Nuclear deterrence with general curtis lemay the crisis on the korean peninsula has highlighted the precarious and dangerous nature of dealing with nuclear weapons. I hope i am starting this in the right section of the forum. Barrett tillman, author of the bestselling warriors, provides a solid if encapsulated look at a complex man in this new selection from the great generals series gen. Army air forces, yet few played a greater role in turning that armada into a warwinning weapon than curtis e. That itself makes the issue of curtis lemays decisions to firebomb cities worth breaking out into its own subsection on the curtis lemay page. Iron eagle the turbulent life of general curtis lemay. The primary perspective is that of the strategic air command, the highpowered organization developed by air force gen. The author outlines lemays early days, but the bulk of the book covers his time from world war ii until his retirement from sac. This book is a good overview of the life and career of curtis lemay.
How lemay transformed strategic air command col phillip s. Air force officer whose expertise in strategic bombardment techniques was important during world war ii and afterward. Curtis lemay and jfk had utter contempt for each other. Curtis lemay, the blunt spoken warhawk who helped smash germany and japan, then commanded americas airborne nuclear deterrent at the height of the cold war. The book portrays the life and times of this legendary commander who made different waves among different people. Gen, lemay was the strong mover of us nuclear deterrence and turned sac into a powerful, professional organization. Curtis lemay, the air force general and father of the modern strategic air commandwho turned it into an effective instrument of nuclear warwas thought by many to have a paranoid style. The life and wars of general curtis lemay us naval war. That itself makes the issue of curtis lemay s decisions to firebomb cities worth breaking out into its own subsection on the curtis lemay page. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. This book is hands down one of the best biographies i have read. After the war, he served as the leader of the strategic air command, the u. Curtis lemay was the most controversial advocate of air power in world war ii, but his imprint on the fledgling u.
Also air force records indicate that he returned to washington on the evening on november 22. The life and wars of general curtis lemay fearless, innovative, shrewd, abrasive, lemay is the father of modern air power and the man robert mcnamara has called, the finest combat commander the us has ever produced. His flaws are famous, but this fine, candid book also shows how much we owe him. Army air forces aerial minelaying in world war ii japans outer and inner zones, aaf plan and reality, operation starvation blockade, navy subs, curtis lemay. General curtis lemay and the countdown to nuclear annihilation. Chilling tape from air force one on day jfk shot cbs news. He went from sleeping under biplane wings at the dawn of the army air core to defying orders for his squadron in ww2, shipping them to the eastern front and being the main decision maker behind the japanese bombings. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Dark, angry, anxious, trigger happy, unfriendly in appearance and unusually quietthese are the qualities that we associate with general curtis e lemay.
Curtis lemay 19061990 was a united states air force general. Blame it on lemays joining forces with presidential candidate george wallace in the late 1960s, or a culture with too short a memory span. The life and wars of general curtis lemay by warren. In his 1995 article the general and world war iii, richard rhodes wrote about the air force general curtis lemay. This article is adapted from the authors book bomber. The life and wars of general curtis lemay by warren kozak. The life and wars of general curtis lemay hardcover. General curtis lemay, bomb the north vietnamese back to the. In an interview two years after the publication of this book, general lemay said, i never said we should bomb them back to the stone age. I must say i have had this book for a while putting it on the back burners as i thought it might be a bit of heavy reading. Curtis emerson lemay november 15, 1906 october 1, 1990 was a general in the united states air force. Join facebook to connect with curtis lemay and others you may know. Army air corps in 1928, lemay advanced to the position of bombardment group commander by 1942. The author focuses on the first two possessors of nuclear weapons.
This long preceded any public knowledge of roswell, and we can be certain, therefore, that his phone call had zilch to do with roswell. To begin with he contests the idea of civilian control of the military and he argues against the doctrine of unified command of the armed services. In his 1995 article the general and world war iii, richard rhodes wrote about the air force general curtis lemay, a man who, like many. The life and wars of general curtis lemay, tells the whole story of the innovative pilot and navigator. When the united states entered the second world war after the bombing of pearl harbor, lemay was a lieutenant colonel and commander of the 305th bomb group. Destruction from the air the army air forces confidential picture h by jr. The life and wars of general curtis lemay gives an unprecedented glimpse into the might and mind of one of the founding fathers of air power, whose influence, and controversy, continues to this day. General curtis emerson lemay is the fifth chief of staff of the u. Warren kozak has done a masterful job in creating this highly readable book on the life of curtis lemay. Having done my active duty air force service in the late 1980s as a flight test engineer on bomber and cruise missile programs, i didnt have a need to know about the strategic air command sac war plans. Curtis lemay november 15, 1906noctober 1, 1990 was a u. General curtis lemay while his official biography indicated that he was in michigan on vacation other information indicates that he may have been in canada when kennedy was killed. The man born in columbus, ohio, lemay was commissioned through the re. Lemay was stationed in the european theatre early in the war, where he became famous for his intense, relentless leadership style.
Nov 02, 2009 the life and wars of general curtis lemay, part v. A breakpoint novel by bryce zabel, in a world where president kennedy survives the assassination attempt in dallas. Jan 31, 2012 chilling tape from air force one on day jfk shot. Lemay developed his reputation during the second world war. Curtis lemay and strategic air command, 19481957 by trevor albertson. Looking on the internet i see several biographies and the general s autobiography. Get book recommendations, fiction, poetry, and dispatches from the world of literature in your inbox. Oktober 1990 in riverside, kalifornien war ein usamerikanischer general. Curtis emerson lemay november 15, 1906 october 1, 1990 was a general in the united. The best information in my opinion on them is to be found in a book written by. After serving in the united states army air corps in world war ii, curtis lemay became one of the most important leaders of the newlyformed us air force. Preemptive nuclear strikes were seen as a reasonable deterrence strategy, especially by air force general curtis e. It is told as a series of vignettes, but they do hold together very well, allowing you to follow the growth and development of sac and its nuclear capability.
General curtis lemay and the countdown to nuclear annihilation as want to read. The life and wars of gen curtis lemay was a pretty good read. Curtis lemay doesnt enjoy the fame fellow world war ii hero gen. The story of sac and lemay has been extensively covered in the literature and yet another book going down that welltrodden path would have been unnecessary. Lemay and mackinlay kantor is the personal and outspoken story of a history making general curtis e. Sac had been formed in 1946, but it took the assumption of command by gen curtis e. Curtis emerson lemay, the tough bomber general who directed the. Mar 15, 2018 this wasnt the case in the early postworld war ii years. Partridge 8x6 color photo of a ford trimotor aircraft in flight, signed on the mount by all three air force generals photograph mount signed. As i said before goldwaters approach to curtis lemay occurred during the time lemay was usaf chief of staff.
Curtis lemay, the blunt spoken warhawk who helped smash germany and japan, then commanded americas airborne nuclear. Lemay and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Meilinger, usaf, retired w hen the soviets blockaded berlin in june 1948 and war seemed imminent, the joint chiefs of staff asked the commander of strategic air command sac, gen george kenney, to brief them on his units readiness. Lemay is known for designing and implementing the systematic strategic bombing campaign in the pacific theater during world war ii. Looking on the internet i see several biographies and the generals autobiography. Author warren kozak explains to readers about one of the countrys most remarkable warriors, a man whose bravery and military genius helped allied forces smash the axis in the second world war. Curtis lemay on ufos over ancient egypt general curtis lemay was a larger than life figure who rose to prominence through his command of bombers in the second world war, and and afterwards for his development of the united states armed warfare during the cold war. Curtis lemay had been a frequent opponent of kennedys. He moved up through the ranks during the cold war and became a fourstar general during that period. Quotations by curtis lemay, american soldier, born november 15, 1906. Author warren kozak explains to readers about one of the countrys most remarkable warriors, a man whose bravery and military genius helped.
Lemay is credited with designing and implementing an effective, but also controversial, systematic strategic bombing campaign in the pacific theater of world war ii. He claims that as a result of the policies of flexible response. Air force general who became famous for leading a bombing campaign in the pacific during world war ii. He attended columbus public schools and ohio state university. In that sense, the book is also a history of the cold war as defined by two superpower nations. Lemay, the former air force chief of staff who was an architect of strategic air power and insisted that the nation be willing to use nuclear weapons when necessary, died yesterday. In the early 1950s, the champion of strategic bombers in the united states was the famous, truculent, imperious gen. Curtis lemay, the youngest and longestserving general in modern american history, rose from obscurity, lacking social graces, oldboy connections, or lineage, to become americas most innovative andto this daycontroversial military commander. Sports car races held on military airfields in america, curtis lemay was friends with sydney allard and even owned an allard j2, one of three team cars raced at le mans in 1953. In this very closely reasoned and highly detailed book general curtis lemay challenges some of the basic doctrines of defense department strategy under robert s. He served as chief of staff of the united states air force from 1961 to 1965 lemay joined the united states army air corps. Arnold, and other air force books, has written a comprehensive volume with the. Curtis lemay, asked what he thought about flying saucers, replied.
Curtis lemay was a young general officer of the army air corps who was described swear like a sailor curtis lemay was a young general officer of the army air corps who was described in world war ii by robert mcnamara, later secretary of defense, as the finest colonel in the united states army air corps. General curtis lemay, bomb the north vietnamese back to. Lemay, known as old iron pants, remains a controversial figure in american military history. Does anyone here have any thoughts on a good book about gen. The life and wars of general curtis lemay, aims to right this historical wrong. At the start of the cold war all branches were jockeying for use and lead of nuclear weapons, so rivalries grew. The life and wars of general curtis lemay 9781596985698.
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