Retired Lt. Gen. A.P. Clark, sixth superintendent of the US Air Force Academy whose exploits as a POW during World War II inspired the Hollywood classic “The Great Escape,” died March 8 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was 96. Born Albert Patton Clark in 1913 in Hawaii, he became a pilot after graduating from West Point in 1936. Flying with the 31st Fighter Group out of Britain during World War II, his fighter was shot down in July 1942 over France, and he spent the next 33 months as a POW at Stalag Luft III in what is now Poland. He is credited with playing a critical role in the escape of 76 POWs from the camp in 1944. Clark was USAFA’s top general from August 1970 to July 1974. His funeral service is Wednesday at the academy, (USAFA release) (Los Angeles Times obituary)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.