Pete (your #7399),
"I have total output figures of:
Refresher: 598
Arnold: 4370
Towers: 1784
BFTS: 6921
The document adds that 558 American Cadets were trained at BFTS (1943/1944) and that 2081 Fleet Air Arm pilots were also trained under Towers".
The BFTS opened from 9 June'41 [BBC WWII - The People's War] and closed in November'44 (41 months). The Arnold Scheme (intakes) ran from 7 June'41 to May'43 (22 months). From this it appears that both Schemes were turning out pilots at roughly the same rate: just under 200/mth (if you include the US Cadets trained at BFTS). The Towers Scheme must have been of vital assistance to the Royal Navy.
If you total Arnold and BFTS, you get over 11,000 pilots trained for the RAF. Guessing that, of the 55,000 deaths (plus 10,000 POWs) suffered by Bomber Command, something like a seventh (9,000) would be pilots: it illustrates what an enormous gift had been given to us by Roosevelt and General Arnold. And it should be remembered that this was all planned and put into effect six months before Pearl Harbor, when the US was officially a "neutral".
Now coming to the final chapter of your researches (your #7395), I can only add:
"Wastage Rate"
The fact that their US Flight Cadets were "scrubbed" at more or less the same rate as ours, gives support (as I have said to
Chugalug in my #7397) to my suspicion that this was in fact a deliberately planned rate.
"Course Dates"
I've come to the conclusion that we shall never be able to pin this down after so long (your query #7381 refers). And again,
Chugalug in his #7380 (in another context) says:
"Might I tentatively suggest that there will be no clear answer for you, and theory and speculation will have to prevail".
Now, I finished my six months Course (with 42C) at the end of February'42 (wings day 6 March'42). I would assume 42H would come in at the beginning of March'42 (6 Courses after me, but after I finished).
ValMORNA (his #7388 about his uncle) tells us:
"His flying commenced in the USA on Feb 28th 1942, Course 42H, at Carlstrom. From May 1942 he was at Gunter Field then Turner Field until 30th August. Wings ceremony was on 6th September 1942". (exactly six months to the day after mine).
Bingo ! All we have to do is to assume that the Arnold Courses came in at the beginning of successive months, and we can't be too far wrong.
"Course Intakes"
Yes, something like that, I suppose - but they'd have to expand the ITW output in UK to match, wouldn't they - or open new one(s) - or re-route LACs destined for Canada or elsewhere ? (Let's not go there).
"Acclimatisation Problems"
I would say that it wasn't the Mess chow that produced the airsickness: more probably a surfeit of Coke (5c) and Hershey Bars (we had just come from a chokkie-rationed Britain !) And in most cases it cleared up in a day or so.
"Acclimatisation Course"
Your #7395:
"The acclimatisation course started with No 5 Course on 4th October 1941
(Replacement Centre, Maxwell Field ......" (Montgomery, Ala.) Why not Gunter (also at Montgomery, where they could weep on our shoulders, and learn form us ?) No room at Gunter ? (See my #7397).
"
......Pupils were also given experience in driving motor cars to make up for their short comings in mechanical knowledge......"
(we've covered this already - my #7391).
"........They were subjected to the strictest form of American discipline based on that of the military academy at West Point, and although it had its merits, it was found most irksome by the RAF trainees".
Poor boys ! (The heart bleeds). I suppose many of us trainees found RAF discipline "most irksome" too. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If they want you to learn US foot (and, later Arms drill), then learn it. It is no more difficult to march to "Hup, two, three, four" than to "Left, left, left-right-left".
"To the rear, March" will turn you round just as well as "About Turn". Brought up, as we were, on a diet of Hollywood films, we had little difficulty in understanding our instructors - we were quite fluent in "American".
"You're in the Army now!
You're not behind a plow"
"Help to alleviate initial problems"
Already covered.
I am beginning to think that all this is ex post-facto rationilisation: the "washout" policy had already been decided (for both US and British cadets), all they needed was this smokescreen. Could be wrong.
That about wraps it up, I would suggest.
Danny.
EDIT: Your "...ham" has been niggling me, but all I can come up with is GOTHAM - and that doesn't take us far. We must throw this open to our transatlantic cousins: Wanted, a six-letter US town (or WWII airfield ?), of which the last three are "HAM", and which has some connection to the Arnold or BFTS Schemes ?
D.