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E-book
Author English, Allan D. (Allan Douglas), 1949-

Title The cream of the crop : Canadian aircrew, 1939-1945 / Allan D. English
Published Montréal, Que. : McGill-Queen's University Press, ©1996

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Description 1 online resource (xiii, 239 pages, 9 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations
Contents Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Illustrations -- 1 Introduction -- 2 A Good Airman Is Worth a Battalion of Infantry: Aviator Recruiting and Selection, 1914-45 -- 3 Lessons Learned, Lessons Forgotten: Aircrew Training, 1914-45 -- 4 A Predisposition to Cowardice? Aviation Psychology, 1914-45 -- 5 What's in a Name? The RAF and Lack of Moral Fibre -- 6 Conserving the Cream of the Crop: The RCAF and Lack of Moral Fibre -- 7 None for All and One for One: The Canadian Manpower Crisis -- 8 Conclusion -- Appendix A: Bomber Command Psychological CasualtiesAppendix B: Selected Statistics of the Special Cases Committee RCAF R Depot -- Appendix C: RCAF Aircrew NP Ratios in Bomber Command, 1944-45 -- Notes -- Bibliographical Essay -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary "In this insightful critique of the effectiveness of the Royal Canadian Air Force in preparing its aircrew for war, Allan English describes the development of a uniquely Canadian selection system that attempted to match the aptitudes of aircrew candidates to the duties they would perform and the evolution of the RCAF's training program from a haphazard system with enormous attrition to one that became the model for many modern systems. He also traces the development of aviation psychology and the treatment of psychological casualties of air combat. English pays particular attention to the controversy over diagnosing aviators as suffering from "lack of moral fibre" and the RCAF's response, as well as the effect of morale and leadership on the psychological well-being of, and casualty rates among, Royal Air Force and RCAF bomber squadrons." "In exploring the human dimension of air warfare, an issue that has been widely overlooked in military literature, English demonstrates that personnel considerations have at least as much influence on the effectiveness of air forces as material and technological factors."--Jacket
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-233) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force -- Recruiting, enlistment, etc. -- World War, 1939-1945
SUBJECT Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force fast
Subject Airmen -- Training of -- Canada -- History
Aeronautics, Military -- Canada -- Psychological aspects -- History
World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, Canadian
Air pilots -- Training of -- Canada -- History
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Military Science.
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Aeronautics & Astronautics.
Air pilots -- Training of
Aeronautics, Military -- Psychological aspects
Airmen -- Training of
Military operations, Aerial -- Canadian
Luftwaffe
Rekrutierung
Ausbildung
Geschichte 1939-1945.
Canada
Kanada
Genre/Form Electronic books
History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780773565951
0773565957