I am writing a biography about Adee Dodge(aka Adolph Bitanny), a Navajo artist and US Army Air Force veteran who claimed to be a code talker in the south Pacific during WWII.   Although the Marine code talkers have received nearly all the publicity and acclaim to date, the Department of Defense notes on their web site that the Army Air Force used a “group of 24 Navajos . . . assembled to handle telephone communications, using voice codes in their native tongue, between the Air Commander in the Solomon Islands and various airfields in the region.”
 
This is the only mention I can find of the Army Air Force code talkers.
 
Dodge’s official separation report notes that he “made a very confidential contribution to the war effort in the joint Army and Navy communication threw(sic) the use of the Navajo language in combat".  
 
Dodge was a graduate student at Columbia University in the 1930’s where he studied comparative linguistics.  A Navajo, Ivy League educated specialist in linguistics was real rarity at the outbreak of WW II (he was in all likelihood the only one), so his claim is very plausible.
 
If anyone has any information, or can point me in a direction, about how to obtain more information on the 24 Army Air Force code talkers used in the Solomon Islands I would be appreciative.

Were the Navajo Code Talkers USMC assigned to the Air Force, or were they actually USAAF personnel?

Terry T.

If I understand your question correctly, the Marine code talkers were a totally seperate group who were Marine personnel and were under Marine command.  The Marine code talkers have, to date, received all of the publicity and acclaim(especially for their role in Okinawa) and, as a result, when the term "code talkers" is used it automatically refers to the Marine group.  What I am trying to uncover is more information about the Army Air Force code talkers.  Although both codes were based in the Navajo language, they were completely different codes.  As noted in my post the only reference I can find to the AAF code talkers is the single sentence on the DOD web site which mentions that a group of 24 of them were used in the Soloman Islands for communication.  The subject of my bio, Adee Dodge, was in the AAF, where he eventually rose to the rank of Captain.
 

Coyote,

Some years back I read something about the US Army utilizing members of
the Cheyenne tribe as RTO's in the Italian campaign, speaking in their native
language in order to confound German line tappers.
I don't recall where I came across this article, possibly in VFW Magazine, but I
never forgot it.

If in your research you come across any reference to these other Code Talkers
I would appreciate hearing about them.

Good luck with your project,
Bob 

skybear,
There is a strong possibility that I company of the 180th regiment, 45th Division used tribal Native American language over their radios in Italy. This company was comprised of all American Indians. The 45th Infantry Division at one time had over 50 tribes represented in it's ranks. I just found this in my search for code talkers in the AAF.

Fair Winds and following seas.
John, (GM 3/C USS Frost DE 144)

Kin to LT. John W. Farnkopf
15th AAF, 52 FG, 4th FS; Madna, Italy
MIA 11/11/44 remains found 12/8/53

John,

Thanks for the information. Think I'll snoop around in my spare time(?)
and see if I can't find out more about these guys.

Bob

A friend of mine was in Italy during WWII, and he said the American-Japanese units would speak in there native tongue to fool the Germans.. At a Christmas party years ago I went to..one US Army fellow of Italian descent &
was stationed in Japan, the other fellow was Amerian-Japanese who was in Italy during the war..were both at there.

At the party the Italian guy spoke Japanese and the American-Japanese spoke Italian..its was funny<s>

Terry T.

NARA has him listed: Field Title
Value
Meaning
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER
18067777
18067777
NAME
BITANNY#ADOLPH#D########
BITANNY#ADOLPH#D########
RESIDENCE: STATE
81
Undefined Code
RESIDENCE: COUNTY
001
Undefined Code
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT
8365
SANTA FE NEW MEXICO
DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY
27
27
DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH
12
12
DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR
41
41
GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION
PVT#
Private
GRADE: CODE
8
Private
BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION
BI#
Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
BRANCH: CODE
00
Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
FIELD USE AS DESIRED
#
#
TERM OF ENLISTMENT
5
Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
LONGEVITY
###
###
SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL
0
Civil Life
NATIVITY
81
Undefined Code
YEAR OF BIRTH
12
12
RACE AND CITIZENSHIP
6
American Indian, citizen
EDUCATION
8
4 years of college
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION
011
College presidents, professors, and instructors
MARITAL STATUS
6
Single, without dependents
COMPONENT OF THE ARMY
6
Army of the United States - includes the following: Voluntary enlistments effective December 8, 1941 and thereafter; One year enlistments of National Guardsman whose State enlistment expires while in the Federal Service; Officers appointed in the Army of the United States under Army Regulations 605-10
CARD NUMBER
#
#
BOX NUMBER
0274
0274
FILM REEL NUMBER
2.131
2.131

This is from Ancestry.com Name: Adolph D Bitanny Birth Year: 1912 Race: American Indian, citizen (American)   Enlistment Date: 27 Dec 1941 Enlistment State: New Mexico Enlistment City: Santa Fe Branch: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA Branch Code: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA Grade: Private Grade Code: Private Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law Component: Army of the United States - includes the following: Voluntary enlistments effective December 8, 1941 and thereafter; One year enlistments of National Guardsman whose State enlistment expires while in the Federal Service; Officers appointed in the Army of Source: Civil Life   Education: 4 years of college Civil Occupation: Gunsmith Marital Status: Single, without dependents Height: 71 Weight: 150

Terry T.