George William Goddard
Encyclopedia
George William Goddard was a United States Air Force
Brigadier General
, and a pioneer in aerial photography
.
in June 1904 to live with his aunt and uncle. He was naturalized April 27, 1918.
Goddard graduated from Washing Irving Preparatory School in New York in 1910, attending Keuka Institute, now Keuka College
in Keuka Park, New York for two years. While at Keuka College, he witnessed early flights by Glenn Curtiss
.
Goddard then studied commercial art in Rochester for a year. He was a free-lance cartoonist in Rochester until January 1916, when he became a staff artist for the Coke and Iron Monthly in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, he saw an exhibition by aviatrix Ruth Law
, which inspired him to learn to fly.
. Upon completion of the three-month course, he became an instructor in aerial photographic interpretation.
Goddard was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Aviation Section Reserve on Aug. 8, 1918, and assigned to Taliaferro Field, Fort Worth, Texas
, to organize and take to France
the 43rd, 44th and 45th Aerial Photographic sections.
armistice was declared, Goddard was transferred to Carlstrom Field
, Fla., where he graduated from flying school and was rated a pilot in May 1919. He then was assigned to McCook Field
, Ohio
, as officer in charge of aerial photographic research. In that capacity, he started developments in the infra-red and long-range photography, special aerial cameras, photographic aircraft and portable field laboratory equipment and formed the nucleus of the Photographic Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
On July 1, 1920, Goddard received his regular commission as a second lieutenant
in the Air Service, and was promoted immediately to first lieutenant
the same date. He then was appointed officer in charge of aerial photography in the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps, Washington, D.C. While on that assignment, he received a presidential appointment as Air Corps representative on the Federal Board of Surveys and Maps. He organized the first Army aerial photographic mapping units that pioneered in mapping Muscle Shoals
, Tennessee River
Basin, Teapot Dome, Mississippi River
and many other areas.
As chief photographic officer, Goddard created the first aerial mapping units, directed photo coverage of General Billy Mitchell's 1921 warship bombings, and made mosaic maps of many cities and land area.
Returning to McCook Field, Goddard pioneered the development of nighttime reconnaissance photography in 1925. One night in 1925, he stunned Rochester, N.Y., by igniting an 80-pound flash powder bomb to light up the whole city. The result was the first aerial night photograph.
On a trip to the Philippines, Goddard mapped unexplored areas, and subsequently became Director of the photographic school at Chanute Field, Illinois.
Goddard personally developed and held the patents on the Air Force's system for taking night pictures. Developed in 1926, the system, with improvements, was still in use through the 1950s.
In 1934 Goddard directed aerial mapping in Alaska. As chief photographic officer at Wright Field, Ohio, he pioneered in stereoscopic, high altitude, and color photography and developed the film strip camera.
Goddard directed the design of reconnaissance aircraft and equipment.
in 1946 in connection with the atomic bomb test. He retired June 30, 1949, but was recalled to active duty the following day by General Hoyt Vandenberg
, Air Force Chief of Staff, retaining his position as chief of the Photographic Laboratory.
In July 1950, Goddard was awarded the Thurman H. Bane Award for his development in low-altitude high-speed night photography.
During the early part of the Korean War
in 1950, Goddard went to Korea
to introduce this new system of night photography and the latest type strip camera, which has been highly successful in the low-altitude jet aircraft operations under adverse weather conditions.
In August 1951, he was awarded the honorary degree of master of photography by the Photographers Association of America, and also received the Progress Medal for 1951 at the annual convention of the Photographic Society of America, held in Detroit, Michigan
.
In May 1952, Goddard was transferred to headquarters of NATO's Allied Air Forces in Central Europe at Fontainebleau, France, for duty as director of reconnaissance, Operations Division. While there, he worked with Central European countries to develop unified standards in aerial photographic methods.
In July 1953, Goddard was assigned to Headquarters Air Material Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Goddard was presented the George W. Harris
award by the Photographers' Association of America at its 61st annual national convention in Chicago. Goddard received the award, the highest single honor the profession of photographers can bestow, for his contributions to the art of aeria1 photography in supervising development of aerial cameras, equipment and techniques.
"Aerial photography has come a long way even since World War II, General Goddard said. "Present advances in cameras, equipment and particularly in night photography, have great1y restricted maneuvers of the enemy in Korea."
"Fast jets, traveling at 600 miles an hour and at either 3,000 or 40,000 feet, are able to take continuous film strips of miles of territory that are as clear as day-time pictures. They are so clear that on pictures taken from 40,000 feet, you can count the ties in a railroad track, or the rivets on the wings of an airplane.
"Efforts to camouflage installations also are detected by new electronic aerial photo equipment," the genera1 added.
General Goddard declared that advances in aerial photography have been greatly speeded by Congress' recognition of its value and its willingness to provide funds. Helpful, also, the general said, are the research experiments of three leading American universities. He referred to Boston University
, Ohio State, and Wesleyan University
as contributing significant advances.
, Goddard served as an Air Force consultant on detecting the Soviet missile sites in Cuba
by using his film strip camera.
in 1976.
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, and a pioneer in aerial photography
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
.
Early life
George William Goddard was born in London, England, in 1889. He came to Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in June 1904 to live with his aunt and uncle. He was naturalized April 27, 1918.
Goddard graduated from Washing Irving Preparatory School in New York in 1910, attending Keuka Institute, now Keuka College
Keuka College
Founded in 1890 and located on the shores of Keuka Lake in New York State’s Finger Lakes region, Keuka College is an independent, four-year, residential, coeducational college that places emphasis on career and pre-professional education....
in Keuka Park, New York for two years. While at Keuka College, he witnessed early flights by Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss was an American aviation pioneer and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle then motorcycle builder and racer, later also manufacturing engines for airships as early as 1906...
.
Goddard then studied commercial art in Rochester for a year. He was a free-lance cartoonist in Rochester until January 1916, when he became a staff artist for the Coke and Iron Monthly in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago, he saw an exhibition by aviatrix Ruth Law
Ruth Law
Ruth Bancroft Law was a pioneer American aviatrix during the 1910s.Law received her pilot's license in November 1912. In 1915 she gave a demonstration of aerobatics at Daytona Beach, Florida, before a large crowd...
, which inspired him to learn to fly.
World War I
On Dec. 14, 1917, Goddard enlisted in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and entered the aerial photography course at the School of Military Aeronautics at Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. Upon completion of the three-month course, he became an instructor in aerial photographic interpretation.
Goddard was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Aviation Section Reserve on Aug. 8, 1918, and assigned to Taliaferro Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, to organize and take to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
the 43rd, 44th and 45th Aerial Photographic sections.
Between the Wars
When the World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
armistice was declared, Goddard was transferred to Carlstrom Field
Carlstrom Field
Carlstrom Field was named for Lt. Victor Carlstrom, who was killed in an aircraft accident in Newport News, Virginia. At the outbreak of World War I, he was one of the foremost aviators of his time. He made many first flights and set many altitude and distance records...
, Fla., where he graduated from flying school and was rated a pilot in May 1919. He then was assigned to McCook Field
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917-1927...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, as officer in charge of aerial photographic research. In that capacity, he started developments in the infra-red and long-range photography, special aerial cameras, photographic aircraft and portable field laboratory equipment and formed the nucleus of the Photographic Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
On July 1, 1920, Goddard received his regular commission as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Air Service, and was promoted immediately to first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
the same date. He then was appointed officer in charge of aerial photography in the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps, Washington, D.C. While on that assignment, he received a presidential appointment as Air Corps representative on the Federal Board of Surveys and Maps. He organized the first Army aerial photographic mapping units that pioneered in mapping Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
, Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
Basin, Teapot Dome, Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and many other areas.
As chief photographic officer, Goddard created the first aerial mapping units, directed photo coverage of General Billy Mitchell's 1921 warship bombings, and made mosaic maps of many cities and land area.
Returning to McCook Field, Goddard pioneered the development of nighttime reconnaissance photography in 1925. One night in 1925, he stunned Rochester, N.Y., by igniting an 80-pound flash powder bomb to light up the whole city. The result was the first aerial night photograph.
On a trip to the Philippines, Goddard mapped unexplored areas, and subsequently became Director of the photographic school at Chanute Field, Illinois.
Goddard personally developed and held the patents on the Air Force's system for taking night pictures. Developed in 1926, the system, with improvements, was still in use through the 1950s.
In 1934 Goddard directed aerial mapping in Alaska. As chief photographic officer at Wright Field, Ohio, he pioneered in stereoscopic, high altitude, and color photography and developed the film strip camera.
World War II
During World War II, Goddard promoted aerial reconnaissance, aided the Navy in use of the strip camera and color photography, and introduced the moving film magazine.Goddard directed the design of reconnaissance aircraft and equipment.
Cold War
In August 1945, Goddard was appointed chief of the Photographic Laboratory at Wright Field. Goddard was sent to Bikini AtollBikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
in 1946 in connection with the atomic bomb test. He retired June 30, 1949, but was recalled to active duty the following day by General Hoyt Vandenberg
Hoyt Vandenberg
Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg was a U.S. Air Force general, its second Chief of Staff, and second Director of Central Intelligence....
, Air Force Chief of Staff, retaining his position as chief of the Photographic Laboratory.
In July 1950, Goddard was awarded the Thurman H. Bane Award for his development in low-altitude high-speed night photography.
During the early part of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1950, Goddard went to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
to introduce this new system of night photography and the latest type strip camera, which has been highly successful in the low-altitude jet aircraft operations under adverse weather conditions.
In August 1951, he was awarded the honorary degree of master of photography by the Photographers Association of America, and also received the Progress Medal for 1951 at the annual convention of the Photographic Society of America, held in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
In May 1952, Goddard was transferred to headquarters of NATO's Allied Air Forces in Central Europe at Fontainebleau, France, for duty as director of reconnaissance, Operations Division. While there, he worked with Central European countries to develop unified standards in aerial photographic methods.
In July 1953, Goddard was assigned to Headquarters Air Material Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Goddard was presented the George W. Harris
George W. Harris
George W. Harris was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House....
award by the Photographers' Association of America at its 61st annual national convention in Chicago. Goddard received the award, the highest single honor the profession of photographers can bestow, for his contributions to the art of aeria1 photography in supervising development of aerial cameras, equipment and techniques.
"Aerial photography has come a long way even since World War II, General Goddard said. "Present advances in cameras, equipment and particularly in night photography, have great1y restricted maneuvers of the enemy in Korea."
"Fast jets, traveling at 600 miles an hour and at either 3,000 or 40,000 feet, are able to take continuous film strips of miles of territory that are as clear as day-time pictures. They are so clear that on pictures taken from 40,000 feet, you can count the ties in a railroad track, or the rivets on the wings of an airplane.
"Efforts to camouflage installations also are detected by new electronic aerial photo equipment," the genera1 added.
General Goddard declared that advances in aerial photography have been greatly speeded by Congress' recognition of its value and its willingness to provide funds. Helpful, also, the general said, are the research experiments of three leading American universities. He referred to Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, Ohio State, and Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
as contributing significant advances.
Retirement and Cuban Missile Crisis
Goddard retired as a Brigadier General in 1953. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile CrisisCuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, Goddard served as an Air Force consultant on detecting the Soviet missile sites in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
by using his film strip camera.
National Aviation Hall of Fame
Goddard was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of FameNational Aviation Hall of Fame
The American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
in 1976.
Death
Goddard died on September 20, 1987 at the age of 98. He was buried with full military honors in Section 59, Arlington National CemeteryArlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.