William E. Kepner

William Ellsworth Kepner (born January 6, 1893 in Miami County , Indiana , † July 3, 1982 ) was an American officer in both world wars, most recently with the rank of lieutenant general .

Life

William Kepner initially served in the infantry on the Mexican border. During the First World War he took part as battalion commander in almost all battles in which American troops were involved in France . After the war he moved to the US Army Air Service . He received training as a balloonist . In 1928 he won the Gordon Bennett Cup together with William O. Eareckson . In 1931/1932 he got his license for conventional aircraft.

On July 28, 1934, he started together with Albert W. Stevens and Orvil A. Anderson in the stratospheric balloon Explorer I to set a new altitude record. The balloon burst. The three inmates were able to save themselves with parachutes. A little later he accompanied Major Ira C. Eaker on the first instrument flight from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

In February 1942 he was promoted to brigadier general. He became commanding general of 4th Fighter Command and then 4th Air Force in the San Francisco area . In April 1943 he was promoted to major general . In September 1943 he took over the VIII Fighter Command of the 8th Air Force . From August 1944 he headed the 2nd Bomb Division of the Mighty Eighth and flew 24 combat missions himself. After the war in Europe, he took over the 9th Air Force on May 10, 1945 .

In 1946 he was the deputy in command of Operation Crossroads , a series of nuclear weapons tests at Bikini Atoll , and later became head of the Atomic Energy Division of Air Force Headquarters. On June 15, 1950 he was promoted to lieutenant general and a little later commander in chief of the Alaska Command . On February 28, 1953, he retired from active service.

Web links

• resume
• The crew of the Explorer
• Mustang Pilots Association