40 Facts About Ennis Whitehead

Ennis Clement Whitehead was an early United States Army aviator and a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II.

Ennis Whitehead trained as an aviator and served in France, where he was posted to the 3d Aviation Instruction Center and became a qualified test pilot.

Ennis Whitehead retired in 1951 after he was passed over for Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

Ennis Whitehead was educated at Glenwood District School and Burlington High School.

Ennis Whitehead's plans were changed by the United States' entry into World War I during April 1917.

Ennis Whitehead enlisted on August 16,1917, as a private in the Aviation Section, Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Ennis Whitehead attended gunnery school at Bordeaux and became a test pilot.

Ennis Whitehead spent the rest of the war as a test pilot.

Ennis Whitehead was demobilized from the Army in January 1919, and returned to the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1920.

Ennis Whitehead applied for a commission in the Regular Army, and was re-commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Air Service, on September 11,1920.

In 1926, Ennis Whitehead attended the Air Service Engineering School at McCook Field, graduating first in his class.

In December 1926, Whitehead was assigned as the co-pilot for Major Herbert A Dargue, leading the 22,000-mile Pan American Good Will Flight touring South America.

Ennis Whitehead suffered only a sprained ankle, but the pilot and co-pilot of the Detroit were killed.

The remaining four planes of the flight completed the tour, for which all ten airmen including Ennis Whitehead received the first awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Ennis Whitehead did staff duty tours at Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone with the 16th Pursuit Group, at Barksdale Field with the 20th Pursuit Group, and at the headquarters of the General Headquarters Air Force at Langley Field.

Ennis Whitehead was promoted to temporary major in April 1935 and attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth in 1938.

On graduation from the Command and General Staff School, Ennis Whitehead was posted to the G-2 Division of the War Department.

Ennis Whitehead was promoted to lieutenant colonel on December 3,1940.

In May 1942, Lieutenant General George Brett, the Allied Air Forces commander in the South West Pacific Area, lodged a request with Lieutenant General Henry H Arnold, the Commanding General of the US Army Air Forces, for Whitehead to be sent out in the grade of brigadier general as a replacement for Brigadier General Harold Huston George, who had been killed in an air crash near Darwin, Northern Territory on April 29,1942.

Ennis Whitehead was promoted on June 16,1942, and ordered to the Southwest Pacific.

Ennis Whitehead flew there with Kenneth Walker, a bomber expert, who had recently been promoted to brigadier general.

Kenney knew Ennis Whitehead well, having served with him at Issoudun, the Air Corps Tactical School and GHQ Air Force, and had served with Walker at the Air Corps Tactical School.

Ennis Whitehead attempted to build up the morale and leadership of his units.

At the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943, Ennis Whitehead was rewarded with an important victory over the Japanese.

Ennis Whitehead was promoted to major general on March 15,1943.

Ennis Whitehead's attitude earned him high marks with the Allied land commanders.

Ennis Whitehead assumed command of the Fifth Air Force in June 1944, although he remained subordinate to Kenney.

Ennis Whitehead was promoted to lieutenant general on June 5,1945.

Ennis Whitehead continued in command of the Fifth Air Force, participating in the occupation of Japan.

Ennis Whitehead succeeded Kenney as commander of the Far East Air Forces in December 1945.

Ennis Whitehead commanded it until March 1949, when he returned to the United States to command the Continental Air Command.

Ennis Whitehead was instrumental in splitting this organization into the Tactical Air Command and Air Defense Command, commanding the latter from January 1951.

Ennis Whitehead was seen by some in the Air Force hierarchy as "too attached to Kenney and MacArthur, too political, too outspoken, and too tactically focused" to be Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

Ennis Whitehead was dismayed by the appointment of Hoyt Vandenberg rather than Kenney as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force in 1948 and lost his mentor when the new chief relieved Kenney as commander of Strategic Air Command in October 1948.

In retirement, Ennis Whitehead testified before the United States Senate's Preparedness Subcommittee on the State of the Nation's Air Defenses.

Ennis Whitehead pleaded for the fastest possible creation of an air force with an atomic "strike force" ready to take off on retaliatory raids within a few hours of an attack on the United States, enough transports to service the strike force at overseas bases, fighters to escort the bombers on their missions, and at least 30 wings of all-weather jet fighters to intercept enemy bombers.

Ennis Whitehead urged that, until this was achieved, the Army and Navy should be cut back to "token" appropriations.

Ennis Whitehead pointed out that the United States mainland was defended against atomic attack by fewer than 100 all-weather fighters, which could not have destroyed more than 10 to 15 percent of a force attacking in daylight.

Ennis Whitehead argued that a well-executed surprise atomic air attack would likely succeed.

Ennis Whitehead died of emphysema in Newton, Kansas, on October 12,1964, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.