ABSTRACT
Few leaders have had as difficult a challenge as Vandenberg did as Chief of Staff. When he took command, the Air Force had just gone through rapid, total demobilization of aircraft, materiel, and personnel. His job was to build it up again. At the height of World War II, there were 80,000 aircraft and 2.5 million officers and men. When Vandenberg took over from Spaatz, there were only 375,000 officers and men-on paper, 55 wings, most of them with obsolete planes. At his retirement, Air Force personnel had grown to 960,000 officers and men, 137 wings, all of them combat ready. It was a remarkable achievement, the result of brilliant leadership.3
