The Air Marshals tells the story of the first four decades of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) through the careers of its commanders, from the beginning of powered flight to the early cold war. In 1924, the RCAF was born. The small, independent service navigated times of boom and bust over the next forty years while taking a key role in nation-building and defending Canadian interests. Multiple wars, the threat of nuclear attack, and challenges posed by the integration of the military all shaped the direction of the force. The Air Marshals explores these transformative decades through the lens of RCAF leadership, profiling the officers who dealt with the turbulent issues of their day. All had extensive experience, some as air combat veterans, others in staff positions, and they confronted an array of shifting circumstances: operations, personnel matters, procurement, air force expansion and contraction, training, and professionalization. Collectively, these profiles highlight the qualities that define effective leadership: the ability to work with all parties, to listen, to act decisively or to defer when needed. These hallmarks of success remain as true for today's generation of RCAF commanders as they were for those pioneering early leaders.