So Far From Home: Foreign Flight Training at Maxwell and Gunter Fields During World War II

During World War II, the US Army Air Forces (AAF) trained aircrew members from 29 Allied countries. The two largest programs were for Britain and France. The British government asked the United States to train its new pilots until it could get its own flight training program underway. Maxwell and Gunter fields near Montgomery, Alabama were authorized to conduct this training.

Between 1941 and 1943 4,300 of more than 7,800 RAF cadets sent to the United States completed the three-phase AAF flight training program. Within three months the phase 2 school at Gunter Field began training Free French Air Force flight cadets. By November 1945, 2,100 French flight cadets out of the 4,100 who came to the United States had received their wings.

During his 27 years in the Air Force, Dr. Kane held a variety of information management, personnel management, and education positions. After retiring from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, Dr. Kane taught public school in Montgomery, Alabama before becoming the staff historian at the Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base and then the Air Force Historical Research Center, Maxwell Air Force Base. Dr. Kane has been the Air University Director of History, Maxwell Air Force Base since December 2010.

The presentation will be Friday, November 18, at 6 pm. All the lectures will take place inside the Indian Temple Mound Museum located at 139 Miracle Strip Parkway SE. Lectures are free and open to the public, and seats are on a first come, first serve basis. Doors will open 20 minutes prior to lecture start time. For further information, please contact the museum at 833-9595.