Osmond J. Ritland

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Osmond J. Ritland
Space Systems Division
Battles/wars
Awards

Osmond Jay Ritland (30 October 1909 – 23 March 1991) was a United States Air Force (USAF) major general who played an important role in the development of the American ballistic missiles.

Ritland attended

China Burma India Theater
as commander of the Assam Air Depot.

After the war he returned to Wright Field, where he was involved in the development of the

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal in 1962, and his work in support of NASA's Project Mercury and Project Gemini was recognized with the award of its NASA Exceptional Service Medal
in 1965.

Early life

Osmond Jay Ritland was born in Berthoud, Colorado, on 30 October 1909.

March Field, in May 1939, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served as a fighter pilot and flew airmail until 1935, when he left active service to become a pilot for United Airlines.[3]

World War II

Ritland received a regular commission and returned to active duty with the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was initially assigned to Hamilton Field, California, but later that year, he was transferred to Wright Field, Ohio, for a five-year tour of duty as a test pilot.[3] In this role he was involved in the development and testing of many of the aircraft used by the United States during World War II and in the immediate post-war era, including the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Bell P-39 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 Mustang fighters, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Douglas XB-19, Martin B-26 Marauder, Boeing B-29 Superfortress and Consolidated B-32 Dominator bombers, and the Curtiss C-46 Commando and Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft. He also tested prototypes of the Bell P-59 Airacomet and Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, becoming one of the first pilots to fly jet aircraft.[3][2]

In March 1943 he had to bail out of a de Havilland Mosquito moments before it broke up in mid air. Some of the lines of his parachute were severed, resulting in too rapid a rate of descent. He broke his back on landing and he spent the next few months in a plaster cast.[2] For his services as a test pilot, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[4]

In December 1944, Ritland was sent to the

China Burma India Theater (CBI), where he commanded the Assam Air Depot until February 1946.[1] For his services in CBI establishing and maintaining the supply system in support of air and ground operations, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal.[2]

Post-war

Ritland attended the

fallout. He had operational control of all aircraft at the Nevada Test Site. His services were recognized with the award of the Legion of Merit.[3]

Ritland attended the

Industrial College of the Armed Forces. From July 1954 to December 1954 he was chief of the Atomic Energy Division at USAF Headquarters. In this role he was responsible for USAF's nuclear weapons. He then became the special assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for Development. In this role he was the USAF's project manager for the Lockheed U-2 spy plane.[1] He became the deputy head of the project, codename Oilstone, to Richard M. Bissell Jr. from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on 27 June 1955, although this did not become official until a formal agreement between the CIA and the USAF was signed on 4 August.[5] On 12 April 1955, Bissell, Ritland, Kelly Johnson and Tony LeVier reconnoitered an old airstrip near Groom Lake on the Nevada Test Site, and selected it as a base for the U-2 project. It became known as Area 51.[6] Ritland was on hand to witness the first official flight of the U-2 on 8 August 1955.[7] He returned to the USAF in March 1956.[5] For this service, he was awarded an oak leaf cluster to his Legion of Merit.[3]

In April 1956, Ritland became the vice commander of the

upper stage. A Thor-Agena rocket was successfully launched on 28 February 1959.[8]

Ritland became the commander of the AFBMD on 25 April 1959 and was promoted to major general in July 1959. In a major reorganization on 1 April 1961, the

Air Force Distinguished Service Medal in August 1962.[3][4] His work on spaceflight in support of Project Mercury and Project Gemini was recognized by NASA with the award of its NASA Exceptional Service Medal in November 1965. He retired from the USAF on 1 December 1965.[2][1]

Later life

For the next five years, Ritland was Vice President for Launch at

San Diego, California.[10] He was survived by his wife Martha and two daughters.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Major General Osmond J. Ritland - Inducted 1989" (PDF). United States Air Force. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Congressional Record- Senate" (PDF). 24 January 1966. pp. 1004–1005. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Major General Osmond J. Ritland > Air Force > Biography Display". United States Air Force. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Osmond Ritland - Recipient". Military Times. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b Pedlow & Welzenbach 1992, p. 61.
  6. ^ Pedlow & Welzenbach 1992, p. 56.
  7. ^ Pedlow & Welzenbach 1992, p. 70.
  8. ^ Wheeldown 1998, pp. 33–37.
  9. ^ a b "Osmond J. Ritland; Leader in Air Force". Los Angeles Times. 28 March 1991. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery - Surnames R". San Diego County, California. Retrieved 3 September 2022.

References

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