MAJOR GENERAL ALDEN RUDYARD CRAWFORD

Alden Rudyard Crawford was born at Mount Sterling, Ill., in 1900. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Air Service June 12, 1923.

In the fall of that year he entered the Air Service Primary Flying School at Brooks Field, Texas, and transferred to the Air Service Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas, in March 1924. The following September he graduated from the observation course at the school and was rated a pilot. He then served alternately at Brooks and Kelly fields as a flying instructor until June 1926.

The following month he joined the Third Pursuit Squadron at Clark Field, Philippine Islands, where he served successively as education and recreation officer and personnel adjutant.

He returned to the United States in June 1928, for assignment as assistant post and personnel adjutant at Selfridge Field, Mich. In October 1929, he became adjutant and assistant operations officer for the First Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field and the following July entered the Air Corps Engineering School at Wright Field, Ohio.

After graduating in June 1931, he was designated pursuit project officer of the Aircraft Branch, Engineering Section, Air Corps Materiel Division, at Wright Field. In July 1933, he was appointed chief of the Engineering Section, in which capacity he served until August 1935, when he entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Ala. Upon his graduation in June 1936, he entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., from which he graduated a year later.

In August 1937, he returned to the Philippines where he served successively in the Office of the Military Adviser to the Philippine commonwealth, with specific assignment to the Bureau of Aeronautics, and as operations and commanding officer of the Third Pursuit Squadron at Nichols Field.

Returning to the United States in October 1939, he was assigned as assistant technical executive of the Air Corps Materiel Division at Wright Field. In July 1941, he was appointed technical executive of the division, and in September 1942, became chief of staff of the Army Air Forces Materiel Center (subsequently redesignated Army Air Forces Materiel Command) at Wright Field.

He went overseas in July 1944, for duty as deputy commander of the Army Air Forces Service Command in the Mediterranean Theater and later became chief of the Air Supply division in that theater.

In August 1945, he returned to Washington, D.C., where he became chief of the Research and Engineering Division in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Materiel at Air Force headquarters. In August 1947, he was appointed chief of the Engineering Division at Air Materiel Command headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

He became commanding general of the 12th Air Force at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, in September 1949.

The following June he was appointed deputy for materiel of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, with headquarters at Wiesbaden, Germany. He was named director of materiel of the newly established European Command in August 1952, with station at Wiesbaden.

Rated a command pilot, combat observer and aircraft observer, General Crawford has been awarded the Legion of Merit.

(Up to date as of Aug. 8, 1952)