Commanded U.S. Fliers in WWII : Ira Clarence Eaker Dies; Helped Form Air Force

WASHINGTON —  Retired Air Force Gen. Ira Clarence Eaker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe during World War II, a daring aviator and one of the officers who helped establish the Air Force as a separate military service, has died at age 91.

Eaker, credited with the concept of daylight bombing of German targets during the war, died Thursday at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Eaker retired from active duty as a lieutenant general July 31, 1947, more than two years after the war in Europe ended. But he was advanced to the rank of four-star general in 1985 at the direction of President Reagan and the consent of the Senate.

‘Outstanding Contributions’

“Few men can equal Gen. Eaker’s great stature as an air pioneer,” the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Larry Welch, said Friday. “We owe him our gratitude for his outstanding contributions to the Air Force and the nation.”

Although he had retired before the Air Force was created as a separate service, he was credited with playing an instrumental role in drafting the legislation that produced the Pentagon’s fourth service.

Born in Texas, Eaker was raised in southeastern Oklahoma. He received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1917 and his pilot’s wings in 1919.

He came to play a leading role in developing many of the aviation techniques and military tactics that remain in use today.

He helped develop the procedures for in-flight refueling of aircraft and in 1930 flew the first transcontinental flight across the United States relying on aerial refueling.

In 1936, he flew the first “blind” transcontinental flight, relying solely on instruments for a trip from New York to Los Angeles.

The same year, Eaker collaborated with Gen. H. H. (Hap) Arnold--who later would become the commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Forces--in writing the first of three books together. Entitled “This Flying Game,” it is a comprehensive reference book on the aviation industry and the old Army Air Corps.

Eaker was assigned as commander of the first American air headquarters in Europe in February, 1942, three months after U.S. entry into World War II. He became commander of the 8th Air Force in England in December of that year and later was commanding general of all U.S. Army air forces in Britain.

It was during this period that Eaker conceived the strategy of daylight bombing raids over Nazi Germany. British bombers concentrated their raids over German territory only at night, but Eaker believed that too many targets were missed because of the darkness.

A popular phrase at the time was “The Americans by day, the British by night.”

In 1944 he commanded what was at the time the greatest aerial assault in history, the destruction of the German fortress at Cassino in Italy. More than 2,500 tons of bombs were dropped on the town, permitting the Allies to advance on Rome.

Eaker’s foreign decorations include a Knight of the British Empire, and his U.S. military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He also received a special Congressional Gold Medal.

After retiring, he spent 10 years as vice president of Hughes Tool Co. In 1957 he became a vice president and director of Douglas Aircraft Co. and launched a syndicated column on military affairs that appeared in more than 180 newspapers.

The Air Force said Eaker will be buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery.