Gordon P. Saville
Encyclopedia
Gordon Philip Saville was a United States Air Force
(USAF) major general who was an outspoken proponent of tactical aviation amidst a brotherhood of airmen who promoted strategic bombing
. With Benjamin S. Kelsey
, Saville co-wrote the technical specifications which led to the P-38 Lightning
and the P-39 Airacobra fighter aircraft
. Saville was a technical- and scientific-minded leader who helped pioneer advanced mathematics for operations research
, and computer systems for centralized coordination of air defense.
, on September 14, 1902. He attended the University of Washington
, Antioch College
, and then the University of California
and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve
on November 5, 1923, in the infantry, seeing active duty in August 1924 and August 1925.
Saville became a flying cadet with the United States Army Air Corps
(USAAC) in March 1926 and entered the primary flying school at Brooks Field, Texas. In September of that year he was transferred to the advanced flying school at Kelly Field, Texas, from which he graduated on February 28, 1927, gaining a commission as second lieutenant in the Air Reserve. He was assigned to the Fifth Observation Squadron at Mitchel Field, New York and in June 1927 he was appointed a second lieutenant in the Air Corps of the Regular Army.
Saville became adjutant of Crissy Field
in San Francisco, in December 1928, and two years later transferred to Mather Field, California, where he was appointed adjutant of the field, and the 20th Pursuit Group. In 1932 he went to Barksdale Field
, Louisiana, with the 20th Pursuit Group.
at Maxwell Field
, Alabama, in August 1933 and after graduating in May 1934 remained at the school as an instructor in the Maps and Photographs Section. In July 1935 at the temporary rank of captain he was named recorder of the Air Corps Board at Maxwell Field, in addition to his duties as fighter aviation instructor.
In February 1937, Saville paired with Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey
, Project Officer for Fighters at the USAAC, to find a way to get around the USAAC's 500-pound (225 kg) limit on the weight of fighter aircraft
armament. Together, they settled on the term "interceptor", creating a new name for fighters, not a new mission. They issued a specification for two new heavily armed fighters via Circular Proposal X-608 and Circular Proposal X-609. These were requests for fighters having "the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude". Specifications called for at least 1000 pound of heavy armament including a cannon, one or two liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 engines each with a General Electric
turbo-supercharger
, tricycle landing gear, a level airspeed of at least 360 miles per hour (160.9 m/s) at altitude, and a climb to 20000 foot within 6 minutes—the toughest set of specifications USAAC had presented to that date. From these specifications a competition was held, and eventually the single-engine fighter became the Bell Aircraft
P-39 Airacobra, and the twin-engine fighter became the Lockheed
P-38 Lightning
. Saville's rank of captain became permanent in June 1937.
Saville entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in September 1938 and graduated the following June. He then was assigned to Washington, D.C., as assistant to the chief of the Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps. He became assistant intelligence and operations officer of the Air Defense Command at Mitchel Field, N.Y., in March 1940.
In October 1940, Saville went to London
for temporary duty as a military air observer, and returned to Mitchel Field after two months to become executive officer at the temporary rank of major of the First Interceptor Command. He was promoted to the permanent rank of major in February, 1941. In August 1941 he returned to London and served there until December 1941.
, Saville was assigned to United States Army Air Forces
(USAAF) headquarters in Washington as director of air defense. He was made lieutenant colonel on January 5, 1942. In tackling the problem of air defense of the Panama Canal Zone
, he brought together civilian mathematicians and military defense experts to organize the first operations research
group in the Air Corps, following two such groups formed by the Navy
. Saville was promoted to brigadier general on November 2. In March 1943 he became director of tactical development at the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at Orlando, Florida, where he reorganized the Army Air Forces Board by July 2, 1943. Saville's structure put tactical and strategic development on equal footing, and tied together the efforts of the Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Commitments, and Requirements (OC&R), the Proving Ground Command and the School of Applied Tactics.
Later that month he was ordered to the North African theater where he became chief of staff of the Mediterranean Air Command. Under Carl Andrew Spaatz, Saville argued against the plans for Operation Tidal Wave in August, the air attack on oil refineries in Ploieşti
. After the operation resulted in heavy American casualties with little effect on oil production, Saville described it as a "goddamned thing... ridiculous and suicidal." In October 1943 he was appointed commander of the XII Fighter Command and in January 1944 was named deputy commander of the XII Air Support Command in the Mediterranean. There, Saville achieved close coordination between air power and the infantry. Saville was promoted to major general on June 30, 1944. He assumed command of the First Tactical Air Force in January 1945.
The following month Saville returned to the United States for temporary assignment to Army Air Forces headquarters, and in March 1945 became commander of the III Tactical Air Command
at Barksdale Field. Two months later he was appointed deputy commander of Air Transport Command
at Washington.
Saville returned to the United States in July 1948 for assignment to Air Defense Command (ADC) headquarters at Mitchel Air Force Base, N.Y., and the following November was named commanding general of ADC where he worked to combine it with Tactical Air Command
to form the backbone of the Continental Air Command
organization.
Saville was appointed head of the newly established Directorate of Requirements in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters in September 1949. The following January he became deputy chief of staff for development, a new staff section at U.S. Air Force headquarters.
Saville and Muir S. Fairchild
went to Congress
in 1950 and obtained $114 million for the development of an electronic computer-based air defense system, a project headed by George E. Valley who was a physicist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. The computer, named Whirlwind
, helped the USAF develop the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
(SAGE) air defense system.
Saville retired from the USAF in July 1951.
Saville's ashes are interred at Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34240974.
with oak leaf cluster
, the Legion of Merit
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
, the Bronze Star Medal
and the Air Medal
.
Saville was rated a Command Pilot, Combat Observer, Aircraft Observer and Technical Observer.
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...
(USAF) major general who was an outspoken proponent of tactical aviation amidst a brotherhood of airmen who promoted strategic bombing
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
. With Benjamin S. Kelsey
Benjamin S. Kelsey
Benjamin Scovill "Ben" Kelsey was an American aeronautical engineer and test pilot who brought success in World War II to the United States Army Air Forces by initiating the manufacture of innovative fighter aircraft designs, and by working to quickly increase American fighter production to meet...
, Saville co-wrote the technical specifications which led to the P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
and the P-39 Airacobra fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
. Saville was a technical- and scientific-minded leader who helped pioneer advanced mathematics for operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
, and computer systems for centralized coordination of air defense.
Early career
Gordon Philip Savllle was born at Macon, GeorgiaMacon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, on September 14, 1902. He attended the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
, and then the University of California
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
on November 5, 1923, in the infantry, seeing active duty in August 1924 and August 1925.
Saville became a flying cadet with the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
(USAAC) in March 1926 and entered the primary flying school at Brooks Field, Texas. In September of that year he was transferred to the advanced flying school at Kelly Field, Texas, from which he graduated on February 28, 1927, gaining a commission as second lieutenant in the Air Reserve. He was assigned to the Fifth Observation Squadron at Mitchel Field, New York and in June 1927 he was appointed a second lieutenant in the Air Corps of the Regular Army.
Saville became adjutant of Crissy Field
Crissy Field
Crissy Field is a former airfield, now a part of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, California, United States. Historically a part of the Presidio of San Francisco, Crissy Field was closed as an airfield and eventually the National Park Service took control over it...
in San Francisco, in December 1928, and two years later transferred to Mather Field, California, where he was appointed adjutant of the field, and the 20th Pursuit Group. In 1932 he went to Barksdale Field
Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-southeast of Bossier City, Louisiana.The host unit at Barksdale is the 2d Bomb Wing , the oldest Bomb Wing in the Air Force. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force...
, Louisiana, with the 20th Pursuit Group.
Tactics and theory
Saville entered the Air Corps Tactical SchoolAir Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. Created in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia, it...
at Maxwell Field
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, Alabama, in August 1933 and after graduating in May 1934 remained at the school as an instructor in the Maps and Photographs Section. In July 1935 at the temporary rank of captain he was named recorder of the Air Corps Board at Maxwell Field, in addition to his duties as fighter aviation instructor.
In February 1937, Saville paired with Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey
Benjamin S. Kelsey
Benjamin Scovill "Ben" Kelsey was an American aeronautical engineer and test pilot who brought success in World War II to the United States Army Air Forces by initiating the manufacture of innovative fighter aircraft designs, and by working to quickly increase American fighter production to meet...
, Project Officer for Fighters at the USAAC, to find a way to get around the USAAC's 500-pound (225 kg) limit on the weight of fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
armament. Together, they settled on the term "interceptor", creating a new name for fighters, not a new mission. They issued a specification for two new heavily armed fighters via Circular Proposal X-608 and Circular Proposal X-609. These were requests for fighters having "the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude". Specifications called for at least 1000 pound of heavy armament including a cannon, one or two liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 engines each with a General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
turbo-supercharger
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
, tricycle landing gear, a level airspeed of at least 360 miles per hour (160.9 m/s) at altitude, and a climb to 20000 foot within 6 minutes—the toughest set of specifications USAAC had presented to that date. From these specifications a competition was held, and eventually the single-engine fighter became the Bell Aircraft
Bell Aircraft
The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many important civilian and military helicopters...
P-39 Airacobra, and the twin-engine fighter became the Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
. Saville's rank of captain became permanent in June 1937.
Saville entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in September 1938 and graduated the following June. He then was assigned to Washington, D.C., as assistant to the chief of the Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps. He became assistant intelligence and operations officer of the Air Defense Command at Mitchel Field, N.Y., in March 1940.
In October 1940, Saville went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for temporary duty as a military air observer, and returned to Mitchel Field after two months to become executive officer at the temporary rank of major of the First Interceptor Command. He was promoted to the permanent rank of major in February, 1941. In August 1941 he returned to London and served there until December 1941.
World War II
After the Attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Saville was assigned to United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
(USAAF) headquarters in Washington as director of air defense. He was made lieutenant colonel on January 5, 1942. In tackling the problem of air defense of the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, he brought together civilian mathematicians and military defense experts to organize the first operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
group in the Air Corps, following two such groups formed by the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Saville was promoted to brigadier general on November 2. In March 1943 he became director of tactical development at the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at Orlando, Florida, where he reorganized the Army Air Forces Board by July 2, 1943. Saville's structure put tactical and strategic development on equal footing, and tied together the efforts of the Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Commitments, and Requirements (OC&R), the Proving Ground Command and the School of Applied Tactics.
Later that month he was ordered to the North African theater where he became chief of staff of the Mediterranean Air Command. Under Carl Andrew Spaatz, Saville argued against the plans for Operation Tidal Wave in August, the air attack on oil refineries in Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
. After the operation resulted in heavy American casualties with little effect on oil production, Saville described it as a "goddamned thing... ridiculous and suicidal." In October 1943 he was appointed commander of the XII Fighter Command and in January 1944 was named deputy commander of the XII Air Support Command in the Mediterranean. There, Saville achieved close coordination between air power and the infantry. Saville was promoted to major general on June 30, 1944. He assumed command of the First Tactical Air Force in January 1945.
The following month Saville returned to the United States for temporary assignment to Army Air Forces headquarters, and in March 1945 became commander of the III Tactical Air Command
III Tactical Air Command
The III Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Barksdale Field, Louisiana...
at Barksdale Field. Two months later he was appointed deputy commander of Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
at Washington.
Postwar
In January 1947 he became chief of the Air Section of the Joint Brazil-United States Military Commission, with station at the American Embassy at Rio de Janeiro.Saville returned to the United States in July 1948 for assignment to Air Defense Command (ADC) headquarters at Mitchel Air Force Base, N.Y., and the following November was named commanding general of ADC where he worked to combine it with Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
to form the backbone of the Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
organization.
Saville was appointed head of the newly established Directorate of Requirements in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters in September 1949. The following January he became deputy chief of staff for development, a new staff section at U.S. Air Force headquarters.
Saville and Muir S. Fairchild
Muir S. Fairchild
General Muir Stephen Fairchild was former vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force. He was born September 2, 1894 at Bellingham, Washington, and died March 17, 1950 at Fort Myer, Virginia.-Early service:Muir S...
went to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1950 and obtained $114 million for the development of an electronic computer-based air defense system, a project headed by George E. Valley who was a physicist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. The computer, named Whirlwind
Whirlwind (computer)
The Whirlwind computer was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is the first computer that operated in real time, used video displays for output, and the first that was not simply an electronic replacement of older mechanical systems...
, helped the USAF develop the Semi Automatic Ground Environment
Semi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...
(SAGE) air defense system.
Saville retired from the USAF in July 1951.
Saville's ashes are interred at Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34240974.
Recognition
Saville was awarded the Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
with oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
, the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
, the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
, the Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
and the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
.
Saville was rated a Command Pilot, Combat Observer, Aircraft Observer and Technical Observer.