United States. Army Air Forces

The Army Air Forces War Adjustment Course was established in 1944 at several locations in the U.S., one of which was Harvard Business School. The HBS program involved eight weeks of training in the business of contract terminations, cutbacks, and property disposal necessitated by changes in Army Air Forces tactical requirements. Approximately 4,200 officers received instruction throughout the country, about one sixth of them at HBS. The goal of the program was to train men for participation in termination teams, composed of contracting officers, negotiators, legal officers, and accountants. Instruction was provided by the faculty of HBS under the direction of Cecil Fraser, with John Heflin serving as Commandant. The course of study was offered only twice at HBS. The second and final group graduated in November 1944.

Col. Carlson was the military head of the Arctic, Desert and Tropic Information Center when he presented this report to Vilhjalmur Stefansson.

Statistical control training was authorized early in World War II by Assistant Secretary of War for Air Robert A. Lovett, in consultation with General H.H. Arnold, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces. Charles B. Thornton was Chief of Statistical Control. Harvard Business School Dean Donald K. David set up the Army Air Forces Statistical School at HBS in May 1942 for specially selected officer candidates, who studied at HBS after completing eight weeks of general administrative training at Officers' Candidate School in Miami Beach, Florida.

On November 8, 1922 the War Department designated the Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot in Montgomery, Ala., as the new Maxwell Field. In May 21, 1940, Maxwell Field was converted into a pilot training center by General Henry H. Arnold. Just a few months late on July 8, the War Department made Maxwell Field the headquarters of the newly created Southeast Air Corps Training Center. Three years later on August 23, 1943, Maxwell Field was redesignated as the Army Air Force's Eastern Flying Training Command. Maxwell went on to train many men and provide numerous military services. On January 13, 1948, Maxwell Field officially became Maxwell Air Force Base.

Bradley Field in Windsor Locks served as a U.S. Army Air Force fighter plane base and East Coast air defense operation from 1941 to 1948. The military named the base after Eugene Bradley from Antler, OK who crashed his P-40 fighter plane at the field shortly after its construction.

After the outbreak of hostilities in Europe and the Pacific area, the U.S. Army indicated an interest in locating a fighter plane base in the southern New England area as part of East Coast air defenses. On January 23, 1941, Governor Robert A. Hurley requested that the General Assembly authorize the purchase of 1,700 acres of land in the Windsor Locks area. The state leased the land to the federal government for one dollar a year for twenty-five years.

Soon after, the War Department began clearing land and constructing runways, buildings and other facilities for planes and support personnel. From the flat, sandy area of woods and tobacco farms came three runways, perimeter and connecting taxiways, hangar aprons, three parking aprons, and revetments and their taxiways. There were also barracks, hangars and other support buildings. The Army completed initial construction in early summer 1941.

In January 1942, the War Department authorized the field's designation of Bradley Field as a tribute to the young flyer killed on August 21, 1941.

In addition to its fighter support role, Bradley Field performed other functions. Summer and early fall of 1942 gave a preview of the North African landing that occurred later in November. Scores of flying fortresses and other bombers filled the hangars and tie down areas awaiting orders for overseas flight.

Bradley Field also served as a prisoner of war camp for German enlisted men during the last year of the war. The prisoners began arriving on October 8, 1944 and remained until repatriation began in 1945. The men performed many tasks at the air base during their confinement.

As the war drew to a close, the field's scope of operations and its personnel changed. The number of Women's Air Corps personnel increased dramatically. At its peak, women made up 40% of the mechanics working on the airplanes. The army built a separate barracks to house the women.

After the German surrender, Bradley Field processed the return of plans and personnel from the European theater. Many returning troops called Bradley tower their "Statue of Liberty."

After the war's end in both theaters, the field gradually acquired more civilian functions. On October 15, 1948, the War Assets Administration authorized turning the air field over to state control.

Statistical control training was authorized early in World War II by Assistant Secretary of War for Air Robert A. Lovett, in consultation with General H.H. Arnold, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces. Charles B. Thornton was Chief of Statistical Control. Harvard Business School Dean Donald K. David set up the Army Air Forces Statistical School at HBS in May 1942 for specially selected officer candidates, who studied at HBS after completing eight weeks of general administrative training at Officers' Candidate School in Miami Beach, Florida. The original course of five weeks was extended to eight weeks in 1943. The purpose of the statistical training was to prepare statistical officers to gather information about personnel, aircraft, and equipment and to present facts and analyze them in ways that would suggest improvements for future missions and other operations. Instruction was provided primarily by members of the HBS faculty after indoctrination at Army Air Forces installations. The program came to be regarded as a good general training in administration in addition to being a grounding in statistical methods. The case method was employed for the teaching of reporting and analytical techniques, and field exercises were included in the curriculum. The course of study was developed in cooperation with the Statistical Control Division, Office of Management Control, Army Air Forces. Graduates of the program were assigned to all levels of command in the AAF.

The AAFSS operated for over two years, ceasing operations in October 1945. It produced 2,400 graduates, organized into groups, or "courses." There were forty "courses." The school's first civilian director was Edmund P. Learned, who was succeeded by Dan T. Smith. The AAF officer in charge of the school was Lt. Col. John Heflin. The model of statistical control taught at the AAFSS at HBS was adopted after the war by numerous companies, including Ford Motors.