The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Naval Historical Center #NH 58017
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Emmons had been an observer in England during the Battle of Britain and was the commanding officer of Air Force Combat Command at the outbreak of war in the Pacific. He relieved Short as commander of the Hawaii Department shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, and worked closely with Pye and then Nimitz to ensure unity of command. In sharp contrast with DeWitt, he pledged to the local Japanese-American community that they would be treated fairly so long as they remained loyal to the United States, and succeeded in blocking moves to relocate all Japanese-Americans from Oahu to the outer islands or the mainland.
Emmons worked with Nimitz for an early allotment of as much air power for Hawaii as possible, to free the Pacific Fleet for offensive operations along the West Coast-Australia sea lanes.
Emmons assumed command of the Western Defense Command at the Presidio in June 1943, and the Alaskan Department in June 1944.
||Commander, Crissy Field
||Executive officer, Office of the
Chief of the Air Corps
||Executive officer, Assistant
Secretary of War for Air
||Air Corps Tactical School
||Command and General Staff School
||Commander, 18 Composite Wing, Hawaii
||Commander, 1 Wing, March Field
||Commander, Air Force Combat Command|
||Commander, Hawaii Department|
||Commander, Western Defense Command|
||Commander, Alaskan Department|
||Commandant, Armed Forces Staff
||Retired for disability
Cline (1951; accessed 2011-11-6)
Conn, Engelman, and Fairchild (1961; accessed 2011-11-6)
Craven and Cate (1954; accessed 2011-11-6)
Generals.dk (accessed 2008-2-18)
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