Carl A. Spaatz (1891-1974)
Boyertown, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Aviation pioneer Spaatz was a 1914 graduate of West Point and a pilot in France in World War I. He rose to the rank of brigadier general in 1940 and general in 1945. During World War II he commanded the US 8th Air Force and the US Strategic Air Forces in Europe, facilitating the ground invasion and liberation of western Europe. He was first Chief of Staff of the newly independent US Air Force, 1947-48. Boyertown was his home.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
A 1914 West Point graduate who flew over France in World War I, Carl A. 'Tooey' Spaatz became one of America's foremost air commanders. In World War II he led the U.S. Eighth Air Force and then the Strategic Air Forces in Europe, directing the bombing campaign that supported the invasion and liberation of the continent, and in 1947 he became the first Chief of Staff of the newly independent U.S. Air Force. Boyertown was his home.
Why it matters
Spaatz helped prove the case for strategic air power and then guided the birth of the Air Force as a separate service, shaping American military aviation for the Cold War era.
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Related people
- · Carl A. Spaatz
Related events
- · Strategic bombing of Europe
- · Establishment of the U.S. Air Force (1947)
Themes & tags
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