Viewing page 31 of 83

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

procurement of Civil Service transfer when necessary, or release from commanding officer where applicant was employed by a War Department agency. Insofar as possible, class assignments were made on the basis of date at which applicant met the preliminary requirements. Sufficient assignments were made to assure meeting quota for each class, and those who cleared after the quota had been met were held over to the next class. Record of medical examination was sent direct from the flight surgeon to the Air Surgeon's Office, and that office either qualified or disqualified and forwarded a copy to the Director of Women Pilots.

III
OBJECTIVES OF WOMEN PILOT PROGRAM
The objectives in activating the women pilot program were as stated by the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces: 
(1) To see if women could serve as military pilots and if so, to form the nucleus of an organization that could be rapidly expanded;
(2) To release male pilots for comabt;
(3) To decrease the Air Forces' total demands on the cream of the manpower pool.
The experimental purpose of the program ranked along with but subordinate to the purpose of releasing male pilots from routine and non-combat duties for combat service. In the fall of 1942, it seemed clear that every pilot released from home duty for font line duty was needed urgently. It was anticipated then and even before, that global war would require all of our qualified men and many of our women. But it was not known how many of our young men could qualify to pilot the tens of thousands of planes which American industry had undertaken to produce. The Navy, the Ground Forces, and the Service Forces were all drawing heavily on our highly
6
6-1262, AF