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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues
Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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General Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz
(1891 - 1974)
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Carl Spaatz was born June 28, 1891, in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. In 1910, he was appointed to the United States Military Academy from which he was graduated June 12, 1914, and commissioned a 2nd Lt. of Infantry. He served with the Twenty-Fifth United States Infantry at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, from October 4, 1914, to October 13, 1915, when he was detailed as a student in the Aviation School at San Diego, California, until May 15, 1916.
In June, 1916, General Spaatz was assigned at Columbus, New Mexico, and served with the First Aero Squadron under General John J. Pershing in the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. He was promoted to 1st Lt. July 1, 1916, in May, 1917 joined the Third Aero Squadron in San Antonio, Texas, and in the same month was promoted to Captain.
General Spaatz went to France with the American Expeditionary Forces in command of the Thirty-First Aero Squadron and, after November 15, 1917, served in the American Aviation School at Issoudun continuously, except for one month at the British Front, until August 30, 1918. In this period, he received a temporary promotion to major. He Joined the Second Pursuit Group in September 1918, as pursuit pilot in the Thirteenth Squadron, and was promoted to flight leader. He was officially credited with shooting down three German Fokker planes, and received the Distinguished Service Cross. In 1919 he served in California and Texas and became Assistant Department Air Service Officer for the Western Department in July, 1919. He reverted to his permanent rank of Captain on February 27, 1920, but was promoted to major on July 1, 1920.
As a major, General Spaatz commanded Kelly Field, Texas, from October 5, 1920, to February, 1921, served as Air Officer of the Eighth Corps Area until November, 1921, and was commanding officer of the First Pursuit Group, first at Ellington Field, Texas, and later at Selfridge Field, Michigan, until September 24, 1924. He was graduated from the Air Corps Tactical School, Langley Field, Virginia, in June, 1925, and then served in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps at Washington, D.C.
General Spaatz commanded the Army plane "Question Mark" in its refueling endurance flight over Los Angeles and vicinity January 1-7, 1929, keeping the plane aloft a record total of 150 hours, 50 minutes and 15 seconds, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
The crew of the Question Mark - Left to right: Major Carl Spaatz, Capt. Ira Eaker, Lt. H.A. Halverson, Lt. E.R. Quesado, and Sgt. R.W. Hooe.
From May 1, 1929, to October 29, 1931, General Spaatz commanded the Seventh Bombardment Group at Rockwell Field, California, and the First Bombardment Wing at March Field, California, until June 10, 1933. He then served in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps and became chief of the Training and Operations Division.
In August 1935, he enrolled in the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and while there was promoted to Lt. Col. He was graduated in June, 1936, and then served at Langley Field, until January, 1939, when he returned to the Office of the Chief of Air Corps at Washington as assistant executive officer.
General Spaatz in November, 1939, received a temporary promotion to Colonel, and during the Battle of Britain in 1940, spent several weeks in England as a special military observer. In August, 1940, he was assigned in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps, and two months later was appointed assistant to the Chief of Air Corps, with the temporary rank of Brigadier General. He became Chief of the Plans Division of the Air Corps in November, 1940, and the following July was named Chief of the Air Staff at AAF Headquarters.
A few weeks after Pearl Harbor, in January, 1942, General Spaatz was assigned as Chief of the AAF Combat Command Washington and promoted to the temporary rank of Major General. In May, 1942, became commander of the Eighth Air Force, transferring to the European theater of operations in that capacity in July, 1942, to prepare for the American bombing of Germany. His accomplishments earned him an award of the Legion of Merit. On July 7, he was appointed commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Forces in the European theater in addition to his duties as commander of the Eighth. His promotion to the permanent rank colonel was made on September 17, 1942.
On December 1, 1942, General Spaatz became commanding general of the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa. In February, 1943, he assumed command of the Northwest African Air Force, which he organized. He received a temporary promotion to lieutenant general March 12, 1943.
After Rommel's Afrika Korps had been driven out of North Africa and the invasion of Italy was launched General Spaatz became deputy commander of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, including the 12th Air Force in Africa and the 15th Air Force and the Royal Air Force in Italy. He returned to England in January, 1944 to command the U.S Strategic Air Forces in Europe, which he headed throughout the pre-invasion period and the ensuing campaign which culminated in the utter defeat of Germany. His service in Africa won an award of the Distinguished Service Medal, and the accomplishments of his Strategic Air Forces in 1944 earned for him the Robert J. Collier Trophy for that year, awarded annually to the American making the outstanding contribution to aviation.
General Spaatz received a temporary promotion to general on March 11, 1945, and was assigned to Air Force headquarters in Washington in June, 1945. The following month he assumed command of the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, with headquarters on Guam. There he supervised the final strategic bombing of Japan by the B-29, including the two atomic bomb missions. He was present at all three signings of unconditional surrender by the enemy, at Rhelms, at Berlin, and at Tokyo.
The same month President Truman nominated him for promotion to the permanent rank of major general in the Regular Army. In February. 1946, he was nominated to become commander of the Army Air Forces. In September, 1947, he was appointed by President Truman as the First Chief of Staff, of the new United States Air Force.
General Spaatz retired with the rank of General on June 30, 1948.
General Spaatz has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Bronze Star Medal. He also has the Mexican Interior Campaign ribbon, the World War 1 ribbon with three bronze battle stars, the pre-Pearl Harbor ribbon with one star, the European theater ribbon with six stars, the Pacific theater ribbon, the American theater ribbon, and the World War II Victory ribbon. His foreign honors include a Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honor, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, a Grand Commander of the British Empire, Russia's Second Order of Suvorov and Poland's Polonla Restituta, Commander's Cross with Star.
He worked for Newsweek magazine as military affairs editor until 1961. Spaatz died on July 14, 1974 and is buried on the grounds of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
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