SPRING 2009 - Volume 56, Number 1 SPRING 2009 - Volume 56, Number 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SPRING 2009 - Volume 56, Number 1 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG SPRING 2009 - Volume 56, Number 1 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG Features The Air Force’s Enduring Legacy of Nuclear Deterrence Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff 4 The Celebrity of Charles Lindbergh Stanley Shapiro 20 Arnold Races the Clock: The Battle of Japan Herman S. Wolk 34 Air Force Combat Controllers at Desert One: April 24-25, 1980 Forrest L. Marion 46 Book Reviews Landscape with Silos By Deborah Bogen Reviewed by William E. Fischer 56 The Road to Safwan: The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War By Stephen Bourque and John Burdan Reviewed by Curtis H. O'Sullivan 56 Rockets and People: Creating a Rocket Industry (Vol. II) By Boris E. Chertok Reviewed by Joseph Romito 56 Battle of Britain: Memorial Flight: 50 Years of Flying By Jarod Cotter Reviewed by Daniel J. Simonsen 57 Five of the Many: Survivors of the Bomber Command Offensive By Steve Darlow Reviewed by Daniel J. Simonsen 58 P–47 Thunderbolt at War By Cory Graff Reviewed by Anthony E. Wessel 58 The ABCs of Leadership By David M. Hall Reviewed by Brett Morris 59 Charge! History’s Greatest Military Speeches By Steve Israel, Ed. Reviewed by Daniel J. Simonsen 59 From Heaven to Hell: Men Like No Others By Benoit Lelandais Reviewed by Stu Tobias 60 Rocketman: My Rocket-Propelled Life and High-Octane Creations By Ky Michaelson Reviewed by Rick Sturdevant 60 Honor Bound: American POWs in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973 By Stuart Rochester and Frederick Kiley Reviewed by Stu Tobias 61 Hearts of Courage: The Gillam Plane Crash and the Amazing True Story of Survival in the Frozen Wilderness of Alaska By John M. Tippets Reviewed by Robert J. Davis 61 With Honor: Melvin Laird in War, Peace, and Politics By Dale Van Atta Reviewed by Larry Benson 62 Life's Too Short to Cry: The Compelling Memoir of a Battle of Britain Ace By Tim Vigors Reviewed by Daniel J. Simonsen 63 Through Blue Skies to Hell: America’s “Bloody 100th” in the Air War over Germany By Edward M. Sion Reviewed by Scott A. Willey 63 Departments Books Received 65 The Executive Director’s Message 66 Letters, News, Note, & In Memoriam 68 History Mystery 76 COVER: A B–52 lands with its drogue chute deployed. The Air Force Historical Foundation The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation Spring 2009 Volume 56 Number 1 Publisher Alfred F. Hurley Editor Jacob Neufeld Technical Editor Robert F. Dorr Air Force Historical Foundation Book Review Editor P.O. Box 790 Scott A. Willey Layout and Typesetting Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Richard I. Wolf (301) 736-1959 Fax (301) 981-3574 Advertising Tom Bradley E-mail: [email protected] Circulation On the Web at http://www.afhistoricalfoundation.org Tom Bradley Officers, 2009 Board of Directors, 2009 President/Chairman of the Board and Col Kenneth J. Alnwick, USAF (Ret.) Air Power History (ISSN 1044-016X) Chair, Executive Committee Lt Gen Richard E. Brown III, USAF (Ret.) is produced in March, June, September, Lt Gen Michael A. Nelson, USAF (Ret) Lt Gen Russell C. Davis, USAF (Ret.) and December by the Air Force Historical 1st Vice Chairman CMSgt Rick Dean, USAF (Ret.) Foundation. Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) Maj Gen Kenneth M. DeCuir, USAF (Ret.) Prospective contributors should consult the 2nd Vice Chairman and Chair, Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF (Ret.) GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS at Development Committee Col Richard G. Hellier, USAF (Ret.) the back of this journal. Unsolicited manu- Maj Gen Silas R. Johnson, Jr., USAF (Ret) Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret.) scripts will be returned only on specific Treasurer and Chair, Maj Gen Silas R. Johnson, Jr., USAF (Ret.) request. The Editor cannot accept responsi- Finance Committee Lt Gen Timothy A. Kinnan, USAF (Ret.) bility for any damage to or loss of the man- Lt Gen Richard E. Brown III, USAF (Ret) Mr John F. Kreis uscript. The Editor reserves the right to Chair, Membership Committee Lt Gen Michael A. Nelson, USAF (Ret.) edit manuscripts and letters. Col Richard G. Hellier, USAF (Ret) Mr Jacob Neufeld Address Letters to the Editor to: Chair, Services Committee Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret.) Maj Willard Strandberg, Jr., USAF (Ret) Lt Col Lawrence Spinetta, USAF Air Power History Chair, Technology Committee Maj Willard Strandberg, Jr., USAF (Ret.) 11908 Gainsborough Rd. Vacant Col Jere Wallace, USAF (Ret.) Potomac, MD 20854 Publisher e-mail: [email protected] Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret) CORPORATE SPONSORS, 2008 Secretary and Executive Director Correspondence regarding missed issues or changes of address should be addressed Col Tom Bradley, USAF (Ret) Platinum Level ($20,000 or more) Lockheed Martin Corporation to the Circulation Office: Contributing Members, 2008-2009 Gold Level ($10,000 or more) Air Power History The Boeing Company P.O. Box 790 Clinton, MD 20735-0790 The individuals and companies listed are con- EADS North America Telephone: (301) 736-1959 tributing members of the Air Force Historical Rolls-Royce North America Fax: (301) 981-3574 Foundation. The Foundation Directors and Silver Level ($5,000 or more) e-mail: [email protected] members are grateful for their support and Pratt & Whitney contributions to preserving, perpetuating, Booz Allen Hamilton Advertising and publishing the history and traditions of L-3 Communications American aviation. Tom Bradley Bronze Level ($1,500 or more) P.O. Box 790 Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Col Kenneth J. Alnwick, USAF (Ret.) Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Rockwell Collins (301) 736-1959; fax (301) 981-3574 Anonymous e-mail: [email protected] CMSgt Rick Dean, USAF (Ret.) CORPORATE SPONSORS, 2009 Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret.) Copyright © 2009 by the Air Force Maj Gen Charles D. Link, USAF (Ret.) Platinum Level ($20,000 or more) Historical Foundation. All rights reserved. Col Kenneth Moll, USAF (Ret.) Lockheed Martin Corporation Periodicals postage paid at Hanover, PA 17331 and additional mailing offices. Mr and Mrs Malcolm Muir, Jr. Gold Level ($10,000 or more) Mr and Mrs Jacob Neufeld EADS North America Postmaster: Please send change of Col Helen E. O’Day, USAF (Ret.) address to the Circulation Office. Maj Gen and Mrs John S. Patton, USAF (Ret.) Bronze Level ($1,500 or more) Gen W. Y. Smith, USAF (Ret.) Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Rockwell Collins 2 AIR POWER History / SPRING 2009 From the Editor We are honored to feature ”The Air Force’s Enduring Legacy of Strategic Deterrence” by General Norton A. Schwartz, the nineteenth Chief of Staff of the USAF. In this article, the Chief demonstrates the impor- tance of preserving our past, but also confirms history’s utility to inform the future. Formulated in the aftermath of World War II, strategic deterrence played a vital role in national defense until shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. After undergoing a period of neglect and lowered priority, our leaders realized that strategic deterrence remains an important element in safeguarding our nation and the world. Charles A. Lindbergh became a national hero as the first man to successfully fly solo from New York to Paris in May 1927. He won a money prize, national and international celebrity, married socialite Anne Morrow, was victimized by the kidnapping and murder of his son, vilified for his public admiration of Nazi Germany’s military machinery, and remained an iconic “rock star” throughout his life. Many years after his death, however, his secret life of infidelity was revealed. That disclosure will undoubtedly stimulate more analysis and revisionism. In “The Celebrity of Charles Lindbergh,” Professor Stanley Shapiro peels away several of the layers surrounding his subject’s complex life. An historian who researched, wrote, and published Air Force history for half a century, Herman Wolk is eminently qualified to evaluate the controversial issues concerning the use of the atomic bombs against Japan in World War II. In the third article, “Arnold Races the Clock: The Battle of Japan,” readers will sit in on the deliberations of the wartime leaders of the U.S., its Allies, and Japan. Readers will then better understand not only what decisions were made, but why. In article four, “Air Force Combat Controllers at Desert One,” Forrest Marion recounts the story of the failed attempt to rescue American hostages from Iranian captivity in April 1980. Marion’s focus is on the neglected role of the Air Force Combat Control Team in the operation. Find out what went right, what went wrong, and the deleterious effects of the haboob. Rarely does an article generate as much controversy as did Marshall Michel’s rhetorical question about the P–51 Mustang: “The Most Important Aircraft in History?” [Air Power History, Vol. 55, No. 4, pages 46-57.] In fact, we had space for only four pages of attacks on the P–51 and not enough room for a rebuttal by the author. See pages 68-71. Lt. Gen. Michael A. Nelson, President of the Air Force Historical Foundation, had announced his retirement effective December 31, 2008, but agreed to extend for three more months, to permit time to find a successor. For Foundation news, see “The Executive Director’s Message,” pages 66-67. Sadly, we report several obituary notices on history makers and historians, beginning on page 72 through the notice on the death of former Air Force Secretary Verne Orr on pages 74 and 75. We have plenty of book reviews, a few books received, and of course, the long-running favorite—Bob Dorr’s “History Mystery.” Your letters are welcome. Please let us know what you think of the journal – articles, reviews, depart- ments. How can we do better? Send comments to my e-mail: [email protected] or write to: Air Power History, 11908 Gainsborough Rd., Potomac, MD 20854.