Cream of the Crop

Book excerpt: A unique offering to military studies critiquing the effectiveness of the Royal Canadian Air Forces' aircrew preparations for war, a selection system and training program which became a modern model. English (war studies, Royal Military College of Canada) traces the development of aviation psychology and the treatment of psychological casualties in air combat, paying attention to the controversy of diagnosing aviators as "lacking moral fibre" and its effect on morale. By exploring these issues, the author includes the human dimension as an influence on air force effectiveness, as much as material and technological innovations. Includes some photographs. Canadian card order number C96-900371-4. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR