Henry H. Arnold

Henry H. Arnold was a U.S. Army general who led the Army Air Forces during World War II and became the first General of the Air Force.

Carl Spaatz: Carl Spaatz was a U.S. Army Air Forces general and the first chief of staff of the independent U.S. Air Force. Arnold selected Spaatz for senior commands, including leadership of the strategic air campaign in Europe.
United States Army Air Forces: The U.S. Army’s land-based air service from 1941 to 1947, responsible for American air operations in World War II. Arnold commanded this wartime organization as it expanded into a major combat force.
United States Military Academy: A federal service academy at West Point, New York, that educates and commissions officers for the U.S. Army. Arnold graduated from West Point in 1907 before beginning his Army career.
Precision bombing: An air attack strategy intended to destroy selected military or industrial targets while limiting damage elsewhere. Arnold promoted precision as a doctrine, though wartime conditions often frustrated its stated selectivity.
Ira C. Eaker: Ira C. Eaker was a U.S. Army Air Forces general who commanded major air operations in Europe during World War II. Eaker helped build and command the air forces Arnold deployed against Germany.
United States Air Force: The U.S. military service responsible for conducting air and space operations. The independent service Arnold advocated was established after the war, in 1947.
Wright brothers: Orville and Wilbur Wright were American inventors who achieved the first sustained, controlled powered airplane flights in 1903. Their aircraft demonstrations helped draw Arnold into the Army’s early aviation experiments.
Area bombing: An air strategy that attacks broad urban or industrial zones rather than individual targets. The contrast exposes the gap between Arnold’s precision-bombing goals and the realities of air campaigns.
Jimmy Doolittle: James H. Doolittle was a U.S. aviator and general who led the 1942 raid on Tokyo and later commanded strategic air forces in Europe. Doolittle’s combat commands reflected Arnold’s emphasis on initiative and operational independence.
Strategic bombing during World War II: The sustained Allied air campaign against enemy industries, infrastructure, and cities during World War II. Arnold oversaw U.S. strategic bombing campaigns in both the European and Pacific theaters.

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William D. LeahyRelated: Arnold joined Leahy, Marshall, and King in the wartime Joint Chiefs of Staff.