Dear John,

I consulted Floyd Williston who researched the history of 135 RCAF veterans who flew in the Battle of Britain. There may have been a large number of Americans in the RCAF and possibly RAF, but according to Floyd, "It is statistically impossible for there to have been 10,000 in the RAF alone and in 1940."

I am only familiar with Americans in the RCAF, who later flew as RCAF personnel attached to RAF units. Bill Walker provides many excellent points regarding the Clayton Knight Committee and the large number of Americans who enlisted in the RCAF at this early time period. Though many were in the RCAF, not all transfered to the USAAF. I have been told some Americans felt insulted by treatment shown by the USAAF, they returned to the USA, but chose to fly with the USN or USMC.

Someone in the UK should research WWII RAF records to determine the number of Americans who enlisted in the RAF yearly from the late 1930s onwards. I doubt if this number will reach the proportions achieved in the RCAF.

Norman Malayney