Partridge, Earl

Partridge, Earl (Everard)

(1900– ) aviator; born in Winchenden, Mass. He enlisted in 1918 and served as a foot soldier in France, then obtained a West Point cadetship, graduating in 1924. He held a series of staff and line posts in the Air Corps during the interwar years. In June 1944 he took command of the Third Bombardment Division, with responsibility for the air offensive in Europe. After the war, he commanded the Fifth Air Force in Japan (1954) and the newly formed North American Air Defense Command (1957–59).