Otto Paul Weyland (January 27, 1903 – September 2, 1979) was a

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 ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Commander of

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during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and of

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

Early life

His family moved to Texas when he was a youth. He went to high school at Taft, Sinton, and

Hempstead, Texas Hempstead is a city in and the county seat of Waller County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. History On December 29, 1856, Dr. Richard Rodgers Peebles and James W. McDade organized the Hempstead Town Company to sell lots in ...

. From 1919 to 1923, he attended

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, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, and getting his commission in the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

Early military career

He took flying training at

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and

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 ...

s, Texas, with initial duty with the 12th Observation Squadron at

Fort Sam Houston, Texas 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 returned to Kelly Field to teach flying. Promoted to first lieutenant in June 1930, he went to Hawaii as commanding officer of the 4th Observation Squadron at Luke Field. He returned to Kelly Field in November 1934 as instructor and in 1935 became chief of the Observation Section, with promotion to captain that March. Weyland attended both the Air Corps Tactical School at

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, Alabama, and the

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, Kansas, with next duty in Washington in June 1939 as assistant to the chief of Aviation Division in the

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World War II

Generals Sanders, Royce and Weyland with Lord Trenchard

He was promoted to major in March 1940 and to lieutenant colonel in December 1941, the latter coming while he was in

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as commanding officer of the 16th Pursuit Group and chief of staff of the

6th Air Force The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, being inactivated on 1 January 1976. Initially designated Panama Canal Air For ...

. Weyland was promoted to colonel in March 1942 and returned to Washington in June as deputy director of air support at Headquarters Army Air Force. He was advanced to brigadier general in September 1943 and in November went to Europe as command general of the 84th Fighter Wing. Four months later he became command general of the XIX Tactical Air Command. Under him this combat unit gained fame for its close air support of General George Patton's

U.S. Third Army The United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army, commonly referred to as the Third Army and as ARCENT, is a military formation of the United States Army which saw service in World War I and World War II, in the 1991 Gulf Wa ...

in the successful movement across France in August 1944 and Germany in the spring of 1945. By January 1945 Weyland had become a major general and finished the air war against Germany, participating in six major campaigns and called by Patton "the best damn general in the Air Corps."

Post-World War II service

Returning to the United States in September 1945, Weyland served for nine months as Assistant Commandant of the school at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and in June 1946 went to Washington as Assistant Chief of Plans at Headquarters Army Air Force. He moved to Plans and Operations when the Air Force became a separate service. From February 1948 to July 1950, he served as Deputy Commandant of the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in Washington.

Korean War

In July 1950 he was briefly commanding general of Tactical Air Command until going to Headquarters Far Eastern Air Force in Tokyo as vice commander for operations in the first full month of the Korean War. In April 1951, he returned to Tactical Air Command and was promoted to lieutenant general. In June 1951, he went back to Tokyo as commanding general of Far Eastern Air Forces and the United Nations Air Forces when Lieutenant General

George Stratemeyer Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General George Edward Stratemeyer (24 November 1890 – 9 August 1969) was a senior commander in the United States Air Force. He held senior command appointments in the China Burma India Theater of W ...

had a heart attack. Weyland's widely recognized ability and experience in tactical warfare was demonstrated in 10 major campaigns in Korea. He was promoted to four-star general on July 5, 1952. He stayed in Japan to help that nation reorganize its air defense forces and aircraft industry, and became known as the "father of the new Japanese air force."

Post-Korean war service and retirement

Weyland returned to the United States in May 1954 to serve as Commanding General of Tactical Air Command. He retired from the Air Force on July 31, 1959. He died on September 2, 1979.Social Security Death Index
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Awards and decorations

During his career, he earned many decorations, including two Distinguished Service Medals, the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, the Distinguished Flying Cross (for personally leading a bomber formation against important Communist targets in North Korea when weather prevented fighter cover and escort), the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, and

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

, as well as awards from Great Britain (Commander,

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 ...

—for air cover of Normandy Invasion), France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan and Brazil. * Distinguished Service Medal ribbon

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

with oak leaf cluster * SilverStar