This is a complete list of lieutenant generals in the United States Air Force before 1960, including those appointed in the United States Army from the United States Army Air Forces or United States Army Air Corps before the Air Force was established in 1947. The grade of lieutenant general (or three-star general) is ordinarily the second-highest in the peacetime Air Force, ranking above major general and below general.
List of U.S. Air Force lieutenant generals before 1960 The following list of lieutenant generals includes all officers of the United States Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and United States Army Air Corps who were appointed to that rank prior to January 1, 1960.The list of lieutenant generals is taken from DuPre; the 1947 World Almanac, pp. 809–810; the Army Register; and the Air Force Register.
Entries are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was appointed to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty. Each entry lists the officer's name, date of rank,Dates of rank are taken from the Army Register or Air Force Register. date the officer vacated the active-duty rank,Dates vacated are taken from the Army Register or Air Force Register. An officer could vacate the active-duty rank of lieutenant general via death, retirement, resignation, promotion to a higher permanent grade, or reversion to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing an office bearing the statutory rank of lieutenant general. number of years on active duty as lieutenant general (Yrs),The number of years on active duty as lieutenant general is taken to be the number of days rounded to the nearest whole year and excluding any gaps in appointment. positions held as lieutenant general, and other biographical notes.Biographical notes include years of birth and death; dates of promotion to higher permanent grade; and other unusual career events such as death in office or resignation. Dates are taken from DuPre, the Army Register, or the Air Force Register.
Italics denote active duty as lieutenant general while on the retired list.
Name Photo Date of rank Date vacated Yrs Position Notes Commanding General, General Headquarters Air Force, 1940–1941. Commanding General, Air Force Combat Command, 1941. Commanding General, Hawaiian Department, 1941–1943. Commanding General, Western Defense Command, 1943–1944. Commanding General, Alaskan Department, 1944–1946. Commandant, Armed Forces Staff College, 1946–1948. (1888–1965)Transferred from United States Army, 26 Sep 1947.Commanding General, Hawaiian Department, with rank of lieutenant general, 17 Dec 1941–1 Jun 1943. Commanding General, Panama Canal Department/Caribbean Defense Command, 1941–1942. Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces in the Middle East, 1942–1943. Commanding General, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army, 1943. (1884–1943)Commanding General, Panama Canal Department, with rank of lieutenant general, 19 Sep 1941–9 Nov 1942. Died in office. Additional Chief of Staff for Air, 1941–1942. Commanding General, Army Air Forces, 1942–1946. (1886–1950) Promoted to general, 19 Mar 1943; to general of the Army, 21 Dec 1944; to general of the Air Force, 7 May 1949. 1 May 1945 10 May 1946 Deputy Commander, American-British-Dutch-Australian Command/Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces in Australia, 1942. Deputy Commander, American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, 1942. Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces in Australia, 1942. Commanding General, Allied Air Forces, South West Pacific Area, 1942. Commanding General, Caribbean Defense Command, 1942–1943. Commanding General, Panama Canal Department/Caribbean Defense Command, 1943–1945. Commanding General, Panama Canal Department/Caribbean Defense Command, 1945. (1886–1963)Retired as major general, 30 Apr 1945; recalled as lieutenant general, 1 May 1945–10 May 1946; promoted to lieutenant general on the retired list, 29 Jun 1948. Director of Production, Office of the Under Secretary of War, 1942–1944. Director, Army Air Forces Materiel and Services, 1944. Director, Air Technical Service Command, 1944–1945. (1879–1948) Resigned. Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1942–1944. Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean/Commanding General, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, U.S. Army, 1944–1945. (1893–1972) Promoted to general, 7 Mar 1945. Commanding General, Allied Air Forces, South West Pacific Area, 1942. Commanding General, Allied Air Forces, South West Pacific Area/Fifth Air Force, 1942–1944. Commanding General, Far East Air Forces, 1944–1945. (1889–1977) Promoted to general, 9 Mar 1945. Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces in the South Pacific Area, 1942–1944. Commanding General, U.S. Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean Areas/Deputy Commanding General, Twentieth Air Force, 1944–1946. (1888–1946) Died in office. Commanding General, Twelfth Air Force, 1942–1943. Commanding General, Fifteenth Air Force, 1943–1944. Commanding General, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, 1944–1945. (1891–1974) Promoted to general, 11 Mar 1945. 10 Commanding General, Army Air Forces Training Command, 1943–1946. (1884–1949)Retired as lieutenant general for disability in line of duty. 11 Commanding General, Eighth Air Force, 1942–1943. Commander in Chief, Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, 1943–1945. Deputy Commanding General, Army Air Forces/Chief, Air Staff, 1945–1947. (1896–1987)Retired as major general; promoted to lieutenant general on the retired list, 29 Jun 1948.Retired as major general, 31 Aug 1947; promoted to lieutenant general on the retired list, 29 Jun 1948; promoted to general on the retired list, 26 Apr 1985. Promoted to general on the retired list, 26 Apr 1985. 12 20 Aug 1955 16 Apr 1956 31 Jan 1957 14 Apr 1957 3 Sep 1955 14 Jun 1956 14 Feb 1957 20 Apr 1957 Commanding General, Eighth Air Force, 1944–1945. Special Assistant to the Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command, 1955. Special Assistant to the Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command, 1956. Special Assistant to the Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command, 1957. Special Assistant to the Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command, 1957. (1896–1993)Army Air Corps Reserve. Appointed brigadier general in the Regular Army, 14 Mar 1946; reverted to inactive reserve status as lieutenant general, 10 May 1946; resigned as Regular Army brigadier general, 22 Jul 1946; recalled to active duty as lieutenant general, 20 Aug–3 Sep 1955, 16 Apr–14 Jun 1956, 31 Jan–14 Feb 1957, 14–20 Apr 1957; retired as lieutenant general, 28 Feb 1959; promoted to general on the retired list, 4 Apr 1985. Promoted to general on the retired list, 4 Apr 1985. 13 Commanding General, Ninth Air Force, 1943–1944. Commanding General, First Allied Airborne Army, 1944–1945. Commanding General, Third Air Force, 1945–1946. Commanding General, First Air Force, 1946. Member, Joint Chiefs of Staff Evaluation Board, Office of the Secretary of War, 1946–1947. Chairman, Military Liaison Committee, Atomic Energy Commission, 1947–1948. Secretary General, Air Board, 1948. (1890–1967) 14 Chief, Air Staff, 1943–1944. Deputy Commanding General, Army Air Forces/Chief, Air Staff, 1944–1945. Commanding General, U.S. Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean Area/Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, 1945. Commanding General, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, 1945–1946. (1892–1984) 15 1 Mar 1955 4 Nov 1955 Commanding General, Air Transport Command, 1942–1946. Commanding General, Air Transport Command/Director of Information, Army Air Forces, 1946. Senior Army Air Forces Representative, Military Staff Committee, United Nations/Director of Information, Army Air Forces, 1946. Special Consultant to Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, 1955. (1893–1986)Retired as major general, 30 Dec 1946; promoted to lieutenant general on the retired list, 29 Jun 1948; recalled as lieutenant general, 1 Mar 1955–4 Nov 1955. 16 Commander in Chief, Mediterranean Allied Air Forces/Commanding General, Twelfth Air Force, 1945. Commander, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, 1945. Commanding General, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, 1945–1946. Commanding General, Air Training Command, 1946–1948. Commanding General, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, 1948–1950. Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, 1950–1951. (1892–1955) Promoted to general, 29 Oct 1951. 17 Commanding General, Ninth Air Force, 1944–1945. Assistant Chief of the Air Staff for Operations, 1945–1946. Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, U.S. Army, 1946. Director, Central Intelligence Group, 1946–1947. Deputy Commanding General, Army Air Forces/Chief, Air Staff, 1947. (1899–1954) Promoted to general, 1 Oct 1947. 18 Commanding General, Eastern Air Command/U.S. Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 1944–1945. Commanding General, U.S. Army Air Forces, China Theater, 1945–1946. Chief, Selection Branch, Army Air Forces Headquarters, 1946. Commanding General, Air Defense Command, 1946–1948. Commanding General, Continental Air Command, 1948–1949. Commanding General, Far East Air Forces, 1949–1951. (1890–1969) 19 Commanding General, Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Forces/Fifteenth Air Force, 1943–1945. Commanding General, Twentieth Air Force, 1945. Commanding General, Air Technical Service Command, 1945–1946. Commanding General, Air Materiel Command, 1946–1947. Commanding General, Alaskan Department, 1947. Commander in Chief, Alaskan Command, 1947–1950. Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, U.S. Air Force, 1950. (1897–1982) Promoted to general, 10 Oct 1950. 20 Commanding General, Fifth Air Force, 1944–1945. Commanding General, Pacific Air Command, U.S. Army, 1945–1947. Commanding General, Far East Air Forces, 1947–1949. Commanding General, Continental Air Command, 1949–1950. Commanding General, Continental Air Command/Air Defense Command, 1950. Commanding General, Air Defense Command, 1950–1951. (1895–1964) 21 Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel and Administration, U.S. Air Force, 1947–1948. Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, U.S. Air Force, 1948–1950. Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, U.S. Air Force, 1950–1951. Commandant, Air University, 1951–1953. (1895–1981)Recalled as major general, 3 Feb 1954–9 Mar 1954. 22 Deputy Chief of Staff, Materiel, U.S. Air Force, 1947–1949. Inspector General, U.S. Air Force, 1949–1950. The Inspector General, U.S. Air Force, 1950–1952. Commandant, National War College, 1952–1953. Commandant, National War College/Chairman, Inter-American Defense Board, 1953–1955. (1897–1977) 23 Deputy Commanding General, Air Materiel Command, 1947–1949. Commander, Air Materiel Command, 1949–1951. (1900–1977) Promoted to general, 29 Jul 1951. 24 Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, U.S. Air Force, 1947–1950. Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, 1951. Commander in Chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe/Commanding General, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, 1951–1953. (1907–1988) Promoted to general, 5 Jul 1952. 25 Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Research and Development, U.S. Air Force, 1947. Commanding General, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, 1947–1948. Commanding General, Strategic Air Command, 1948–1957. (1906–1990) Promoted to general, 29 Oct 1951. 26 Commanding General, Tactical Air Command, 1946–1948. Special Assistant for Reserve Forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, 1948–1949. Head, Joint Technical Planning Committee, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1949. Head, Joint Technical Planning Committee, Joint Chiefs of Staff/Commander, Joint Task Force 3, 1949–1951. (1904–1993)Retired as lieutenant general, 31 Oct 1951; resigned, 30 Oct 1958, to accept appointment as Administrator, Federal Aviation Agency; reappointed lieutenant general on the retired list, 21 Jan 1961. 27 Air Comptroller, 1947–1948. Comptroller, U.S. Air Force, 1948–1949. Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller, U.S. Air Force, 1949–1951.