Hoyt S. Vandenberg: the Life of a General (United States, Air Force, Chief of Staff).

Abstract

General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Air Force Chief of Staff, 1948-53, played an important role in shaping military policy after 1945, and was a main participant in significant events of his time: unification of the armed forces and formation of an independent air force; the Berlin Airlift; the B-36/Supercarrier controversy; the formation of the Strategic Air Comm and , and the Korean War. Graduating from West Point in 1923, Vandenberg served as a fighter pilot for the next decade, becoming an outstanding flier and junior officer. In 1934 began five years of educational assignments, which broadened horizons and introduced him to the necessity of planning and sound staff work. During World War II, Vandenberg served on the Air Staff, as a planner for the North African and Norm and y invasions, a diplomat in Moscow, chief of staff for a major comm and , deputy of another, and as comm and er of the Ninth Air Force--the largest tactical air unit in history. In the harsh difficulties of war, Vandenberg consistently showed his ability to adapt and persevere. While others were competent in staff, planning or comm and positions, he excelled at all three. The emphasis here is on Vandenberg's tenure as Chief of Staff. His life to 1948 reveals basic character traits, his impressive personal qualities, a few weaknesses, and the reasons for his rapid advancement. After rising to Chief, his career merges with the great events of the Truman Presidency. At the time of his retirement in 1953, Vandenberg had transformed the Air Force from an understrength "shoestring air force" into the cornerstone of American military policy. Vandenberg's concept of air power was crucial to his success because he struck a balance between the tactician and the strategist; advocating the primacy of strategic bombardment doctrine as a deterrent to war and potentially decisive weapon, but never forgetting the necessity of tactical air support for the ground forces. The General's technical expertise as a pilot, combined with his managerial ability, dynamic personality and aggressive leadership, made him a dominant and respected figure in the Cold War era. Unfortunately, his early death in 1954, less than a year after retirement, along with his reticence to commit his innermost thoughts to paper, have caused his significance to be largely overlooked, an oversight that should be corrected.