GLOBAL MISSION

by General of the Army H.H. Arnold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 1949

In the succession of war memoirs, this may well rank- and should- with the Eisenhower on the strength of Arnold's leadership of the Army Air Force, an inherently glamorous branch, and on the personality of the man himself, dynamic, forthright, honest, human. Hap Arnold was one of the first few pioneers who flew the paper, wood and wire planes before the first World War. Trained by the Wright Brothers, he progressed with the planes he flew until he led the greatest single force for mass destruction ever created. During the first war he was quick to see the possibilities of aviation and was a close friend and supporter of the crucified Billy Mitchell. Between wars, he fought on for funds for an air force, and as the leader of that air force during World War II Arnold was instrumental in forging American air power. Fighting against the demands of theater commanders which would have dispersed our planes, against the British who believed daylight bombing impossible, against the Navy who wanted control, this also shows his tremendous organizational ability as he created this body. Arnold came into contact with Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, the military and naval leaders of the world, and he gives his own opinions of all- both good and bad. And lastly, his recommendations for the future- based on his accomplishments in the past- may well be prophetic. Written with the casual defiance common among the men of this service, the book strikes a strong blow for continued vigilance in the air based on the lessons learned by the man and men who destroyed Germany and Japan. A long book, but one which most men will find absorbing.

Pub Date: Sept. 21, 1949

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1949

Categories: NONFICTION