Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/35

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 Air Forde Legi$1alio defense. s- Attempts were also made m 1939 to build up defense mr power by increasing the number of National Guard aviation units. However, none of the five bills intro- duced for this purpose reached the floor for discussion m either house oi Congress.  In response to the Premdent's message of 12 January 1939 Congress passed "An Act to provide for the training oœ civiI aircraft pilots, and for other purposes." This meas- ure, approved 27 June 1939, authorized the Civil Aeronautics Administration to train civilian pilots and authorized the appro- priation of $5,675,000 for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act dur- ing the fiscal years 1939 and 1940  The purpose of this act was to create a reserve of pilot traincos with basic flying training from which the Air Corps could draw as the need arose.* An Act of Congress which becane law on 5 August 1939 made more pilots available to the Air Corps by winring the 30-year age limit for the appointment of second lieutenants in the Regular Army. Tins ap- plied to Air Corps Reserve officers on ex- tended active duty who had served two years on such duty and to warrant officers and enlisted men of the Regular Army in active service who were qualified pilots. . After the passage of Public Law 18, 76 Cont., 1 Seas., authorizing a personnel in- crease, the Air Corps turned its attention to setting up a training program for the new personnel. The annual objectives for pilot training were increased from the oigi- holly planned 7,000 to 12,000 during 1940 and plans were laid for a 30;000-pilot train- ing program in 1941. To attain these ob- jectives it was necessary to suspend existing statutory limitstraus on the number of fly- ing cadets and the number and rank of Air Corps Reserve officers who might be ordered to extended active duy dunng the fiscal year 1941. It was also necessary to change those statutory provisions which excluded two important sources of prior material, en- listed men of the Regular Amy and Re- seNe oflicers.  =This act raa amended 2 July 1942 o authorize ihe CAA to train civilian echntclan and mcch[cs as well S Civilian pllo[ The War Departrnen Saw o 1 tha/ tl0 amended ct was admhtsberecl in such a way that lb did no inbertcrc lth the AAF's wn training program See AHS. pp 4't-49 The wtal importance of pilot procure- ment became more and more evident a arcraft production increased and the in- ternational situation became worse. This fact was emphasized by President Roosevelt in his address to Congress on 16 May 1940 asking for an accelerated defense program, To carry into effec the Presiden['s recom- mendaborts the War Department drafted a bill which provided for the suspensmn of all existing limitstrans on the number of flying cadets and on the number and rank of Air Corps Reserve officers who might be ordered to extended active duty durhng fis- cal year 1941. There was considerable op- pointran in the House Committee on Mill. tary Affairs to removing all limitations, but a subshtute bfil was finally passed and became law on 2 July 1940, Thin measure, Public Law 703, 76 Cong., 2 Seas., gave the Air Corps the authority to procure flying cadets and Reserve officers wlthout lnmit as to number during the fiscal year 1941.a, Pubhc Law V03 was soon followed by leg- islatmn givhg the Pesident authority to order the Natrenal Guard, Reserve Officers, and retired personnel of the United States Army into active service for a period of 12 months. This was accomplished by the pas- sage of Senate Joint Resolutmn 28 which became law on 16 August 1940. The exer- rose of this authority by the Pesident brought the Air Corps a further increase of personnel from the Natrenal Guard and the Reserves as such personnel could now be called up for active duty without their con- sent. Another measure, Public Law 795, 76 Cont., 2 Seas. (approved 4 October 1940), removed a serious obstacle to the personnel expansion program of the Air Corps by al- lowing an unrestricted number of officers from other branches to be detailed to the Air Corps for tramLug and duty as aircraft observers and other members of combat crews (navigators, bombardiota, etc.). This legislation greatly expedited the training program and also made a long needed ree- tiffcation of the flying pay regulations. Also enlistments in the Air Corp were greatly stimulated by the passage of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. These THIS PAGE Declassified lAW EO12958