Townsend F. Dodd
Townsend F. Dodd | |
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University of Illinois | |
Spouse(s) | St Clair Dodd |
Townsend Foster Dodd (6 March 1886 – 5 October 1919) was the first commissioned US Army aviator. As a University of Illinois graduate with a
He was the first US pilot to receive the Distinguished Service Medal during World War I. Dodd was promoted to colonel on 14 August 1918 and at the end of the war he was appointed the Chief of Staff, Material under Mitchell. Dodd was then posted to Fort Sam Houston at San Antonio. With the completion of the war he reverted to his pre-war rank of captain and became the commander of Langley Field, Hampton, Virginia. After returning home from the war he competed in endurance flight competitions and during one such contest he crashed and died. Nine years after his death Dodd Army Airfield was named in his honor.
Biography
Dodd was born on 6 March 1886 to Zachary Taylor Dodd and Ruth Anna Dodd (née McLean) in Illinois. Dodd attended the University of Illinois, from where he graduated in 1907 with a
Military career
Pre-World War I
On 25 September 1909, Dodd was commissioned as a
The
Dodd went with the 1st Aero to
On 12 March 1916, Dodd was appointed as a pilot to the 1st Aero Squadron, under General John Pershing's 8th Brigade, which was positioned on the Mexican border. As the pilot of Airplane #44, he and his observer, Captain Benjamin Foulois, made the first reconnaissance flight into Mexico on 15 March 1916.[2] Throughout the rest of March and early April they would fly deep into Mexico to observe troop movements and fly dispatches to other bases.[a 8] Upon the completion of his work in Mexico he remained with the 1st Aero Squadron and was promoted to major in May 1917.[a 8]
World War I
While serving under Pershing, Dodd gained experience and was appointed to a staff position as the Aviation Officer within the
As an Aviation Officer it was Dodd's job to liaise with, and understand, the Allies' needs, requirements, and recommendations. To do so he spent several days in London where he spoke to the US
The Bolling Commission (also known as the Bolling Mission and named after Colonel Raynal Bolling, the head of the mission) was an aeronautical commission sent to Europe on behalf of the Aircraft Production Board of the Council of National Defense.[a 12] Dodd was assigned to the mission, after being replaced as Aviation Officer. His assignment was to evaluate aircraft for use by the AEF, specifically for reconnaissance purposes. Dodd evaluated French aircraft and favored adopting the Salmson two-seater for reconnaissance work. Eventually 705 Salmsons were purchased for the Air Service; of these 557 saw front-line service.[a 8]
Along with several other graduates of the Aviation Section's winter 1916 "Field Officers Course", Dodd was given a temporary wartime promotion to colonel and under the command of General William L. Kenly, Dodd was named Director of Air Service Instruction (DAI). An artillery officer, Kenly had been the Executive Officer of the Aviation School in San Diego before the outbreak of war and instructed Dodd, Bolling and Mitchell. Bolling and Mitchell were also promoted, with Bolling being appointed to the role of Director of Air Service Supply (DASS) to administer the "Zone of the Line of Communications" (sic), later called the Service of Supply. Kenly proved to be only an interim commander, though, and on 27 November 1917 he was replaced by Brig. Gen. Benjamin Foulois who arrived in France with a large but untrained staff of non-aviators. This resulted in considerable resentment from Mitchell's smaller, established, staff, many of whom, including Bolling and Dodd, were immediately displaced.[a 8] Dodd, Bolling, and Mitchell resented their being replaced by non-aviators and after leaving the theater of operations all continued to further the Air Service in their own ways.[a 8]
Distinguished Service Medal
During Dodd's service in World War I he was the first US pilot to receive the Distinguished Service Medal. His citation reads:[4]
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Air Service) Townsend F. Dodd, United States Army Air Service, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. Colonel Dodd organized the Aviation Training School at Issoudun and successfully conducted the negotiations for the first purchase of aeroplanes from allied governments for the use of the American Expeditionary Forces. He later served with distinction as Chief of the Supply Section, Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces, and as Technical Advisor and Information Officer of the Chief of the Air Service, 1st Army.
Post-war service
Having been promoted to the rank of colonel on 14 August 1918, by the end of the war Dodd was appointed
Death and legacy
While Dodd was the commander of Langley Field he was killed in an air crash. The crash occurred on 5 October 1919 at Bustleton Field, Philadelphia, during the New York to San Francisco transcontinental air race.
References
Footnotes
- ^ Cowan was an 1899 graduate of the United States Military Academy and had risen rapidly in rank through transfers and assignments to the Service Schools. He moved from the Infantry to the Signal Corps in March 1909, then in 1910 headed the Aeronautical Division at the age of 35. He personally recruited Henry H. Arnold for pilot duties. He was Signal Officer of the 2nd Division in Texas City, Texas, when Capt. Charles deF. Chandler was relieved and transferred to the Philippines over differences with his pilots. Temporarily assigned to command the provisional 1st Aero Squadron, he was made commandant of the Signal Corps Aviation School when the squadron returned to the school in June 1913.
- ^ Cowan's statement was made to and included in the Inspector General's report investigating the crashes as justification of his decision.
- ^ Cowan's total flight experience was 24 minutes of "grass-cutting" – tethered flying in short, straight hops just above the ground.
Citations
- ^ Vic Johnston. "Base thoroughfare named for prominent flyer" (PDF). Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Veterans Memorial Project – Townsend Foster Dodd". Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ a b c "Early Aviators – Townsend F. Dodd". Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ "Valor awards for Townsend F. Dodd". Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ US Air Services
Bibliographical notes
- ^ Howard, pp. 199
- ^ Hennessy (1958), p. 103.
- ^ Foulois (1968), pp.100
- ^ Hennessy (1958), p. 123.
- ^ Cameron (1999), p. 68.
- ^ Johnson (2001), p.122
- ^ Hennessy (1958), p. 124.
- ^ a b c d e f g Maurer (1978), pp.75–88
- ^ a b Walsh (2011), pp.255
- ^ Greer (1985), pp. 149
- ^ Fredrickson (2011), pp. 14–15 and 20
- ^ Maurer (1978), pp.53
- ^ New York Times, p.1[full citation needed]
Bibliography
- Cameron, Rebecca Hancock (1999). Training to Fly: Military Flight Training 1907–1945. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program. OCLC 606500804.
- Foulois, Benjamin (1968). From the Wright Brothers to the Astronauts: The Memoirs of Benjamin D. Foulois. New York: OCLC 634704704.
- Fredrickson, John (2011). The United States Air Force: A Chronology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 14–15 and 20. ISBN 9781598846836.
- Greer, Thomas H. (1985). USAF Historical Study 89, The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917–1941 (PDF). Maxwell Air Force Base: Center For Air Force History. p. 149. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 10 Nov 2010.
- Hennessy, Juliette A. (1958). The United States Army Air Arm, April 1861 to April 1917. Air Force Historical Study No. 98. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Air Force History Research Agency. OCLC 12553968.
- Lam, Howard, ed. (1954). 100 Years of Progress – The Centennial History of Anna, Illinois. Anna Centennial Committee. p. 199. OCLC 9349651.
- Maurer, Maurer (1978). The U.S. Air Service in World War I, Volume II: Early Concepts of Military Aviation. Washington, D.C.: DIANE Publishing. pp. 75–88. OCLC 256334614.
- "Col. Dodd, Our First Commissioned Aviator, Crushed to Death in an Airplane Accident". New York Times. October 6, 1919. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
Colonel Townsend F. Dodd, commander of Langley Field, at Hampton, Va., near Washington, and one of the first American Army officers to receive an aviator's commission, was instantly killed ...
- Walsh, Stan (2011). First Over the Front. AuthorHouse. p. 255. ISBN 9781467026413.