Americans fighting Germany before Pearl Harbor

[Rob Stuart]

A certain Cmdr. Taylor, USN, was seconded to the US Army to help them develop the AIC* on Oahu. He had experience with this as he was an Eagle Squadron Commander before returning the States. (I think he did duty in Scotland.) His testimony is available in the Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings. Link provided on request.


*Air Information Center

Do you have Taylor's full name?

[OpanaPointer]

A certain Cmdr. Taylor, USN, was seconded to the US Army to help them develop the AIC* on Oahu. He had experience with this as he was an Eagle Squadron Commander before returning the States. (I think he did duty in Scotland.) His testimony is available in the Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings. Link provided on request.


*Air Information Center

Do you have Taylor's full name?

He's the only Cmdr. Taylor in the Hearings Testimony lists. The first volume has that list. http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/congress/ If you need help sorting out the breadcrumbs give me a notification.

[Rob Stuart]

British Royal Air Force had three so called Eagle Squadrons formed by American Volunteers. With the entry of the US into the War the American personel transfered to the USAAF. The three RAF squadrons then reverted into beeing ordinary British manned units.

Best regards,
Marcus Karlsson

Between Sept 1939 and December 1941, approximately 9000 American citizens joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, according to the info at https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/bomb ... 4sEM3902SE. About 800 were killed in RCAF service.

[pugsville]

The Bismarck would've survived had it not been for Americans. The ship was found by a Catalina (American plane) flown by an American pilot. The American (Ensign Leonard B. "Tuck" Smith) was the one who spotted it and who kept the plane from getting shot down at its most vulnerable time. The Bismarck would've survived had it not been for the Americans.



Another interesting subject is the story of "Eagle Squadron"



http://www.fourthfightergroup.com/eagles/es.html



Here's a Spitfire re-made in Eagle Squadron colors...
http://www.duxford.org/news/2000/08/

7 Americans flew in the Battle of Britain, 1 died.

Logan Hartke

Nope. Would have been a British crew in British aircraft if the US plane and pilot were not there,

Coastal Command would not have been disbanded if there were no American pilots. It would have been much the same. And if the US had not so,d Catalinas, other aircraft like Short Sunderlands would have been used in larger numbers,

The Concept and implementation of long range naval reconnaissance was not solely reliant of US aircraft or pilot. There would have been much the same resources deployed in much the same way,

He has a point. Coastal Command was seriously under resourced. All the best aircraft were allocated to Bomber Command. There weren't that many Sunderland Flying boats and Hudsons and Whitleys lacked the endurance. Coastal Command needed the Catalinas and Liberators. IRRC the Catalina was very new and the American pilot was there to train the Brits how to fly it. He may even have been a civilian employee of the manufacturer.

One of the first Americans killed in British service was William Fiske III who died on 18 August as a pilot of 601 Squadron. In 1941 a plaque and his pilots wings were mounted in the crypt of St Pauls' Cathedral.

Billy Fiske has a couple of other claims to fame. He won gold medals in two winter Olympics for US bobsleigh team. In 1928, aged 16 he was the youngest US male to win a gold medal. In the 1930s he was a banker. Someone tried to interest him in a gold mine in a derelict mining town in Colorado. He thought the mine as doomed, but a great place for skiing, and built the first resort hotel in the town of Aspern. And then chose to join the RAF millionaire's squadron.

DOES HE?

Pilot - no real case there at all,

Right % of coastal command air crew that were American at this point? insignificant. Anther pilot would have been assigned to the task.

Aircraft
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While lack of Catalina would have seen worse aircraft in service there were never more than 3 sqaudrons of Catalina in Service. A few more say 1 squadron extra sunderlands would have been built, and some obselete range planes would have continued in service,,. for the other two. But the Hunt for Bismark was extrmeely high priority mission. Sunderland would have been used.

Unless someone can show All available long arange aircraft were already hunting the bismark, One would have been found.

[Rob Stuart]

A certain Cmdr. Taylor, USN, was seconded to the US Army to help them develop the AIC* on Oahu. He had experience with this as he was an Eagle Squadron Commander before returning the States. (I think he did duty in Scotland.) His testimony is available in the Pearl Harbor Attack Hearings. Link provided on request.


*Air Information Center

Do you have Taylor's full name?

He's the only Cmdr. Taylor in the Hearings Testimony lists. The first volume has that list. http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/congress/ If you need help sorting out the breadcrumbs give me a notification.

The index of witnesses identifies him as Taylor, William E. G., Comdr. His story is at http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/240266. I had been surprised by the implication in your post (as I interpreted it) that a USN officer had served with the British but it turns out that while he had been in the USN and USMC reserves he was a civilian in 1939.

Thanks.

[OpanaPointer]

Sorry for any confusion.

[R Leonard]

You can find out about William Taylor at link below, Air Power History, September 2001
https://www.afhistory.org/wp-content/up ... 1_fall.pdf

He flew for the USN, then USMC, then as a civilian, then FAA, then RAF, and back to the USN.

My father, in VF-42 in 1941, remembered him coming aboard USS Ranger (CV-4) to assist with radar fighter direction training.