WWII Pilot Class Books

[5thwingmarty]

I am trying to compile a database of as many of the classes from each of the pilot training classes as I can find references for. In going over the classes I have at least seen references for, I have never seen a class lettered "L" such as 43-L or 44-L, only classes lettered A-K. In looking at the information available online, I saw a reference to one advanced twin school which said they graduated a class every month there, which would imply they would have had L-lettered classes.

 

Has anyone here seen a reference to a pilot class lettered "L"?

 

Note, I have a book for a Liaison Pilot class which was class 43-L-4, but in this case the "L" stood for Liaison, not the individual class letter.

 

Also, if anyone has information on how many classes graduated from specific pilot schools please let me know.

 

Marty

[38Driver]

I keep my eye out for Williams Field graduating class books and the highest I've seen is K.

 

I know that 44-C graduated in March and 44-D graduated in April so it seems to be monthly.

[38Driver]

Looking at my Copy of 43-K it appears that class graduated in December 43. I'm guessing with weather and other issues they spaced classes enough to allow for it?

[5thwingmarty]

Thanks. Do you know what the first pilot class at Williams was? The earliest I have seen is 43-B for pilots there.

[38Driver]

I just picked up a graduation program for 43-H and it has a list of award winners from previous classes. Earliest shown in that instance is 42-D. Ken Sparks of 39th FS P-38 fame in the PTO was a member of Class 42-D

[38Driver]

For what it's worth I recently picked up an early copy of a Williams Field book. Interestingly enough it contained the last class of 1942, 42-K and the first class of 1943, 43-A.

 

That seems fairly strong indication that there were no L classes

[5thwingmarty]

Thanks again. I recently stumbled across a website for Douglas Field in Georgia which had a Primary school during WWII. http://wwiiflighttraining.org/

 

The site has a database of all the men in all the classes there at the school, which were:

 

42-D to 42-K

43-A to 43-K

44-A to 44-K

45-A to 45-C

 

Pretty clear evidence that the pilot classes only went from A to K. I know there was at least one exception to this, class 42-X at Randolph Field which was an experimental class that skipped learning to fly in primary training planes and went straight into basic training planes.

 

The database includes information on many of the men who trained at this filed, including where they went on to basic and advanced training or if they became navigators or bombardiers.