William W. Momyer

Who was William W. Momyer?

William Wallace Momyer was a general officer and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. Among his notable posts were those commanding the Air Training Command, the Seventh Air Force during the Vietnam War, and the Tactical Air Command. During his tour in Southeast Asia, he was concurrently the deputy commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam for air operations and thus responsible for Operation Rolling Thunder, the air campaign against North Vietnam, which Momyer executed in the face of micromanagement from President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.

Momyer was acknowledged in the Air Force community as "a true expert in tactical air warfare." His predecessor as commander of TAC described him as difficult to work for or with because he was "much smarter than most people." After his retirement in 1973, he spent five years researching and writing Airpower in Three Wars, his treatise on airpower doctrine, strategy, and tactics.