Titus CAHF from Nick Provenzano on Vimeo.
- Active duty in enlisted status from January 1945 to August 1946 as a squad leader with the 82d Airborne Division, but did not see combat
as the War in Europe ended May 8, 1945. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in September 1949.
- Degrees from Virginia Polytechnic, Univ. of Chicago, Harvard Business and the National War College.
- During the Korean War, General Titus served with fighter-interceptor squadrons of the 18th and 51st Fighter Wings.
He flew 101 combat missions in F-51 and F-86 aircraft as a flight commander.
- Air Force Test Pilot for all Century series fighter aircraft through F-107. Accomplished the F-100 zero launch tests.
Flew one of two F-100s that made the first flight of a single-engine jet fighter across the North Pole. Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross.
- Jump master with 6511th Parachute Test Group.
- Graduate School University of Chicago under Air Force Inst of Technology.
- Operations Officer 53rd Tac FS at Ramstein and Bitburg.
- F-105 flight safety officer Headquarters USAF, Europe – Lindley Station.
- Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va – Chief of Fighter Operations Branch,
Officer of Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.
- 1966 Vietnam Command of “Skoshi Tigers” at Bien Hoa Air Base. 1967 Cmdr F-4 equipped 389th Tac Fght Sdn at Da Nang.
Flew 400 combat missions in North and South Vietnam and destroyed 3 Mig-21s in aerial combat.
- 1967 assigned to USAF HQ as project officer F-15 and chief of Adv Tac Systems 1969 entered National War College.
- June 1970 vice Cmdr 15th Tac Fght Wng (1st Tac Fght Wng) later Cmdr.
- May 71 Cmdr 18th Tac Fght Wng of Pacific AF at Kadena AB later Cmdr 313th AD.
- Aug 73 Dep Chf Stf, Oper, Air Force Systems Command, Andrews AFB, MD.
- Sept 74 – Also at Live Oak, a Deputy to Alexander Haig who was SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe).
- Feb 77 NORAD/ADCOM inspector general.
- Holds the rank of Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Order of Daedalians, American Fighter Pilots Association,
Red River Valley Fighter pilots Association, and is an honorary member of the American Fighter Aces Association.
- Laureate in the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame.
- His military decorations and awards include the Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters,
Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 24 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
- General Titus was promoted to the grade of brigadier general Dec. 1, 1972, with date of rank Nov. 29, 1972.
- Laureate in the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame
Titus also flew combat tour in the F-86 Saber 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing.
Earned his wings, commissioned in 1949.
In Korea Lt. Titus flew 101 combat missions in the F-51 Mustang in close air/ground support. His 2nd Tour in F-86 Sabres lasted until the Korean War ended. His account of the mission in which his aircraft was shot down, parachuting to land behind enemy lines and fighting his way back across an open field is related in the aforementioned CSPAN interview in 2011. This ‘running gunbattle’ is retold in Col. Hackworth’s novel, “About Face” from a Soldiers perspective.
82nd Airborn - Paratroopers Patch
Earned at the end of WWII,
too late for the war.
Bob participated in and was Squadron Commander of Skoshi Tiger, a combat evaluation of the F-5A “in country”, RVN. He evaluated the Center line 20mm cannon for air/air combat in F-4C. He was PEM for F-15 Concept Formulation Hq USAF in 1967-69. In 1977 he performed YF-17A evaluation (F18 prototype) flight evaluation for ADCOM. In addition General Titus was Wing Commander of two USAF Fighter Wings, the 313th Air Division and was still actively flying as Director of Operations, Air Force Systems Command.
Provided by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Association.
BRIG GEN ROBERT TITUS, USAF (Ret)
Upon graduation from Test Pilot School in 1954, Bob was assigned to Joint Parachute Test Group at El Centro NAS, CA. He flew parachute development tests for chute and aircraft compatibility in the XT-28, F-84J, C-119, F-51D and assorted Naval aircraft. He developed a rocket boosted bomb for use in parachute tests and qualified as Parachute Test Jumper and Jumpmaster during this period. He joined Fighter Test at Edwards AFB in December 1955. He flew the F-86E with YLR-63 rocket augmentation out of Palmdale, CA and F-84F RATO (rocket assist takeoffs) tests at Edwards AFB in 1956. This experience was used for a series of Zero Launch Tests (10 launches) in the F-100F. Bob flew stability and control tests as well as performance tests on numerous century series fighters during the Edwards AFB tour.
He was then selected to participate in the NATO Light Weight Fighter evaluation in Bretigny, France, flying the Fiat G-91, SUD Baroudeur, Dassault Etendard IV and VI, as well as the Breguet TAON. He flew the first jet fighter crossing of North Pole in F100F-25 using the first dead reckoning analog computer. He was selected to demo the F-105D center line weapon pod in Europe in 1961. Bob participated in and was Squadron Commander of Skoshi Tiger, a combat evaluation of the F-5A “in country”, RVN. He evaluated the Center line 20mm cannon for air/air combat in F-4C. He was PEM for F-15 Concept Formulation Hq USAF in 1967-69. In 1977 he performed YF-17A evaluation (F18 prototype) flight evaluation for ADCOM. In addition General Titus was Wing Commander of two USAF Fighter Wings, the 313th Air Division and was still actively flying as Director of Operations, Air Force Systems Command.
Bio
U S Air Force Biography – 27 years active duty.
BGen. Robert “Earthquake” Titus, USAF Ret.
550 + combat missions flown.