Selecting The Best
World War II Army Air Forces Aviation Psychology
by
Book Details
About the Book
Seven months before Pearl Harbor the Chief of the US
Army Air Corps foresaw the need for a large air force, and approved
establishment of a Psychological Research Agency to select pilots, navigators,
and bombardiers. Psychologists from
leading University Psychology Departments were commissioned, ordered to active
duty, and began developing an aircrew classification program.
On enlistment in the US Army Air Corps, the author
was assigned to Psychological Research Unit #2, San Antonio, Texas, and quickly
trained as a psychomotor examiner, a part of the two-day testing program to
select the finest aircrew candidates.
Between July 1942 and the end of World War II, 600,000 men were examined
to select the best pilots, navigators and bombardiers the world had ever
seen.
Selecting The Best gives the reader a view of tests, officers
and enlisted men at two of ten examination sites and the School of Aviation
Medicine, Randolph Field, Texas. After
three days at PRU #2 in 1942, John Steinbeck reputedly called the program,
“America’s Secret Weapon.” Excerpts
from letters, diary, official reports, and a reminiscent symposium tell the
story of how, by selecting the best, psychologists saved lives and training
time, and contributed toward winning World War II.
About the Author
The author first became interested in letters when
searching for a doctoral dissertation subject at the University of Kentucky in
1950. Letters and related personal
documents enable readers to discover a story, one medium used by the former AAF
Sergeant to tell World War II Aviation Psychology’s story of selecting the
world’s best pilots, navigators, and bombardiers.
This 82 year-old psychologist, and his wife retired
to rural Texas roots and enjoy a lakeside 17 acres - gardening, mowing,
photography, writing, and worshipping at a local Baptist church. Recipient of hundreds of old family
documents, he has published one other book, “Albert’s Hidden Treasure” based on
personal documents and is co-authoring a third book with his oldest son.