Airpower Leadership on the Front Line: Lt Gen George H. Brett and Combat Command

摘要

Lt Gen George H. Brett was an early air service pilot who served in World War I and had great success in the Air Corps during the interwar years. One of the few Airmen promoted to general officer rank during that time period, by 1940, when he became the chief of the Air Corps he was second only to Gen Henry H. Arnold in rank. Unlike Arnold, however, and some of Brett's other contemporaries such as Gen George C. Kenney, Brett's World War II service did not gain him lasting fame or a fourth star. Indeed, he spent the victorious years of World War II in the quiet backwater of Panama, ultimately retiring in 1945. Although he was immediately recalled to active duty until 1946 to continue his command in Panama, he was not sought out by the men who were building what was to become the independent Air Force. Brett's star was rising very fast when, as a major general, Arnold dispatched him to conduct lend-lease discussions with the British and to make a tour of Africa. This trip turned out much differently than Brett might have expected, however; and an appealing journey back to the England he had known during World War I turned into a nightmare of biting insects, sweltering Javanese jungles, and relentless Japanese air superiority. The bad news continued as Brett faced logistical difficulties and laissez-faire attitudes in Australia. Senior to every American in the Far East, with the exception of Gen Douglas A. MacArthur, Brett was tasked with the chore of preparing a dispirited Australia as a friendly base to supply another man's glorious drive to conquer the enemy. This book examines how well Gen George Brett executed the duties he was assigned during his tour in the Far East. The examination will focus on the pitfalls he faced and how the USAF could avoid them in future situations. Was there any opportunity for General Brett to succeed. If so, why did he fail.