Originally Posted by
LOMCEVAK
Back to the thread, the Harvard was originally an advanced trainer for piston engine fighters, although some Air Forces did use it subsequently as a basic trainer;
The give away is in the USAAC wartime name AT-6.
The Americans had Primary Trainers such as the PT-17 Boeing Stearman and the PT-19 Fairchild Cornell, as well as Basic Trainers such as the BT-13 Vultee Valiant (commonly referred to as the Vultee Vibrator).
The performace leap from PT to BT to AT wasn't considered particularly great. As a result, my Father, who trained in the USA in 1943/44 under the British Flying Traing Schools scheme, went straight from the Cornell to the Harvard.