The cream of the crop

In this insightful critique of the effectiveness of the Royal Canadian Air Force in preparing its aircrew for war, Allan English describes the development of a uniquely Canadian selection system that attempted to match the aptitudes of aircrew candidates to the duties they would perform and the evolution of the RCAF's training program from a haphazard system with enormous attrition to one that became the model for many modern systems. He also traces the development of aviation psychology and the treatment of psychological casualties of air combat. English pays particular attention to the controversy over diagnosing aviators as suffering from "lack of moral fibre" and the RCAF's response, as well as the effect of morale and leadership on the psychological well-being of, and casualty rates among, Royal Air Force and RCAF bomber squadrons. In exploring the human dimension of air warfare, an issue that has been widely overlooked in military literature, English demonstrates that personnel considerations have at least as much influence on the effectiveness of air forces as material and technological factors.