Gerald W. Johnson (military officer)
Gerald Walter Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Jerry |
| Born | 10 July 1919 Owenton, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | 9 September 2002 (aged 83) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Army Air Corps United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–1974 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Unit | 56th Fighter Group |
| Commands held | 63d Fighter Squadron 508th Strategic Fighter Wing 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing 95th Bombardment Wing 305th Bombardment Wing 825th Air Division 1st Strategic Aerospace Division Eighth Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross (5) Air Medal (5) |
Gerald Walter Johnson (July 10, 1919 – September 9, 2002) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and World War II flying ace.[1] Enlisting in 1941, Johnson served as a fighter pilot in Europe, and was credited with shooting down 16.5 enemy aircraft[2] before being shot down himself and taken prisoner. After the war, he continued his military career rising to command several fighter and bomber wings during the 1950s and 60s. He commanded the Eighth Air Force for a period during the Vietnam War, and retired in 1974 after serving as Inspector General of the Air Force.
Early life[]
Johnson was born in Owenton, a small town in northern Kentucky, on 10 July 1919.[3]
He was a graduate of Boston University and did graduate work at George Washington University.[4]
World War II[]
In 1941, he entered service with the United States Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet at Randolph Field, Texas. He graduated the following April and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served with the 56th Fighter Group, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). He became the first ace of the 56th and the second American ace in the ETO.[4][2]In February 1944, he was promoted to Major and took command of the 63d Fighter Squadron.[5] He was credited with 16.5 air-to-air victories.[6] After fifteen months of combat he was shot down on March 27, 1944, and spent 13 months as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft I when it was liberated by The Red Army on May 2, 1945.[1][4]
Strategic Air Command[]
After the war, he was associated with the fighter forces of Strategic Air Command (SAC), becoming the commander of the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing, flying Republic F-84 Thunderjets in 1954. He remained in SAC after its fighters were transferred, becoming commander of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, the first Air Force organization to fly the Lockheed U-2, in 1956. Following staff assignments with the 7th Air Division, SAC headquarters and the 12th Strategic Aerospace Division, he returned to command with the 95th Bombardment Wing in 1963.[4]
In 1965, he became the commander of the 305th Bombardment Wing, which set a number of world speed records with the Convair B-58 Hustler during his command.[7] He then commanded the 825th Strategic Aerospace Division. He became vice commander of Second Air Force in 1968 and commander of the 1st Strategic Aerospace Division in 1969.[4]
After another staff tour with SAC headquarters, he became commander of the Eighth Air Force at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, controlling all SAC bombers and tankers in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. His final assignment was as Inspector General of the Air Force, retiring from that position on September 1, 1974.[4]
Decorations[]
|
Distinguished Service Cross |
  |
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster |
 |
Legion of Merit with two bronze oak leaf clusters |
 |
Distinguished Flying Cross with four bronze oak leaf clusters |
 |
Air Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters |
|
Air Force Commendation Medal |
|
Army Commendation Medal |
|
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation |
|
American Defense Service Medal |
|
American Campaign Medal |
|
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal |
|
World War II Victory Medal |
  |
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star |
 |
Vietnam Service Medal with four bronze campaign stars |
  |
Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters |
  |
Croix de Guerre, with silver star (France) |
|
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross |
|
Vietnam Campaign Medal |
Military[]
- Command and General Staff School
- National War College[4]
Aeronautical ratings[]
- Command pilot wings
- Senior Missile Badge[4]
References[]
- ^ a b Paul A. Tenkotte; James C. Claypool (13 January 2015). The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 494–. ISBN 978-0-8131-5996-6.
- ^ a b William Hess. America's Top Eighth Air Force Aces in Their Own Words. Zenith Imprint. pp. 106–. ISBN 978-1-61060-702-5.
- ^ Scheibner, Hildegard (13 September 2002). "Flying 'ace' flew 88 missions in WW II". Herald Tribune. Sarasota, FL. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Biography, Lieutenant General Gerald W. Johnson". United States Air Force. January 1, 1974. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ^ Freeman, Roger A. (1970). The Mighty Eighth: Units, Men and Machines (A History of the US 8th Army Air Force). London, England, UK: Macdonald and Company. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
- ^ Roger Freeman (20 September 2012). 56th Fighter Group. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 27–. ISBN 978-1-78200-478-3.
- ^ Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-0-912799-12-4.
Bibliography[]
- Freeman, Roger A. (1970). The Mighty Eighth: Units, Men and Machines (A History of the US 8th Army Air Force). London, England, UK: Macdonald and Company. ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 978-0-912799-12-4.
External links[]
- "Biography, Lieutenant General Gerald W. Johnson". United States Air Force. January 1, 1974. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- "Gerald Walter Johnson". American Air Museum in Britain. Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
- 1919 births
- 2002 deaths
- American prisoners of war in World War II
- American World War II flying aces
- Aviators from Kentucky
- People from Owen County, Kentucky
- United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Air Medal
- Shot-down aviators
- United States Air Force generals
- United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
- World War II prisoners of war held by Germany