Le May, Curtis E(merson) (1906–1990)

US air force general. He commanded 305 Bomber Group, one of the first US units to arrive in the UK in World War II, and devised most of the tactics employed by the 8th Air Force. He took charge of 20th Bomber Command in the India-Burma-China theatre 1944 and carried out long-range B-29 raids against Formosa and western Japan. He then moved to 21 Bomber Command in the Marianas January 1945, and began a strong offensive against Japanese cities. The B-29 bombers which dropped the atom bombs August 1945 were under Le May's command. He was a candidate in the 1968 vice-presidential campaign.