RESTRICTED GoaREER SECURITY INFORMATION; ee Chapter Vit THE SEPTEMBER 30, 1042, REVISION OF THE GLIDER PILOT TRAINING OBJECTIVE Revision of Objective, While the Flying Training Command was endeavoring to effect the directive Of August 10, Headquarters initiated the inevitable and greatly needed study to rectify the elider program. It was realized that the program was completely out of phase and that glider pilot production was far in excess of existing and contemplated tac~ teal needs. The acute shortage of tow planes and the serious morale problem developing in the glider pools demanded an immediate and effective remedy. On September 25, therefore, A-3 forwarded 2 memorandum to the Chief of the Air » Staff which advocated a radical revision of the glider pilot training program. Recently, con- siderable discussion had occurred in Headquarters regarding the disposition ‘of available ‘Troop Carrier groups. This memorandum recommended that one group be permanently attached to the Flying ‘Training Command for advanced glider pilot training immediately, and another group by November 1. A redvetion of about 50 per cent in the glider pilot training objective wwas also recommended, Under the preceding directive, 7,800 pilots were to be produced by March 1, 1848. ‘This number was now to be reduced to 4,000 by that date, and thereafter taining was fo continae at thé rate of 400 @ month to provide a total of 8,000 by Dec ber 31, 1943. Effectuation of New Objective, The memorandum was approved by the Chief of the Air Staff, and on September 30, 1042, the Director of individual Traiping ia- 4 Structed the Flying Training Command to coaduet the glider program accordingly.” The training centers were immediately directed to effect the now program. All Preliminary Schools in the Southeast Training Contor were to be closed as viously planned, ‘This marked the discontinuation of training of Class B glider students.’ ‘accordance with this deciston and due to the fact that personnel necessary for the revised program were already on procurement, the Director of Individual Training advised the Civil ‘Aeronautics Administration on October’ 6 that Class B procurement was to stop. It was re- ‘quested,that only two more classes of £40 elementary trainees each be supplied, December 4 nd 18,4" ‘The Elementary Schools were to continue in operation at the rato of B16 ctudonts ‘2 class until all preliminary graduates including Civilian Pilot Trainees had been trained. ‘Then, all Elementary Schools were to be closed. ‘The civil contract Basic Schools, two in each training center, were to continue at maximum capacity until all elementary graduates had been given basic training. The Army Basle Schoot at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and the recently activated Basic School at Stark- ville, Mississippi, were to Dé closed at the discretion of the West Coast and Southeast Train. Ing Centers, When all students now in the glider program had recsived baste training, which ‘was expected to be around june, 1943, the basic course was to be increased to two months find was to be given at the six civil contract schools, Separate Elementary Schools were no longer to be employed. ‘The training course would consist of one month of dead stick land- ings in light airplanes’ and one month in training gliders. The Advanced Schools wage to con- tinue operating at maximum capacity until all basic graduates nad received training. Accumulation of Students in Pools, But the dowaward revision of the total objective, except by somewhal alleviating the materiel shortage, did not by any means solve the serious problems facing the Flying Training Command. The authorized decrease in stu- dent production rate, in {acl, tended to aggravate the rapid accumulation of trainees in pools ‘and prolong their prospective training period. 1. Memo for C/AS by A-3, Sept. 25, 1942, in AAG 999.9 3A, Glider Training, 2, APRIT to CG,AAFFTC, ‘Sept, 30, 1942, in ibid, 8, CGAAFFTC to Co's, TC's, Oct. 12, 1942, in AAG 360.01 B, Programs. Dally Diary, AFRIZ, ‘Oct, 6, 1942, CG,AAFPTC to CG's, 'C’s, Oct. 12, 1942, in AAG $60.01 B, Programs,On October 117, 1982, there were approximately nineteen hundred students awaiting ‘elementary training. It was believed, now that procurement by the Civil Aeronautics Admin {stration had boon discoctinued, that thie would be the maximum number t9 accumulate in this pool. By December 1 this pool should decrease to about twelve hundred trainees and be com- ‘the first month of 1943. About elght hundred stodents were awaiting ‘would probably increase to about twenty-six hundred by Febru- 5, a decrease was expected, with elimination by May, 1949. In ‘students awaiting advanced training, and’it was est!- furnished, the number would increase to approximately fgom now on all graduates were ‘Commissioned officers totignes. 10 Pilot trainees were casted ‘Act the Secretary of War was aumento no ight llcers from Structural Failure of the Eifteen-place Glider. The Flying Training Command had intended to implement advanced training at Stattgart, Arkansas, Lubbock, Texas Dalhart, Texas, and Victorville, California, a8 soon as the CO-4A gliders arrived. These ‘tations were staffed and prepared to begin training at once, but two bottlenecks daveloped. One of these was plaies, and the other, the structural failure of the new ff had the new gliders been procured, then they were all grounded tural failure of the CG-4A was perhabs ‘expanded too rapidly without sufficient testing Requirements. Despite this new revision of the jective, the materiel problem still remained unsolved. If the directive 1, 1043, was to be mot, the Flying Training Command required at Least for’ advanced training immediately. These were requested October 1G,AAF, Oct. 14, 1042, in AAG 359.9 3A, Glider ‘Training. \FRIT, Oct. $0, 1942, 12, Project Book of the CG,AAFFTC. 18, Ist Indorsement (AG,AAFFTC to CG,AFAMC, Oct. 21, 1942), AFRIT to CG,AAFFTC, Get, 22, 1043, in AAG 482.1, Gliders. (C4-2585,AFee SECRET a ‘The Director of individual Training concurred and requested A-3 to advance the date of arri- Jal of the allotted second Troop Carrier group a8 soon as posible, especially in view of the Tact that one ‘squadron of the Troop Carrier group then attached to thq Command was being BSnoved for partieipation in the October airborne maneuvers in Texas!* A-3 replied that the Foqiremeyts for these maneuvers precluded the assignment of the addtional grow prior to November. ‘The second Troop Carrier group, the @3r4, did not arrive until the middle of Novem er, some time after the scheduled date, ‘The dolay was caused by a sharp decline in factory: production and the fnet that many Troop Carzler alreraft had been shipped overseas unexpec- tedly for participation in combat operations. Again on November 18, 1042, the Director of Individual Training requested the Director af'War Organization and Movement through the Director of Air Support to make the pucectary tow planes and gliders available to the Flying Training Command. By this time the Command tad found that under the objective of September 30, 2 continuous total of 114 CG-4A gliders, plus 3 per eent a month attrition, and an equal number of tow planes of C-47 Gr C-80 type were required. After May 1, 1043, it was estimated that the requirements Youd decrease to 109 gliders and an equal number of tow planes. By early November only Minety lidere had been allocated to the Flying Training Command, and as it was desired to Sinety Gourh Advanced School at Victorville, California, as soon as possible, immediate allo- Ceiloo of an additional twenty-four CG-#A gliders was requested. Although the requisite iow Squidrons had at last been assigned to the Flying raining Command, they were without their fall complement of planes, Some of the squadrqps had only nine planes instead of thirteen, ‘and one squadron was without any planes at all, Coordination by the Director of Air Support was slow. On November 24 that office requested the Director of War Organization and Movement to assign the required twenty-four [lters, but added that the tow planes could not be allocated, for production of C-47 airplanes Gas nol even sufficient to meet other commitments. Headquarters, however, cognizant of the Teute tow plane needs of the Flying Training Command, had arranged for the allocation of fifty-two €-60 airplanes, plus 4 per cent altrtlon, the entire production through January, 1948, ‘and thoreaiter allocation of 4 per cent attrition and an eight-plane maintenance reserve. it gas hoped that aia later date additional C-60 alreraft might be allotted; however, Air Sxp- Dor: wes contemplating withtrawjge one Troop Carrie: equadron for every thirteen C-60's Gelivered for advanced training, On November 26 thirteen CG-4A gliders were made available by the Director of War Organization apg Movement with the promise of eleven more a5 Soon as they became ready for delivery. ‘Obviously, the Flying Training Command could not meet the glider training objective with the number of tow planes on hand. Consequatly, on November 24 it submitted « revised. Tiow chart showing the amount of training that might be reasonably expected with the ‘Troop Carrier airplanes then attached to the Command, It was requested that this new estimate be {nade the basis for further reyision of the glider pilot training program if sdditional tow planes could not.be assigned.?0 Once again, the necessity of integrating available materiel and pilot production indleated the need for further reduction of the glider pilot objective. 44. RAR No. 8, AFRIT to AFACT, Oct. 11, 1042, in AAG $53, 15, RGR No. 4, AFACT to AFRIT, Oct. 12, 1942; in tbid. 48, CG,AFTCC'to CGAAFFTC, Nov. 8, 1942, (o/AAFFTC Fil ©, Glider ‘Training. 17, RGR, AFRIT to AFROM through Director of Air Support, Nov, 18, 1942, in AAG 452.1 Gliders, (Director of Air Support hereinafter cited as AFRAS). i 18, R&R No, 2, AFRAS to AFROM, Noy. 24, 1042, in (bid. 19, ROR Wo. 3; AFROM to AFRIT, Nov. 26, 1642," in Ibid, 20, CG,AAFPTC to CG,AAP, Nov, 24, 1942, in AAG 353 A, Glider Training. SECRET 4-2508,AF