On Celestial Wings

by Edgar D. Whitcomb

Abstract : In August 1940 a group of young men from all parts of the United States converged upon Coral Gables, Florida, to become cadets in a military navigation training program. Raised as children of the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, what they wanted more than anything else in life was to fly airplanes. They had all volunteered for the US Army Air Corps with hopes for becoming pilots, but the Air Corps had other ideas. They would become navigators on the world's finest bomber, the B- 17 Flying Fortress. The cadets did not think of themselves as warriors. None of them had ever seen a Flying Fortress. They were civilians who wanted to fly and joining the Air Corps was a means to that end. The thought of flying where man had never flown before or of bombing cities all around the world was farthest from their minds as they struggled with the intricacies of celestial navigation. "On Celestial Wings" tells of the development of the first program to mass produce celestial navigators as America geared up for entry into WWII. It also tells of heartrending tragedies resulting from America's lack of preparedness for war and the fight against overwhelming odds in experiences of members of the US Army Air Corps Navigation School class of 40-A. It tells of their honors and victories and their disappointments and bitter defeats in a war unlike any that will ever occur again.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

While an oddly structured book, the stories told of Whitcomb’s navigator school classmates are certainly compelling. I had no idea Gov. Whitcomb went through the described WWII experiences.

[Tbfrank · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 1930s, as more airplanes took to the skies, the need for trained navigators -- civilian and military -- soon became apparent. Though attempts were made to do so for the military, it wasn't until war erupted in Europe that a serious effort was undertaken to address the shortfall of skilled officers required by tens of thousands of aircraft. On Celestial Wings presents the origins of what would soon become a critical element in the successful waging of the air war around the globe, focused on members of the first class trained in 1940.

A partnership between the Army air corps and Pan American Airlines established a small school on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida to teach celestial navigation. Written by one of the members of the first class, Edgar D. Whitcomb, and published under the auspices of the US Air Force, this little book documents the wartime experiences of each man using official documents, published accounts, private correspondence, and interviews.

The narrative encapsulates the full span of the Second World War, from the first flight of B-17s from the US to the Philippines in November 1941, through the final runs of the B-29s in 1945, highlighting the careers of Witcomb's classmates. While not a polished narrative by a professional writer, the various accounts are nevertheless informative, moving, and packed with personal recollections that aren't always part of the historical record.

[DANIEL T. REFFETT · Rating 5 out of 5]

WWII Army Air Corps History

Great read about the history of navigator’s school for WWII Army Air Corp men and their stories throughout the war.

[Donald M. Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

WWII Army Navigation

Excellent book, kept my interest throughout. It is the story of the graduates of the first Army Navigation Class .. many of the challenges they faced.