Airpower Leadership on the Front Line Lt Gen George H. Brett and Combat Command DOUGLAS A. COX Lieutenant Colonel, USAF Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama September 2006 front.indd 1 11/7/06 10:29:41 AM Air University Library Cataloging Data Cox, Douglas A., 1967- Airpower leadership on the front line : Lieutenant General George H. Brett and combat command / Douglas A. Cox. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58566-157-0 1. Brett, George H. (George Howard), 1886–1963—Military leadership. 2. Command of troops. 3. Generals—United States—Biography. 4. United States. Army Air Forces— Biography. I. Title. 358.40092––dc22 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. Air University Press 131 West Shumacher Avenue Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6615 http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil ii front.indd 2 11/7/06 10:29:41 AM Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . . . . . . . . . . vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . ix 1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2 EARLY LIFE AND CAREER . . . . . . . . . . 5 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 3 THE BUILDUP TO WAR . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 4 CONFLAGRATION IN THE PACIFIC . . . . . 27 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 5 AIRPOWER AND ANTAGONISM IN AUSTRALIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 6 COMMAND IN THE CARIBBEAN . . . . . . . 69 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 7 CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Illustrations Figure 1 Eastern NEI map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 2 Australia and New Guinea map. . . . . . . . 40 iii front.indd 3 11/7/06 10:29:41 AM CONTENTS Photo Page George H. Brett circa 1909 . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lt Gen George Brett, commander, Caribbean Defense Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Table 1 Gen George Brett’s leadership performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 iv front.indd 4 11/7/06 10:29:41 AM Foreword With Airpower Leadership on the Front Line: Lt Gen George H. Brett and Combat Command, Douglas Cox makes a singular contribution to American airpower biography. Books abound on personalities that reach high rank and whose careers culminate in great success. These studies often glean keen insight about leadership style, and some are vocationally valuable as examples of effective command. But the analysis of history’s great winners yields something less than a full dimensional sense of leader- ship. The examination of those men and women who do not quite reach exalted status can flesh out the lessons of effective leader- ship. This is what Cox does here. George H. Brett certainly reached high rank, and only the most cynical and uninformed observer would judge his career a failure. Yet World War II did not propel him along the same career trajectory of a Curtis LeMay or a Hoyt Vandenberg or a Jimmy Doolittle. Why? For all kinds of reasons; some of which were good, some bad, some within Brett’s control, and others entirely outside his purview. Through a careful ex- amination of primary and secondary sources, as well as his own acumen as a sharp officer, Cox uses Brett’s life to illuminate those factors that at first sped Brett through the ranks and then those variables that appeared to block his further advancement. Cox reminds us of what we often know intuitively but often for- get intellectually: that success has many fathers, including per- sonal luck and fortuitous circumstance. Airpower Leadership on the Front Line pulls no punches regarding Brett’s limitations, but it also acknowledges broader factors at play in his career. In the end, Cox delineates those factors that make for successful leaders; and, more importantly, suggests which among those variables are within a person’s control and hence worthy of at- tention and energy. As much as studies of commanders who grabbed the brass ring, this examination of George H. Brett adds v front.indd 5 11/7/06 10:29:42 AM FOREWORD insight into the makings of effective leadership and successful command. THOMAS HUGHES Associate Professor School of Advanced Air and Space Studies Air University vi front.indd 6 11/7/06 10:29:42 AM About the Author Lt Col Douglas A. Cox is a B-52 radar navigator and weapons officer. A 1989 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), he was one of the first USAFA cadets to major in Eng- lish. He has been assigned to Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan; Castle AFB, California; and Minot AFB, North Dakota, as a B-52 crew- member. His last assignment before attending Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, was as a member of the Air Warfare Center staff at Nellis AFB, Nevada. He has over 2,500 hours in the B-52G and H models. His interest in writing and literature led him to a fascination with airpower history, particularly the leadership challenges faced by the top Airmen in World War II. In June of 2004 he was assigned to a B-52 bomb squadron at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, as a squadron operations officer. Colonel Cox is graced by the companionship of his lovely wife, Lynae, and his two sons, Allen and Steven. vii front.indd 7 11/7/06 10:29:42 AM THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Acknowledgments This book was fun to write and even more fun to research. Without the generous help and support of a long list of experts and friends this would not have been the case. My thesis ad- viser, Dr. David Mets, inspired this project and brought his sage advice and insight to its execution. His energy and expertise transformed impossibilities into tasks completed. My thesis reader, Dr. Thomas Hughes, lent his unerring sense of style and his gifted historical perspective to the project and his amicable encouragement to me personally. Col Larry Thompson receives my thanks for connecting me with his friend, Lt Gen Devol “Rock” Brett, USAF, retired, without whose unstinting assis- tance this project would have been immensely more difficult; General Brett freely shared his valuable time, keen memory, airpower insight, and obtains my highest gratitude. Thanks are also due to another retired Air Force general officer, Maj Gen John Huston, professor emeritus, United States Naval Acad- emy, who went to considerable personal inconvenience to pro- vide me with rare documents saved by Lt Gen George H. Brett covering the relatively obscure American, Dutch, British, and Australian Command period. The entire faculty and staff of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, have been supportive of this project. The commandant, Col Thomas E. Griffith, provided papers pertaining to General Brett from his collection of historical documents. Dr. Harold R. Win- ton kindly put me in touch with the National Military Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, Missouri, and Ms. Sandra Smith supported my effort to obtain the records of General Brett and his brother, Col Morgan L. Brett, with her efficient and friendly competence. My fellow students, too, in intended and unin- tended ways, lent their aid and ardor to the completion of this document. Of particular help were the staff members of the Air Force His- torical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Dr. Herman Wolk and Dr. Roger Miller of the Air Force History Office, Bolling AFB, Washington, DC, shared their time and insight; specifically, Dr. Miller provided enthusiastic and immediate assistance from ix front.indd 9 11/7/06 10:29:42 AM