Coming in Jan. 2025 "Building Dutch Air Power in World War II: The Role of Lend-Lease and Aircrew Training in the United States"

[Edward]

Building Dutch Air Power in World War II: The Role of Lend-Lease and Aircrew Training in the United States
(McFarland - 12 January 2025)
by Nicholas Michael Sambaluk
234 pages w/ c. 25 photos, notes, bibliography and index - paperback
$49.95 US

"During World War II, the United States earned the nickname “the Arsenal of Democracy” due to its sheer productive output. The hardware turned out in US factories included over 3 million trucks and jeeps, 86,000 tanks, 6,750 naval platforms, 300,000 aircraft of all types. It was also the Arsenal of Democracy in a second sense, as a large portion of that hardware was supplied to countries fighting fascism. When Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the Lend-Lease Act, Allied countries of the anti-fascist coalition were supplied with aid, hardware, and food. Beyond material aid, the United States hosted and trained over 15,000 foreign pilots between 1941 and 1945.

This book presents the history of one such training program, where 532 Dutch pilots, crew and other personnel were trained on United States soil over 21 months. A unique case, the Netherlands remained financially solvent while other Allied powers struggled with funds. With the Japanese army intent on invading the Netherlands East Indies, it was critical that the Dutch army strengthen their air power. When resistance fell on the NEI island of Java and Australia became the new front line, Dutch authorities were forced to relocate their training program to Jackson, Mississippi, where they would christen the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School. Here they would train on bases in over a dozen states, representing a high point for the Dutch air force during a grueling time. After their training, the RNMFS participated in the liberation of NEI from Japanese occupation. This history presents in full context the training of Dutch air personnel on U.S. soil under the Lend-Lease Act, their easy rapport with their American hosts, and their future efforts which would go on to establish the Netherlands as an integral part of the Allied cause."

The Author
"Nicholas Michael Sambaluk is the 2024 Lt Gen Brent Scowcroft Chair in Strategy at the Air War College, and the author or editor of five previous books on military history and strategic affairs. He is the recipient of the Air Force Historical Foundation’s book of the year prize, and the Air Force Association’s defense writing title. He lives in Millbrook, Alabama."

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/b...-world-war-ii/

[Edward]

"Jackson's Flying Dutchmen: The Significance of the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School"
by Samuel Howard Ward
University of Southern MississippiMaster's Thesis - History (Summer 2014)
Committee Chair: Andrew Wiest

Abstract
"From May 1942 thru February 1944, the United States allowed the Netherlands to train its aviators at Jackson Army Air Base. Known as the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School, the training the Dutch conducted helped rebuild the Royal Netherland Air Force and the air component of the Royal Netherland Navy. The Dutch military came to Jackson because they lost their territory to foreign invaders. Furthermore, the surviving members of the Dutch military felt compelled to endure and carry on the fight. The United States military selected Jackson Army Air Base because of its geographic location, the existing infrastructure at the base, and the support the community had for both the military and aviation.

Once in Jackson, the instructors and students of the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School interacted with both the American military forces stationed at the base and the civilians living in Jackson. Through their interactions with the American military, the Dutch adopted a more methodical and scientific method to pilot training like the Americans. While the Dutch military adopted several other American military traditions, they did not adopt them wholesale. The Dutch also interacted with the civilians of Jackson. The Dutch and Jacksonians interacted in a variety of ways displaying both the positive and negative aspects of both cultures.

Ultimately the Dutch experience in Jackson was one of the first successful multinational training experiments in the U.S. The Dutch helped open the doors to the international training programs seen today."

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/34/