Haywood Hansell and American Strategic Bombing in World War II

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PLANNINGalthough originally three-fourths of the committee was for abandoningEurope, Hansell and Wedemeyer convinced their colleaguesthat Germany was by far the more dangerous enemy. 109This was not the end of their disagreement, however. TheJoint Strategy Committee accepted the Germany-first principle,but then suggested sending a strategic bombing force to guardthe route between Hawaii and Australia. Not only was this aninappropriate way to deploy bombers, it would have taken awayfrom the proposed mission of the yet-to-be-formed Eighth AirForce. A majority of the committee voted to form such an airunit, but Hansell dissented, thus causing the first “split-paper,”and the joint chiefs were not pleased. General Arnold calledHansell into his office for an official “personal admonition,”which went into Hansell’s military record. Later Hansell andWedemeyer were able to convince the committee of the folly ofwasting bombardment aircraft on ocean patrols. The admonitionremained in his record, but he was awarded the Legion of Meritfor his services in air intelligence and air war planning. 110The value of the Joint Strategy Committee is problematic,but it did give Hansell even more experience in high-levelplanning. In August 1942 at the personal request of GenDwight D. Eisenhower, Hansell was transferred to the Europeantheater of operations; his mission would be to transformhis plans into action against the Germans. When Hansell arrivedin Europe he was in a unique position to ensure thatAWPD-1 was indeed the plan of action in the air war againstGermany. After all, AWPD-1 was the embodiment of the militaryconcepts fashioned at the Air Corps Tactical School in the1930s, and Hansell’s quest was to make his vision of air war areality. 111Notes1. Geoffrey Perret, There’s a War to be Won: The United States Army inWorld War II (New York: Random House, 1991), 190–211.2. Phillip S. Meilinger, Hoyt S. Vandenberg: The Life of a General(Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1989), 18.3. Ibid.4. Mrs. Haywood S. Hansell Jr., interviewed by author, 21 March 1992.5. Ibid.85
THE QUEST6. Haywood Hansell, personnel file, Record Group 18, File 201(Washington, D.C.: National Archives); and James C. Gaston, Planning theAmerican Air War: Four Men and Nine Days in 1941 (Washington, D.C.:National Defense University Press, 1982), 20.7. Jeffery S. Underwood, The Wings of Democracy: The Influence of AirPower on the Roosevelt Administration, 1933–1941 (College Station, Tex.:Texas A&M University Press, 1991), 125–37.8. Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate, eds., The Army Air Forcesin World War II, vol. 1, Plans and Early Operations, January 1939 to August1942 (1949; new imprint, Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History,1983), 106.9. Maj Gen Haywood S. Hansell Jr., interviewed by Murray Green, 2January 1970, US Air Force Academy Library, Colorado Springs, Colo.10. James Parton, “Air Force Spoken Here”: General Ira Eaker and theCommand of the Air (Bethesda, Md.: Adler & Adler, 1986), 115.11. Haywood S. Hansell III, interviewed by author, 16 February 1992;and Hansell, Green interview.12. Mrs. Hansell.13. Haywood S. Hansell Jr., The Air Plan that Defeated Hitler (Atlanta:Higgins-McArthur/Longino and Porter, 1972), 49.14. Ibid., 50.15. Haywood S. Hansell Jr., Strategic Air War against Germany andJapan: A Memoir (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1986), 22.16. Hansell, Air Plan, 50; and “Daily Report of Military Operations, 15September 1939,” from the Military Attaché in Berlin, filed in the Haywood S.Hansell Jr. Papers, microfilm edition, AFHRA, Maxwell AFB, Ala.17. Hansell, Air Plan, 50; and Hansell, Strategic Air War againstGermany and Japan, 23.18. Brig Gen Haywood Hansell Jr., interviewed by Bruce C. Hopper, 5October 1943, Spaatz Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; andHansell, Air Plan, 51.19. Hansell, Air Plan, 51–52; and Thomas A. Fabyanic, “A Critique ofUnited States Air War Planning, 1941–1945” (PhD diss., Saint LouisUniversity, 1973), 51.20. Hansell, Hopper interview.21. Haywood S. Hansell Jr., Strategic Air War against Japan (MaxwellAFB, Ala.: Air War College, Airpower Research Institute, 1980), 20–21.22. Ibid., 53.23. “Conversation with Air Commodore Schlesser [sic],” 4 December1940, File 167.6-51, AFHRA, Maxwell AFB, Ala.24. Orders for Maj H. S. Hansell from the War Department, Office of theChief of the Air Corps, 7 July 1941, Hansell Papers, AFHRA, Maxwell AFB, Ala.25. Hansell, Hopper interview.26. Hansell III; Mrs. Hansell; and Hansell, Strategic Air War againstGermany and Japan, 25.86
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The QuestHaywood Hansell and Americ
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This book is dedicatedto my son, Al
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PhotographsPageB-1 Bomber . . . . .
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The bottom line is Hansell had it r
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IntroductionOn the night of 24 Nove
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In Europe the frictions of war mean
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THE QUESTB-2) using conventional, u
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THE QUESTwomen and children as its
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THE QUESTs paringly. Aircraft were
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THE QUESTchains. The steel faciliti
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THE QUESTOther lessons were learned
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THE QUESTnoncombatant. Civilians in
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THE QUESTWith the war’s end the A
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THE QUESTBoeing B-17 Bomberswar fro
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THE QUESThe was a Southerner; he wa
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THE QUESTNational Strategy,” a sp
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Chapter 2The Early Years:Education
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THE EARLY YEARSthat saw Colonel Han
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THE EARLY YEARSserved as a wrangler
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THE EARLY YEARSThe incident taught
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THE EARLY YEARSdirection his life h
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THE EARLY YEARShimself to sit at Mi
Page 46 and 47: THE EARLY YEARSreal exposure to the
Page 48 and 49: THE EARLY YEARSOnce, the team tied
Page 50 and 51: THE EARLY YEARSachievable goal. The
Page 52 and 53: THE EARLY YEARSflown, these defeats
Page 54 and 55: THE EARLY YEARSca p tain, and those
Page 56 and 57: THE EARLY YEARSis overcoming his wi
Page 58 and 59: THE EARLY YEARSremained close at ha
Page 60 and 61: THE EARLY YEARSHansell took great c
Page 62 and 63: THE EARLY YEARSover enemy oppositio
Page 64 and 65: THE EARLY YEARSvalue of the work do
Page 66 and 67: THE EARLY YEARS50. Finney, vii, 28.
Page 68 and 69: Chapter 3PlanningHansell’s ideas
Page 70 and 71: PLANNINGafter suffering unimaginabl
Page 72 and 73: PLANNINGof the task was well unders
Page 74 and 75: PLANNINGHansell’s intelligence al
Page 76 and 77: PLANNINGThe world situation in the
Page 78 and 79: PLANNINGWar Department doctrine, wh
Page 80 and 81: PLANNINGwas to be accomplished. In
Page 82 and 83: PLANNINGEurope in less than two and
Page 84 and 85: PLANNINGwaterway establishment. In
Page 86 and 87: PLANNINGdevelopment of escort fight
Page 88 and 89: PLANNINGSeen from outside its front
Page 90 and 91: PLANNINGhave given the four men a t
Page 92 and 93: PLANNINGproduction capacity, but th
Page 94 and 95: PLANNINGand Hansell were assigned t
Page 98 and 99: PLANNING27. Hansell, Air Plan, 53;
Page 100 and 101: PLANNING96. Hansell, Air Plan, 96;
Page 102 and 103: THE QUESTevidence to suggest that H
Page 104 and 105: THE QUESTaid to a physically injure
Page 106 and 107: THE QUESTHansell and his planners r
Page 108 and 109: THE QUESTand sixth place went to ru
Page 110 and 111: THE QUESTto keep her despair from t
Page 112 and 113: THE QUESTBombardment Wing (heavy).
Page 114 and 115: THE QUESTDouglas A-20 BomberEaker k
Page 116 and 117: THE QUESTshocking effect of air bat
Page 118 and 119: THE QUESTlearn quickly—was absolu
Page 120 and 121: THE QUEST1943. Another solution was
Page 122 and 123: THE QUESTEighth Air Force loss rate
Page 124 and 125: THE QUESTcover. On 16 February Hans
Page 126 and 127: THE QUESTsanguine, but the strike p
Page 128 and 129: THE QUESTHe later explained his rea
Page 130 and 131: THE QUESTHansell truly enjoyed the
Page 132 and 133: THE QUESTEaker had acknowledged tha
Page 134 and 135: THE QUESTCopp, 277; and James Parto
Page 136 and 137: THE QUEST55. Brig Gen Haywood Hanse
Page 138 and 139: THE QUEST110. “Mission Reports,
Page 140 and 141: THE QUESTpromote a plan for a doubl
Page 142 and 143: THE QUESTGeneral Arnold took me up
Page 144 and 145: THE QUESTJapanese islands may not b
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THE QUESTfactor, caused the approva
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THE QUESTexpanded, and, just as he
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THE QUESTHansell knew that the only
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THE QUESTprior to Overlord. Hansell
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THE QUESTview of the Navy’s attit
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THE QUESTexplained the peculiar nat
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THE QUESTtons of supplies on its ow
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THE QUESTWolfe’s argument that he
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THE QUESTNotes1. Wesley Frank Crave
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THE QUEST41. Hansell, Strategic Air
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THE QUESTtough, Brooklyn-born gradu
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THE QUESTactivities of Possum. She
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THE QUESTOne of Hansell’s first t
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THE QUESTBomber Command did not pos
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THE QUESTcausing the bombers to dri
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THE QUESTreally know what was going
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THE QUESTto show how such raids wou
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THE QUESTb ehind selective bombing.
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THE QUESTArnold was impatient, and
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THE QUESTpostponed until they could
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THE QUESTinitial points at opposite
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THE QUESTexactly up to expectations
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THE QUESTm anner. I hope you will a
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THE QUESTsweated out much of the mi
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THE QUESTlanding field, fighter bas
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THE QUEST41. Report of the Committe
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THE QUEST87. Mission Folder, no. 12
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THE QUESTFurthermore, it is not a g
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THE QUESTIt is clear that by this t
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THE QUESTbuilt in Japan. On the mor
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THE QUESToperations, aborts, total
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THE QUEST“pull his outfit out of
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THE QUESTarea bombing against the G
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THE QUESTobjectives. He had initial
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THE QUESTAir Command. Finally, he p
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THE QUESTB-52 Bomberwere highly eff
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THE QUESTthe Military Assistance Pr
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THE QUESTNotes1. Mission Folder, no
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THE QUEST41. Hansell, Strategic Air
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Burns, James MacGregor. Roosevelt:
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Greer, Thomas H. The Development of
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———. Point of No Return: The
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Crane, Conrad C. “The Evolution o
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Index2d Bombardment Group: 3121st B
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Norstad, Lauris: 19, 91, 138, 151,
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The QuestHaywood Hansell and Americ
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