Walter Hale Frank – Major General, United States Air Force

Major General Walter Hale Frank, Army Air Forces
Born April 23, 1886 in Humphrey, New York
Died March 30, 1968

Cadet, U. S. Military Academy 1906-10
Graduated as No. 4909, Class of 1910

• Second Lieutenant 1910
• First Lieutenant 1916
• Captain 1917
• Major (Temporary) 1917
• Captain 1920
• Major 1920
• Lieutenant Colonel 1935
• Colonel (Temporary) 1936
• Brigadier General (Temporary) 1938
• Colonel 1939
• Brigadier General (AUS) 1940
• Major General (AUS) 1941
• Served with 5th Infantry Regiment 1910-14
• Battalion Commander, 5th Infantry Regiment 1911
• Post Quartermaster, Ordnance, Engineer & Signal Officer, Madison Barracks 1911-12
• Served with 25th Infantry Regiment 1916-17
• Served with 34th Infantry Regiment, El Paso, Texas 1917
• Student, Infantry School of Arms 1917
• Transferred to Air Service 1917
• Commander, Provisional Regiment of Recruits, Kelly Field 1917
• Executive Officer, Aviation Training Station, Ellington Field, Texas 1917-18
• Commander, Aviation Training Section, Ellington Field, Texas 1918
• Executive Officer, Training Section, Air Service 1918-19
• Assistant to Administrative Executive to Director of Air Service 1919
• Member, Air Service Advisory Board 1919
• Assistant to Commander, Air Service Engineer Plant, Air Service Engineer School 1919-20
• Assistant Executive Officer to Chief of Air Service 1920
• Executive Officer to Chief of Air Service 1920-24
• Student, Air Corps Tactical School 1924-25
• Member Staff & Faculty, Air Corps Tactical School 1925
• Student, Command & General Staff School 1925-26
• Assistant Commandant, Air Corps Tactical School 1926-30
• Student, Army War College 1930-31
• Served with Office of the Chief of Air Corps 1931-34
• Commander, Mitchel Field, New York 1934-38
• Commander, 9th Observation Group 1934-35
• Commander, 9th Bomb Group 1935-37
• Commander, 2d Air Base 1936-38
• Chief of Staff, General Headquarters Air Force 1938
• Commanding General, 18th Wing, Hawaii 1938-40
• Commanding General, New Orleans Army Air Base January-June 1941
• Commanding General, 3rd Interceptor Command, Tampa July-October 1941
• Commanding General, 3rd Air Force 1941-42
• Commanding General, 8th Air Force Service Command, ETO 1942
• Commanding General, Air Service Command 1942-44
• Special Assistant to General Henry H. Arnold, Headquarters Army Air Force 1944-45
• Retired December 31, 1945
• Distinguished Service Medal – Legion of Merit – Air Medal

Major General Walter H. Frank, Air Corps. Commanding General of the Air Service Command.

General Frank was born at Humphrey, New York, April 23, 1886. His graduation from the U.S. Military Academy on June 10, 1910, and his appointment as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry was followed by his assignment to duty at Plattsburg, New York, where he performed company, battalion, and regimental duty until August 1913.

Tor the next two years he was stationed at Madison Barracks, New York, following which he served a tour of duty for three years at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Upon his return to the United States, General Frank was stationed on the Mexican Border for several months, and he was then assigned as student at the School of Arms, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he remained until his transfer to the Aviation Section, Signal Corps.

He received his promotion to First Lieutenant on July 1, 1916; to Captain, May 15, 1917; and to Major in the fall of 1917. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel January 1, 1935.

By the time America entered the second World War, General Frank’s high professional attainments and experience in connection with Air Corps maneuvers and tactical functions were being used to good advantage in the Air Corps and in July 1942, he was named Commanding General of the Air Service Command in the European theater of operation. After directing the establishment of important maintenance and supply installations in England, the General was ordered to the United States to become Commanding General of the Air Service Command.

General Frank died on 30 March 1968 and was buried in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.  His wife, Hazel Smith Frank (24 November 1887-1 August 1968), is buried with him.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard