Frank B. James (March 21, 1912 – December 9, 2004) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force.

Early life

James was born on March 21, 1912, in Delavan, Wisconsin. In 1937, he graduated with a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Army Air Corps

James joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1937. In June 1938, he graduated from the Advanced Flying School at Kelly and received his pilot's wings and the rank of second lieutenant. His first assignment was with the 79th Pursuit Squadron,

20th Pursuit Group The 20th Operations Group (20 OG) is the flying component of the 20th Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. It is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is a successor organization of the 20th ...

World War II

In 1941, he was named commanding officer of the

50th Flying Training Squadron The 50th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 14th Flying Training Wing based at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates Northrop T-38C Talon aircraft conducting flight training. Mission Training Combat Pilots for America The ad ...

14th Fighter Group 014 may refer to: * Argus As 014 * 014 Construction Unit * Divi Divi Air Flight 014 * Pirna 014 * Tyrrell 014 The Tyrrell 014 was a Formula One car, designed for Tyrrell Racing by Maurice Philippe for use in the season. The cars were powered by ...

. He took command of the 55th Fighter Group in 1943. It was during this time that the 55th Fighter Group was deployed to the United Kingdom to take part in World War II. James became Chief of Combat Operations, Headquarters VIII Fighter Command,

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

in March 1944. In October 1944, James was named Director of Fighter, Headquarters Eighth Air Force. He held this position until January 1945, when he was named Director of Operations, Headquarters Eighth Air Force.

Cold War

Following his service in the war, James became commanding officer of

McChord Field McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord Field is the home of the 62d Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the field's primary mission being worldw ...

and was a member of the faculty at the Air Command and Staff College. He graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in 1948 and held a faculty position there until 1950, when he was appointed U.S. Air Attaché to the

Embassy of the United States in Moscow The Embassy of the United States of America in Moscow is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Russian Federation. The current embassy compound is in the Presnensky District of Moscow, across the street from the White House ...

. In 1951, James was named Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence and Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters Twelfth Air Force. James graduated from the Air War College in 1954 and that same year was named Air Force Assistant Director, Joint Intelligence Group, Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1956 James was again appointed U.S. Air Attaché, this time to the

Embassy of the United States in London The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is located in Nine Elms and is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relatin ...

. Following that assignment, James was named Deputy Chief of Staff-Intelligence and Deputy Chief of Staff-Programs of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. His retirement was effective as of June 1, 1968.

Death

James died on December 9, 2004. He and his wife Laverle F. (1916–1988) are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Frank B. People from Delavan, Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin Aviators from Wisconsin United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II University of California, Los Angeles alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 1912 births 2004 deaths United States air attachés American expatriates in the Soviet Union