Major General Delmar Taft Spivey (August 9, 1905 – January 18, 1982) was an American military officer involved with aerial gunnery systems development, air education, and command structure.

Entering flying school in June 1929, he graduated a year later, transferred to the Air Corps and was assigned to Langley Field, Virginia.

Lt. Spivey started out with the cross-country flight of Brooks Field students to Galveston, Texas, but was forced down near Needham with a broken gas line.

The formation returned to the field at about 3:00 p.m., but before reaching his destination the motor of his DH machine went bad, and for the third time he hurriedly scanned the ground below in search of a convenient pasture.

"Three times and out," observed Lt. Spivey as he disentangled himself from the wreckage, checked himself over to see if he was still complete, and waved the rest of the flight, now circling overhead, back to the field.

On April 14, 1938, he experienced a ground collision in a landing accident at Kelly Field, in which North American BT-9B, 37–166,[6][7] of the 64th School Squadron, received moderate damage.

[8] Becoming materiel officer of the 23d Composite Group in July 1938, with which he served at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and Orlando, Florida, two years later the general assumed command of a squadron at the Air Corps Proving Ground, Eglin Field, Florida, and in January 1941 was appointed executive officer of the Air Corps Proving Ground.

[9] Two months prior, Spivey had suffered a landing accident on October 10 at Maxwell Field, Alabama, in which Curtiss P-36C Hawk, 38–187, c/n 12601,[10] of the 1st Pursuit Squadron (Single Engine), 23d Composite Group, received minor damage.

In addition, the extensive literature and field guides from the British Royal Air Force's aerial gunnery school influenced Spivey.

After examining all available publications on gunnery in his planning for the school and comparing the results of his investigation with the subject matter of the two books, Colonel Spivey suggested to LAI?

[24] Assigned with the Eighth Air Force in Europe, on August 12, 1943, while serving as an observer on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the 92d Bomb Group, piloted by Eugene M. Wiley, on a mission to hit the rail marshalling yards[25] at Gelsenkirchen, Germany, in the industrial Ruhr region,[26] Colonel Spivey was shot down.

During succeeding days he learned all about the prisoners' forgery operation, covert communications with London and Washington, impressive education and theatrical programs, and robust play on the athletic field.

[32]This coded and carefully hidden history was retrieved and carried at no little risk when the camp was hastily evacuated in late January 1945, as the Germans marched the prisoners away from the rapidly advancing Russian armies.

The documents served as the basis and initial impetus for "Stalag Luft III – The Secret Story", a definitive history of the camp, by Col. Arthur A. Durand, USAF (Ret.).

When word reached the camp that 50 of the 76 escapees had been shot after the break out of March 24–25, 1944, Spivey called the prisoners together and told them "Gentlemen, we're helpless and hopeless.

There, Spivey and General Arthur W. Vanaman, the highest ranking American prisoner to be captured during the war, were separated from the POWs, the "kriegies" going by train to a large camp at Moosburg, in Eastern Bavaria, and the two officers taken to Berlin to meet with representatives of SS Lieutenant General Gottlob Berger, who was still in charge of Luftwaffe prison camps.

"Working through the Swiss government, Berger made arrangements for Red Cross parcels supplies to be delivered from Geneva to Allied prisoners of war who were being moved from the Eastern Front.

He wanted Vanaman to take a message to Eisenhower conveying his desire to negotiate - by secret radio codes - a separate peace with the Western Allies.

High-ranking army officers would then murder Hitler and Himmler - who were madmen, Berger said - and arrange an 'orderly and correct surrender' of the country to the Western Allies.

He and Spivey were then smuggled into neutral Switzerland and Vanaman flown to France to meet with Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz, who was incredulous at Berger's peace proposal.

Entering the National War College in August 1946, upon graduation the following June the general became chief of the Academic Staff of the Air University at Maxwell Field, Alabama.

"[40][41][42] An article in the September 1966 issue of Boys' Life magazine states that In ten years as superintendent, General Spivey has, with what an associate calls "dynamic ease," raised Culver to the top rank of prep schools in the U.S.

For his outstanding work, General Spivey last year received the Silver Antelope – one of Scoutings [sic] highest awards for service to youth.

Titled: "POW Odyssey: Recollections of Center Compound, Stalag Luft III and the Secret German Peace Mission in World War II", it was published in 1984.

He retired from the Air Force on Wednesday August 31, 1977, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, his final assignment being with the Operations Plans Division of the 463d Tactical Airlift Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas.