Earl Partridge graduated Ashby High School,
Ashby, Massachusetts in 1917. Partridge enlisted in the
United States Army in July 1918 at
Fort Slocum, New York, and was assigned to the 5th Engineer Training Regiment. He went to France in August 1918 to join the
79th Division, participating in the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel and
Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After being released from active duty in June 1919, Partridge studied at
Norwich University for one year. He reenlisted in the Army in June 1920, but was sent to study at the
United States Military Academy at West Point in August 1920. Partridge graduated sixth in the class of 1924 and was commissioned in the Air Service. He received flight training at
Brooks Field and
Kelly Field, and was a stunt pilot in the 1927 silent film
Wings. He taught mathematics at West Point, then went to the
Panama Canal Zone with the
6th Composite Group. He was adjutant and assistant operations officer of the
1st Pursuit Group at
Selfridge Field, and commanding officer of the
94th Pursuit Squadron. Partridge graduated from the
Air Corps Tactical School in June 1937 and the
Command and General Staff School in June 1938. He then returned to the Air Corps Tactical School as an instructor until October 1940. In 1943, Partridge became chief of staff of the
Fifteenth Air Force, and was named deputy commander of the
Eighth Air Force in 1944. That June, he became commander of the
3rd Bomb Division, and assisted in its reorganization and movement to
Okinawa. Partridge returned to Headquarters Army Air Forces in January 1946 as assistant chief of staff for operations. He went to Japan in October 1948 as commanding general of the
Fifth Air Force, serving through the first year of the
Korean War. On his return to the United States in June 1951, he commanded the newly formed Air Research and Development Command at
Baltimore, Maryland. In April 1954, he became commander of the
Far East Air Forces at
Tokyo. He then became acting Commander of the Air Defense Command from July 20, 1955, to September 17, 1956; he was later named commander in chief of the
North American Air Defense Command and the
Air Defense Command, at
Ent Air Force Base,
Colorado Springs. He gave an introduction to the 1957 Korean War film
Battle Hymn starring Rock Hudson. He retired from active duty on July 31, 1959. He died in
Jupiter, Florida on September 7, 1990. Partridge's awards and decorations include the
Distinguished Service Cross,
Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters,
Silver Star,
Legion of Merit,
Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters,
Bronze Star,
Air Medal with ten oak leaf clusters,
World War I Victory Medal,
American Defense Service Medal,
World War II Victory Medal,
Korean Service Medal,
United Nations Korea Medal,
Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm; Companion, British
Order of the Bath;
French Croix de Guerre with two Palms; Knight, French
Legion of Honor; Commander's Cross with Star, Polish
Order of Polonia Restituta, and the Korean Order of Military Merit. ==References==