James Stewart at War: His Career in the USAAF

By Pavel Türk

Reveals how Stewart was the presiding officer of the court martial of a pilot and navigator who accidentally bombed Zürich in Switzerland.

James Stewart was already a Hollywood star when the United States went to war in December 1941. Having received an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1940 for his role in The Philadelphia Story, he had become a familiar face to movie goers by the time that the Japanese struck at Pearl Harbor. By that time ‘Jimmy’ had already received his private pilot’s license and when his name was drawn by the Drafting Commission on 29 October 1940, he applied to join the US Army Air Corps. He continued his pilot training and just twelve days before he received his draft, he had obtained his commercial pilot’s license. It was on 18 January 1942, that the Hollywood star was called into active duty.

Jimmy was transferred to the 929th Bombardier Training School, based at Kirtland Field in New Mexico, on 19 August 1942. There he served as a pilot almost until the end of the year. Though his film company had managed to secure a ‘static personnel’ role, Jimmy was determined to fly in combat. So it was that Captain James Maitland Stewart was appointed as the Commander of the 703rd Bombardment Squadron. Finally, on 17 November 1943, he landed in the UK and his operational war began.

Flying in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Jimmy undertook his first bombing mission on 13 December 1943, the target on this occasion being the German U-boat facilities at Kiel. Just seven days later he was once again sent to attack a target in Germany, this time the port of Bremen.

A further eighteen missions followed over the following fifteen months. Stewart took part in raids against targets across Germany, including Berlin, all of which are analyzed in detail along with a fabulous collection of photographs of the aircraft Jimmy flew and the men he flew with.

His contribution to victory over Germany was not confined to flying B-24 bombers, He also functioned as an Operations Officer for a period and led the Liberators of the 2nd Combat Bomb Wing to an attack on the railway marshaling yards at Halle from the navigator’s seat of a de Haviland Mosquito.

James Stewart rose to the rank of major from private in just four years, an achievement few can claim. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions as deputy commander of the 2nd Bombardment Wing, and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. The French bestowed him with the Croix de Guerre with palm.

Having risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel, James Stewart returned to the silver screen after the war. He continued to play a role in the Army Air Forces reserve, during which period he was promoted to brigadier general. In so doing, Stewart became the highest-ranking actor in American military history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Release date: Aug 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781399066976

Pavel Türk

A renowned author and historian on the aerial aspects of the Second World War, PAVEL TÜRK has a particular interest in the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. As a result of his research on this particular bomber, Pavel has previously written two separate volumes of the B-24 Liberator Handbook, which were published in the Czech language, and co-authored B-24 Liberator in RAF Coastal Command Service. He lives in the Czech Republic.

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James Maitland Stewart was born on 20 May, 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania (about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh) the son of Protestant parents whose family had its roots in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. His father Alex owned and operated a hardware store in the city. In 1923 he arranged for Jim a transfer to Mercersburg Academy, a private boarding high school which functioned (and still does) as a preparation for further studies in the ‘Ivy League’. James was not an excellent student, so his first year at the select school was not easy. He devoted himself to sports, but mainly to music as he played the accordion and sang well.

In May 1927 Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic. At the time James was at home, enthusiastically watching the current position of Lindbergh’s plane on the map, listening to the news on the radio and reading the newspaper. Lindbergh became his hero, but Jimmy had no idea how it would affect his later life.¹

In his last year at school, he also devoted himself to acting when he got the lead role in a school performance. James graduated from Mercersburg Academy in 1928, but he did not want to study further. For James, his father Alexander was not only an authority but also a great role model as a graduate of Princeton University, and he took Jim on a tour. A visit to the university managed to change James’s opinion; the environment enchanted him. In 1929 he began studying architecture at Princeton and became a member of the elite Triangle Club, a respected academic theatre company that not only performed on campus but also travelled to major US cities.

In the spring of 1932, he successfully completed his studies in architecture and obtained the title of B.S. (Bachelor of Science). His final results were so good that he received a scholarship for further study, but by then Jimmy knew he wanted to be an actor. The last play Jimmy performed was on Broadway and a meeting with two other actors, Henry Fonda and Margaret Sullavan, definitely determined his future. Although his parents would like to see their son as a graduate architect with a Master of Science degree, this time his father stepped back and left the decision to his son and so in 1933, James Stewart began his acting career on Broadway. The three-month contract won for MGM began in January 1935, another life chapter for the tall, skinny boy from Pennsylvania.

Consolidated Fleet Model 11 NC757V, ca 1928. James Stewart completed pilot training on this type.

The move to California was complicated only by Henry Fonda’s request that Jim also bring a huge model of the Martin MB-1 twin-engine biplane, which they were building together during long nights in New York.

In April, James Stewart signed an (up to) seven-year contract with MGM with a weekly salary of $350. ‘Shorty’, his first role in the feature film ‘The Murder Man’, played the same year and then came the path to fame, with everything that belonged, and still belongs, to life in Hollywood.

Jimmy Stewart by the rudder of his first aircraft, Stinson 105 NC26210, 1940.

In 1935, James Stewart began pilot training at Robert Blair High School, Mines Field, Los Angeles. He completed his first solo on a Consolidated Fleet biplane with a 90hp Kinner engine and obtained a private pilot’s licence on 9 August, 1938 after reaching 100 flight hours (of which 12 hours were solo). Jimmy bought a yellow Stinson 105 with which he took trips around the USA and visited his parents. He continued flying and, after reaching 325 flight hours on 10 March 1941, obtained a ‘commercial pilot’ licence (Airman Certificate No. 54770).

James Stewart in the cockpit of his yellow Stinson 105 Voyager.

At that time, however, war had been raging in Europe since 1939, and it was only a matter of time before US neutrality ended and the country was drawn into another world war. It was a family tradition that the Stewarts did not shy away from serving the homeland. Their ancestors had fought in the American Revolution, and Grandfather James Maitland Stewart fought in the Civil War on the Union’s side under General Sheridan. James’s father Alex served in the First World War in Europe as a company commander in the US Army Ordnance Department where he reached the rank of captain. Young Jimmy also planned to enlist in the army.

Stinson 105 Voyager (HW-75), NACA Langley Research Center, March 19, 1940. (NASA)

In September 1940, President F. Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 36 to register with the Drafting Commission when called upon. This was followed by inspections and one-year training with the US Army Reserves. James Stewart was drawn on 29 October 1940. He registered at the first opportunity, immediately applied to join the US Army Air Corps, and hoped that a timely application would give him a better chance of becoming a pilot. During the initial examination, the military physician was sceptical of this requirement, both because of Jimmy’s age (32) and because of his physical constitution (height 193cm and weight 68kg).

Jimmy in the cockpit of a Fairchild Model 24 Argus. This type was very popular before the war, especially among Hollywood actors.

His path to military flying was complicated by his status as a Hollywood star and especially by his employer, MGM (namely by Louis B. Mayer). Who would want to give up a goose that lays golden eggs? James Stewart’s popularity continued to grow, and on 21 February 1941, he won an Oscar for Best Actor for his lead role in ‘The Philadelphia Story’.

Private James Stewart after his induction on 22 March 1941. (Tom Brittan)

Jimmy did not give up, however, and his efforts were eventually crowned with success. On 22 March 1941, he was drafted and enlisted in the Army Air Corps Reserve as Private (Army serial No. 39230721). But the way to flying was not yet on its end. On 17 April 1941 he reported to HQ Moffett Field, but was assigned to a film unit in Wright Field, Ohio. That was the last thing a movie star wanted. Jim requested a personal audience with Colonel E.B. Lyon, the base’s commanding officer, who told him that in order to be promoted to second lieutenant and become an army pilot, he needed another 40 hours on an aircraft with an engine of 200hp or more and so Jim continued flying at weekends, paying for it himself, at Palo Alto airport.

On 14 June 1941 he applied for promotion to the rank of second lieutenant and continued to seek all possible support for his application to become a pilot. Since the start of military service, he had flown over 100 flight hours on an aircraft with an engine output of more than 200hp. On 1 July he was promoted to the rank of corporal. Then, on 13 November, he applied