Arnold, Henry Harley (1886-1950)

U.S. Air Force

Henry Arnold was born in Pennsylvania and graduated from West Point in 1907 as an infantryman. He saw service in the Philippines and the aeronautical section of the Signal Corps before being taught to fly by the Wright Brothers themselves. After a brief stint back in the infantry, he returned to the air service as a captain just prior to the U.S. intervention in the First World War.  He graduated from the Command and General Staff school in 1929 and held important air commands throughout the 1930s, winning the Mackay Trophy in 1934 for leading a flight of ten B-10 bombers from Bolling Field near Washington, D.C.,  to Fairbanks. He attained the rank of brigadier general in 1935. Following the death of General Oscar Wendover in September 1938, Arnold became temporary chief of staff for the Air Corps.

Arnold was confirmed as chief of the newly-renamed Army Air Forces in June 1941, a position he would hold (under various titles) throughout the war. He was promoted to lieutenant general in December 1941, general in 1943, and General of the Army in December 1944, becoming the only Air Force officer to have reached five-star rank. His organization of 20 Air Force in April 1944, under his own direct command, is viewed as an important step in the direction of an independent postwar Air Force.

Arnold epitomized the bomber cult that dominated the upper ranks of the Air Force. Though most Army officers were strong advocates of the “Germany first” strategy, Arnold was particularly adamant about concentrating the Air Force’s entire fighting strength in Europe in order to achieve decisive results in the air war with Germany. The Pacific received a mathematically precise 30% of the Air Force squadron strength, and the Pacific squadrons were usually last in line for the latest aircraft types.

Arnold was known as “Hap” because of his perpetual slight smile, which was probably the result of a nerve disorder similar to Bell's palsy. The nickname was ironic: Arnold had a ferocious temper and no discernible sense of humor. Arnold also had a reputation as what we would today call a micromanager, injecting himself into the smallest details of Air Force operations.

Arnold retired in June 1946, but was named the first general of the Air Force in May 1949 in recognition of his great contributions. He also published several books on air power.

Service record

References

Arnold House: A Brief History (accessed 2007-4-27)

Boatner (1996)

Dupuy et.al. (1992)

Generals.dk (accessed 2008-1-3)

Parrish (1978)

Perret (1991)

The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2007-2008 by Kent G. Budge. Index

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