Lemay, Curtis E.
Lemay, Curtis E. (1906–1990), air tactician and World War II general.Lemay began his career in 1929 as a fighter pilot and transferred to bombers in 1937. In May 1942, he took command of the 305th Bomb Group. He trained the group and took it to England. LeMay increased bombing accuracy by discontinuing evasive action during bombing and substituted straight, level approaches, resulting in no increase in casualties. By June 1944, he commanded almost 500 heavy bombers. After transferring to the China‐Burma‐India Theater in August 1944, he next transferred to Twenty‐First Bomber Command in Guam. In March 1945, he abandoned daylight attacks, stripped his B‐29s of unnecessary weight, and began a campaign of night fire bombing that damaged numerous Japanese cities. This campaign was a decisive factor in Japan's defeat.
In October 1947, LeMay became the commander of the newly created U.S. Air Force (USAF) in Europe. He organized the Berlin Airlift before returning to the United States to take over the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in October 1948, where he changed a dispirited force into an elite unit. His nine‐year tenure (unheard of in the U.S. military) enabled him to apply consistent management practices and his remake of the organization was his most important achievement. SAC became an all‐jet bomber force, developed in‐flight refueling, and increased readiness to unprecedented heights. It served as the linchpin of the Eisenhower administration's military/diplomatic philosophy of massive nuclear retaliation. In 1957, LeMay became the Vice Chief of Staff, USAF—the man responsible for the day‐to‐day operations of the service—and in 1961, he became Chief of Staff. He found himself in the invidious position of opposing the strategic and tactical philosophies of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations with their emphasis on conventional warfare and tactics, especially in Southeast Asia. LeMay further objected to the analytical management style of Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. LeMay retired in 1965.
In October 1947, LeMay became the commander of the newly created U.S. Air Force (USAF) in Europe. He organized the Berlin Airlift before returning to the United States to take over the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in October 1948, where he changed a dispirited force into an elite unit. His nine‐year tenure (unheard of in the U.S. military) enabled him to apply consistent management practices and his remake of the organization was his most important achievement. SAC became an all‐jet bomber force, developed in‐flight refueling, and increased readiness to unprecedented heights. It served as the linchpin of the Eisenhower administration's military/diplomatic philosophy of massive nuclear retaliation. In 1957, LeMay became the Vice Chief of Staff, USAF—the man responsible for the day‐to‐day operations of the service—and in 1961, he became Chief of Staff. He found himself in the invidious position of opposing the strategic and tactical philosophies of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations with their emphasis on conventional warfare and tactics, especially in Southeast Asia. LeMay further objected to the analytical management style of Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. LeMay retired in 1965.
Bibliography
LeMay, Curtis, E., with and MacKinlay Kantor , Mission With LeMay, 1965.
Richard G. Davis
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Lemay, Curtis E.