Laurence S. Kuter

General Laurence Sherman Kuter (May 28, 1905 – November 30, 1979) was a Cold War-era four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF) and former commander of North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).

Kuter (pronounced COO-ter) was born in Rockford, Illinois in 1905, and graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York on June 14, 1927.

In May 1929 he was accepted for flying training, graduating from flying schools at Brooks and Kelly Fields, Texas, as a bombardment pilot in June 1930.

In August 1933 Lieutenant Kuter moved up as operations officer, 2nd Bombardment Wing, and assistant base operations officer at Langley.

During this period he flew alternate wing position with Captain Claire L. Chennault's acrobatic group, "The Men on the Flying Trapeze."

This was the first recognized aerial acrobatic team in the military service.

He then was given a leading role in the operational development of the Boeing Y1B-9 twin engine bombers which pioneered high altitude bombing techniques and tactics in the USAAC.

From February to June 1934, Lieutenant Kuter served as operations officer of the Eastern Zone Army Corps Mail operations.

He was the last officer relieved from this duty being held over to write the final report and history.

At the conclusion of this assignment he was selected for the Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, Alabama.

He graduated at the top of his class in the spring of 1935 and was retained at the school as instructor in bombardment aviation and in the employment of air power.

At this time the school was beginning to develop the role of strategic bombing in future warfare.

Prior to this, planning had been directed to defensive and supporting roles.

The 10,000-plane Air Force envisioned in Captain Kuter's lectures taxed imaginations at that time.

The ideas born and developed at the school were to play an important part in his next assignment in the Operations and Training Division, War Department General Staff, Washington, D.C., where he was ordered to duty on July 1, 1939.

General George C. Marshall, who became the chief of the War Department General Staff on that day had called for the experimental assignment to the general staff of aviators, young and junior officers and officers who had not attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Captain Kuter's assignment represented all three phases of this experiment.

Early in 1941 he was a principal factor in several augmentations of the Air Corps.

In August 1941, Kuter was brought into the Air War Plans Division where he was one of the four principal authors of AWPD-1, the basic plan for employment of air power in World War II.

This plan was used almost without change through the war, in the form of its incorporation into the Combined Bomber Offensive.

In November 1941, Major Kuter was designated assistant secretary, War Department General Staff.

After participating as one of a committee of three in the reorganization of the War Department, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on January 5, 1942, and at the recommendation of General George C. Marshall to brigadier general on February 2, 1942.

Commanding general of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Gen. Henry H. Arnold transferred him in March to Headquarters USAAF as the deputy chief of air staff.

At this time there was extensive public interest expressed in the sudden promotion to temporary brigadier general of an officer who had been a temporary lieutenant colonel for less than 30 days.

General Kuter never served in the active rank of full colonel.

His was the first "jump" promotion of an officer as young as 36 since William T. Sherman.

The next youngest general officer at that time was 46.

General Kuter was assigned overseas in October 1942 in command of the 1st Bombardment Wing (later 1st Bombardment Division), Eighth Air Force, Brampton Grange, England.

When General Kuter assumed command he found four understrength groups of B-17 Flying Fortresses operating separately.

He succeeded in welding the individual squadrons and groups into a coordinated fighting force.

This was done on the assumption that the largest practicable combat unit over the target at one time would provide more mutual fire support, saving lives and planes, and improve the probability of destroying the objective without having to repeat.

Then in January 1943 Brigadier General Kuter was transferred to North Africa and the newly formed Northwest African Air Forces.

General Kuter became the deputy commander for the newly established Northwest African Tactical Air Force, serving under Royal Air Force Air Marshall Arthur Coningham.

During the campaign in Tunisia, new tactical air concepts were generated and USAAF regulations revised accordingly.

The basic changes reflected in them are still the principle doctrinal basis for the present tactical air power concept of the United States Air Force.

He was then assigned as operations officer, 49th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bombardment Group, Langley Field, Virginia.

One month later Lieutenant Kuter was transferred to the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC).

During his assignment at Langley, Lieutenant Kuter placed second in the annual bombing competition of the Army Air Corps.

Second Lieutenant Kuter was first assigned to Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, Presidio of Monterey, California.

He was formally assigned all battery officer duties except command.