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General Carl SpaatzGeneral Carl Andrew Spaatz was a general in the Army Air Forces in World War II. Initially he was commander of the 8th Air Force as it established itself in England in July 1942. Born 28 June 1891, died 14 July 1974 he was nicknamed Tooey. During World War 2, he held numerous commands at various times including the 12th Air Force in North Africa, 15th AF in Italy as well as the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe under which the 8th and 15th Air Forces were assigned. As USSAFE he worked closely with and directly under Eisenhower and help drive the strategy of strategic bombing of the Nazi Germany oil production facilities. GEN. CARL SPAATZ served with the First Aero Squadron of the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916. During World War I he won the Distinguished Service Cross in combat over St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. In 1940 he was sent to the United Kingdom as an official observer of the Battle of Britain. On his return to the United States he became commander of the Air Corps Materiel Division. At the beginning of 1942 he became chief of the Army Air Forces Combat Command. In May of that year he was given the command of the Eighth Air Force, which he took to the United Kingdom in the following July. Shortly thereafter he also became Commanding General, U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe. At the close of the year he was appointed commander of the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa. Two months later he was named commander of the Northwest African Air Forces. When the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces headquarters was established in 1943 under Air Chief Marshal Tedder, General Spaatz became its deputy commander. In January 1944 he went back to the United Kingdom where he assumed command of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe.  |
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