The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Hale, Willis H. (original) (raw)

Hale commanded the Air Force detachment at Midway during the historic battle. Succeeding to command of 7 Air Force after its commander, Clarence Tinker, went missing in action in a raid on Wake, Hale led the air forces that supported Spruanceduring the Central Pacific offensive, personally leading a long-range strike against Nauru. However, 7 Air Force was never given a strong bomber component, and it tended to be overshadowed by the carrier forces of Pacific Fleet.

Hale frequently clashed with Hoover overtactics. Hale favored high-altitude bombingwith massed formations, so that the planes were out of antiaircraftrange. Hoover believed that precision bombing at lower altitude was the better tactic. To some extent, the rift reflected the general antipathy felt towards Hoover, a Navy aviator, by the Army Air Forces in the Pacific.

1893

Born

1934

Colonel

Commander, 2 Bombardment Group, Langley Field

1935

Executive officer, 2 Wing, Langley Field

1936

Army War College

1937

Executive officer, 19 Wing, Panama Canal

1938

Commander, 16 Pursuit Group, Panama Canal

1939

Inspector general, General Headquarters Air Force, Langley Field

1940

Chief of staff, Southeast Air District, MacDIll Field

1941

Chief of staff, 3 Air Force, Tampa

1941

Joint Planning Group, Defense of Northeast Brazil

1941-12-16

Commander, III Interceptor Command, Drew Field

1942-1-23

Major general

Commander, VII Bomber Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii

1942-6-20

Commander, 7 Air Force, Hickam Field

1944

Commander, Air, Forward Areas, Central Pacific (Task Force 59)

1945

Commander, Army Air Forces,Pacific Ocean Areas

1945-7-6

Commander, 4 Air Force, San Francisco

1947

Commander, Caribbean Air Command

1949

Commander, 9 Air Force, Langley AFB

1950

Commander, 1 Air Force, Mitchel AFB

1950

Commander, Continental Air Command, Mitchel AFB

1952

Retires