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Greetings...
I am an active duty CAP pilot with the Nevada Wing of CAP as well as a CAP historian. When CAP was first set up, just days before Pearl Harbor, it was under the Office of Civil Defense, which is where the original logo of the prop inside the white triangle came from. The white triangle contained all the various logos from Civil Defense (CD).
Sometime in early 1942, the tasking and control of CAP was turned over to the AAF. Most of the State CAP units had USAAF officers as Liaison types but they did not fly CAP planes, that I know of. They were more for coordinating scarce, rationed resources, such as aircraft fuel, oil, tyres and, later, 100lb bombs. They acted as the intermediary between military and civilian.
However, keep in mind, that the CAP did wear US Army uniforms, except with silver insignia and buttons, rather than US eagle gold type buttons and wing/prop. Immediately after the War, many USAAF types, joined CAP as it was a rather inexpensive way to stay in the Air, albeit with surplus planes and civilian owned planes. Also, a number of CAP flyers, all civilian that I know of, did earn the Air Medal during the War for their efforts, mostly along the East Coast.
These Post War members, were often in the Reserves and were wearing standard pinks and greens up until about 1952 or so. That is when the big changeover to AF blues took place. Keep in mind that most members, of the AAF, when it changed to USAF in 1947, were wearing pinks and greens. The first blues, including the blue Ike jacket didn't come out til 1949, and with limited production, weren't fully available til about 1951. All those WWII retreads, in the Reserves, called back in for Korea between 1950-52, were allowed to wear pinks and greens up thru 1952 even though they could buy blues.
Hope that helps clear what can be seen in photos were the exact date isn't always known.
soft landings,
doug taggart
CAP Historian,
Nevada Wing
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