Wingspread"; Peterson Field Colorado Springs, Colo. Two issues of base newspaper; June 17th 1943, July 15th 1943

Colorado Springs, June-July 1943. 32cm. High quality coated paper for the covers, with the internal printed pages on uncoated paper. 8pp. per issue. A little soiling and wear to corners and extremities, otherwise very good, clean examples.

Textbook examples of the contrast between military newsletters and bulletins printed in country with official oversight and resources, and the more ad hoc productions from the various theatres of operations, on board ship etc. Wingspread is very clearly a piece of professional propaganda journalism, with a curated blend of local and wider news and headlines, syndicated (and somewhat unpleasant) cartoons from Sam Nash, one of the more popular wartime 'forces' cartoonists, sports, letters and chapel information on the rear page, and a suite of pages on uncoated paper laid in to the centre. The lack of staples or a binding method was probably not only less work intensive, but also allowed for the quick substitution of new stories or information should the situation change. The June 17th issue contains a story about the enforced registration of personally owned cameras, and a full page story on the importance of parachute maintenance. The July 15th issue leads with the fact that so many US airmen stationed in the UK are getting into bicycle accidents that it is becoming a genuine problem, and devotes a couple of inches on page 3 to the correct way to combat the effectiveness of a new Japanese explosive device.
In keeping with the manner of printing and distribution, Wingspread is one of the few such publictions with a visible presence in institutions, with 5 or so locations having at least some holdings.