Hap: The Story of the U.S. Air Force and the Man Who Built It: General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold

One of World War II's greatest ironies is that the Germans, known for their planning and efficiency, ran a horrible Air Force. The Luftwaffe, despite its iconic name, was a one-trick pony whose overweight sybaritic Commander in Chief (Goering) disdained everything logistical and drove any chance Hitler might have had into the ground. The United States Army's Air Force, on the other hand, was a model of exceptional planning and execution, never forsaking the fundamental for the flamboyant. And it was Hap Arnold's indefatigable advocacy for both the potential and realization of the Air Force that led to the insuperable Allied air dominance of World War II. Thomas Coffey's "Hap" tells the story of a man whose sunny disposition belied the tense, restive nature of a commander who would not tolerate the palaver of an interwar Armed Forces whose complacency led to so dramatic a reduction in strength that when Germany invaded Poland, the United States' army ranked as just the 17th largest in the world. In 1907, the Signal Corps established an aviation division and Hap Arnold was one of two young officers sent to Dayton to learn directly from the Wright Brothers themselves. Arnold, who had once entertained dreams of the cavalry, found the study and exercise of flight intoxicating. He continued moving up the ranks and became Colonel at just the age of 31. During the interwar years, Arnold found himself embroiled in some of the most caustic internecine battles that shook the Armed Forces. Hap strongly backed Billy Mitchell and after the aviation pioneer's court-martial thought he too would be next to go. Arnold provoked further ire through his honest, if too earnest,