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| AAF Training Command | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | AAF Training Command |
| Caption | Shoulder sleeve insignia |
| Dates | 1943–1946 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Training command |
| Garrison | Various continental United States bases |
| Notable commanders | Henry H. Arnold; Walter R. Weaver; George E. Stratemeyer |
AAF Training Command was the principal United States Army Air Forces organization responsible for training aircrew, ground personnel, and technical specialists during World War II. It coordinated pilot schools, technical training, bombardier and navigator instruction, and support trades to sustain operations for the United States Army Air Forces in theaters such as the European Theater of Operations (United States) and the China-Burma-India Theater. The command integrated doctrine from leaders including Henry H. Arnold and interacted with institutions like the War Department and the Civil Aeronautics Authority.
The command evolved from prewar initiatives tied to the Air Corps Tactical School and the Air Corps Training Center as the US ramped up mobilization after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Early wartime exigencies saw coordination with the Army Air Forces Training Command (predecessor) and with civil pilot programs enacted under the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Expansion followed major strategic directives such as the Arnold Plan and the Two-Ocean Navy mobilization context, responding to attrition in campaigns including the Battle of Britain influence on Allied aircrew doctrine. Between 1942 and 1944 the command adjusted pipelines influenced by operations like the Normandy landings and the air campaign over Germany; postwar demobilization aligned with the National Defense Act of 1947 planning that reshaped aviation training institutions.
The command was organized into numbered training districts and flying training wings mirroring the structure used by the Air Training Command and coordinating with commands such as Fourteenth Air Force for theater-specific needs. Headquarters staffs included sections borrowed from the Office of the Chief of Air Corps and worked with the Army Air Forces Materiel Command on logistics. Functional divisions managed pilot training, navigator/bombardier schools, and technical training schools that liaised with civilian contractors like Boeing, Lockheed, and North American Aviation for aircraft and simulators. Liaison existed with the Army Service Forces for personnel and with the Provost Marshal General for security on installations.
Programs encompassed primary, basic, and advanced pilot training streams influenced by curricula developed at the Air Corps Tactical School and the United States Military Academy. Specialized schools taught multi-engine transition for types such as the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator, gunnery instruction paralleling methods from the Army Air Forces Gunnery School, and bombardier instruction using the Norden bombsight akin to procedures trialed in the 4th Bombardment Group. Navigator training used celestial navigation techniques refined from lessons at the Pan American Airways training collaborations. Ground technical training covered aircraft maintenance, radio operations, and radar systems derived from technology programs like the MIT Radiation Laboratory and the Bell Labs innovations.
Primary training centers included large complexes similar in scale to Randolph Field (Texas), Kelly Field, Maxwell Field, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (historic), and satellite fields such as Mather Field and Keesler Field. Overseas coordination required staging at depots and airfields tied to the Air Transport Command and transatlantic ferrying via routes used by Ferry Command and BOAC-assisted movements. Contract flying schools operated at civilian airfields and with companies like Culver Flight Academy, while technical schools made use of industrial plants at locations associated with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base development activities.
Training fleets included primary trainers such as the PT-17 Stearman, basic trainers like the BT-13 Valiant, and advanced trainers including the AT-6 Texan. Multi-engine instruction employed aircraft such as the C-47 Skytrain and the B-17 Flying Fortress for crew coordination exercises. Gunnery training utilized modified aircraft and ground-based ranges patterned on systems used by the Naval Air Stations for shared doctrine development. Instrument and navigation instruction incorporated avionics developed through collaborations with Collins Radio Company and radar sets originating from MIT Radiation Laboratory designs. Maintenance schools trained personnel on powerplants including the Wright R-1820 and Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines.
Senior leaders who influenced training policy included Henry H. Arnold, Walter R. Weaver, and George E. Stratemeyer, each interacting with staff officers from the Air Staff and civilian education experts from institutions like Cornell University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Instructors were often drawn from combat-proven units such as the 8th Air Force and Tenth Air Force, while enlisted training cadres came through accelerated programs coordinated with the Selective Service System. Specialist instructors included veteran navigators, bombardiers, and maintenance supervisors who had served in units like the 91st Bomb Group and 5th Air Force.
The command's standardized pipelines produced the majority of aircrews that served in major WWII operations including the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, the air interdiction campaigns in Italy, and support of Operation Overlord airborne elements. Postwar, its institutional practices influenced the formation of the United States Air Force training doctrine and the subsequent Air Training Command lineage. Many training airfields transitioned into civil airports or Cold War bases supporting units such as Strategic Air Command or research centers that became NASA partners, embedding the command's legacy in peacetime aviation infrastructure and professional military education.