Clarence Shortridge Irvine (16 December 1898 – 7 September 1975) was a United States Air Force (USAF) lieutenant general who was involved in the development and deployment of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Convair B-36A Peacemaker, Boeing B-47 Stratojet, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer bomber. He flew aircraft in several films, including Wings and Hells Angels.
Early life and career
Clarence Shortridge Irvine was born in St. Paul, Nebraska, on 16 December 1898, the son of James Irvine Jr. and Margaret Jane Welsh. He attended the St. Paul College and the University of Nebraska.
Irvine joined the U.S. Army Air Service as a private on 4 November 1918, shortly before World War I ended. He served as an airplane mechanic and reached the rank of sergeant first class. He attended the Air Service pilot's school at March Field, California, in 1920, and the Air Service Pursuit School at Kelly Field, Texas, the following year. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in United States Army Air Service Reserve on 15 October 1921. That year he took part in Billy Mitchell's demonstration of anti-ship bombing.
Irvine was promoted to first Lieutenant on 6 July 1925 but accepted a regular commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps on 30 June 1926. He spent the next four years as a gunnery and engineering officer at Selfridge Field, Michigan, and Clark Field in the Philippine Islands, and was the top aerial gunner in the Air Corps for three years running. He flew in several films about aviation, including Wings, which won the academy award for best picture, and Hells Angels.
In 1930, Irvine was posted to Wright Field, Ohio, the heart if the Air Corps's research and development activities. He completed the Air Corps Technical School maintenance engineering course in 1935 and graduated from the Air Corps Engineering School in 1933 and the Army Industrial College in 1939. On 1 August of that year he set an international altitude record of in a Boeing YB-17 Flying Fortress carrying a payload of 500 kilograms. He was promoted to captain on 30 June 1936 and major on 30 June 1940.
World War II
At Wright Field, Irvine was a key figure in the four-engine bomber production program. He was the assistant chief of the inspection section and chief of the industrial section at Wright Field from 11 May 1940 to 10 May 1941, and the assistant chief of the planning section and chief of the production control section at Wright Field from 11 May 1941 to 1 June 1942, when he became the executive officer of the production division. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 February 1942 and colonel on 1 March 1942.
On 1 June 1943, Irvine went to Washington, D.C., as the assistant for aircraft production to the Assistant Chief of Staff, Materiel. As such, he became involved in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress program. In March 1944, the Chief of the United States Army Air Forces, General Henry H. Arnold, became frustrated with delays in getting the B-29s ready for service in Operation Matterhorn, the deployment to China. He designated Brigadier General Bennett E. Meyers, who was traveling with him, as special project coordinator, and Meyers Irvine as his deputy. Boeing provided 600 workers to assist in what became known as the Battle of Kansas. The deficiencies of each aircraft were cataloged and spare parts obtained. Work was carried out in appalling Kansas winter conditions, with snowstorms and outdoor temperatures between . By 15 April 150 aircraft were combat ready.
On returning to Washington, D.C., on 9 September 1944, he became the assistant chief of staff, A-4, of the Twentieth Air Force, the command responsible for the B-29s. In this role he oversaw the logistical support. He conducted tests of the B-29 under combat conditions in England and North Africa, and was involved in Silverplate, which readied B-29 to carry nuclear weapons. He went to the Pacific as the deputy chief of staff for supply and maintenance of the XXI Bomber Command, and participated in bombing raids on Nagoya. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star.