So Far From Home: Royal Air Force and Free French Air Force Flight Training at Maxwell and Gunter Fields during World War II by Robert B. Kane (review)

The United States contributed to the Allied cause in World War II long before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was determined to support France and the United Kingdom even before the German invasion of Poland in 1939, but he had to deal with isolationists in Congress who opposed American involvement in European affairs. The president moved cautiously to undermine his opponents in Congress even as France collapsed in the spring of 1940 and Great Britain and its empire stood alone against the Nazi juggernaut. He sent Harry Hopkins to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and assess the needs and strengths of the United Kingdom as it endured the German air assault and the Blitz in the fall and winter of 1941-42. As a result, Roosevelt convinced Congress to embark on the policy of Lend-Lease, making the United States the "Arsenal of Democracy" for the Allied Powers.

While American support was characterized by supplies of food, fuel, and weapons, it involved much more. Early in 1942 the United States agreed to give pilot training to Royal Air Force (RAF) cadets. A few months later that training was extended to the Free French who had fled France after its surrender, or who had been stationed in its overseas colonies. While such training was carried out at Army Air Force bases across the nation and by private entities such as Pan American Airways, operating under government contracts, the brunt of the effort took place at Maxwell and Gunter Army Air Force fields near Montgomery, Alabama. From 1941 to 1943, 7,800 RAF cadets passed through ground and flight schools there with 4,300 getting their wings and the rest being trained in other flying and support roles. By the war's end 4,100 French cadets were similarly trained with 2,100 earning their wings. The cadets from both countries were schooled in all aspects of flight training, but they also had to become accustomed to American military discipline and practice, to the heat and humidity of the climate of central Alabama, and to southern culture and food. The challenges were considerable and the French cadets did not speak the language. Most of the British trainees faced linguistic difficulties as well. The Army had to find French speakers who understood airplanes to teach, or at least translate, the instructions for the Free French cadets. By all accounts the civilian population was hospitable, if somewhat mystified, by the foreign airmen. They invited the visitors into their homes for meals and entertained them at dances and other social functions when training allowed, but the men were there to learn to fly, not to enjoy southern hospitality. However, most managed to do both!

This book is part of a long-term effort by Montgomery's NewSouth Books to explore the history of aviation in Montgomery, beginning with the Wright Brothers. Books in this series demonstrate the importance of the Army Air Force, and after 1947, the Air Force in central Alabama, an important role that continues to grow in the twenty-first century. The training of Allied cadets from Britain and France during World War II remains one of the signature achievements of Maxwell Air Force Base, and after the war the program was expanded to include pilots from Latin America and other American allies around the globe. Kane has provided us with an account of this remarkable story, and So Far From Home is an excellent part of NewSouth's effort. The author has assembled a great deal of statistical and technical information and tells his story in a straightforward and readable manner. People who are interested in the Army's handling of the considerable...