Nathan F. Twining

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General Nathan F. Twining

Nathan Farragut Twining (born October 11, 1897 in Monroe , Wisconsin , † March 29, 1982 in San Antonio , Texas ) was an American general in the US Air Force and both Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff .

Life

After attending school, he joined the Oregon National Guard in 1916 and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1918 . He then served in the infantry . Twining then completed pilot training and became a flight instructor before moving to the newly established United States Army Air Corps in 1926 . After initially working as a flight instructor, he was soon employed in staff positions, including in Hawaii , and later as a squadron commander. From 1935 he attended successively the courses of the Air Corps Tactical School and the Command and General Staff College .

In 1940 he was transferred to the Air Staff in Washington, DC , where he joined the Operations Department after the United States entered World War II in December 1941. In July 1942, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces in the South Pacific, Millard Harmon . From January 1943 he led the 13th US Air Force in the Pacific and was recalled to the European theater of war in November of the same year. Twining became Commander-in-Chief of the 15th US Air Fleet as the representative of General Carl A. Spaatz . It intervened from its bases in southern Italy (in the Foggia area ) in the fighting in Italy and attacked other targets in the German sphere of influence (e.g. Ploiesti in Romania ); from 1944 onwards it supported the stronger 8th US Air Force stationed in England with transalpine attacks on the south-east of the German Reich . On June 5, 1945, Twining was promoted to lieutenant general. In early August 1945 he took over command of the 20th Air Fleet in the Pacific, which a few days later carried out the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Then he was after the end of the World War until 1947 Commanding General of the Air Materiel Command .

After the official establishment of the US Air Force on September 18, 1947, Twining became supreme commander of the armed forces in Alaska ( Alaskan Command ). During this time he is also said to have become a member of Majestic 12 , a secret committee allegedly formed in 1947 to investigate UFO activity. He then returned to the Pentagon in Washington, DC and was there for a short time in 1950, initially Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for Personnel ( Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel ). He was then as a general between 1950 and 1953 Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force ( Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force ).

Twining became Chief of Staff of the Air Force on June 30, 1953, and held this position for four years until June 30, 1957.

Most recently he was then on August 15, 1957 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . He held this post until his retirement on September 30, 1960.

Twining was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

His brother Merrill B. Twining was a general in the US Marine Corps and from 1955 to 1956 commander of the 1st US Marine Division .

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of the Military Awards:

See also

Web links

Commons : Nathan F. Twining  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Twining, Nathan F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Twining, Nathan Farragut (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American general in the United States Air Force
DATE OF BIRTH October 11, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Monroe , Wisconsin
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 1982
Place of death San Antonio , Texas