Surprisingly, Loring, Dye, Dennison, Derrick, Field, Graves, Irgins, Johnson, Lamson, Lockett, Loshe, Porter and Wilson were not the last Americans to serve the interests of Egypt in the Gura Valley.

In 1941 and 42, the United States established an air base in the valley. Its mission was to support the RAF in its air war against Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps by repairing damaged British planes. The top-secret effort, known as Project 19, was staffed by civilians and managed by the Douglass Aircraft Corporation. Thousands of Americans took part in the project, which besides engineers included support staff ranging from neurosurgeons and dentists to drycleaners and barbers.

While members had to deal with uncommon challenges like hyenas and baboons, they also had access to such amenities as a nine-hole golf course, a first-run movie theater, and the best ice cream bar in the Middle East region. Most importantly, the Americans did their job, keeping the RAF in the air, and helping push the Germans out of Egypt. By late 1943, with Rommel back in Europe, Project 19 was shut down.

For more information on Project 19 and the U.S. Naval Repair Base at Massawa, see the Kagnew Station Homepage.