Old Iron Pants The Demon Bombs Away LeMay The Big Cigar[1]
Born
(1906-11-15)November 15, 1906 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died
October 1, 1990(1990-10-01) (aged 83) March Air Force Base, California, U.S.
Buried
United States Air Force Academy Cemetery
Allegiance
United States
Service/branch
United States Army (1929-1947)
United States Army Air Corps (1929–41)
United States Army Air Forces (1941–47)
United States Air Force (1947–65)
Years of service
1929–1965
Rank
General
Commands held
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
Strategic Air Command
Twentieth Air Force
Battles/wars
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Awards
Distinguished Service Cross
Army Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
Air Medal (5)
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan)
Alma mater
Ohio State University (BS)
Spouse(s)
Helen Maitland
(m. 1934)
Children
1
Political party
Republican
Other political affiliations
American Independent (1968)
Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented an effective but controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, from 1961 to 1965.
LeMay joined the United States Army Air Corps, the precursor to the United States Air Force, in 1929 while studying civil engineering at Ohio State University. He 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 subsequent entry into World War II. He 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. He was then placed in command of strategic bombing operations against Japan, planning and executing a massive fire bombing campaign against Japanese cities and Operation Starvation, a crippling minelaying campaign in Japan's internal waterways.
After the war, he was assigned to command USAF Europe and coordinated the Berlin Airlift. He served as commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1948 to 1957, where he presided over the transition to an all-jet aircraft force that had a strong emphasis on the delivery of nuclear weapons in the event of war. As Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he called for the bombing of Cuban missile sites during the Cuban Missile Crisis and sought a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
After retiring from the Air Force in 1965, LeMay agreed to serve as pro-segregation Alabama Governor George Wallace's running mate on the far-right American Independent Party ticket in the 1968 United States presidential election. The ticket won 46 electoral votes, 5 states, and 13.5% of the popular vote, a strong tally for a third party campaign, but the Wallace campaign came to see LeMay as a liability. After the election, LeMay retired to his home in Newport Beach, California, and he died in 1990 at age 83.
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Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented an effective but controversial strategic bombing...
Wallace's momentum went into reverse after he selected CurtisLeMay as his running mate. CurtisLeMay's suggestion of using tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam...
theoretical strategy, Major General Hansell was replaced by Major General CurtisLeMay, who utilized tactical changes such as attacking Japanese population...
air-war was the largest. Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force CurtisLeMay stated that "we're going to bomb them back into the Stone Age". On March...
Air Force General CurtisLeMay, Hollywood actor John Wayne, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover as possible running mates. Benson and LeMay expressed interest...
General CurtisLeMay. Random House Value Publishing. ISBN 0-517-55188-8. Crane, Conrad C. (1994). The cigar that brought the fire wind: CurtisLeMay and the...
Force was commanded by General CurtisLeMay, who was his running mate in the 1968 presidential race.) While some may argue that Wallace did not espouse...
Lemay or LeMaymay refer to: CurtisLeMay (1906–1990), United States Air Force general Dorothy LeMay, American "adult" actress Harding Lemay (1922–2018)...
League Curtis Joseph (born 1967), Canadian ice hockey goaltender Curtis Lazar, ice hockey player Curtis Lee (1939–2015), American singer CurtisLeMay (1906–1990)...
Asked to list the outstanding people who served under him, Major General CurtisLeMay named 19 officers from the 3rd Air Division. About Harry he wrote: "...
Arthur Harris, Alger Hiss, Brian Horrocks, Traudl Junge, Toshikazu Kase, CurtisLeMay, Vera Lynn, Hasso von Manteuffel, Bill Mauldin, John J. McCloy, Lord...
(Democrat) as its presidential candidate and retired U.S. Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay (Republican) as the vice-presidential candidate. Wallace ran on every...
them without causing widespread damage to surrounding areas. General CurtisLeMay stated why he ordered the systematic carpet bombing of Japanese cities:...
Research Expedition (RARE), 1947–48, and named by Finn Ronne for General CurtisLeMay, Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research and Development of the then United...
this was strictly a naval priority, he assigned General CurtisLeMay to carry it out. LeMay assigned one group of about 160 aircraft of the 313th Bombardment...
Keating on a trip to Washington in early October. Air Force General CurtisLeMay presented a pre-invasion bombing plan to Kennedy in September, and spy...
effectiveness, especially the B-29 forces commanded by Major General CurtisLeMay in India, China, and the Mariana Islands. McNamara established a statistical...
target, this group headed out over the Alps and on to Algeria. Colonel CurtisLeMay was group leader on the Regensburg mission. Blakely was flying a new...
to drop on large Japanese cities, its top commanders, such as General CurtisLeMay, used napalm bombs to continue with fire raids. In the European Theater...
with Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland and Wallace's running mate was CurtisLeMay of California. Humphrey carried Connecticut by a fair margin of 5.16%...
(CINCSAC) Louise Fletcher as Mrs. Kemler, Sergeant Kemler's wife General CurtisLeMay, USAF (former head of the Strategic Air Command and serving at the time...
considered too moderate, and making possible the selection of CurtisLeMay. When LeMay balked at losing his salaried job if he joined the Wallace campaign...
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