Cold War: General Curtis LeMay Born

November 15, 1906 - Future US Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtis E. LeMay (right) is born in Columbus, OH. First rising to prominence while leading bombing raids over Germany during World War II, Curtis LeMay quickly rose through the ranks. By the end of the conflict, LeMay was commanding the bomber offensive against Japan and oversaw the switch from strategic to fire bombing. Following the war, LeMay was given command of the Strategic Air Command. Revolutionizing the organization's operations, he transformed SAC from a backwater into the US Air Force's principal nuclear strike force. Promoted to Chief of Staff for the Air Force, LeMay frequently clashed with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara regarding policy and strategic decisions. After loudly voicing his opposition to the Johnson Administration's approach to the Vietnam War, he was forced into retirement in February 1965.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force