Heroes and Leaders: Carl A. Spaatz

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Air Force Profiles Carl A. Spaatz The USAF’s first Chief of Staff

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Gen. Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz. Illustration by Dashton Parham

Carl Spaatz, known by all as “Tooey,” was the top U.S. air commander of World War II. Indeed, both Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley rated him as the top combat commander in the European theater. Born in 1891 in Boyerton, Pa., Spaatz attended West Point, and upon graduation in 1914 was posted to the infantry. A year later he realized his mistake and transferred to the Air Service to attend pilot training. During World War I, he was sent to France and put in charge of the training airfield at Issoudun. He wanted to go to the front, and eventually finagled an assignment. He flew in combat, shot down two German aircraft, and was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross. During the interwar years he was a commander and staff officer at all levels, while also being the pilot on the famous Question Mark flight of January 1929 that remained aloft for over six days and demonstrated the promise of aerial refueling. When World War II broke out, Spaatz was serving on the Air Staff under Lt. Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, but was soon sent to Europe. Initially in England as Eighth Air Force commander, he then moved south to command the American air forces for the invasion of North Africa. The Allied commander, Eisenhower, thought highly of him, so when he headed to England as supreme commander for the D-Day invasion, he brought Tooey with him. It was then decided to form an unusual command echelon. Unity of command is a principle of war, but with the advent of aircraft that possessed range and speed dwarfing movements on the surface, new ideas and interpretations were needed. The Eighth Air Force was based in England, while the Fifteenth Air Force was based in Italy, two separate theaters commanded by two different men, but both air forces had the mission of bombing Germany. Believing that unity of command over the target area was more important than unity over the basing areas, a new organization was formed—United States Strategic Air Forces. Spaatz, now a three-star and soon to become a four-star general, was given command and thus was instrumental in directing the strategic air campaign over Europe. Although in that position he reported directly to the Combined Chiefs of Staff, Spaatz readily put the bombers under Eisenhower’s targeting direction for the Normandy invasion. One key to the strategic bombing campaign was targeting. Simply because aircraft now had the ability to attack virtually anything within an enemy country did not mean it should attack everything. Choosing the precise targets to be struck and in what order was the essence of air strategy. Spaatz believed oil was the key to the German economy—without fuel, the Nazi war machine would simply halt. The British had a different opinion and thought the enemy’s rail network should be the prime target for the bombers. Eisenhower, who was most concerned with the success of the invasion, was interested in isolating the Normandy area from German reinforcement. Although recognizing the vital role played by oil in the German war effort, he believed bombing the railways, known as the “Transportation Plan,” offered more immediate results. Based on this, Eisenhower opted for attacks on the transportation system. It turned out to be a great success, and German forces in Normandy were indeed isolated and cut off. Only then did Spaatz focus on destroying Germany’s oil production. That bombing campaign was also tremendously successful, and most historians now believe the combination of destroying both the German rail network and its oil industry was decisive in defeating Germany. The Army next sent Spaatz to the Pacific to command the strategic air forces there, and he was in charge when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. When the war ended, Spaatz returned to Washington to take command of the Army Air Forces—Arnold had suffered four heart attacks during the war and was ready to retire. From this position, Spaatz took on the unenviable task of seeing the air arm demobilized—although disintegrated would perhaps be a more appropriate term. By then it was also apparent that given its dominant role in the war—in both Europe and the Pacific—the Air Force should become an independent service. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman directed the services to come together under a unifying Department of Defense, and the National Security Act made that so, despite Navy objections. This occurred in September 1947 with passage of the National Security Act. Just eight months later, Spaatz elected to retire. He had enjoyed a very successful career at all levels getting things done in a quiet and unostentatious manner. Arnold commented that Tooey was the only major commander he knew who never made a serious mistake. Spaatz did not write his memoirs, but there are two excellent biographies of this worthy Airman: David R. Mets, Master of Airpower (Presidio, 1988), and Richard G. Davis, Carl A. Spaatz and the Air War in Europe (Office of Air Force History, 1993).

Best Known For Three things that made Tooey Spaatz

01 First Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force When the Air Force became an independent service in September 1947, Spaatz was named its very first Chief of Staff. Official USAF biography 02 Directed the WWII strategic bombing campaign As commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces, he led the air war over Europe and later the strategic campaign against Japan. Read the profile 03 Piloted the “Question Mark” flight His 1929 endurance record kept a Fokker aloft nearly 151 hours and proved the promise of aerial refueling. The story of the flight

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org