James S. Russell

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Admiral James S. Russell

James Sargent Russell (* 22. March 1903 in Tacoma , Washington ; † 14. April 1996 ) was an American admiral , who for his services to the aviation and aerospace in 1956 with the Collier Trophy was awarded and 1958-1961 Vice Chief of Naval Operations and, between 1961 and 1965, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) of NATO .

Life

Military training and World War II

Russell completed his education at DeKoven Hall School and Stadium High School in his birthplace and entered the Merchant Navy in 1918 as a seaman . In 1922 he began his military training at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis , which he completed on June 3, 1926 as a lieutenant at sea . He then found use on the battleship USS West Virginia and some time later completed his training as a naval aviator at Naval Air Station Pensacola , which he completed in 1929 with the pilot badge (Naval Aviator Badge) . In the following years he worked on board various ships and naval bases and also completed a degree in aerospace engineering at the California Institute of Technology , which he completed with a Master of Science (M.Sc.).

In July 1941, Russell became a reconnaissance squadron 42 (Patrol Squadron Forty Two) offset their commander ( Commanding Officer ) he called on August 26, 1941 Commander was. After the USA entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force , he took part in various missions in this capacity. For his outstanding services in the bombing of Kiska Island in the Aleutians , which was occupied by Japanese marines on June 6, 1942 , for his participation in the battle for the Aleutians and for setting up an air base on the Aleutians despite difficult weather conditions and limited space at the time from June 15, 1942 to October 14, 1942 he was awarded the Legion of Merit in October 1943 and the Distinguished Flying Cross in November 1947 .

Russell then worked in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations as well as in the Bureau of Aeronautics , the agency responsible for the naval aviation associations of the US Navy. He was then in the Pacific region offset to the function as chief of staff of the Second Aircraft Carrier Division (Carrier Division Two) to take over the part of the Rapid aircraft carrier task forces ( Fast Carrier Task Force ) in the Pacific War were against Japan. For his services there as coordinator of the task force, he was awarded another Legion of Merit, where he was instead presented with a gold star for his first Legion of Merit.

Post-war period and flag officer

After the war was Russell first commander of the USS Bairoko , an escort carrier of Commencement Bay class before he then to 1946, founded the Atomic Energy Commission ( US Atomic Energy Commission ) moved, in which he first head of the unit for weapons and later became deputy head of the Department of military applications was. In February 1951 he became commandant of the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea , which under his command was part of the 6th US Fleet in the Mediterranean for six months and was honored with the award of Battle Efficiency E by the Commander of the Air Force of the US Atlantic Fleet in August 1951 .

In March 1952 Russell returned to the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he served as head of unit for military requirements and new developments before he was there in July 1953 head of the air warfare department. After that, on May 16, 1954, he was appointed commander of the 17th aircraft carrier division (Carrier Division Seventeen) and in October 1954 as commander of the 5th aircraft carrier division (Carrier Division Five) .

Russell, who was promoted to Rear Admiral in February 1955 , succeeded Rear Admiral Apollo Soucek as head of the Bureau of Aeronautics on March 4, 1955 and remained in this position until his replacement by Rear Admiral Robert E. Dixon on July 15 1957. In October 1955, the House of Representatives investigated that during the Korean War the Navy took on the risk of purchasing fighter jets from the aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation for US $ 302 million without prior approval. During this time he was in 1956 with Charles J. McCarthy, an employee of the aircraft manufacturer Chance Vought Aircraft , the Collier Trophy to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for the development of single-jet combat aircraft Vought F-8 granted.

Russell then became Vice Admiral and Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff of the US Atlantic Fleet in July 1957.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations and Commander in Chief of AFSOUTH

After serving in this capacity for one year, Russell was promoted to Admiral on July 21, 1958 and succeeded Admiral Harry D. Felt as Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO). He held the second highest function within the leadership of the US Navy after the Chief of Naval Operations. He remained in this use until August 1961 and was then replaced by Admiral Claude V. Ricketts . For his services in this post he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for the first time in April 1962 and in 1967 Russell Bay in Antarctica was named after him.

Russell himself became Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces of NATO in Southern Europe AFSOUTH (Allied Forces Southern Europe) in November 1961 and held this post until his retirement in January 1965. He was subordinate to the NATO Commander-in-Chief in Europe ( Supreme Allied Commander Europe ) and was responsible for NATO troops in Portugal , Italy , Greece and Turkey . During this time the Cyprus conflict fell , which, with the so-called " Bloody Christmas 1963 ", marked the beginning of violent intercommunal fighting, in which a total of 1,000 Turkish and at least 200 Greek Cypriots died. A direct military confrontation between the NATO partners Greece and Turkey could no longer be ruled out. After the armistice, December 24, 1963 resulted in a decision by the UN Security Council to set up a peacekeeping force of the United Nations ( United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus ) , and there was an extensive separation of the ethnic groups. For his services during this time he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for the second time in March 1965. His successor as NATO Commander in Chief in Southern Europe was Admiral Charles D. Griffin on April 1, 1965 .

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ NAVY JET GAMBLE COST 302 MILLIONS; House Inquiry Hears Service Took Calculated Risk on McDonnell Fighters . In: The New York Times, October 25, 1955
  2. ^ Admiral Russell Sworn . In: The New York Times, July 22, 1958
  3. ^ US Admiral Appointed Southern NATO Chief . In: The New York Times, August 16, 1961
  4. ^ Griffin Named to NATO Post . In: The New York Times, January 23, 1965
personal data
SURNAME Russell, James S.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Russell, James Sargent (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American admiral in the US Navy
DATE OF BIRTH March 22, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Tacoma , Washington
DATE OF DEATH April 14, 1996
Place of death Tacoma , Washington