With the increase in training, all areas of operation and support also expanded. Additional flight crews were formed to meet the needs for the increase in the number of B-24 Liberators and training missions. All existing flight crew members and potential future flight crews of the B-24 Liberators, received aerial gunnery training. Liberator flight crew members and any potential future crew members had to qualify in the maintenance and operation of the various defense weapons on board the aircraft.The armament consisted of .30 and .50 caliber weapons. The training included the use and operation of the Ball Turret Gun, Top Turret Gun, Port and Starboard free standing weapons. Basic training was taught at the Training Center at MCAS, Cherry Point, NC. The Training Center was a large two story wooden structure which housed many specialized pieces of training equipment for the teaching of the many various skills and trades used at Cherry point. The Training Center housed simulated Turret Gun Systems, Ball Turret Gun Systems,.30 caliber and .50 caliber free standing weapons. Personnel worked with the automatic gun turrets and learned how to use the other weapon systems. They also learned how to track and lead a moving target based on the relative air speed of both aircraft. During 1944, the Training Center caught fire and was destroyed. The wooden structure was ravaged by the fire and was destroyed in a matter of minutes. There were inadequate fire fighting resources to save the building. Advanced training took place at Bogue Banks, on the outer coast of North Carolina. All the same type weaponry used at the Training Center at MCAS, was installed on the outdoor gunnery range at Bogue Banks. The practice targets were towed on a long line by low flying aircraft. The trainees used live ammunition in practice and they had the opportunity to check out and use all of the various gun installations at the gunnery range. To assist the gunnery students with their target tracking, tracer shells were interspersed with the regular ammunition. This let the gunner watch where his shells were going relative to the target. While the theory of using tracer shells to monitor the gunners ability to lead and track moving targets, the use of tracer shells did have some short comings. With the entire gunnery range firing at the same target at the same time, it was nearly impossible to determine which tracers were yours. One Aerial Gunnery Class was made up of 26 2nd.Lts., some of whom were to become the squadrons future B-24 Liberator pilots. Other officers in the group were navigators. 1st. Lt. A. Burns was the officer in charge of this select group. When this paticular class completed their gunnery training course and returned to Cherry Point, the pilots who scored the highest in their gunnery class, were assigned to become the fighter pilots who would fly the F6F Hellcats providing cover for the squadron on Photo Reconnaissance Missions. The other officers would become the B-24 Liberator pilots.