Lemay, Curtis E.
Lemay, Curtis E. (1906–1990), air tactician and World War II general.Lemay began his career in 1929 as a fighter pilot and transferred to bombers in 1937. In May 1942, he took command of the 305th Bomb Group. He trained the group and took it to England. LeMay increased bombing accuracy by discontinuing evasive action during bombing and substituted straight, level approaches, resulting in no increase in casualties. By June 1944, he commanded almost 500 heavy bombers. After transferring to the China‐Burma‐India Theater in August 1944, he next transferred to Twenty‐First Bomber Command in Guam. In March 1945, he abandoned daylight attacks, stripped his B‐29s of unnecessary weight, and began a campaign of night fire bombing that damaged numerous Japanese cities. This campaign was a decisive factor in Japan's defeat.
In October...
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