MAJOR GENERAL GORDON P. SAVILLE

Gordon Philip Savllle was born at Macon, Ga., in 1902. He attended the University of Washington, Antioch College, and then the University of California and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve Nov. 5, 1923.

He became a flying cadet 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 in February 1927. That same date he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Reserve and assigned to the Fifth Observation Squadron at Mitchel Field, N.Y. in June 1927 he was appointed a second lieutenant in the Air Corps of the Regular Army.

He became adjutant of Crissy Field, Calif., in December 1928, and two years later transferred to Mather Field, Calif., where he was appointed adjutant of the field, and the 20th Pursuit Group. In l932 he went to Barksdale Field, La., with the 20th Pursuit Group. He entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Fleld, Ala., in August 1933 and after graduating in May 1934 remained at the school as an instructor. In July l935 he was named recorder of the Air Corps Board at Maxwell Field, in addition to his duties as fighter aviation instructor.

He 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 l940.

In October of that year he went to London, England, for temporary duty as a military air observer, and returned to Mitchel Field the following December to become executive officer of the First Interceptor Command. In August 1941 he returned to London and served there until December 1941 when he was assigned to Army Air Forces headquarters Washington as director of air defense. In March 1943 he became director of tactical development at the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at Orlando, Fla.

The following July he was ordered to the North African theater where he became chief of staff of the Mediterranean Air Command. In October 1943 he was appointed commander of the 12th Fighter Command and in January 1944 was named deputy commander of the 12th Air Support Command in the Mediterranean. This unit was later redesignated the 12th Tactical Air Command. He assumed command of the First Tactical Air Force in January 1945.

The following month he returned to the United States for temporary assignment to Army Air Forces headquarters, and in March 1945 became commander of the Third Tactical Air Command at Barksdale Field. Two months later he was appointed deputy commander of Air Transport Command at Washington.

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.

He returned to the United States in July 1948 for assignment to Air Defense Command headquarters at Mitchel Air Force Base, N.Y., and the following November was named commanding general of ADC.

He 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.

General Saville has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal.

He is rated a command pilot, combat observer, aircraft observer and technical observer.

(Up to date as of February 1950)