USAAC/USAAF Training

[R Leonard]

I hope arrangements have been made to preserve and protect such important documentation. Multiple storage facilities, back ups, etc. It would be tragic if this information were to be lost. If you have the only source of VF-3's roster at the Battle of Midway (as an example) and it was accidentally lost it would be quite a loss.

Stuff like that I keep separate and safe, made copies long, long ago. These, and a select bunch of others, including photos, have their very own water/fire proof boxes. Kids have their instructions . . . if they don't want them, I'm sure Pensacola does.

 

[Akuma]

The noted Golden Eagles Chronolog is a great place for finding out who was where and when. Some time in the distant past I extracted all of those who served in the war years into a separate document that I keep handy. Most folks here have information on aircraft, for me that is merely incidental; what interests me is people, specifically naval aviators of the USN variety. I maintain a listing of, oh say at last count, last March, some 50,529 individual USN aviators, including NAPs with 185,065 entries, or somewhat less than four per person. When I stumble across a name of someone in a specific squadron or activity I check my lists to see if I have that particular piece of information. If I don't, then I add it for that individual. So, some individuals, such as Max Leslie have a bunch of entries, for others I have but their date(s) of rank and yet to find anything to place them somewhere. Deal with beaucoup squadron and station rosters going back to 1939 and as far forward as the end of 1945.

An abiding interest in Naval Aviation history leaves me with a couple of hundred book either on the subject or dancing around it. Then there are files, lots of paper, unit histories, correspondence, reports and such; and the many many hundreds of digital files, the majority of which are squadron rosters, war diaries, and action reports. And, of course all of these, books, papers, digital files, contain a plethora of information on aircraft, operations, descriptions, maintenance and other factoids. I retained all of my father's (he retired in 1971 after 33 years commissioned service a Rear Admiral) papers, official navy stuff and a couple of file drawer of correspondence. Frankly I have original historic documents that no one, even the Navy, has. If you were to see a listing of who was assigned which plane in VF-3 at Midway, that is because I have the only original of the squadron tactical organization and to go with that originals of all the post battle accounting.

As far as the great list of aviators is concerned, right now I'm spending most of my time on two documents, (1) the 1947 register of reserve officers to go back and pick up promotion dates after the last war issue of same (1 July 1944) and the end of the war, not to mention ensigns designated after that same 1944 issue and not promoted to LTJG until 1946 and later; (2) a NAS Corpus Christi volume which provides names and dates of designation as naval aviators for 1943 and 1944. I thought retirement would provide a hastening of the process, but with enough to do around here (have to paint the laundry room ceiling today) I can only make about 100 -150 entries a week.

Interest in training can be found through some diligent googling I am sure, I don't do a whole lot of that now since I've already made hundreds of search sweeps, but the info is out there, though sometime not necessarily where one might expect to find it . . . always a pleasant surprise. Training? This is a nice easy place to start.

Genuinely appreciate the above. I'm trying to find info on all types of flight training, especially military, during the pre-war years.

 

[tyrodtom]

The original question was about prewar USAAC/ USAAF training, but most of the answers so far, has been about Navy training.

 

[R Leonard]

Yeah, it did kind of branch off into the Navy. Anyone interested in how the USAAF did things, just about anything, should look to the USAAF Historic Studies. See
Numbered USAF Historical Studies

Maybe some of these . . . not that I've given any of them a whole lot of study

Initial Selection of Candidates for Pilot, Bombardier, and Navigator Training
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/1-50/AFD-090602-023.pdf

Pilot Transition to Combat Aircraft
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/1-50/AFD-090602-044.pdf

Preflight Training in the AAF, 1939-1944
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/1-50/AFD-090602-105.pdf

Organization of AAF Training Activities, 1939-1945
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090529-105.pdf

Combat Crew and Unit Training in the AAF, 1939-1945
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090601-030.pdf

Policies and Procedures Governing Elimination from AAF Schools, 1939-1945
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090601-096.pdf

The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917-1941
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090601-130.pdf

The Preflight Schools in World War II
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090601-131.pdf

History of the Air Corps Tactical School, 1920-1940
https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090602-019.pdf

 

[Akuma]

The original question was about prewar USAAC/ USAAF training, but most of the answers so far, has been about Navy training.

I read that the USAAF was training small numbers of fighter pilots in classic turning combat while training larger numbers in bomber and by extension transport flight due to 'The Bomber Will Always Get Through' concept. This is one of the important reasons that Claire Chennault got fed up with and left the AAF. I've also read that usually army pilots did not rack up as many flight hours due to having less money allocated than the USN.