William H. Blanchard

William H. Blanchard
General William H. Blanchard as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
Nickname(s)	Butch
Born	February 6, 1916 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	May 31, 1966(1966-05-31) (aged 50) Washington D.C.
Place of burial	United States Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force
Years of service	1938-1966
Rank	General
Commands held	Seventh Air Division 509th Bombardment Wing
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Silver Star Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Bronze Star Air Medal (2)

General William Hugh Blanchard (February 6, 1916 – May 31, 1966) was a United States Air Force officer who attained the rank of four-star general and served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1965 to 1966.

A native of Boston, Massachusetts, General Blanchard received his high school education in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy before entering the United States Military Academy in 1934. He graduated and received his commission in 1938.

After completing pilot training at Randolph and Kelly Fields, Texas, in 1939, he held assignments as a flight instructor and as chief of advanced pilot training in the Flying Training Command, before his selection in 1943 for duty with the initial B-29 bomber wing then being formed in Salina, Kansas.

In 1944, General Blanchard, as deputy commander of the 58th Bomb Wing, flew the first B-29 into China to begin his participation in strategic bombing operations against the Japanese mainland. Later, assigned as commander of the 40th Bomb Group (B-29) and subsequently as operations officer of the 21st Bomber Command in the Marianas, he planned and flew low-level fire raids against major Japanese targets.

In the climaxing phase of World War II, then Colonel Blanchard was directed to prepare and supervise the detailed operations order for the delivery of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. He was the backup pilot for the Hiroshima A-bomb drop, which was ultimately delivered by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Commanding Officer of the 509th Atomic Bombardment Group or Wing.

After the war, on January 20, 1946, Blanchard became Commanding Officer of the 509th, succeeding Tibbetts. By this time, post-war demobilization had reduced the 509th to a skeleton crew. But Blanchard and the 509th were immediately ordered to commence operations for the "Operation Crossroads" atomic tests at Bikini atoll. With highest priorities, crews were assembled and in March the 509th was transferred to Kwajalein, Marshall Islands for the Bikini atomic bomb tests, that ultimately took place that July.