Night fighter
Night fighter combat over the skies of England made the Army Air Forces aware of the need for night air defense training and tactics development. The Air Defense Operational Training Unit had been established on 26 March. Later it was renamed the Fighter Command School. The 81st Fighter Squadron became responsible for night fighter training, using Douglas P-70 Havocs. The 81st was assigned the "daunting task" of training sufficient crews to man seventeen night fighter squadrons within twelve months, initially " [w]ith no trained instructor pilots or [radar operator]s, no aircraft, no radar, and no communications equipment" The original night fighter crews were recruited from 27 pilots from the 50th Group who were qualified to fly twin-engine aircraft. They attended transition training school at Williams Field, Arizona before returning to Florida.