will be in the published version of "Winterline Stories"

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