The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Generals.dk. Fair use may apply.
William Butler was commander of the Alaskan
Air Force (later 11 Air Force)
from 31 March 1942 to September 1943. He was a 1917 graduate of West
Point and a rated balloon pilot who had previously served as chief of
staff of 4 Air Force. He had also led the first mass flight of aircraft
from California to Hawaii in 1941.
However, he did not come across to his peers as an energetic and
aggressive officer, and Theobald was unable to convince him to stage his bombers forward to Cold Bay and Umnak where they could provide air cover for Theobald's surface force during the Japanese attack on the Aleutians in June 1942. Both Buckner
and Butler's own subordinates seem to have worked around him throughout
the Aleutians campaign.
| 1895-9-23
|
Born at Marshall, Virginia |
|
| 1917-4 |
Second
lieutenant |
Graduates from Military Academy
and commissioned in the artillery |
| 1918-8 |
Major |
Air Service |
| 1921 |
Airship School |
|
| 1932 |
Air Corps Tactical School |
|
| 1935 |
Command and General Staff School |
|
| 1937 |
Colonel
|
Commander, 6 Bombardment Group, Panama Canal |
| 1940 |
Executive officer, 1 Wing, March Field |
|
| 1940 |
Chief of staff, 4 Air Force,
March Field |
|
| 1941 |
Chief of staff, Air Service
Command |
|
| 1942-3-31
|
Commander, 11 Air Force,
Elmendorf Field |
|
| 1942 |
Brigadier
general |
|
| 1944-1 |
Deputy commander, Allied
Expeditionary Air Force |
|
| 1944-5-25 |
Commander, Eastern Flying
Training Command, Maxwell Field, Alabama |
|
| 1944-9-21 |
Commander, 6 Air Force, Panama Canal | |
| 1946-1 |
Retires |
|
| 1962-10-29
|
Dies at Alamo, California |
References
Air Force Historical Research Association (accessed 2008-9-29)
FindAGrave.com (accessed 2011-12-17)
Generals.dk (accessed 2008-1-21)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2011-2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
