Lt. Edward C. Jordan - The War Years - Pilot, 603rd Squadron

Lt. Edward C. Jordan - The War Years

Pilot, 603rd Squadron

Army Air Forces Flight Training

Edward C. Jordan enlisted in the Air Force Enlisted Reserve Corp of the Army of the United States on September 24, 1942. 1st Lt. W. C. Brittain signed the enlistment at the Headquarters of Aviation Cadet Board #3.

Ed had graduated from Calumet High School in Chicago in 1940 and after graduation worked as a biller for Norway Truck Lines and later as a biller, cashier, and stenographer for Road Way Transit.

The Enlisted Reserve Corp was a way for enlistees to guide their way to a branch of service they were interested in rather than being drafted and not having a choice. In Ed's case he chose the United Statess Army Air Forces as a prospective Army Aviation Cadet, though acceptance was not certain. While waiting, Ed took some math courses at DePaul in Chicago and the Army also arranged for him to take various qualification tests, perhaps math and motor skills.

On February 4, 1943 the Army Aviation Cadet Corps notified 20 year old Ed Jordan they were ready for him and provided him a choice as to whether he wanted to proceed but also indicated where he was to report if still interested.

Ed was still interested and began the journey to San Antonio in March 1943 where he began a series of four 9-week courses in Army Air Cadet training. On January 7, 1944, Ed received his wings and was officially entered into active duty. The four flight training courses he took were called: 1) Pre-Flight Training, 2) Primary Training, 3) Basic Training, and 4) Advanced TE (Twin Engine) Training. For Primary, Basic and Advanced, I have the course "yearbooks" which have pictures of the men, the various bases and descriptions of some of the sessions that were held.

Pre-Flight Training at San Antonio, Texas

Ed began Pre-flight Training on March 16, 1943 at the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center in the Army Air Forces Gulf Coast Training Center at San Antonio, Texas. During the initial week there the men were tested physically, psychologically, and mentally as to their aptitude to different types of aviation skills. The men took many kinds of tests including various motor skill tests. A Classification Board made the determination as to Pilot, Bombardiers, Navigators or other type of training gong forward. On March 25th, nine days after his arrival, the Faculty Board of the Army Air Force Classification Center classified Ed Jordan as a “Pilot.”

Mostly the Pre-Flight Training course consisted of classroom work such as the essentials of basic flight, navigation, and Morse code. I still have some of Ed's Morse code practice sheets. Ed graduated Pre-Flight in June 1943.

Primary at Gibbs Field, Fort Stockton, Texas

Ed Jordan began Primary Training June 27, 1943 at Gibbs Field, Fort Stockton, Texas. It was at Primary where the men first began to fly. For Ed's class, they learned on a single engine, single wing, open-cockpit aircraft with two seats, one behind the other called the PT-19A, or Primary Trainer 19A. Various training aircraft types are shown in the October 1991 issue of the 398th's FLAK NEWS.

Ed's first flight was June 29, 1943 and lasted 24 minutes. His initial instructor's name was Mr. G.M. Holtzclaw. Ed's first logbook entry indicates that the plane was a Fairchild PT-19A Cornell Army HR175 L-440-1 located at the 9th AAFFTD (Army Air Forces Flying Training Detachment), Fort Stockton, Texas.

Ed took over the controls for the first time on July 14 for 9 minutes and he soloed on August 3rd with a 1 hour and 48 minute flight. His last Primary Training flight was on August 28 for two hours and 4 minutes. He accumulated 35 hours and 15 minutes of flying in Primary. Besides the flying, the men did calisthenics, jumped rope, swam, and marched. In his class picture, Ed has a close fitting skullcap that cover his ears, a big pair of goggles (for outside flying), a leather jacket and a white silk scarf. He graduated at the end of August 1943.

For Primary, Basic, and Advanced, Ed's class was referred to as Cadets of 44-A. Not all would graduate and personal inscriptions in the Primary Training Class Book, called Solo, showed their apprehension. There were phrases such as "Here is hoping we make it" and "More luck and a hard desire will take the game now." His buddies referred to Ed as "Bottle Cap", although we don't know exactly why.

It turns out that the term Cadets of 44-A was not limited to those that started at San Antonio. Different sections of the country were simultaneously training pilots and they also had their Cadets of 44-A, the first group destined to graduate in 1944.

See Lt. Ed Jordan's Primary Training Photos - Summer 1943.

Basic at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas

Ed Jordan began Basic Training at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas in early September 1943 and graduated in early November 1943. For Ed's class, the pilots flew a two-seater aircraft referred to as a BT (Basic Trainer). It is a single engine single wing aircraft with a canopy that covers both instructor and student. In Basic, the men learned to fly formations, fly at night, received training in the Link simulators, obtained parachutes, did calisthenics, ran, played sports, practiced Morse code, flew cross-country, and took class room instruction.

Ed's logbook entry indicates that the plane type was a Vultee 3S BT-13A, U. S. Army with 450 HP Pratt and Whitney Engines. We have a late-1970s picture of Ed standing in front a BT at an air show in Du Page County, Illinois.

Ed's first flight as a student was September 4, 1943 for 48 minutes and he took over the controls on September 9th for 30 minutes. On September 21st he began cross-country flights to other towns and on October 5th, Ed soloed for 2 hours and 53 minutes including a cross-country flight between Cisco-Hamilton-IP. He began night flying on October 6th. His last Basic Training flight was October 28, 1943. Ed accumulated 50 hours and 14 minutes of daytime solo flying and a little over 9 hours of nighttime solo flying. Ed's instructor was Lt. Bickham and Ed was in the 3rd Squadron, Flight B.

In his graduation picture, Ed has on a flat rectangular hat (called a Garrison Hat) with a metal insignia similar to a small plane. He also has on a set of earphones, leather jacket and a white silk scarf. Most of the signatures and short notes to Ed are all in the J's, K's and L's (e.g., Jones, Lewellyn) and are probably due to alphabetical groups of men being together. The written notations from friends in the Basic Training Class Book called CAVU Forty Four-A, express a sense of confidence that they will make it through training.

In 2008, after many years of trying to discover its meaning, Hal Weekley of the 398th clued me in as to the meaning of CAVU. It is an acronym for Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited.

See Lt. Ed Jordan's Basic Training Photos - Aug to Nov 1943.

Advanced Training at Lubbock Army Air Field, Lubbock, Texas

Ed Jordan began Advanced Training at Lubbock Army Air Field, Lubbock, Texas in early November 1943 and graduated in January 1944. It was officially called the Army Air Forces Advanced Pilot School (Twin Engine). Here Ed learned to fly the twin-engine Cessna AT-17. This aircraft looks like a small DC-3 with additional windows above the pilot and behind. At Advanced Training, there was more physical training, running, calisthenics, and LINK trainers. At the end of the Advanced Training, the pilots won their wings and entered active duty. During the three flight schools, Ed accumulated a little over 225 hours of flying as pilot. His instructor was Lt. Dyas.

Ed's picture in the class book Wings Aloft-44A is in full uniform with his wings and tie. There are no signatures or writing in his book as possibly they were handed out after graduation and everyone had dispersed. There is a picture of Ed with his 3rd Provisional Training Squad, 2nd Element. He has on a parachute, leather gloves, zip-up boots and a cap.

See Lt. Ed Jordan's Advanced Training Photos - Nov '43 to Jan '44.

Salt Lake City, Utah

On January 8th, the day after graduation, Ed was assigned to the Second Air Force, 18th Replacement Wing, at the Salt Lake Army Air Base effective January 21, 1944. Different men were assigned to different locations. During his time off, Ed married in Marfa, Texas and returned with his wife to Lubbock for a week to relax. Then while in Salt Lake, on January 23rd, he was classified as a 1022 Bomber Pilot TE. A 1022 is the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) for a twin-engine pilot, which at the time were B-25’s and B-26’s.

During his time in Salt Lake, he received Altitude, Combat Crew, and Low Pressure Chamber, Malaria Control, and Discipline Training. He qualified with a Colt 45 pistol with a score of 70%. Besides the additional training, part of the purpose of being there was as a staging area as the Army Air Corp sorted out which new pilots would be assigned to which groups. There was no flight training for him in Salt Lake.

On February 3rd, effective the following day, Ed and three friends from his Lubbock Cadets of 44-A, Jerry Jans, Ed Jones, and Clarence King were assigned to the 398th Bomb Group at Rapid City and all eventually to the 603rd. Another friend of Ed's from the Cadets of 44-A, Steve Lewellyn was assigned to the 381st. The story of how the four were assigned to the 398th and the 603rd is covered in Clarence King's December 2003 letter. The only other aviation cadet I am aware of from the Lubbock Cadets of 44-A assigned to the 398th is Keith Anderson who was assigned to the 600th, though there are probably others.

Rapid City, South Dakota

The 398th Bomb Group began arriving in Rapid City in June 1943. In February 1944 there was a need for additional co-pilots due to some losses, thus the assignments from the Cadets of 44-A.

On February 6th, Ed was issued his B-4 bag, Aviator Kit, A-9 helmet, B-6 helmet, B-7 goggles, A-10 Oxygen Mask, B-3 Jacket, A-10 gloves, A-6 shoes, A-3 trousers, C-2 vest, and parachute and on February 8th, Colonel Hunter assigned Ed to the 603rd Squadron.

Ed's first flight in the B-17 was on February 19th. He flew as "rated personnel, non-pilot" for two hours and two landings. I think what this means is that he was a "rated" pilot, but that he did not pilot the plane. Most likely he went up with a pilot instructor and another co-pilot to "look over their shoulders" to get an overview of what flying the B-17 was like and what would be expected as co-pilot in a few days.

February 23rd 1944 was Ed's first flight in the B-17 as a co-pilot. It was for 3:15 hours and four landings. It must have been an exciting day for him. He flew a B-17F. His instructor was Lt. Nelson.

At some point, Ed was assigned as co-pilot to the Robert (Bob) Hopkins' crew. He and the Hopkins' crew along with the whole 398th then trained together throughout March 1944 as the pilots practiced flying tight formations, the navigators and bombardiers practiced navigational and bombing runs and the gunners practiced shooting at various targets. On March 11th, Ed moved up from the B-17F to the B-17G.

On March 23, Ed received eight hours of Medical Training, Basic Sanitation, 1st Aid, Global Sanitation and Hygiene, and Altitude Training. The next day he received two hours of Chemical Warfare Training. On March 30th, the Hopkins' Crew was designated Crew 65 of 72 Crews in the 398th Air Echelon to England. And on March 31, 1944, Ed was classified as a 1024 Pilot. A 1024 is the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) for a 4-engine pilot, which at the time were B-17’s and B-24’s.

Ed's last training flight in Rapid City was on April 3rd. Between February 19th and April 3rd Ed accumulated 74:35 hours as co-pilot in the B-17. He was trained and ready to go to war.

See B-17s over Rapid City - Early 1944
See Hopkins' Crew's B-17 at Rapid City
See Relaxing in Rapid City - Early 1944
See Ed Jordan's Form 5's for B-17 Training in Rapid City (3.1 Meg pdf)

Flight Training Recollections

As follows are a few personal recollections from my family about those times.

My mom said that before Ed went to Pre-Flight training in 1943, he took a refresher course in Algebra and Geometry at a school in downtown Chicago, thought to be DePaul. Dad had taken business courses in high school since his father had thought it was good preparation for him. However he took the Algebra and Geometry refresher courses because he wanted to make sure he did well in flying school. He did well and had an easier time than many college students in the flight school mathematics courses. Mom also recalled that while waiting to be accepted into Pre-Flight training, he went somewhere in the Chicago area to take a test, perhaps a math test but it could also have been some of the psychological and motor tests. Apparently, he did well and this led to the February 1943 letter accepting him into the Aviation Cadet Center in San Antonio.
Dad recalled that while in Texas that he and the crew were sitting under the wing of an aircraft one afternoon to get out of the sun. Along came a big hairy tarantula and although they were tough Army Air Force men, they quietly and quickly decided not to tangle with the tarantula so they moved elsewhere.
Dad mentioned that when he was learning to fly in Texas that he lost his rosary beads and wallet in the desert when he flew upside-down during barrel roll practice. This must have been the open cockpit PT-19A he flew from Fort Stockton. What a find if his wallet were to show up someday from that dry Texas desert.
Dad is shown in a few old pictures with a silk scarf. Daughter, Claudia says mom still has an old silk scarf.
Ed and Jeanne were married on January 9, 1944 at the Army Air Base Chapel in Marfa, Texas two days after Ed graduated in Lubbock from Army Air Cadets. Claudia recalls them talking about how it snowed in Texas on their wedding day and how the bus they were on broke down. Claudia also thinks mom still has the bride and army uniform groom that was on the top of their wedding cake. Claudia also recalls that in the late 60s, mom pulled her wedding dress out of a box. It was made of washable satin (or silk) and had covered buttons many down the back and on both sleeves. She could still get in it then.
During the training in Rapid City, Bob Hopkins mentioned that they would practice formation flying including having the wings aligned with other aircraft on the turns. One day he said he and Ed buzzed Mount Rushmore. That must have been a sight.

Personal History Information

Veteran: Edward C. Jordan
Position: Co-Pilot/Pilot
Squadron: 603rd
Date of Personal History: February 1, 2003, updated November 2008, updated December 2008
Author: Dave Jordan
Submitted to 398th Web Pages by: Dave Jordan