AlRl.941109.002 x w 3 ;rJ rn U. S. Air 4 0 Oral History lntervie 2c 9 )1-) K239.0512-1353 ap I - 1 tu Maj Gen Richard L. Meiling N 25-28 Oct 1982 ALBERT F. SIMPSON HISTORICAL RESEARCH CENTER OFFICE OF AIR FORCE HISTORY Headquarters USAF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM I n t ervi ew of Maj Gen Richard L. Meiling BY Capt Mark C. Cleary Date: 25-28 October 1982 Location: Maxwell AFB, Alabama Edited and Transcribed by Beth F. Scott ORAL HISTCRY TRWSCRIPT ACCESS GRANTED DATE- I I FOREl’iORD One of the oldest and oft-used sources for reconstructing the past is the personal recollections of the individuals who were involved. While of great value, memoirs and oral interviews are primary source documents rather than finished history. The following pages are the personal remembrances of the interviewee and not the official opinion of the US Air Force Historical Program or of the Department of the Air Force. The Air Force has not verified the statements contained herein and does not ;issume any responsibility for their accuracy. These pages are a transcript of an oral interview recorded on magnetic tape. Editorial notes and additions made by US Air Force historians have been enclosed in brackets. When feasible, first names, ranks, or titles have been provided. Only minor changes for the sake of clarity were made before the transcript was returned to the interviewee for final editing and approval. Readers must therefore remember that this is a transcript of the spoken, rather than the written, word. ii BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Maj General Richard L. Meiling was born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1908 and graduated from high school there in 1926. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Wittenberg College in 1930 and started his medical education at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia that same year. Later he transferred to the University of Erlangen, Germany, and completed his medical schooling at the University of Munich, receiving his MD, with honors, in 1937. Doctor Meiling returned to the United States and interned at Ohio State University Hospital in 1938. During this period, he also received a commission in the US Army Medical Corps Reserve. He started his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Cleveland City Hospital in 1939 and later completed it at Western Reserve Hospital in 1947. His residency was interrupted in early 1940 when he was the first Reserve medical officer called to active duty from Ohio preliminary to World War 11. In 1942 he attended the US Army Command and Staff School and was assigned to Headquarters Army Air Forces. In this position he helped plan and supervise the worldwide aeromedical evacuation system. In 1944-45 he was sent to Europe as commanding officer of the Strategic Bombing Survey group to evaluate the effects of allied saturation bombing on the civilian population as well as on military targets. He also assisted in the interrogation of top Nazi health authorities and other high-ranking Nazis. In early 1945 he was assigned to the Legislative Liaison Division of the General Staff and served in this position until January 1946 when he was released Erom active duty. He then completed his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology and was certified in this specialty in 1947. He entered private iv TABLE OF CONTENTS FAMILY BACKGROUND ....................... 1 ATTENDED WITTENBERG COLLEGE .................. 2 FLYING TRAINING ........................ 2 ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF CEMETERY ..............3 UNIVERSITY OF ERLANGEN ..................... 3 FIRST INTEREST IN AVIATION ...................4 ATTENDED WITTENBERG COLLEGE ..................5 THEOLOGICAL FACULTY AT ERLANGEN ................ 6 BUILDUP OF GERMAN ARMY ..................... 6 NAZIS ............................. 7 POLITICAL PARADES IN GERMANY ..................7 GERMAN POLITICAL PARTIES ................... 8 DUEL ING FRAT ERN IT1ES ...................... 9 TRIP THROUGH THE BALKANS .................... 10 ARRESTED AS POTENTIAL SPY ...................10 SWISS ARMY MANEUVERS ...................... 12 GERMAN AIR EVACUATION OF CASUALTIES FROM SPAIN IN 1937..... 12 GERMANS WANTED THEIR PEOPLE TO HAVE ONE BATTLE EXPERIENCE ...13 EUROPEAN ATTACHMENT TO UNIT .................. 13 BAVARIAN CUSTOMS ....................... 14 CAPT ERNST ROHM EXECUTED .................... 15 HITLER'S RISE TO POWER ..................... 15 NSDAP DEVELOPED VACATION PROGRAMS ............... 16 GERMAN POLITICAL PARADES .................... 16 MILITARY LOGISTICS ....................... 17 LEAGUE OF NATIONS ....................... 17 FRIENDS IN SBITZERLAND ..................... 18 THESIS FOR DOCTOR OF MEDICINE DEGREE .............. 18 RESEARCH WORK ......................... 13 PERMISSION TO WORK WITH ANIMALS ................19 VITAMIN EXPERIMENTS ON HUMANS ................. 20 PUBLISHED MEDICAL THESIS .................... 20 vi WROTE OWN ORDERS ........................ 43 ASSIGNED TO GRENIER FIELD NH ..................45 LOST FLIERS IN MOUNTAINS DUE TO EXPOSURE ............45 ASSISTANT SURGEON. FIRST AIR FORCE AND EASTERN DEFENSE COMMAND . 46 HAD PURCHASING RESPONSIBILITY FOR AIR FORCE AREA ....... 47 TRANSFERRED TO MEDICAL CORPS OF AIR CORPS ........... 47 COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF SCHOOL ................ 48 RECEIVED ORDERS TO REPORT TO GENERAL AdOLD ..........49 ASSIGNED TO GENERAL GRANT'S OFFICE ...............49 AIREVACUATION ......................... 50 CODING FOR PATIENTS ...................... 51 AIR EVACUATION ......................... 51 PUBLICITY FOR AIR EVACUATION ................. 52 BRIG GEN HOWARD A . RUSK .................... 53 DIRECTIVE FOR REHABILITATION ................. 53 DECISION NOT TO PROVIDE SEPARqTE MEDICAL EVACUATION AIRCRAFT . 54 PEACETIME MARKING OF AMBULANCE PLANES .............55 WAR DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR NO . 59 ................. 57 HISTORY OF MEDICAL SERVICE ................... 57 MAJ GEN MALCOLM C . GROW .................... 58 HISTORY OF MEDICAL SERVICE ..................58 SURGEONS GENERAL OF ARMY OPPOSED TO SEPARATE MEDICAL SERVICE . 60 SURGEONS GENERAL NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE OF MILITARY ORGANIZATION . 61 POOR PLANNING FOR EXPEDITIONARY FORCES ......... ....62 PROBLEMS WITH SANITATION ................ .... 62 WAR DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR NO . 53 ............. .... 64 MAJ GEN ALBERT W . KENNER APPOINTED SURGEON GENERAL ....... 65 MAJ GEN HOWARD Mc . SNYDER APPOINTED INSPECTOR GENERAL . ....65 GENERAL GRANT WOULD NOT SERVE UNDER GENERAL KIRK ........ 66 WAR DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR NO . 165 ............ ....yp "WAR OF THE SURGEONS" ................. ....66 PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT FOUND OUT ABOUT CONTROVERSY ........ 67 UNSATISFACTORY MEDICAL SERVICE IN ENGLAND ....... ....67 REWRITE OF WAR DEPARTMENT CIRCULARS ON HOSPITALIZATION . ....68 viii GENERAL LZKAY DID NOT SEE WIDE PICTURE OF MEDICAL SERVICE * . 55 SOCIAL PROBLEMS ..................... ...96 ASSISTANT AIR ATTACHE MEDICAL OFFICER .......... ...96 DOCTORS COMING INTO SERVICE WANT TO WORK IN HOSPITALS . ...97 MOBILE SURGICAL HOSPITAL SYSTEM ............. ...97 SYSTEMS CONCEPT ..................... ...98 AIR FORCE HAS SYSTEM THAT IS DIFFICULT FOR DOCTORS TO UNDERSTAND ...................... ...99 MOBILE SURGICAL HOSF1TP.LS ................ ...99 GLIDERS USED TO MOVE WOUNDED .............. ...100 PATIENTS RECEIVED DEFIMITIVE CARE AFTER RETURN TO ZONE OF INTERIOR ....................... 101 WOUNDED WANT TO BE SENT TO AMERICAN HOSPITAL ....... ...102 UNIFICATION OF MEDICAL SERVICES UNDER NATO ........ ...104 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL IN BEIRUT ...105 MAXWELL FIELD HAS GOOD MEDICAL STAFF........... ... 106 MEDICAL FACILITIES IN USAFE. AAC. AND PACAF ....... ...106 GERNANS UTILIZED CIVILIAN MEDICAL FACILITIES....... ...107 SWEDES AND SWISS HAVE TOTAL MILITARY SERVICE .......... 107 RETENTION OF GOOD DOCTORS ................... 108 MILITARY SOCIAL LIFE ..................... 110 RESERVE OFFICERS IN MEDICAL CORPS ............... 112 BONUS IS DEFINITE ICJDUCEMENT .................. 115 CIVILIAN DOCTORS' LIFESTYLE ............... ...11: DECISIONMAKING ...................... ...117 MEDICAL FIELD PROMOTIONS ................... 118 ORIGINALLY DOCTORS HAD NO RPiK .............. ...119 BRANCH RIVALRY ...................... ...119 HEROISM OF MEDICAL MEN .................. * .120 HUMAN ENGINEERING .................... ...120 BRIG GEN WILLIAM R . LOVELACE .................. 120 EVERYONE WANTED TO GO TO COMBAT ............. ...122 MRS . "PAT" BRAGG ..................... ...122 HISTORICAL RECORDS OF MEDICAL SERVICE ............. 123 X AIR FORCE LEADERS WERE PREPARED TO TAKE ONLY THE APRON AND RUNWAYS ........................ 150 STRATEGIC BOMBING SURVEY .................. 150 MILITARY DEMOBILIZATION OF MEDICAL PEOPLE ......... 151 VETERANS ADMINISTRATION EXPANSION .............. 152 RETURN TO CIVILIAN LIFE .................. 153 DEMOBILIZATION ...................... 155 COLLAPSE OF DISCIPLINE .................. 157 THIRD ARMY DIDN'T FOLLOW DIRECTIVES ............ 158 PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON PLANS WITH THE AIR STAFF ....... 158 PERSUADED AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION TO HAVE A COMMITTEE 014 NATIONAL SECURITY ................... 159 NATIONAL CONSULTANTS OF THE SURGEON GENERAL OF THE ARMY . 161 CIVILIAN GRCUPS RECOMMENDED MEDICAL SERVICE BE RESPONSIVE . 162 HOOVER COMMI SSI ON ..................... 163 MEDICAL ADVISORS ON NATIONAL SECURITY ............ 164 BERNARD M . BARUCH ..................... 164 DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE IN CHARGE OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH AFFAIRS ........................ 165 EBERSTADT COMMITTEE REPORT ................. 166 ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ..........