This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Peterson, Chesley Gordon, Maj Gen USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Salmon, Idaho or Santaquin, Utah
Last Address Retirement Village, March AFB, Riverside, California
Date of Passing Jan 28, 1990
Location of Interment Riverside National Cemetery (VA) - Riverside, California
He was in the U.S. Army Air Corps Sep 1939-Jan 1940 then joined the British Royal Air Force. While in 71 Eagle Squadron of the RAF in England, he destroyed 6 enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
He rejoined the now U.S. Army Air Forces in Sep 1942 and got his 7th aerial victory while with the 4th Fighter Group.
His DSC citation: Awarded for actions during World War II
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant Colonel (Air Corps) Chesley Gordon Peterson (ASN: 0-885114), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-47 Fighter Airplane and Commanding Officer of the 4th Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces in May 1943. While leading a formation in escort of bombardment aircraft and after his wing man had dropped behind due to motor trouble, Colonel Peterson sighted eight enemy airplanes about to attack the bomber formation. With utter disregard for his personal safety and without assistance he immediately engaged the eight enemy aircraft, probably destroying one and damaging another. The vigor and fearlessness of his attack completely disrupted the enemy formation and routed the enemy attack, thereby contributing largely to the safety of the bomber aircraft and the successful completion of their mission.
General Orders: Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army, General Orders No. 39 (1943)
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America between 1926 and 1941. The statutory administrative forerunner of the United States Air Force, it was renamed from the earlier United States Army Air Service on 2 July 1926 and part of the larger United States Army. The Air Corps was the immediate predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), established on 20 June 1941. Although discontinued as an administrative echelon during World War II, the Air Corps (AC) remained as one of the combat arms of the Army until 1947, when it was legally abolished by legislation establishing the Department of the Air Force.
The Air Corps was renamed by the United States Congress largely as a compromise between the advocates of a separate air arm and those of the traditionalist Army high command who viewed the aviation arm as an auxiliary branch to support the ground forces. Although its members worked to promote the concept of air power and an autonomous air force between the years between the world wars, its primary purpose by Army policy remained support of ground forces rather than independent operations.
On 1 March 1935, still struggling with the issue of a separate air arm, the Army activated the General Headquarters Air Force for centralized control of aviation combat units within the continental United States, separate from but coordinate with the Air Corps. The separation of the Air Corps from control of its combat units caused problems of unity of command that became more acute as the Air Corps enlarged in preparation for World War II. This was resolved by the creation of the Army Air Forces (AAF), making both organizations subordinate to the new higher echelon.
The Air Corps ceased to have an administrative structure after 9 March 1942, but as "the permanent statutory organization of the air arm, and the principal component of the Army Air Forces," the overwhelming majority of personnel assigned to the AAF were members of the Air Corps.