World War II Honoree

Cecil Edward Combs

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Dallas, Texas

Honored By

Wayne Wall

Relationship

Friend

MEMBER OF THE 19TH BOMB GROUP EQUIPPED WITH B-17 AIRCRAFT. COMMANDED THE 93RD BOMB SQUADRON AT CLARK FIELD IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ON DECEMBER 8, 1941. COMMANDED THE FIRST HEAVY BOMBER RAID BY U.S. FORCES FROM THERE DECEMBER, 1941. WITHDRAWN TO AUSTRALIA AND LATER MOVED TO JAVA, DUTCH EAST INDIES IN EARLY 1942. BECAME DEPUTY COMMANDER OF THE INDIA AIR TASK FORCE AND THEN COMMANDER IN JUNE, 1943. RECALLED TO U.S. IN LATE 1943. SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE AIR FORCE BOARD UNTIL APRIL 1944, WHEN HE WAS DESIGNATED DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OPERATIONS OF THE 20TH AIR FORCE, UNDER GENERAL HAP ARNOLD. PLANNED AND SUPERVISED THE OPERATIONS OF THE B-29 AIRCRAFT AGAINST JAPAN. REJOINED THE FORCES IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS IN AUGUST, 1945 IN TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE THE LAST MISSIONS OF THE WAR. PARTICIPATED IN THE FLY-OVER OF TOKYO WHILE THE TERMS OF THE SURRENDER WERE BEING SIGNED IN TOKYO BAY. WENT ON TO MAJOR GENERAL RANK.