The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-09-23

The First Air Force, of which
Selfridgee Field is a component,
has new commanding general.
He is Brig. Gen. Frank O'Dris-
coll Hunter, first us. air COM
mander TO put the hard-hitting
PAT Thunderbolt into action
against the enemy.
With headquarters at Mitchell
Field, N. -, General Hunter has
assumed First Air Force COM
mand as successor TO Maj. Gen.
Ralph Royce, new commander
of the u. S. Army Air Forces in
the Middle East Announcement
was made on Sept. 20 by the
First Air Force Public Relations
Office, 90 Church Street, New
York, N. Y.
SURVIVES CRASH
General Hunter, for more
than a year and up until two
weeks ago, was commanding
general of the Eighth Fighter
Command, first unit to be
equipped with PAP Thunder
bolts for combat. In this capac-
ity, he directed the first sweeps
of the Thunderbolts over Europe
when they were put TO the test
in fighter combat and as escorts
for bombers. During the two
weeks just prior to his return to
this country, General Hunter
served as deputy commander of
the Eighth Air Force under Mai.
Gen. Ira c. Eaker.
Particular interest developed
at Selfridge Field following an
nouncement of General Hunter S
new assignment. The 332nd
Fighter Group, an all-negro unit
in training at Selfridge Field, is
assigned 10 the First Fighter
Command of the First Air Force,
now under General Hunter.
WORLD WAR ACE
An lace" from World War /,
General Hunters battle flying
experience has been drawn upon
heavily in this war both at home
and abroad. Forty-nine years old
and a bachelor, General Hunter
has been a fighter pilot all Of
his Army life and in taking up
his new assignment will be dl-
recting the same type OF aircraft
he had in his command in Eng
land. The First Air Force IS
equipped with Thunderbolts and
has the job OF training fighter
pilots for combat while main
tanning the air defense of the
eastern seaboard.
While heading the Eighth
Fighter Command, G en- er |
Hunter had the additional. task
of organizing. training and NOV
ing 10 Africa the aircraft units
that helped give the Allies aerial
superiority in the TuniSian and
Sicilian campaigns. This was a
job that began more than year
ago when General Hunter led
the first formation of L. S.
Bombers and fighters making
England on their own wings
over the northern route. The job
was not completed. until Janu-
airy of this year when he fol-
lowed the last of the pursuit
groups into the Mediterranean
zone on a short trip to see how
they were doing. For the manner
in which General Hunter accom-
plished this mission he recently
was awarded the Legion of
Merit TO add to long list Of
decorations already his.
LEGENDARY FIGURE
He is known for. among other
things, a legend Of good luck.
Reason can be found in the fact
that he's one of few men to sus-
tain a broken back twice and
bail out of crippled planes three
times, and still be alive.
Throughout a quarter of a
century of Army flying, General
Hunter has concentrated on pur-
suit plotting. A pursuit pilot in
the last war, in which his auda-
cious flying won him a half dozen
citations and gave him an Off
cial score of eight enemy air
craft, he was put to important
use even before this country en-
tered World War IL. In May,
1910, he was assigned to the Of
five of Military Attache in Paris.
as assistant attache. He re-
NAMED there until, as the Ger
mans advanced into France, the
American Embassy was moved
out OF Paris and set up tempo
rarily in Tours.
With the collapse Of the
French forces, General Hunter
again transferred his location,
going to Bordeaux, where he
caught one of the last boats
leaving for England. He re-
mainded in England until No
vember of 1910, witnessing the
crucial Battle of Britain between
the badly outnumbered Raj.
and the Luftwaffe. The knowl-
edge he gained there, combined
with his long experience in pur-
suit flying, were put into COM