Warbird Information Exchange

Cvairwerks,

My father caught the tail end of WWII. He got out in '46 & I saw some of his paperwork from that time & some of it was still "Air Corps Form #???". I remember that because it struck me as odd. They were probably left over from before the change & used until the supply was exhausted & replaced with the USAAF forms?

He did another 2yr hitch with the AF & got out in '49. I don't remember anything about the paperwork from that time frame. I'm thinking that those forms were probably USAF forms, because they didn't stand out to me like the USAAC forms did.

Mac

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WWII Naval Aviation Research - Pacific
https://www.ww2nar-pac.com/

While the name was changed to US Army Air Forces in 1939 with the GHQ reorganization, the Army Air Corps was not abolished, but soldiered on as an administrative organization until the middle/end of 1943.

Given the use of "Air Corps" in popular media (and it rolls off the tongue better anyway) the Air Corps having a hand in procurement for the Air Forces, "Corps" being in line organizationally and grammatically with 'Signal Corps", "Chemical Corps" et cetera, combined with doses of inertia, apathy, indecision and confusion it should come as no surprise to find "Air Corps" all over.

In collecting and using bits I have seen:
US Army Air Corps
US Air Corps
US Army Air Force
US Army Air Forces
US Air Forces (which is always a fun one)
not to mention commercial goods overstamped with US Property marks.

I don't think anyone at the time cared much as long as whatever it was was of acceptable quality and quantity.

Now, the USAF WAS a stickler for it starting with new contracts in 1947, but they also changed teh contract number format as well

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

Dave Osborne has this IDed as 42-29761:

"Ruth L II" appears to be what's painted over above the seven mission symbols.

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Most likely (1) leaving it as-is didn't change a single thing as far as effectiveness and (2) nobody thought to go back and change it. I'd bet that those cushions made after 1941 after the name change to USAAF were properly marked at time of manufacture.

Add (3) no one is willing to call in a government inspector to make or verify any changes in an existing contract without it being absolutely necessary. If the current product is being accepted, leave it alone

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.