Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 - October 3, 1990) was a General in the United States Air Force. He is responsible for the strategic bombing of Japan in the Pacific Theatre of World War II and later reorganizing the Strategic Air Command as a military arm for conducting nuclear war. Lemay was characterized as a belligerent warmonger whose aggressiveness threatened to transform tense international political situations like the Cuban Missile Crisis into a war between the United States and the Soviet Union. A nuclear exchange between the two superpowers would have been the greatest calamity in history, killing hundreds of millions of human beings and potentially destroying civilization in the northern hemisphere.
Biography
Born in Columbus, Ohio, he was educated in Columbus and at Ohio State University in civil engineering before joining the new Air Corps in 1928 through the ROTC. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1930. He transferred to bomber aircraft in 1937 and soon demonstrated excellent abilities. His severe and demanding character earned him the nickname "Iron Ass". At the outbreak of World War II he was a group commander in the 8th Air Force. By early 1942 he was a lieutenant colonel and directed the 305th Group into action over Europe. He was given command of the 3rd Bombardment Division in late 1942 and in July 1944 he transferred to Pacific operations. He was promoted to major general and directed the 21st Bomber Command, heading B-29 operations including the massive incendiary attacks on over sixty Japanese cities, such as Tokyo on March 9-10, 1945 during which around 100,000 people were killed. The Japanese nicknamed him "brutal LeMay" (鬼畜ルメイ).
Post-war he was briefly transferred to The Pentagon as Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research & Development. In 1947 he returned to Europe as commander of USAF Europe, heading operations for the Berlin Airlift in 1948. He was back in the US by 1949 to replace George Kenney in command of the Strategic Air Command. He headed SAC until 1957, overseeing its transformation into a modern, efficient, all-jet-engined force. He was appointed Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force in July 1957, serving until 1961 when he was made Chief of Staff on the retirement of Thomas White.
He was not a success as Chief of Staff; he was a belligerent and totally committed anti-Communist and clashed repeatedly with more flexible minds, such as Robert McNamara, Eugene Zuckert, and General Maxwell Taylor. LeMay lost a number of significant appropriation battles (for Skybolt ALBM, the F-111, and the B-52 replacement, the XB-70.) He also lost in his desire for a much more vigorous engagement in the Vietnam War. The quote "we should bomb Vietnam back into the stone age" is often, if erroneously, attributed to him. However, his passion for promoting strategic air campaigns over tactical strike and ground support operations did come to be reflected in the Air Force, which became disproportionally strong in favour of strategic bombing operations during his tenure. Area bombardment of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia led to the deaths and maimings of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians during the wars in those countries. The massive bombing campaigns in Cambodia orderd by the Nixon administration so embittered the rural population of that country that they later gave their support to the Khmer Rouge.
LeMay retired in February 1965 and seemed to be headed for a potential political career. His highest accomplishment in politics was to be selected as the vice presidential candidate to segregationist George Wallace in 1968.
The character of General Buck Turgidson, played by actor George C. Scott in the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, is said to be based on him.
Quotes
- "I suppose if I had lost [World War II], I would have been tried as a war criminal. Fortunately, we were on the winning side."
- "I think there are many times when it would be most efficient to use nuclear weapons. However, the public opinion in this country and throughout the world throw up their hands in horror when you mention nuclear weapons, just because of the propaganda that's been fed to them." -- 3 October, 1968
Works
