P-51s were common, flying high and low over the area. Then F-86s were added to the mix. One saw these several times a week, both always flying in pairs. I still think the P-51 and F-86 were the most beautiful airplanes ever built, but that's probably just a generational thing.

At the same time period, '47, '48, '49 and early '50 there were many convoluted contrails high overhead indicating many smaller and larger airplanes maneuvering if not violently at least with some abandon. (I think the advent of the Korean Conflict diverted that activity to the Far East.)

And the chaff, small aluminum strips, was abundant on the ground. As I recall those strips were 3/4" to 1" wide and shorter than that used in WWII, about 3 to 4"s long. The Air Force was either lucky or at least suppressed publicity, because very often the bundles of strips did not come undone and one could find clumps of 8 oz to a pound of them rather easily. Those suckers had to hit someone once in a while. The strips, though, were very thin and an 8 oz clump fairly large.

Different times.