Henry H. Arnold

Lore & Background

Arnold was instructed in flying by the Wright Brothers and became one of the first military pilots worldwide, as well as one of the first three rated pilots in U.S. Air Force history. He overcame a fear of flying resulting from his early flight experiences, supervised the expansion of the Air Service during World War I, and became a protégé of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. He rose to command the Army Air Forces immediately prior to American entry into World War II and directed its hundred-fold expansion from about 20,000 men and 800 first-line combat aircraft into the largest and most powerful air force in the world.

Arnold's most widely used nickname, 'Hap', was short for 'Happy', attributed variously to work associates when he moonlighted as a silent film stunt pilot in October 1911, or to his wife, who began using the nickname in her correspondence in 1931 following the death of Arnold's mother. His family called him Harley during his youth, and his mother and wife called him 'Sunny'. His West Point classmates called him 'Pewt' or 'Benny', and his immediate subordinates and headquarters staff referred to him as 'The Chief'.

Arnold entered the United States Military Academy at West Point at age 17, where he helped found the 'Black Hand' prankster group. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry in 1907. After disliking infantry duties, he volunteered for flight instruction at the Wright brothers' aviation school in 1911. He set altitude records, became the first U.S. pilot to carry mail, and was the first pilot to fly over the U.S. Capitol and to carry a U.S. Congressman as a passenger.

Reader's Guide

Henry H. Arnold's significance lies in his role as the commanding general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, overseeing its transformation from a small organization into the world's largest and most powerful air force. An advocate of technological research and development, his tenure saw the development of the intercontinental bomber, the jet fighter, extensive use of radar, global airlift, and atomic warfare as mainstays of modern air power. He was the only officer to hold five-star rank in two different U.S. military services and the only U.S. Air Force general to hold five-star rank. Arnold also founded Project RAND, which became the RAND Corporation, a major non-profit global policy think tank, and was one of the founders of Pan American World Airways. His legacy includes shaping the structure and strategy of American air power and fostering long-term defense research.

Did You Know?

• Arnold was instructed in flying by the Wright Brothers and was one of the first three rated pilots in U.S. Air Force history.
• He set an altitude record of 3,260 feet on 7 July 1911 and later broke it three times, reaching 6,540 feet on 1 June 1912.
• Arnold was the first U.S. pilot to carry mail, flying a bundle of letters five miles on Long Island in September 1911.
• He was the founder of Project RAND, which evolved into the RAND Corporation.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"A modern, autonomous, and thoroughly trained Air Force in being at all times will not alone be sufficient, but without it there can be no national security." — Henry H. Arnold "The technical genius which could find answers was not cooped up in military or civilian bureaucracy, but was to be found in universities and in the people at large." — Henry H. Arnold "Strategic air attack is wasted if it is dissipated piecemeal in sporadic attacks between which enemy has an opportunity to readjust defenses or recuperate." — Henry H. Arnold "I saw this propellerless plane taxiing around the air field and making short flights. I knew then and there I must get the plans and specifications of that jet plane back to the United States." — Henry H. Arnold