World War II liaison aviation in the United States Armed Forces

This study examined the role of light aviation in the United States Army during the Second World War and the establishment of an air arm among the combat branches of the army. Growing out of the civilian sector of prewar aviation, liaison aviators and their slow, fragile craft came to fill an important niche between traditional ground forces and the ambitious but largely untested Army Air Corps.;The civilian nature of this military endeavor is striking. Unmodified civilian light planes were painted olive drab and sent to war. William T. Piper, Sr., founder of the Piper Aircraft Company, played a prominent role in convincing Army leaders to examine the potential of light aircraft. The Piper Cub, later dubbed the L-4 by the United States Army, became the most widely used light aircraft in World War II. The Stinson L-5 also saw extensive service in all theaters of the war, while Taylorcraft L-2s and Aeronca L-3s were used for training in the United States.;Civilian pilots, many of whom had trained in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, were put into uniform and proclaimed military aviators. Most liaison pilots served as enlisted men, the only non-commissioned pilots in the United States military. Pilots assigned to artillery units were the exception to the rule. These soldiers did receive commissions; however, their rank was based on expertise as artillery officers, not as pilots.;By the war's end, liaison aviation had become an indispensible part of the Army. In the combat arms liaison airplanes and pilots spread beyond field artillery units, becoming part of infantry, armor, and armored cavalry organizations.;Light aircraft proved useful in evacuating casualties and rescuing downed airmen behind enemy lines as well. The foundations of modern civilian medical air evacuation were established during World War II, including the utilization of helicopters. During the Korean War these practices became routine and thousands of lives were saved.