Bill Yenne - Hap Arnold: The General Who Invented the US Air Force

PRAISE FOR BILL YENNES

HAP ARNOLD

The story of Henry Harley Hap Arnold is an American classic told brilliantly by Bill Yenne, the consummate military historian. Taught to fly by Orville Wright, Arnold later would help lead Americas air efforts through two world wars and the development of an air force unmatched in world history.

In the pantheon of outstanding American generals, Hap Arnold stands as a towering figure among household names that led America through war and peace. Bill Yenne captures it all, including Arnolds association with Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and a host of other political and military figures from the twentieth century.

This compelling biography is a must-read. Once again, Bill Yenne has produced a superb piece of work, capturing the story of Hap Arnold, who would eventually attain the rank of General of the Army, later General of the Air Force, and become the only officer in Air Force history to hold five-star rank. Even more compelling is that Arnold is the only person in American military history to hold five-star rank in two military services. Arnold, as Yenne so well recounts, was a very good soldier asked to do extraordinary things, and he did so with the brilliance that launches such figures into the history books.

Simply stated, if one were to design an Air Force general from scratch, creating an amalgam of requisite skills, including personal bravery and sheer aplomb to carry a day or a nation, it would necessarily be General Hap Arnold.

Utilizing new sources and original research, Yenne has created a scholarly yet highly entertaining book. In fact, its the only book a reader will need to understand the influence Hap Arnold had on the course of two world wars and the modern United States Air Force.

BRIAN M. SOBEL, author of The Fighting Pattons

Hap Arnold stands forth as one of the top national security leaders of the twentieth centurybuilding, shaping, and commanding the nations Air Force amid the overwhelming strain of the Second World War. Yenne does a superior job helping the reader better understand General Arnold both as an individual and as a military leader. This work stands as a valuable addition to airpower enthusiasts and practitioners alike.

CRAIG R. McKINLEY, president of the Air Force Association, retired four-star general, and publisher of Air Force Magazine

Henry Hap Arnold was a critical architect of the U.S. Air Force and a key player in World War II. Bill Yenne writes a primer on this oft-neglected figure, and along the way provides a good introduction not only to the air war but to the roots of the modern American Air Force. His overview of Arnolds life and career will appeal to anyone interested in aviation history or World War II in general.

JIM DeFELICE, author of American Sniper and Omar Bradley: General at War

Bill Yennes Hap Arnold: The General Who Invented the U.S. Air Force takes a complex and wide-ranging subject and makes it a well-written, engaging, and compelling read. This book provides the reader with detail and historical context in a solid account of the rise of American airpower and my grandfathers role at the center of it starting in 1911 and his continuing influence today. Bill Yenne keeps the story moving at a crisp pace and at the same time recounts many of the Arnold familys legendary stories.

But this book is not just focused on Hap. The author brings others, including George Marshall, Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Billy Mitchell, Jimmy Doolittle, and Donald Douglas, into precise focus. This book lays out how U.S. military aviation did not arrive victorious in 1945 by accident or inevitability. The U.S. Army Air Forces amazing rise from a just a few planes and pilots in 1941 to the largest and most powerful air force the world will ever know depended on Hap Arnolds singular ability to engage, persuade, and educate American and world leaders about it. In addition, he had to gain their support to execute his plans at a time of great peril.

This is not simply an airplane book. It shows how winning World War II in the air required a team effort with General Hap Arnold in the left seat, at the controls of U.S. airpower.

ROBERT ARNOLD, author, proprietor of Chandelle Winery in Sonoma, California, and the grandson of both Hap Arnold and Donald Douglas

HAP ARNOLD

Copyright 2013 by Bill Yenne

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, website, or broadcast.

First ebook 2013

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:ISBN 978-1-62157-175-9

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CONTENTS

I t is axiomatic that historys great generals and great admirals are usually controversial. For decisions they have made, or for the paths theyve followed professionally, most have their detractors, often within their own services. All of the greats, from Grant to Patton, from Bradley to MacArthur, have their critics. However, it is hard to find anyoneat least since the days of George Washington and John Paul Joneswho is more universally admired, even revered, within their own service than Henry Harley Arnold is within the U.S. Air Force.