Lewis Hyde Brereton

Military
media-14345.jpeg UPL 14345 Maj Gen Lewis Brereton Commanding General 9th AF.

USAAF Photo.

Object Number - UPL 14345 - Maj Gen Lewis Brereton Commanding General 9th AF.

Lewis Hyde Brereton (June 21, 1890 – July 20, 1967) was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. A 1911 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he began his military career as a United States Army officer in the Coast Artillery Corps prior to World War I, then spent the remainder of his service as a career aviator. In WW II held command of 3rd AF, 1st Allied Airborne Army, 9th Af, 10th AF and Far East Air Force. Overall command of Operation Tidal Wave, the Ploesti mission to destroy the Romanian oilr refineries, was vested in Major General Lewis H. Brereton as commander of Ninth Air Force, headquartered in Cairo.

Connections

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Units served with

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Malicious
  • Unit: 376th Bomb Group 515th Bomb Squadron Halverson Detachment

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Pittsburgh, PA 21 June 1890 Son of William Denny and Helen [Hyde] Brereton.

Other

Earned Aviator Rating

Rockwell Field, San Diego, CA 27 March 1913 Brereton was the 10th Army aviator to be awarded his wings

Other

Appointed Commander of the 12th US Aero Squadron

Issoudun, France 1 March 1918 His unit had no aircraft on his arrival, and he could only procure a dozen obsolete Dorand AR.Is[11][nb 10] to fly until first-line Salmson 2 A2s became available. The 12th A.S. began combat operations from Ourches airdrome on May 3, patrolling the "Toul Sector" between Flirey and Apremont in support of the U.S. 26th Division[12] Brereton and his pilots moved overland to Vathiménil to receive their Salmsons in the first week of June and carried out extensive operations between Blâmont and Badonviller in the "Baccarat Sector" for three weeks supporting the U.S. 42nd Division.[13][14]

Other

Appointed Commander of the 10th Air Force

New Dehli, India 5 March 1942

Other

Appointed Commander of the reformed 9th Air Force

Sunninghill Park, UK 31 July 1943

Other

Appointed Commander of the 1st Air Force

Mitchell Army Airfield, New York 1 January 1946

Died

Washington, DC 20 July 1967

Buried

27 July 1967 Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA Plot Section 6, Grave 5717-G

Other

Graduated

Annapolis, Maryland United States Naval Academy

Other

Transferred Commission to US Army

Fort Monroe, Virginia Applied for a transfer to the US Army due to sea sickness.

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Ploesti - Anatomy of Disaster - HistoryNet Gen.Hoyt S. Vandenberg Black Sunday - Michael Hill

Date
Changes
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- AAM Photo added by Paul James

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources
Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
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Sources

Lewis Hyde Brereton: Gallery (15 items)