SPRING 2011 - Volume 58, Number 1 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG The Air Force Historical Foundation Founded on May 27, 1953 by Gen Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS and other air power pioneers, the Air Force Historical All members receive our exciting and informative Foundation (AFHF) is a nonprofi t tax exempt organization. Air Power History Journal, either electronically or It is dedicated to the preservation, perpetuation and on paper, covering: all aspects of aerospace history appropriate publication of the history and traditions of American aviation, with emphasis on the U.S. Air Force, its • Chronicles the great campaigns and predecessor organizations, and the men and women whose the great leaders lives and dreams were devoted to fl ight. The Foundation • Eyewitness accounts and historical articles serves all components of the United States Air Force— Active, Reserve and Air National Guard. • In depth resources to museums and activities, to keep members connected to the latest and AFHF strives to make available to the public and greatest events. today’s government planners and decision makers information that is relevant and informative about Preserve the legacy, stay connected: all aspects of air and space power. By doing so, the • Membership helps preserve the legacy of current Foundation hopes to assure the nation profi ts from past and future US air force personnel. experiences as it helps keep the U.S. Air Force the most modern and effective military force in the world. • Provides reliable and accurate accounts of historical events. The Foundation’s four primary activities include a quarterly journal Air Power History, a book program, a • Establish connections between generations. biennial symposium, and an awards program. Spring 2011 -Volume 58, Number 1 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG Features Origins of the Airborne Laser Cameron L. Ross 4 PAVE NAIL: There at the Beginning of the Precision Weapons Revolution Darrel Whitcomb 14 Early Experimental Guided Missiles Jacob Neufeld 28 Readers’ Forum I: Speaking Truth to Power Alan R. Gropman 36 Readers’ Forum II: Lavelle—From My Perspective Delbert R. “Chip” Terrill 38 Book Reviews Footprints in the Dust: The Epic Voyages of Apollo, 1969–1975 By Colin Burgess, ed. Review by Rick W. Sturdevant 42 The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America’s Finest Hour By Andrei Cherny Review by Matthew Dietz 42 Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket Propulsion Development By S.C.Fisher and S.A. Rahman, Eds Review by Thomas Wildenberg 43 The B–45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber By John C.Fredriksen Review by Roy Hain 43 Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 By Francis French and Colin Burgess Review by Golda Eldridge 44 Hermann Göring—Fighter Ace By Peter Kilduff Review by Golda Eldridge 44 Lockheed Blackbird Family: A–12, YF–12, D–21/M–21 & SR–71 Photo Scrapbook By Tony Landis Review by Golda Eldridge 45 Flying Fury: Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps By James T.B. McCudden. Review by Dan Simonsen 45 Aviation in Canada: The Formative Years By Larry Milberry Review by Robin Higham 46 Aviation in Canada: Evolution of an Air Force By Larry Milberry. Review by Robin Higham 46 International Cooperation with Partner Air Forces By Jennifer D.P. Moroney, et al Review by Matthew Dietz 46 Submarine Operational Effectiveness in the 20th Century: Part One (1900-1939) By John F. O’Connell, Review by Golda Eldridge 47 Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds By Robin Olds, et al. Review by John W. Huston 48 The Jet Race and the Second World War By Sterling Michael Pavelec Review by Matt Basler 48 The Nuclear Express: APolitical History of the Bomb and Its Proliferation By Thomas Reed and Danny Stillman. Review by Golda Eldridge 49 Master of the Air:William Tunner and the Success of Military Airlift By Robert A. Slayton. Review by Stetson M. Siler 49 Fire from the Sky: Surviving the Kamikaze Threat By Robert C. Stern Review by Steve Ellis 50 The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History By Jack Connors Review by Scott A. Willey 50 Robert Taylor’s Battle of Britain Commemorative Collection By Robert Taylor Review by Jeffrey P.Joyce 51 Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II By J.Todd Moye Review by Alan R. Gropman 51 The Training Ground: Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848 By Martin Dugard Review by Curtis H. O’Sullivan 52 Departments Books Received 53 From the President and 2011 Symposium 55 Letters, Notice, Reunions, In Memoriam, and History Mystery 59 COVER: On July 21, 2009, at Edwards AFB, Calif., the Airborne Laser Test Bed’s first chemical flight test demonstrated the safe flow of chemicals through all laser systems. (www.mda.mil) The Air Force Historical Foundation The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation Spring 2011 Volume 58 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 Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Layout and Typesetting (301) 736-1959 Richard I. Wolf Advertising E-mail: [email protected] Jim Vertenten On the Web at http://www.afhistoricalfoundation.org Circulation Officers, 2010 Board of Directors, 2010 Angela J. Bear President/Chairman of the Board and Col Kenneth J. Alnwick, USAF (Ret) Chair, Executive Committee Lt Gen Russell C. Davis, USAF (Ret) Air Power History (ISSN 1044-016X) Maj Gen Dale W. Meyerrose, USAF (Ret) CMSgt Rick Dean, USAF (Ret) is produced for Spring, Summer,Fall, and 1st Vice Chairman Maj Gen Kenneth M. DeCuir, USAF (Ret) Winter by the Air Force Historical Foun- Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF (Ret) dation. 2nd Vice Chairman and Chair, Col Charles J. Gross, USAFR (Ret) Development Committee Col Richard G. Hellier, USAF (Ret) Prospective contributors should consult the Maj Gen Silas R. Johnson, Jr., USAF (Ret) Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret) GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS at the back of this journal. Unsolicited Treasurer and Chair, Maj Gen Silas R. Johnson, Jr., USAF (Ret) manuscripts will be returned only on spe- Finance Committee Lt Gen Timothy A. Kinnan, USAF (Ret) cific request. The Editor cannot accept Lt Col Lawrence Spinetta, USAF Mr John F. Kreis responsibility for any damage to or loss of Chair, Membership Committee Maj Gen Dale W. Meyerrose, USAF (Ret) the manuscript. The Editor reserves the Col Richard G. Hellier, USAF (Ret.) Jacob Neufeld right to edit manuscripts and letters. Chair, Services Committee Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) Maj Willard Strandberg, Jr., USAF (Ret) Lt Col Lawrence Spinetta, USAF Address LETTERS TO THE EDITOR to: Chair,Technology Committee Maj Willard Strandberg, Jr., USAF (Ret) Air Power History Maj Gen Kenneth M. DeCuir, USAF (Ret.) Col Jere Wallace, USAF (Ret) 11908 Gainsborough Rd. Publisher Potomac, MD 20854 Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret) CORPORATE SPONSORS, 2010 e-mail: [email protected] Executive Director Lt Col Jim Vertenten, USAF (Ret) Platinum Level ($20,000 or more) Correspondence regarding missed issues Lockheed Martin Corporation or changes of address should be addressed to the CIRCULATION OFFICE: Gold Level ($10,000 or more) New Life Members, EADS North America Air Power History Dec. 2010 – Feb. 2011 P.O. Box 790 Col Sam Vandiver, USAF Silver Level ($5,000 or more) Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Telephone: (301) 736-1959 Patron Member Bronze Level ($1,500 or more) e-mail: [email protected] Dr. Rebecca Grant ADVERTISING New Contributing Members, Jim Vertenten Aug. 2010 - Nov. 2010 P.O. Box 790 Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Mr. Carr C. Whitener (301) 736-1959 e-mail: [email protected] Benefactor Member Copyright © 2010 by the Air Force Historical Foundation. All rights reserved. Mr.John Phelps Periodicals postage paid at Clinton, MD 20735 and additional mailing offices. Special thanks to Maj Gen John Patton Postmaster: Please send change of for his generous contribution. address to the Circulation Office. 2 AIR POWER History / SPRING 2011 From the Editor We kick off the premier issue of 2011 with an article begun as a student paper. During summer 2010, USAF Academy Cadet Cameron Ross interned at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, at the Air Force Research Lab’s Phillips Research Site history office. Mentored by Dr. Robert Duffner, Cadet Ross absorbed the trove of historical documents relating to the Airborne Laser (ABL) and interviewed two of the program managers. Then, as Lieutenant Ross, he refined the manuscript into its present state. Undoubtedly, before the advent of the exotic airborne laser gun, the airman’s weapon of choice was the laser-guided bomb (LGB). Darrel Whitcomb flew OV–10s and O–1s as a forward air controller in Vietnam. He participated in the employment and refinement of this revolutionary armament. A fre- quent contributor to Air Power History, Colonel Whitcomb informs and entertains with his sober account of the weapon’s growing pains, but ultimate maturity. As I read Darrel Whitcomb’s manuscript, it occurred to me that his contemporaries and the younger officers now leading the Air Force know little about the research and experimentation conducted shortly before and during World Wars I and II to develop precision armaments.To remedy this,I reviewed my own research and writing on the subject. As a result the third article is drawn from a section of my history on the postwar development of guided missiles. Next, is a piece by Dr. Alan Gropman, recipient of the Maj. Gen. I.B. Holley Award, presented to an individual who contributed greatly to the research and writing of Air Force History.