32 Facts About Curtis LeMay

Curtis LeMay later served as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, from 1961 to 1965.

Curtis LeMay had risen to the rank of major by the time of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the United States's entry into World War II.

Curtis LeMay commanded the 305th Bombardment Group from October 1942 until September 1943, and the 3rd Air Division in the European theatre of World War II until August 1944, when he was transferred to the China Burma India Theater.

Curtis LeMay was born in Columbus, Ohio, on November 15,1906.

Curtis LeMay was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Corps Reserve in October 1929.

Curtis LeMay received a regular commission in the United States Army Air Corps in January 1930.

Curtis LeMay took this unit to England in October 1942 as part of the Eighth Air Force, and led it in combat until May 1943, notably helping to develop the combat box formation.

In January 1945, LeMay was transferred from China to relieve Brigadier General Haywood S Hansell as commander of the XXI Bomber Command in the Marianas.

In 1947, Curtis LeMay returned to Europe as commander of USAF Europe, heading operations for the Berlin Airlift in 1948 in the face of a blockade by the Soviet Union and its satellite states that threatened to starve the civilian population of the Western occupation zones of Berlin.

In 1954 Curtis LeMay remarked to pilot Hal Austin, whose plane had been damaged by a MiG-17 while on a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union, "Well, maybe if we do this overflight right, we can get World War III started".

In 1956 and 1957 Curtis LeMay implemented tests of 24-hour bomber and tanker alerts, keeping some bomber forces ready at all times.

Curtis LeMay headed SAC until 1957, overseeing its transformation into a modern, efficient, all-jet force.

Curtis LeMay was appointed Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force in July 1957, serving until 1961.

In 1968 Curtis LeMay threw his support to Wallace and became his vice-presidential running mate on the American Independent Party ticket.

Curtis LeMay was a recipient of the French Legion d'honneur and on December 7,1964 the Japanese government conferred on him the First Order of Merit with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Curtis LeMay was elected to the Alfalfa Club in 1957 and served as a general officer for 21 years.

On June 9,1934, Curtis LeMay married Helen Estelle Maitland, with whom he had one child, Patricia Jane Curtis LeMay Lodge, known as Janie.

Curtis LeMay died on October 1,1990, of complications from a heart attack, in the 22nd Strategic Hospital on the grounds of March AFB.

Curtis LeMay was awarded the Woolf Barnato Award, SCCA's highest award, for contributions to the Club, in 1954.

Curtis LeMay was inducted into the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2004 and the SCCA Hall of Fame in 2007.

On March 13,2010, Curtis LeMay was named the class exemplar for the United States Air Force Academy class of 2013.

In 1964, Curtis LeMay became one of the founding board members of Executive Jet Aviation, along with fellow USAF generals Paul Tibbets and Olbert Lassiter, Washington lawyer and former military pilot Bruce Sundlun, and entertainers James Stewart and Arthur Godfrey.

On June 14,1928, the summer before the start of his senior year, Curtis LeMay accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery Reserve of the US Army.

In September 1928, Curtis LeMay was approached by the Ohio National Guard and asked to accept a state commission, as a second lieutenant, which Curtis LeMay accepted.

On September 29,1928, Curtis LeMay enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet.

Curtis LeMay's status changed on October 2,1929, when LeMay's Guard and Reserve commissions were terminated.

On October 12,1929, Curtis LeMay finished his flight training and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps Reserve.

Curtis LeMay held this reserve commission until June 1930, when he was appointed as a Regular Army officer in the Army Air Corps.

Curtis LeMay experienced slow advancement throughout the 1930s, as did most officers of the seniority-driven Regular Army.

Curtis LeMay was simultaneously appointed to temporary three star general rank in the Air Force and promoted to the full rank of general, permanent in the Air Force, in 1951.

Curtis LeMay retired from the United States Air Force on February 1,1965, with the rank of full general.

In 1972, Curtis LeMay was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.