a writes:

As an aside, I heard a talk some years ago given by a man who
commanded a bomber squadron during WW II. He had entered the Army Air
Corps as a very young man but time and events forced him to grow up
quickly.

He had an opportunity to go home on leave towards the end of the war:
remember, this was a guy who was leading a group flying bombers over
Germany.

He asked to borrow the family car: couldn't have it, he did not have a
driver's license!

A tank driver in the war would not have been able to borrow the family
airplane, either.