I'm writing a story which has a kid in it who can't wait to get into action during world war two. He is young, which makes it harder for him. Can I have some help so that I'm historically accurate? I read in The Tiger Is Dead that during World War II, if a seventeen year old had parental permission, he could join the Marines at seventeen. Did this go for other branches of the military as well? For instance the Army Air Corps? Also I read that there were kids who lied about their ages, for instance there was one thirteen year old who was fighting in the South Pacific. Does anyone know if this was difficult, or if the recruitment officers were ready and willing to believe. And also, does anyone know about how long fighter training would take i. e. from enlistment to deployment as a fighter pilot, in 1943-44?
It was not hard for underage men to join. I took care of a man one time (I used to be a nurse) that swiped his older brother's birth certificate, enlisted in the Marines and lost his leg to a land mine shortly after he turned 16.
Yes, but finding it will be the trick... edit... Okay, I found it. From 1943 on: Classification Detachment 1-5 months Pre-flight Training - 7-10 weeks Primary flight Training - I can't find a set time for this 60 hours in open cockpit planes 94 hours - academic work 54 hours military training. Each cadet had to make 175 landings. - 6 weeks? Ground School - 96 hours, I'm guessing about 2 weeks or so Advanced Flying School 10 weeks Transition Training - to learn to fly the assigned combat aircraft - 5 weeks. Minimum of around 34 weeks - maximum 53 weeks. Once they made to the squadron, they still had more traing there before they were turned loose. The amount of time varied.
The only way I can think of a real "youth" making it into the USAAC (F) would be for him to have engaged in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) which had opened up in 1938 (I think) to train young pilots for eventual air service. The lower limit for the ground school was I think 16, but the length of the training would put him into age 18 or so by the time all the courses were completed. The Civilian Aviation Administration (CAA) pre-dated the FAA, and young men and women could also get a private license through their auspices if they had access to a plane. That is how my Dad got his CAA license pre-war, his best friend's Dad had a Stearman bi-plane, and both boys got their licences before they graduated from high school in 1940, when he was 17 going on 18. So when the Japanese attacked Pearl, he and Lloyd drove down to Helena and stood in line to enlist in the Air Corps, which was its name at the time. With their private licenses in hand their training time was shortened considerably, but still by the time he became an enlisted (blue pickle) C-47 pilot and was deployed to the MTO (first) it was very early 1943 and he turned 21 later that year. So, even with his "leg up" he didn't get to flying in enemy contested air-space for a full year or more. But then again he had to transition to multiple engines, and that took time of course. I don't see how a really "young/underage" guy could get into fighter combat in WW2 with any ease or by using duplicious (sp?) paper work.
We need to know more about the protagonist of your story. For the USN. The youngest pilot was Captain Charles S. Downey. He was commissioned on July 16, 1943, when he was 18 years, 11 months, and 14 days old. Ex-President was the second youngest naval aviator when he was commissioned 3 days before his 19th birthday. However, neither were fighter pilots, Downey flew dive bombers and Bush was in an Avenger torpedo bomber. See these sites for more details: Downey http://www.meyersaircraftowners.org/downey%20bio.pdf Voices of History: On wings of freedom - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star Bush LT(JG) George Bush, USNR Also a article about the youngest Tuskegee pilot, retired Lt. Col. Edward Drummond. http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/02/1...pilot-reflects-on-past-experiences/index.html I haven't found the youngest fighter pilot for the USAAC, however looking at the bios of some of the top US aces, both Raymond S. Wetmore and Clarence "Bud" Anderson were both 20 years old when commissioned as pilots. You can read their Wiki bios here: Raymond S. Wetmore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bud Anderson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia You also have Dominic S. Gentile, another American ace, he tried to join the USAAC in 1940, however, the USAAC wanted their pilots to have at least two years of college. Gentile, just out of high school did not have the college back ground, so he went and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He would get his wings on November 11, 1941. Dominic Salvatore Gentile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Twenty Five Milk Runs and a Few Others - Google Books Don Gentile - "Help! I'm Being Clobbered Down by the Railroad Track."<img src="wwi/se5a.jpg" width="607" height="351" alt="" border="0"> So, it would seem that a "under-age" pilot is out of the question. However, a work around could be that he enlists while "young" serves some time, and the later transfers to the aviation branch of whatever service he is in.
Thank you all for your help. To clarify. The character in question isn't actually the protagonist, but the protagonist's little brother, and his main purpose, story-wise, is he is going to crash-land in France and be captured, making the protagonist want to try to free him. So actually, he doesn't have to be a fighter pilot at all; it's just that i thought of that first. But he could be a gunner, navigator, or radio officer on board a bomber. Does anyone know how long it would take from enlistment to takeoff on the first mission, on average. I just need to make sure my time frames aren't way off. It looks like they would be if he was going to be a fighter pilot.
The numbers above are pretty much the across the board for any type of pilot, transport, bomber or fighter. No matter what, you are looking at 9 months to a year to get to an operational squadron.
Eighteen months is a more realistic time frame for enlistment to combat as a pilot, and 24 months was not uncommon. The USAAF training program varied in length depending on the time frame, but the basic program required 58 weeks if each phase ran exactly nose-to-tail, which was never the case. The program consisted of 5 weeks basic military training; 7 weeks pre-flight; 12 weeks each for primary, basic and advanced flying; and 10 weeks transition training. Newly formed bomb and fighter groups took roughly another 6 months to prepare for overseas movement. Replacement crews would go overseas following transition training. Again, lengths could be slightly different depending on the period, but those are typical. The Training Command could not handle in influx of enlistment post-Pearl Harbor, and it took time to expand to where it could. The reality is that the 18 month mark (i.e. Summer of ’43) was when the first trickle of post-Pearl inductees began to arrive in theater. The floodgates opened in the Winter/Spring of ‘43/44 and resulted in the rapid expansion of the AAF.
But if he was not a pilot, but another member of a bomber crew, for instance a radio officer like my grandfather was, would that be the same amount of time too?
If he's enlisted it would likely cut the time somewhat. Navigators and the pilots of multiengine aircraft were officers. Gunners weren't I'm not sure about radio operators. In 44 he could also potentially be a paratrooper or glider soldier involved in one of the airborne ops. If based near a bomber base he might also be able to talk his way onto a plane for a single mission. Not sure if that would "fly " or not.
Navigator school was a 20 week course. All navigators and bombardiers were also required to attend the 6 week flexible gunnery course. Radio operators were enlisted, and were all gunners. The radio operator course was also 20 weeks.
