Army WWII Hat badges

[wolventm]

Here's q question for the experts that is not as simple as it seems. What is the correct hat insignia for a Flight Officer during WWII on his visor hat? The uniform regularions themselves describe the badge for commissioned offices and warrant officers. I believe, in personnel terms, a flight officer was technically a warrant officer. However, I have NEVER seen a flight officer wearing anything other than the hat device for commissioned officers. Does anyone have any information on this subject? Can anyone cite a specific AR from the period?

[FW12]

Here's q question for the experts that is not as simple as it seems. What is the correct hat insignia for a Flight Officer during WWII on his visor hat? The uniform regularions themselves describe the badge for commissioned offices and warrant officers. I believe, in personnel terms, a flight officer was technically a warrant officer. However, I have NEVER seen a flight officer wearing anything other than the hat device for commissioned officers. Does anyone have any information on this subject? Can anyone cite a specific AR from the period?

 

While I cannot supply a definitive regulation concerning the use of cap badges on Flight Officer's visors, I too have seen multiple examples of the larger, brass eagle being worn by Flight Officers (while Warrant Officers had their own badge). Since they weren't warrant officers, I believe we can infer that Flight Officers were granted special permisison to wear full size eagles on their visors.

 

 

Beau

[Allan H.]

I have seen flight officer photos with both types of insignia being worn. It appears that while in the states, these men wore Warrant Officer insignia both on their uniform lapels and on their caps. Flight officers in the ETO wore winged prop devices on their lapels and an the standard officers' eagles on their visor caps.

Allan

[Bob Hudson]

a flight officer was technically a warrant officer

 

It appears that a flight officer was "equivalent" to a warrant officer but not the same as WO'S, they were, in fact "The Third Lieutenants."

 

Here's an excerpt from an article at http://www.afa.org/magazine/1990/0390third.html which notes that they are be treated as commissioned officers:

 

When the United States entered the war, the Army still was woefully short of commissioned pilots, but it had graduated more than 400 men as sergeant pilots, and hundreds more were in the pipeline. The newly formed US Army Air Forces began to use the enlisted flyers wherever they were needed, including combat. Some did, in fact, command crews that included commissioned officers.

 

By then, the distinction between officer and enlisted pilots had blurred. As the pace of the buildup increased, USAAF lowered the entrance requirements for aviation cadets to admit eighteen-year-olds with high school diplomas. Now the criteria were essentially the same for the cadets who would be commissioned as for the aviation students who would become staff sergeants.

 

Logically, the solution might have been to commission the flying sergeants, but officials still had reservations. USAAF might find itself overpopulated with officers who couldn't have come within a country mile of prewar standards. In May 1942, USAAF asked Congress to create a new grade above the enlisted ranks but below that of second lieutenant. On July 8, the President signed Public Law 658, establishing the grade of flight officer (F/O), equal in status to that of warrant officer junior grade.

 

Three weeks later, Headquarters notified all commanders, "It is the desire of the Commanding General, AAF, that these new Flight Officers be accepted in the nature of 'Third Lieutenants' by all personnel and that they be required to comply with, and in turn to be treated in accordance with, all the customs and courtesies of the military service pertaining to commissioned officers."

[VolunteerArmoury]

This is kinda related since many Glider Pilots were F/Os but can someone tell me which AAF unit provided the Glider pilots for the 11th Abn Div in the Pacific? Ya know like how the 9th provided many Glider Pilots in Europe. I appreciate it.

[craig_pickrall]

I checked the OFFICER'S GUIDE 10th edition, summer 1944 and it describes the cap badge for the service cap as FLIGHT AND WARRENT OFFICERS'. I could not find any text describing this in more detail.