Henry Conger Pratt (September 2, 1882 – April 6, 1966), professionally known as H. Conger Pratt, was a
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and received awards from Italy, Brazil, and England. He is the only person in American military history to command both an air force wing and an army division.
Biography
Conger Pratt was born on September 2, 1882, at
Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico.
Army Fort
It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous ca ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
. His father, Captain Henry Clitz Pratt (1843–1887), died in March 1887. He was raised by his mother, Elizabeth Van Vlick Conger.
In 1909, while serving as a military aide in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Pratt met Sadie DeRussy Murray, 20-year-old daughter of Brigadier General
Arthur Murray
Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman, April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name.
Early life and start in dance
Arthur Mur ...
, the Chief of
Coast Artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
, at her
debut
Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to:
* Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society
* Debut novel, an author's first published novel
Film and television
* ''The Debu ...
. In October 1913, while stationed in California, the couple became engaged and married on February 7, 1914. They remained wedded until her death in October 1963.
Pratt is the third generation of his family to serve in the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
. His father, Captain Henry Clitz Pratt, was a member of the
13th Infantry. In 1862, his father became a lieutenant in the New York Volunteers during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
[Clitz Pratt was an officer in a "3-year" regiment before re-enlisting in a heavy artillery regiment used as infantry. He was an original officer of the 13th U.S. Infantry when it was formed in 1866 and saw considerable service during the Indian campaigns. The 13th Infantry had returned to the frontier in 1880 and was engaged at that time in active operations against hostile ]Paiute
Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...
s in Colorado and in the campaign to subjugate Geronimo
Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...
.
His grandfather was Colonel Henry Clay Pratt (1814–1884), West Point Class of 1837, who had been cited for gallantry during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
. Colonel Pratt served 42 years in the Army.
Career
Pratt spent most of his career as an officer and pilot in the Army antecedents of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. In 1930, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
. In 1935, he became a
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
commander at the
General Headquarters Air Force
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
, and also served as Chief of Air Corps.
Cavalry service
On August 1, 1900, Pratt enrolled at the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
, entering the Corps of Cadets. He graduated on June 15, 1904, 57th in a class of 124. On July 11, 1904, he was appointed a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in Troop E,
4th Cavalry, by
War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* D ...
General Order 121. He entered active duty on September 15. After a month at
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
, he began duty at the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
. He trained for a two-year tour of duty in
Malabang, which started in September 1905. At the end of his overseas service in 1907, his troop transferred to
Fort Snelling
Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anth ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
In April 1909, Pratt was appointed aide-de-camp to President
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
. He also served concurrent duty as assistant to the Officer-in-charge, Public Buildings and Grounds. In March 1911, he began temporary duty at the Southern Department at
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.
"Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview),
US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army.
Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...
. He served five months as an aide to Major General
William Harding Carter
William Giles Harding Carter (November 19, 1851 – May 24, 1925) was a US Cavalry officer who served during the American Civil War, Spanish–American War and World War I. He also took part in the Indian Wars seeing extensive service against the ...
, who had organized the Army into the
Maneuver Division as a demonstration of force to revolutionaries in Mexico.
On March 30, 1911, Pratt was promoted to
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
, filling a vacancy in the
9th Cavalry. In August, he returned to Washington and finished his capital tour in December 1911. He was then assigned as aide-de-camp to Major General
Arthur Murray
Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman, April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name.
Early life and start in dance
Arthur Mur ...
, while awaiting transfer to San Francisco.
[''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol.6, pp. 1107–1108]
In March 1912, Pratt accompanied Murray to command the Army at Presidio. On December 16, 1912, Pratt was transferred to the
1st Cavalry, which was posted at the Presidio. He performed troop duties across California from 1913 to 1914. This included six months at the regiment's camp in
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
[Two troops marched 250 miles each May to Camp Yosemite in the Yosemite Valley to patrol the park and enforce ]Interior Department
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
regulations until fall. 1913 was the final year of cavalry jurisdiction at Yosemite. in 1913.
He spent 1915 as Murray's aide until the general's retirement in December. From there, Pratt reported to
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, in January 1916 as aide to Brigadier General
George Bell, Jr. He accompanied Bell's headquarters to the
El Paso District in support of the
Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico. There he was promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, 1st Cavalry, on July 1. In October he was assigned as assistant adjutant of the district.
On January 31, 1917, Pratt left El Paso to rejoin his original regiment. He arrived at the 4th Cavalry, at
Schofield Barracks
Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Oahu, Hawaii, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adj ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, in March. When United States entered
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
in April, he received temporary promotion to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. In August, he secured another commission as temporary major, this one in the
Signal Corps, and assignment to the
Aviation Section. He left Hawaii in the first week of October 1917.
World War I and Air Service
Pratt transferred into the Aviation Section during wartime expansion, and assigned training duties. He reported to
Kelly Field
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
on October 14, and a month later became the post adjutant at Call Field, a newly opened training field at
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...
. His three months at Call Field prepared him to be the first base commander of
Brooks Field near San Antonio.
[Originally leased as a satellite of Kelly Field, Brooks became a separate installation in January 1918.]
Pratt was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel within a few days of taking command in February 1918. During this time he was an administrator, not a flier. In Europe, the
Air Service of the Army Expeditionary Force (AEF) organized and began combat operations, and Pratt was promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
(temporary, Signal Corps) at the end of August. He completed pilot training, receiving a
rating of Junior Military Aviator on September 12, 1918.
This would qualify him for aviation command.
Within ten days, Pratt was on duty at the
Division of Military Aeronautics
The Division of Military Aeronautics was the name of the aviation organization of the United States Army for a four-day period during World War I. It was created by a reorganization by the War Department of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps ...
(DMA) in Washington, D.C.
[The DMA was the military component of the Air Service, while the Bureau of Aircraft Production (BAP) was a civil agency overseeing aircraft acquisition.] He was sent to Europe at the end of the first week of October, when the
Meuse Argonne Offensive
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
was underway. He participated in staff operations of the
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
.
By the time of his arrival, the final push had begun that resulted in an
armistice with Germany
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
on November 11. Pratt returned to the United States and the DMA, assigned to the Board of Organization on December 2.
In January 1919, with demobilization underway, he became base commander of Kelly Field.
On March 9, 1919, President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
issued an
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...
formally consolidating all military aviation functions under the Director of Air Service, Major General
Charles Menoher, and Pratt was assigned to his staff on March 17 to help organize and implement a "
divisional staff" system along the lines of that used by the AEF. As acting Third Assistant Executive, he supervised the Operations and Training Group
[Tantamount to G-3 under the divisional staff system] until April, when General
Billy Mitchell
William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force.
Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...
took over.
[''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol.7, p. 636]
In August 1919, Congress extended the existence of the Air Service for another year, while it determined its role during peacetime. All of Pratt's wartime promotions expired by September 8, returning him to his established rank of captain. He entered the course of study for junior officers at the General Staff School in Washington, D.C. on September 1.
By the date of his graduation, June 29, 1920, Congress passed the National Defense Act of 1920.
[Also known as the "Army Reorganization Act".] This made the Air Service a statutory
combatant arm of the line, enabling Pratt to transfer to that branch. On July 1, 1920, he was promoted to major. He was then transferred to the Air Service on August 6.
[This was an administrative maneuver under the Army's seniority system to enable officers to maintain their relative precedence within the service. For instance, both Hap Arnold (USMA Class of 1907) and Pratt (Class of 1904) were promoted to major on July 1, but Pratt received his transfer to the Air Service five days before Arnold making him 17 places higher in seniority.] He served in the Office of the Chief of Air Service until July 13, 1920, when he again became post commander at Kelly Field.
On September 25, Pratt moved up to Air Officer, Eighth
Corps Area
A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
,
[Air Service/Air Corps units were under the control of corps area and department commanders until 1935. The position of "Air Officer" was advisory only, albeit often the most senior Air Service officer in the corps area. Pratt succeeded Lieut. Col. James E. Fechet, who had been transferred to the Office of the Chief of Air Service to become chief of the Operations and Plans Group, beginning a long run that culminated in his becoming Chief of Air Corps. The Eighth Corps Area eventually became known as "Siberia," since it was the position to which both Billy Mitchell and Frank Andrews were demoted and exiled.] located at Fort Sam Houston, until April 26, 1921. During that period his pilot rating was changed to 'Airplane Pilot'.
[The National Defense Act of 1920 reduced the number of different ratings from eleven to four, and redesignated them. At that date, October 5, 1920, there was no distinction between basic and advanced ratings.]
In spring 1921, Pratt began more than three years of continuous professional military education. By June, he completed the student officer course at the Air Service Bombardment School at Kelly by the
2nd Group.
[Pratt was replaced as Air Officer, Eighth Corps Area, by Major Carl Spatz.] In September, he entered the courses of the
General Service Schools at Fort Leavenworth: the School of the Line in 1921–22, and the Regular Course of the General Staff School in 1922–23.
Pratt completed the line course as a distinguished graduate. Between August 15, 1923, and June 30, 1924, he successfully completed the course of study at the
Army War College in Washington, D.C.
On June 30, 1924, Pratt was assigned to the Operations and Plans Group in the Office of the Director of Air Service. He would serve there for four years.
Air Corps
On July 1, 1926, the Air Service was renamed the Air Corps by act of Congress, but little changed in the service. Pratt's position continued, now under the Chief of Air Corps.
On June 5, 1928, Pratt was assigned command of
Mitchel Field
Mitchell may refer to:
People
*Mitchell (surname)
*Mitchell (given name)
Places Australia
* Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate
* Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst
* Mitchell, Northern Territor ...
, New York, and promoted to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
, Air Corps.
The Army's annual maneuvers were held in Ohio in the last two weeks of May 1929. Pratt was assigned to command the aviation of the "Blue" force near
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
. He established his headquarters at the Fairfield Air Depot and dispersed his 82 airplanes at several airports in the vicinity. During maneuvers, his bombardment and attack forces made several simulated air raids on "Red" force airfields in the vicinity of
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
and
Newark, Ohio
Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in ...
, while his pursuit aircraft defended against Red force attacks, culminating in a large mock air battle over
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
at the end of the first week. The maneuvers concluded with a live
ordnance
Ordnance may refer to:
Military and defense
*Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment.
**The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...
demonstration that Pratt orchestrated on the portion of the depot reservation that is now the main runway of
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...
.
In July 1929, Pratt was transferred to
Fort Shafter
Fort Shafter, in Honolulu CDP, Page 4/ref> City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific, which commands most Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region with the exception of Korea. Geographically, F ...
, to assume the duties of Air Officer for the
Hawaiian Department.
This overseas tour was cut short in July 1930 by the retirement of Brig. Gen. William E. Gillmore, one of the three Assistant Chiefs of Air Corps. Gillmore's retirement left a vacancy for Chief of the
Air Corps Materiel Division, and President
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
named Pratt to fill the position. Pratt became a brigadier general and took charge of the division on August 1, 1930, at its
Wright Field
Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Lo ...
headquarters.
[Gillmore had been chief of the Materiel Division since its inception in July 1926. However, in June 1929 he swapped positions with Brigadier General ]Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (December 9, 1879 – April 25, 1967) was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achi ...
to be chief of the Operations Division (first assistant chief of Air Corps). When Gillmore retired, Foulois returned to the first assistant position, leaving the Materiel Division job vacant.[''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol.8, p. 158] One of the key decisions of Pratt's tenure was to advise the
Boeing Aircraft Company
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
in 1932 that the design and production specifications of its proposed
Boeing 247
The Boeing Model 247 is an early United States airliner, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal (Anodizing#Anodized aluminium, anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully Cantilever#Aircraft, cant ...
airliner were developments of the Air Corps'
B-9 monoplane bomber and therefore
classified information
Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...
, and that the Air Corps would block export of the airliner if Boeing responded to interest expressed by the
Empire of Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...
. His term as Assistant Chief of Air Corps expired July 16, 1934, and he returned to his permanent rank of lieutenant colonel with temporary duty in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps.
Pratt was given command of the
2nd Wing at
Langley Field Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perform ...
, Virginia, after the War Department activated the General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force on March 2, 1935.
[The wings of the GHQ Air Force were not higher echelon units in the modern sense, but regional subcommands. The 2d Wing (the "Atlantic wing") controlled the four Air Corps combat groups based in the Eastern United States. Pratt was the only one of the new wing commanders, all lieutenant colonels, who had already served as a general officer before GHQ Air Force was activated.] In December 1935, the GHQ Air Force conducted a major exercise under field conditions in which 55 of its best bombardment and attack aircraft simulated air raids on
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, defended by 55
Boeing P-26
The Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" was the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. Designed and built by Boeing, the prototype first flew in ...
fighters based at
Miami Municipal Airport
Miami Municipal Airport is two miles northwest of Miami, in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''general aviation'' facility.
History
The airport opened in December 1937 wit ...
under Pratt's direction. The interceptors succeeded in defeating the first simulated attack on December 3, launching 36 fighters just four minutes after 18 bombers were observed over
Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...
, theoretically wiping out the bomber force. In the week of operations that followed, the attackers succeeded in reaching their targets only when the bombers and attack aircraft approached simultaneously from different directions, or when the attacking bomber force split to use similar tactics.
September 1935, politically embattled Chief of Air Corps
Benjamin Foulois
Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (December 9, 1879 – April 25, 1967) was a United States Army general who learned to fly the first military planes purchased from the Wright brothers. He became the first military aviator as an airship pilot, and achi ...
decided to retire in December "for the good of the service" and took his terminal leave. The
Roosevelt administration scrutinized senior Air Corps officers for a replacement, and looked at Pratt as one of its two main candidates. "He
ratt
Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...
has greater mental ability than others on the list," noted Secretary of War
George Dern
George Henry Dern (1872–1936) was an American politician, mining man, and businessman. He co-invented the Holt–Dern ore roasting process and was United States Secretary of War from 1933 to his death in 1936. He also served as the List of Gov ...
to Roosevelt, "but it is possible that he is not as cooperative as Westover."
Oscar Westover
Oscar M. Westover (July 23, 1883 – September 21, 1938) was a major general and fourth chief of the United States Army Air Corps.
Early life and career
Westover was born in Bay City, Michigan, and enlisted in the United States Army when he was ...
was eventually selected to become the Chief of Air Corps.
Pratt received his permanent promotion to colonel on August 1, 1936. On January 16, 1937, the Senate approved a promotion list to permanent brigadier general that included Pratt and, among others,
George C. Marshall
George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...
, with date of rank from January 1.
Pratt became commandant of the
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. C ...
(ACTS) and ''ex officio'' president of the Air Corps Board at
Maxwell Field
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
, Alabama, on March 14, his last assignment as a member of the Air Corps.
1938 to retirement
Pratt was the first member of the Air Corps to achieve the permanent grade of brigadier general.
[Head (1995), p. 182] He completed his assignment as commandant of ACTS on August 6, 1938. There were no vacancies in the Air Corps for a general officer, so he returned to Washington.
[Officers promoted to permanent general officer rank in the army are officially considered no longer members of any combat arm of the line or branch.]
In 1938, Pratt served as commandant of the
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. C ...
. During the pre-war years of 1935–1940, Pratt commanded both an air force wing and an army division. After becoming a general officer, Pratt was assigned non-aviation commands including ground forces commands. During World War II Pratt did not serve as a general in the
Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
but as commander of service and defense commands in the Western Hemisphere.
October 24, 1938, he arrived in Manila to take command of the 23rd Infantry Brigade at
Fort William McKinley. The 23rd Brigade was the
Philippine Scouts component of the division, consisting of the
45th and
57th Infantry Regiments. It served tactical responsibility for the defense of the
Lingayen
Lingayen, officially the Municipality of Lingayen ( pag, Baley na Lingayen; ilo, Ili ti Lingayen; tgl, Bayan ng Lingayen), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
area on
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
.
Pratt served as interim commander of the Philippine Division twice: from July 25, 1939, to November 1939, when Major General Walter S. Grant was advanced to command of the
Philippine Department
The Philippine Department (Filipino: ''Kagawaran ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Kagawaran ng Pilipinas'') was a regular United States Army organization whose mission was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. On 9 April 1942, durin ...
; and from May 31, 1940, to the end of his own tour on November 6, 1940, replacing Major General
George Grunert
George Grunert (July 21, 1881 – January 12, 1971) was a United States Army cavalry officer who worked his way up through the ranks from private to retirement as a lieutenant general. His 47-year career extended from the Spanish–American War ...
. These two terms makes Pratt the only person to command both a U.S. Air Force wing and an army division.
[''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol.9, p. 95]
Prior to his return to the United States, Pratt was promoted to temporary major general. This permanent rank was granted on March 1, 1941. His next assignment was field command of the
II Corps, from December 26, 1940, to the following August 21. He was headquartered in the
Pennsylvania Railroad Building in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
. During his time as commander, both the
28th and
29th Infantry Divisions were inducted into Federal Service as part of II Corps, on February 17 and February 3, 1941, respectively.
[Clay (2010), pp. 221–223] August 1941, Pratt moved to Baltimore to command the Third
Corps Area
A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
, which had become a service command headquarters in 1940. He was serving there when the United States entered World War II on
December 7, 1941
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
.
In January 1942, Pratt took command of the Trinidad Base Command at
Fort Read
Cumuto is a town and district in Trinidad. Cumuto is east of Sangre Grande and south of Arima. It is within the Sangre Grande region.
Between 1940 and 1956 much of Cumuto was part of the American army base known either as Fort Read or Wallerfi ...
. He had been chosen upon the recommendation of Lt. General
Frank M. Andrews
Lieutenant General Frank Maxwell Andrews (February 3, 1884 – May 3, 1943) was a senior officer of the United States Army and one of the founders of the United States Army Air Forces, which was later to become the United States Air Force. ...
, former commander of GHQ Air Force who was then commanding the
Caribbean Defense Command
The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, op ...
. In November 1943, he returned to the United States for duty with the
Third Service Command. In January 1944 he commanded the
Southern Defense Command. His last command was of the
Western Defense Command
Western Defense Command (WDC) was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the United States Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Pacific Coast region of the United States during World War II. A second major respo ...
in October 1944, where he was serving as commanding general. He issued the revocation order of December 17, 1944, rescinding the order for
Japanese American internment
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
.
At the end of the war he was assigned to the Office of the
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
.
Pratt retired on September 1, 1946,
after serving 42 years.
[By law retirement was mandatory at the age of 64.] He ended his career with ratings of Senior Pilot,
Combat Observer, and Technical Observer.
He received a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, in lieu of a second
Army Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...
.
Pratt had been recognized as a Knight of the
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...
, Grand Officer of the
Order of the Liberator
The Order of the Liberator was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other or ...
(
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
) and the
Order of the Southern Cross
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 1822) ...
(
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
), Commander of the
Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit (
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
), and Knight Commander of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(KBE).
He was carried on the retired list of the United States Air Force in the rank of major general.
Awards and decorations
SOURCES - U.S. decorations: ''Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917–1952, Volume II – L through Z'';[Fogerty (1953), entry "Pratt, Henry Conger"] Foreign decorations: ''Cullum's Biographical Register'', Volume 9
Notes
;Footnotes
;Citations
References
* ("''Cullum's Biographical Register''")
''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol. 5 1900-1910''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol. 6 1910-1920 ''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol. 7 1920-1930 ''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol. 8 1930-1940 ''Cullum's Biographical Register'' Vol. 9 1940-1950*
*
*Craven, Wesley Frank, and Cate, James Lea, editors (1983). ''The Army Air Forces In World War II'', Air Force Historical Studies Office, (Vol. 1)
*
*Head, William (1995). ''Every Inch a Soldier: Augustine Warner Robins and the Building of US Airpower''. Texas A&M University Press.
*Heitman, Francis B. (2012), ''Dictionary of the United States Army, from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903''. Genealogical Publishing Company.
*Maurer, Maurer (1987). ''Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939'', Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C.
*Rice, Rondall Ravon (2004). ''The Politics of Air Power: From Confrontation to Cooperation in Army Aviation Civil-Military Relations'', University of Nebraska Press.
*
*
External links
*
ttp://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/105905/major-general-henry-c-pratt.aspx USAF Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Henry Conger
People from Lincoln County, New Mexico
United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel
United States Army generals
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Military Academy alumni
1966 deaths
1882 births
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery