Lawson Harry McPhearson Sanderson (July 22, 1895 – June 11, 1973) was an aviation pioneer of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

with the rank of

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 ...

. He is most noted for his effort in development of the dive bombing technique. As commanding officer of the

4th Marine Aircraft Wing The 4th Marine Aircraft Wing is the reserve airwing of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana but its subordinate units are scattered throughout the United States. Mission Conduct air operations in support ...

, Sanderson accepted the Japanese surrender of

Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of T ...

at the end of

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 opposing ...

Early career

He was born on July 22, 1895, in

Shelton, Washington Shelton is a city in, and the county seat of, Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census. Shelton has a council–manager form of government and was the ...

, as the son of

game warden A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician or technologist, game warden, forest ranger, forest watcher, forest g ...

Lewis Sanderson (1857–1941), and his wife Ruby (1861–1956). After attending the local high school, Sanderson enrolled at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

and subsequently at the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fa ...

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1917. He then enlisted in the

on September 19, 1917, and subsequently served as

drill instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Austr ...

with the rank of gunnery sergeant. Sanderson requested aviation training and was sent for instruction to Aviation Ground School at

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. He was subsequently assigned to the Marine Flying Field

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, in May 1918 and completed his aviation training at the beginning of January 1919. Sanderson was transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve Flying Corps and designated Naval Aviator on 14 January 1919. He was also appointed second lieutenant (provisional) on the same date. Sanderson subsequently served as flight instructor at Miami Field and then participated in submarine patrols off the coast of

and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Dive bombing

When the situation on Haiti escalated, Sanderson was transferred to the Squadron "E" attached to the 1st Provisional Brigade of Marines and sailed for Haiti aboard the

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

USS ''Kittery'' on March 15, 1919. He arrived at Port-au-Prince at the end of March. During the one of the skirmishes with "Cacos" bandits, Sanderson flying the

Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...

plane was ordered to attack a group of bandits near the old stone French fort, but his squadron had not received requested bomb racks. Sanderson improvised canvas mail sacks instead of bomb racks. He subsequently dropped light bombs from a shallow dive on the enemy and was successful in completing the mission. Although Sanderson called it "Glide bombing", it helped develop the later dive bombing technique.

Further interwar service

Sanderson returned to the United States in March 1920 and was assigned for instruction at Officers Training School within Quantico Base,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He graduated one year later and was subsequently selected for special flight with De Havilland 4A plane from

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, ...

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

. Sandy set a new record in then-longest round-trip flight over water and land and received Distinguished Flying Cross for this feat. He was also commissioned second lieutenant in the regular Marine Corps on May 2, 1921. Young Sandy was assigned back to 1st Brigade of Marines and sailed again for Haiti in April 1922. After a one-year tour of duty at Haiti, he was ordered to Navy Department in

, where he was assigned to the

Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...

. In October 1923, he attended the Company Officers Course at Marine Corps Schools at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...

World War II

With the outbreak of

, First Marine Aircraft Group was expanded to the

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. A ...

under the command of Colonel Louis E. Woods and Sanderson was appointed wing operations officer. Wing was sent to the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

in September 1942 and subsequently participated in the Guadalcanal campaign. For his service in this capacity, Sanderson was decorated with the Legion of Merit. Sanderson was appointed commanding officer of the Marine Aircraft Group 11 based on

New Hebrides Islands New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

in January 1943 and participated in the air attacks against Japanese fortifications during

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, ...

. However, he was transferred back to the United States in March 1943 and subsequently appointed commander of Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group 42 within 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He was responsible for the training of new Marine aviators in this capacity. Sanderson assumed command of Marine Fleet Air, West Coast in September 1944 and continued in his previous training duties. Nevertheless, he was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in January 1945 and remained in command of Marine Fleet Air, West Coast until May 1945, when he was transferred back to Pacific. Sanderson relieved Brigadier General Louis E. Woods in command of

and subsequently participated in air support operations over Gilbert and

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...

. He also accepted surrender of

from Japanese admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara on September 4, 1945, who was later sentenced to death by a military tribunal for war crimes in connection with execution of 98 civilian workers in October 1943 and hanged on June 18, 1947.

Postwar service

Sanderson was attached to the staff of Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific in March 1946, and served under Major General William J. Wallace. He remained there until the end of June and subsequently was appointed commanding general of

based in

Tientsin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

, China. The 1st MAW remained in China until October 1947, when it was ordered back to the United States. Upon his return, Sanderson was appointed deputy commander of the 1st MAW again under the command of Major General Woods and served in this capacity until July 1949. Sanderson was subsequently appointed deputy commander of General William J. Wallace within Aircraft,

Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (FMFLANT) is an American maritime landing force that is spread across the Atlantic Ocean. It is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk and directs and commands all the subordinate elements of the Navy Expeditiona ...

and later followed General Wallace to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing also as deputy commander. He retired from active duty in December 1951 and advanced to the rank of

on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat. Sanderson died on June 11, 1973, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, and is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, together with his wife Louise N. Sanderson.HistoryLink
/ref> They had together a son, Lawson E. and a daughter Doris N. In August 1966,

Sanderson Field Sanderson Field is a public lighted-land airport located in Shelton, a city in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is located just outside the City of Shelton corporate limits, and is owned and operated by the Port of Shelton. It is bor ...

was named in his honor.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Lawson H. M. Sanderson:

Legion of Merit citation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Lawson H. M. 1895 births 1973 deaths University of Washington alumni University of Montana alumni Air Corps Tactical School alumni Aerial warfare pioneers United States Naval Aviators United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marine Corps World War II generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American aviation record holders People from Shelton, Washington