George William Goddard
George William Goddard | |
---|---|
Born | London, United Kingdom | June 15, 1889
Died | September 20, 1987 Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. | (aged 98)
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1917–1953 |
Rank | Brigadier general |
Commands held | Chief of the Photographic Laboratory |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II Korean War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) |
Other work | Air Force consultant |
George William Goddard (June 15, 1889[1] – September 20, 1987) was a United States Air Force brigadier general and a pioneer in aerial photography.
Early life and education
George William Goddard was born in London, England, in 1889. He moved to Rochester, New York, in June 1904 to live with his aunt and uncle. He was naturalized on April 27, 1918.[2]
Goddard graduated from Washing Irving Preparatory School in New York in 1910 and attended Keuka Institute, now Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York, for two years.[2] While at Keuka College, he witnessed early flights by Glenn Curtiss.[3]
Goddard then studied commercial art in Rochester for a year.
Career
World War I
Originally Goddard intended to serve the war effort in the Corps of Engineers, but persuaded by a pilot he met en route to this job, he decided to join the Signal Corps Air Service to become a pilot instead.
Goddard was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Aviation Section Reserve on August 8, 1918, and assigned to
Despite plenty of informal flying, Goddard did not become a rated pilot until two years after joining up. He had been assigned to photography because he had admitted to being an amateur photographer in civilian life.[5]
Between the world wars
When the
On July 1, 1920, Goddard received his regular commission as a
Returning to McCook Field, Goddard pioneered the development of nighttime reconnaissance photography in 1925.[3] 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.[8]
On a trip to the Philippines, Goddard mapped unexplored areas,[9] and subsequently became Director of the photographic school at Chanute Field, Illinois.[3]
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.[2]
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
Before and during World War II, Goddard went to England on several occasions to learn British methods of reconnaissance and exchange technical information. During these trips, he met with his counterpart in the Royal Air Force (RAF), Group Commander Frederick Laws, who had pioneered British aerial reconnaissance as early as 1913.
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.[3]
Goddard also directed the design of reconnaissance aircraft and equipment.
In February 1944, Assistant Secretary of War for Air
After the
By mid-August 1945, Colonel Goddard returned to Wright Field, restored as Director of Aerial Research and Development.
Cold War
In August 1945, Goddard was appointed chief of the Photographic Laboratory at Wright Field. Goddard was sent to Bikini Atoll in 1946 in connection with the atomic bomb test.[2] 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.[2]
In July 1950, Goddard was awarded the Thurman H. Bane Award for his development in low-altitude high-speed night photography.[2]
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.[2]
In August 1951, he was awarded the honorary degree of master of photography by the
In May 1952, Goddard was transferred to headquarters of
In July 1953, Goddard was assigned to Headquarters Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.[2]
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 aerial photography in supervising development of aerial cameras, equipment and techniques.[2]
"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 greatly restricted maneuvers of the enemy in Korea."[2]
"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 general added.[2]
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
Goddard's Law states that "in reconnaissance, there is no substitute for focal length."[16]
Awards and decorations
Brigadier General Goddard received a lot of decorations during his military service. Here is the list:
USAF Command Pilot wings | |
Army Distinguished Service Medal[17] | |
Oak Leaf Cluster
| |
World War I Victory Medal | |
American Defense Service Medal | |
American Campaign Medal | |
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ two Service Stars
| |
World War II Victory Medal | |
National Defense Service Medal | |
Korean Service Medal | |
United Nations Korea Medal
| |
French Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Palm
|
Later life and death
Goddard retired as a brigadier general in 1953. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Goddard served as an Air Force consultant on detecting and interpreting the Soviet missile sites in Cuba, especially by advocating the use of his strip camera for low-altitude flights.[3]
Goddard was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1976.
Goddard died on September 20, 1987, at the age of 98. He was buried with his wife Elizabeth (1898–1984) at Arlington National Cemetery.[18]
Legacy
The Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) has awarded the George W. Goddard award annually since 1961 in recognition of "exceptional achievement in optical or photonic instrumentation for aerospace, atmospheric science, or astronomy. The award is for the invention and development of a new technique, photonic instrumentation, instrument, or system." Goddard was the first recipient of the award in 1961.[19]
Goddard's autobiography, written with DeWitt S. Copp and published in 1969, is a piece of reconnaissance literature and an important and detailed source to the history of the field in the United States.
In 1976, Goddard was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame.[20]
References
- ^ Fogerty, Robert P. (1953). "Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917-1952, Volume 1 – A thru L" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Agency. pp. 674–676. USAF historical studies: no. 91. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Brigadier General George William Goddard". Official U.S. Air Force Biography. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "George Goddard". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ Goddard, 4–6
- ^ Goddard, 7
- ^ Goddard, 43–44
- ^ Goddard, 2021
- ^ "George W. Goddard". The Spy Skies – Early Techniques. National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
- ^ "Flying over Jungleland" Popular Mechanics, February 1930, pp. 177–180
- ^ "George Goddard". Aeronautics Learning Laboratory for Science, Technology, and Research (ALLSTAR). Florida International University. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ^ Life, May 10, 1943
- ^ Goddard, chapters 19–20
- ^ Hansen, 350–354
- ^ Oral History Interview, Goddard interviewing Elliott Roosevelt, November 6, 1966, Air Force Historical Research Agency K239-0512-1024
- ^ Goddard, 338 and all ch. 22
- ^ Goddard, 307
- ^ "Valor awards for George W. Goddard; Military Times Hall of Valor". Militarytimes.com. July 4, 2010. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ Burial Detail: Goddard, George W (Section 59, Grave 527) – ANC Explorer
- ^ "George W. Goddard Award". SPIE website. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.
Bibliography
- Goddard, George. Overview: A Lifelong Adventure in Aerial Photography. Doubleday, Garden City, 1969.
- Hansen, Chris. Enfant Terrible: The Times and Schemes of General Elliott Roosevelt. Able Baker Press, Tucson, 2012.
External links
- National Aviation Hall of Fame
- George William Goddard at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website