BRIGADIER GENERAL RICHARD A. KNOBLOCH Brigadier General Richard A. Knobloch is deputy chief of staff, plans, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. General Knobloch was born in 1918, at West Allis, Wis. He graduated from Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest, Ill., and entered the University of Wisconsin in 1936. His college studies were interrupted in 1940 when he entered military service as an aviation cadet. He took his flight training at Randolph and Kelly fields, Texas, and received his pilot wings in July 1941. His first assignment was to the 37th Bombardment Squadron, Pendleton, Ore., as pilot and assistant operations officer. The squadron's mission was submarine patrol of the U.S. West Coast. During World War II, General Knobloch participated in a secret mission which culminated in the first bombing of Tokyo April 18, 1942. His bomber was crippled during the raid, forcing him to parachute into enemy-occupied China. He was able to escape and remained in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations until July 1943. In August 1943 General Knobloch was assigned to the Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin Field, Fla., where he held successive positions as assistant and later engineering officer with the 27th Sub-Depot; chief of the Aircraft Maintenance Branch; the Ground Test Section and the Equipment Section. From September 1946 through June 1947 he attended Kansas State College and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture. He was then assigned to Twelfth Air Force, March Field, Calif., as deputy assistant chief, materiel. The general was transferred to England in January 1949 with the Royal Air Force, as staff supply officer and later attended the RAF Flying College. On his return to the United States in December 1950, he was assigned to Ninth Air Force, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., as assistant and later deputy for materiel. In July 1953 he became vice commander of the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. General Knobloch was assigned to Washington, D.C., as a student in the Strategic Intelligence School and the Foreign Service Institute in May 1955. He was then assigned as air attache, Rome, Italy. He returned to Washington in August 1960 for a year's study at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort McNair. Following completion of his studies he served at Headquarters U.S. Air Force with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and then as chief, Officers Assignment Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel. General Knobloch served as deputy commander, U.S. Air Force Military Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He served as deputy chief of staff, Personnel, Headquarters Pacific Air Force from June 1965, until September 1967, when be became deputy chief of staff, Plans. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Chinese Service Medal and the Italian Government Decoration. He is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours. (Current as of March 1, 1968)