World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF EUROPE (Air): To The Minors

As commander in chief of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force, the R.A.F.’s bland, handsome Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory drew no shouts of admiration from U.S. and British airmen, who are used to close teamwork in other theaters. He was an exception to the rule that U.S. flyers regard their opposite R.A.F. numbers as tops in friendly cooperation and red-tapeless administrative skill.

Ceremonious Air Marshal Leigh-Mallory, onetime boss of Britain’s glamorous Fighter Command, plugged on nevertheless at his job in Eisenhower’s headquarters. This week the situation was cleared up. Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, deputy to Eisenhower and a veteran associate and boss of U.S. airmen, took over the job of running the Expeditionary Air Force. To a new job in a minor league—the Southeast Asia theater—went Sir Trafford, to become Allied air commander there.