William H. Tunner

Lt. General William H. Tunner, Jr. (July 14 1906 - April 6 1983) was a American General in the United States Army Air Corps(USAAF) and later, the United States Air Force(USAF). General Tunner was known for his proficiency in the command of large-scale military airlift operations in Air Transport Command (ATC) during World War II and later in Military Air Transport Service (MATS) during the Berlin Airlift in 1949-1951.

Military Career

Just prior to World War II, Colonel Tunner participated in the creation of the Air Transport Command (ATC), designed to support U.S. and Allied operations by delivering supplies, personnel, and equipment using multi-engine transport aircraft to military bases around the world.

Tunner was responsible for organizing a USAAF operation to induct civilian female pilots into the (See Main article: Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS)) shuttling planes from factory to Army Air Corps fields and eventually war theaters freeing up thousands of male pilots for combat service under the aegis of the Air Transport Command's Ferry Command.

After the Burma Road was cut by the advancing Japanese in early 1942, Colonel Tunner, as the chief of the Ferrying Division of ATC, was tasked with organizing the Allied logistical airlift from India in to China over the Hump to support Chiang Kai-Shek's Chinese forces and the Flying Tigers.

Once again assuming command of Air Transport Command operations in the India-China division of ATC in August 1944, General Tunner was responsible for increasing cargo tonnage levels flown from India to China in the Hump airlift operation. General Tunner incorporated newly-arrived Douglas C-54 Skymaster cargo planes in a re-routed flight plan over the Hump to China to increase efficiency. [Glines, C.V., "Flying the Hump", Air Force Association Magazine (March 1991) Vol. 74 http://www.afa.org/magazine/1991/0391hump.asp] Aware that the new route would bring the airlift's planes closer to Japanese Army air force bases, he utilized fighter squadrons from Eastern Air Command to escort the transport planes and drive the Japanese from the air. [Glines, C.V., "Flying the Hump", Air Force Association Magazine (March 1991) Vol. 74 http://www.afa.org/magazine/1991/0391hump.asp]

Tunner later served in the Korean War. As a general in the new United States Air Force (USAF), he was head of Military Air Transport Service in the early days of the Korean war conflict. His transport supply operations proved instrumental in first reinforcing the Pusan perimeter, and later in operations following the Inchon landings. In the rough Korean terrain, Tunner incorporated the use of transport planes dropping heavy loads with parachutes, using techniques he pioneered in the India-China theater during World War II.

Miscellany

* In the film "Nur der Himmel war frei" (2005) were he was erroneously referred to as Philip Turner, he was portrayed by Heino Ferch.

ee also

* General Albert Wedemeyer

Notes