COL William W. Ford continued as director of the Department of Air
Training at Fort Sill, OK, until January 1944, when he was given a field
command. MAJ Wolf was the executive officer until COL Ford’ departure,
when, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he became director.
Private contractors under the auspices of the AAF continued to conduct
primary flight training for AGF pilots. However, this training was
discontinued at Denton, TX, in November 1943 and conducted only at Pittsburg,
KS, until the end of 1944.
The AAF then terminated its contracts with the civilian flying schools.
Beginning in January 1945, the AAF used its instructors to conduct primary
flight training for AGF pilots at Sheppard Field, TX.
Relations between the AAF and AGF concerning the training of ground
forces personnel were less stormy between 1943 and 1945 than before or what
occurred later.
From mid-1942 through 1945, flight classes generally began every 2 weeks;
the class size usually ranged from around 20 to 40 students – depending on
the need for pilots at a particular time. The primary phase of the training
lasted from 11 to 14 weeks, and the advanced phase, conducted by the AGF at
Fort Sill, from 5 to 14 weeks.
The length of the course had to be shortened from time to time because of
serious shortages of trained pilots at the front. According to one
respectable study, 2,630 pilots and 2.252 mechanics had been trained by the
end of WWII.
There were two significant additions to the training conducted at Fort
Sill during the latter part of the war. First, seaplane training was
inaugurated for pilots and mechanics in April 1944. Second, the Department
of Air Training began conducting training on the use of the Brodie device in
October of that year.
On 7 December 1945, the Department of Air Training of the Field Artillery
School was redesignated as the AGF’s Air Training School. The commandant
of the Field Artillery School, Major General Louis E. Hibbs, was named
commandant of the new training school. COL William W. Ford was named
assistant commandant for air training. The AAF continued to provide the
primary flight training at Sheppard Field until May 1946.
During the course of WWII, organic Army Aviation gained the acceptance
and acclaim of almost all AGF leaders. From 1943 until the end of the war,
field commanders incessantly requested more organic aircraft. Even the AAF
came to accept the validity of the fundamental concept of organic
observation.
In the last major wartime air forces attempt to takeover in January 1944,
for example, GEN Arnold proposed to leave the liaison aircraft under the
field control of the ground forces units to which they were assigned, while
establishing AAF ownership of planes and personnel.
They very survival of organic Army Aviation, throughout the war and the
subsequent period of demobilization, was itself a significant achievement,
as well as a tribute to the WWII era pioneers. This was especially true in
the face of the initial skepticism of many ground leaders and the determined
opposition of the AAF.
The success of these pioneers on the battlefield, on planning boards, and
in the Pentagon ensured Army Aviation would live on and be afforded
opportunities to prove itself.
