They Also Flew: The Enlisted Pilot Legacy, 1912-1942

Military pilots' wings were not always an officers' monopoly. Enlisted men flew before and during WW I. A congressional act of 1926 established a theoretical peacetime quota of enlisted pilots. With national mobilization in 1940, men whose formal educational qualifications fell below those required for commissioning were trained as sergeant pilots. In peace or war, however, enlisted pilots were seen as lacking command authority in too many crucial situations. In 1942 the program was abolished; most of its graduates were commissioned. First-time author Arbon substitutes anecdotes for analysis, describing individual experiences instead of addressing the relationship between technical proficiency and command. He also ignores the contemporary Navy and Marine Corps experience. Despite its shortcomings, this groundbreaking account may spark a comprehensive treatment of its hitherto-forgotten subject. Illustrated. (June)