World War II Air Training School Brayton Flying Field
Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1939 when the Nazis threatened world conquest, the United States had immediate need for thousands of pilots -- more than could be trained at military fields alone. Aid was enlisted from civilian flying schools. One field was established in Cuero under direction of Clyde E. Brayton, veteran pilot whose first licenses (1926-1931) were signed by air pioneer Orville Wright. Cuero provided land; Brayton put in facilities and enrolled the first class in March 1941. A staff of 550 civilians and 100 military men trained 6,611 students who flew 335,000 hours. The field received awards for safety and meritorious service. It ceased operating in August 1944. Favorable flying conditions made Texas the site of 17 civilian training schools, located at Ballinger, Bonham, Brady, Coleman, Corsicana, Cuero, Dallas, Fort Stockton, Fort Worth, Houston, Stamford, Sweetwater, Paris, Terrell, Uvalde, Vernon and Wichita Falls. Personnel in the United States Army Air Forces increased from 21,556 in 1939 to almost 2,500,000 in 1944; many received training at civilian schools. These installations also trained airmen for Brazil, China, England, France and Mexico. Their work was an important contribution toward Allied victory.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As war engulfed the world in 1939, the United States needed pilots faster than its military fields could train them, so it turned to civilian flying schools. Cuero answered the call: the town furnished the land and veteran aviator Clyde E. Brayton, whose first licenses were signed by Orville Wright, built the field and enrolled his first class in March 1941. Before it closed in August 1944, Brayton Field's staff of 650 trained 6,611 students who logged 335,000 flying hours, one of seventeen such civilian schools that made Texas a hub of wartime pilot training.
Why it matters
The civilian training fields were a vital, often-forgotten piece of the Allied air effort, quietly producing the thousands of aviators who won the skies in World War II.
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Related people
- · Clyde E. Brayton
- · Orville Wright
Themes & tags
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