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Question about Woman's Glider Flight Pay


kanemono
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I have a very nice group to a woman who served with the 8th Air Force in England. I sent for her records but it seems her records were lost in the fire, however, I did receive some pay records. These are very confusing. The pay sheet discusses in detail how "Glider pay is claimed for people named on this payroll", and another sheet lists four women with an amount due four times their base pay. I will post the sheets, however, they are very hard to read. Her name is Catherine Moore. Click on image to make it large enough to read. I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter. She is listed as a clerk.

Thanks,

Dick

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While this was stateside, I also found this interesting information in the book, World War II Glider Pilots.

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=BMuu4_MEQWgC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=wwii+wac+glider&source=bl&ots=VxYJCcvddc&sig=qy4jFc0hUJSsKvv_-zLmrbD9kvk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCWoVChMI9umasNiEyAIVw3E-Ch2ReQKM#v=onepage&q=wwii%20wac%20glider&f=false

 

“Moya M Anonson was one of a dozen females who piloted the giant C-60 glider tow planes at South Plains Army Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas towing men of the US Army troops through the skies. “

 

She became a WASP. After the WASPs were disbanded, she joined the WACs and served as a control tower operator. She “became the first female wartime pilot named to the National World War II Glider Pilots Association as an associate member”.

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I also find it very interesting. Catherine Moore was a Sergeant, I wonder what job she had in a glider? I wish her records were available. Thanks for the research.

Dick

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Dick,

 

Do you have info that shows where these glider rides occurred?

If we knew what airfield, it would give a nice lead.

 

I have never heard of any women who were glider pilot students or trainees. Power students yes, gliders no. Because one paragraph refers to Parachute pay/Gldier pay it appears to me the ladies were glider riders, not glider pilots. In addition, there are no women in the over 7,000 name data base of USAAF glider pilots.

 

Were they nurses? Looks to me as though this glider riding took place in late 1942 or in 1943 which indicates the flights were at the time that early Advanced CG-4A pilot training classes would have made graduated GPs available for tactical training flights carrying Airborne troops--nurses?

 

C Day

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Gliderman,

 

They were not nurses because they are listed as being a WAC. The WAC and the ANC (Army Nurse Corps) were two different units.

 

Could they have been assigned to a Glider Unit and done some type of maintenance work such as the women who packed parachutes?

 

...Kat

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Gliderman,

 

I was wondering why you think the glider riding took place in late 43 or early 43. The dates that I see on page 2 next to their names are from June 45 thru Sept 45. In addition, the document states they are WACS. The WACS were not established until July 1943. Prior to that they were the WAACS.

 

...Kat

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Kat,

I was using the first date such as is shown for Beach, 14 Oct 42. I can not make out text of the column headers. I have always thought, apparently incorrectly, that WAC was Women's Army Corps and WAAC was Women's Army Air Corps. I have never heard of or read of a WAC or a WAAC glider mechanic. All glider personnel from glider pilots to mechanics were USAAF including the Repair and Reclamation Sqdns (Heavy) that assembled the gliders in England. Glider pilots and mechanics were Troop Carrier Groups and Squadrions. My guess is these ladies were assigned, not to the USAAF, but to one of the USArmy Airborne Divisions. Wherever this flying duty occurred it was riding as a glider rider not flying as a glider pilot. Were WACs ever assigned to the Airborne Divisions.

 

If my research is correct, using the date range of Aug-Sept 1945, AAF 594 was in England. APO 129 at that time was Compiegne France. APO 320 was Hollandia or Manila. At that late date even in the Philippines most flying activity especially in gliders was purely for time for pay as an airborne rider or a USAAF glider pilot. Many glider pilots still in Europe at that time in 1945 were flying copilot in C-47 to get flight time and flight pay as opposed to flying a glider.

 

From the posted paperwork can you say where this flying for pay occurred? I find the paper very difficult to read even when enlarged.

 

C Day

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Gliderman,

 

The WAACS were the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps which was prior to them becoming part of the military. Once they became part of the military, the name changed to WAC - Women's Army Corps. The WACS who served in the AAF were actually nicknamed Air WACS. :)

 

The WACS served across the board so I believe they would have served in Airborne Divisions.

 

It looks like all 4 women arrived back in the US in Sept of ’45. I am not sure how to read these papers but it looks like they were getting back pay after they arrived in the US. I see the 3 groups mentioned that you stated.

 

Hopefully Dick can read these papers a little closer to see if he can tell where they were stationed. It is hard to read.

 

...Kat

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Kat,

Catherine C. Moore’s records were lost in the Archives fire. She enlisted on March 30, 1943. She served at ASAAF Base Kimbolton which was part of the 8th Air Force. Moore received the WAC Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal (named), ETO Medal, and the WW II Victory Medal. My researcher (Redbird Research) is going to try to find more information in the glider pay records. Sorry, there is no more information in the pages I posted.

Dick

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  • 1 month later...

If the USN/USMC pilots were trained during WWII by women-officers of the US Merchant Marine I see no reason why women who were gliding experts could not teach the AAF glider students. The fact that there is no documents in archives about it means nothing. No doubt in 1941 much greater expert in soaring, gliding and gliders than Lt. Gen. Arnold and Maj. Dent was Walter White's wife. Walter White -- noted glider pilot and member of the Aero ITI. By the way -- Mrs White, Arnold and Dent met themselves in Elmira in 1941.

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