Evening star., 1938-09-22
WESTOVERSHARED
PER|LS BY CHOICE
Army Air Chief Mourned as
Personal Leader-Rose.
From the Ranks.

Corps today are mourning the loss OF
their chief, Maj Gen. Oscar Westover
who IN "a years Of brilliant service
Corps through the greatest peacetime
program of expansion and develop
ment in its history.
Gen. Westovers death at the con-
trolls Of his own airplane fast, tricky
two-seater. was a final demonstration
Of one Of the qualities which endeared
him to the personnel Of his corps
81, that Of personal leadership,
: Although he might have employed
:. far more comfortable cabin type
= command airplane, with pilots to
!, shoulder the burden of his long, tiring
= air travels between the far-fung posts
= of his commando common practice
among ranking air commanders of this
and other leading nations-Gen. West
over always elected to fly himself in
standard type service airplane.
3 Habitually he flew accompanied, II at
: all, only by the crew chief of his air
plane, Technical Sergt. Samuel Hymes,
who has served In that capacity since
Gen. Westover became chief Of the Air
Corps on Christmas day, 1885, and
who died with him yesterday.
Shouldered Their Hazards.
Gen. Westover has enjoyed the repu-
tation among his fellow officers of
never having expected an Air Corps
pilot to fly in weather or under cir
cumstances he was unwilling to face
himself.
Only few weeks after he assumed
the post of chief Of the Air Corps,
fellow officers recalled here today,
Gen. Westover, in his capacity as
director of aircraft production charged
with liquidation of the United States
Spruce Corp, one OF the World War
airplane industries, was called to the
Pacific Coast on urgent official busi-
" ness.
In the midst of one of the severest
winters of recent years, in an open
cockpit observation airplane. accom-
panied by Sergt. Hynes, Gen. West
over set out on a rigid schedule which
made no allowances for weather or
snow. He battled billiards., fog and
below-Zero weather which grounded
most other pilots, and finished his
s,000-mlle trip. which he stretched
into an inspection trip to Air Corps
posts, with landing in deep snow
at Boiling Field. He returned home
exactly on schedule, having made
each days schedule as pre-arranged
with only one late arrival during
the whole trip. 1t was typical Of
his service as chief of the Air Corps
Enlisted in 1901.
Gen. Westover was born at West
Bay, Mich, July %, 1888. After
graduating from high school, he enter
ed the Army as an enlisted man on
September 4, 1901. and served with
Company X, Sd Battalion Of Engi-
neers, until June Is, 1902, when he
entered West Point as cadet He
was graduated on June II, 1906, as
a second lieutenant of infantry and
assigned to the 14th Infantry.
During the following 10 years, while
rising to the rank of captain, he
served tours Of duty in the Philippines
Military Academy. first as an instruc-
tor and later as professor. He also
won the Distinguished Marksman's s
Medal and membership on the in
fantry rife team at the National
Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio,
in 1911.
Promoted to temporary major in
the Signal Corps on October 20, 1917,
he was assigned to duty in charge of
the signal office at the port Of
emharkation, Hoboken, N. J. In June,
1918, he was assigned to the Bureau
Of Aircraft Production in charge Of
storage and traffic-the beginning Of
his air career. He received his pro-
motion to lieutenant colonel, Air Serv-
Ice. August IA, 1918, and in November
was appointed assistant executive in
the Bureau Of Aircraft Production
here. He held this post until July,
1919, when he was appointed execu-
tive in the Office of the chief OF Air
+, Service.
In recognition Of his outstanding
service during the World War. Gen.
Westover was awarded the Distin-
EuHhed Service Medal and his promo
ton to the grade of colonel (emer-
gency) on May "a, 1919.
Took Up Aviation in 1920.
Gen. Westover began his career as
an aviator in October, 1920. when he
went into training at Omaha, Nebr,
and Ross Field, Calf, as a balloon
pilot. He also won the rating of
balloon observer, second Of the four
possible Army flight ratings, all of
= which he finally won.
With his two ratings in the lighter
than-air branch, Gen. Westover was
recalled to Washington as chief of the
Balloon and Airship Division in the
/. ONCE Of the chief of Air Service While
9 holding this position he participated
az aide to Col. Frank Lahm in the
, National Balloon Race at Birmingham,
Ala. He attended the Airship School
: at Langley Field, Va, from which he
was graduated in 1922 as airship pilot.
4 Gen. Westover then won the Ma
/. tional Elimination Free Balloon Race
at Milwaukee, Wis, with flight to
O lllc VNlllluy VI LAKE 81. JOIlll, ${ucDtC
! province, Canada, in 1872 hours His
distance Of 866 miles was almost twice
, that of his nearest competitor. He
! later represented the United States
= in the International Gordon Bennett
s Balloon Race at Geneva in August,
+. 1922. The flight resulted in his de-
q tention in Hungary, where he was
{ forcibly hauled down by peasants who
seized the drag rope while he was
. drifting low to obtain favorable winds.
, He was arrested for investigation on
, charge of having violated Admiral
. Horthys edict prohibiting the flight
Of foreign aircraft over Hungary.
In February, 1921, Gen. Westover
was appointed director of aircraft pro-
duction charged with liquidation Of
the wartime spruce corporation. a
position which he had held continu-
0llslv eycept for the reriod fr0s1, I,1v