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Old 07-05-2009, 08:47 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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You might want to take a look at how the U.S. Army on Bataan handled the Army Air Corps for some insight into this matter. Back then, it was assumed that the air corps enlisted men had gone through basic and knew the basics of infantry work, but the pilots and other officers? Nope-very few had been to West Point or ROTC, and had their officer training while learning to fly. They did find some infantry officers and NCOs who were "currently unattached" to be assigned to the Provisional Air Corps Regiment, so that some of the more experienced pilots could go over to the two airfields on Bataan and fly the remaining handful of P-40s and P-35s. But most of the pilots (2nd Lts) were used as grunts. One of them, who got fatally wounded and died on the OR table, said it best as they were taking him into surgery "A ten-thousand dollar pilot shot to hell in the infantry." They were mainly used for rear-area protection (there were several Japanese amphibious landings behind the main defense line on Bataan, and the air corps men were used to root them out)
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