Holland M. Smith

Holland Smith

Holland McTyeire "Howlin 'Mad" Smith (born April 20, 1882 in Seale , Alabama , † January 12, 1967 in San Diego , California ) was a general in the US Marine Corps during World War II . He was the first commander of the 1st Marine Division and is also considered the father of modern American amphibious warfare .

Life

Early years

Smith was the son of attorney John V. Smith. In 1901 he graduated from Auburn University , now known as the Alabama Polytechnic Institute , with a Bachelor of Science degree . He received his Bachelor of Laws two years later from the University of Alabama , then opened a law firm in Montgomery , Alabama . However, he decided to become a soldier and enlisted in the US Marine Corps. On March 20, 1905, he graduated as a second lieutenant . Nevertheless, he received an honorary doctorate in law .

In April 1906, he finished at the Marine Corps Base Quantico -based School of Application and went until September 1908 on the Philippines , where he in the 1st Marine Brigade served. After returning to the United States , he was stationed at the Marine Barracks near Annapolis , Maryland , before going to Panama in December 1909 . He returned three months later and spent the following time in Annapolis, Puget Sound , San Diego, and with the Seattle recruiting agency . In September 1912 he was reassigned to the 1st Marine Brigade in the Philippines.

In April 1914, Smith became Chief of the U.S. Marine Corps Security Guard aboard the cruiser USS Galveston (CL-19). This post took him mainly in Asian waters until July 1915 , before he began his service at the New Orleans Navy Yard , in the state of Louisiana .

With the US occupation of the Dominican Republic , Holland Smith and the 4th Marine Regiment were transferred there in June 1916.

First World War

When the USA entered World War I , Smith returned to the United States on May 30, 1917. There he was transferred to France as company commander of the 8th machine gun company of the 5th Marine Regiment . His nickname "Howlin 'Mad" came about during his service with the company .

In France he was honored as one of only six Marines to attend the Army General Staff College in Langres . This unique course was successfully completed in February 1918. Now Smith was the Adjutant of the 4th Marine Brigade , the part of the at Verdun stationed 2nd Infantry Division was. During the battles for Belleau Wood he played an important, albeit undramatic, role. As a liaison officer , he oversaw communications within the brigade and division . In July 1918 he was assigned to the I Corps of the First Army , where he served as assistant liaison officer during the offensive between Marne and Aisne - and the Oise-Aisne offensive , as well as at the battle of St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne- Offensive provided.

After the Armistice of Compiègne , he took part with the Third Army on the march to the Rhine via the states of Belgium and Luxembourg occupied by the German Empire . Afterwards he was a member of the General Staff of the US Army during the occupation of Germany.

Interwar period

In April 1919 he returned to the United States. Smith spent the next four years in Norfolk , Virginia and Newport , Rhode Island , studying at Naval War College . He was then transferred to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, DC , where he was the first officer in the U.S. Marine Corps to serve on the Joint Army-Navy Planning Committee .

From May to September 1923 he served aboard the battleships USS Wyoming (BB-32) and USS Arkansas (BB-33) . Subsequent posts took Smith to Marine Corps Headquarters and the Western Caribbean , where he participated in joint Army and Navy maneuvers . In February 1924 he went to Haiti , where he became chief of staff of the occupation army. His engagement there ended in August of the next year. Holland Smith became Chief of Staff in the 1st Marine Brigade in Quantico , Virginia . There he took a course at the Marine Corps School from September 1926 . He was then from July 1927 to March 1931 Quartermaster of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard .

From April 1931 to June 1933 he was assistant to the Commander and Force Marine Officer of the Battle Force, US Fleet on the USS California . Since then he has commanded the Marine Barracks in Washington and from January 1935 was Chief of Staff of the Department of the Pacific in San Francisco , California . In March 1937 he was reassigned to the headquarters of the US Marine Corps, this time as director of the operations and training department. Then Smith was from April to September of 1939, under Major General Thomas Holcomb , of assistive Commandant of the Marine Corps .

With the outbreak of World War II in Europe , Smith was appointed commander of the 1st Marine Brigade in Quantico. She was relocated to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , where she trained extensively in amphibious landings. On February 1, 1941, the unit was renamed the 1st Marine Division .

In April of that year the division was moved back to Quantico. The following June General Smith was transferred and instead took command of a larger force, which should be the Amphibious Force US Atlantic Fleet in an emergency .

Second World War

With the outbreak of the Pacific War , the 1st US Marine Division as well as the 1st and 9th US Infantry Divisions were under Smith's supervision on military exercises on the subject of modern amphibious warfare .

In August 1942 Smith took command of the Amphibious Corps of the US Pacific Fleet . There he trained the 2nd Infantry Division and the 3rd Marine Division before they were transferred to the war zone in the Pacific. He also prepared the 7th Infantry Division and other units that should be involved in the Aleutian operations . In September 1943, the US Pacific Fleet Amphibious Corps was renamed the 5th US Amphibious Corps, and Smith became its commander. Preparations for the recapture of the Gilbert Islands were in full swing at Pearl Harbor , but contrary to all expectations, General Smith was reassigned to other duties after just a month. Nevertheless, he took part in Operation Galvanic in an advisory capacity.

As the Pacific War progressed, Smith became Commander in Chief of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific . In addition to this task, he led from June 1944, as part of Operation Forager , the landings on the Mariana Islands Saipan and Tinian , as well as Task Force 56 in the Battle of Iwojima .

In July 1945, he was appointed head of the U.S. Marine Corps Training and Reserve Command at Camp Pendleton , California.

retirement

Holland Smith went one on 15 May 1946 at the age of 64 years with the rank of Lieutenant General in retirement . For his service in battle, however, he was still promoted to the rank of general. He spent his old age in La Jolla , California , where he pursued his hobby, gardening. In 1949 his autobiographical book CORAL AND BRASS was published . His wife Ada B. Smith died in 1962. General Holland McTyeire Smith died at the age of 84 after a long illness on January 12, 1967 in the San Diego Naval Hospital .

His funeral took place two days later with full military honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. Smith had a son, John V. Smith , Rear Adm. In the US Navy .

His awards include a .: the Navy Distinguished Service Medal with quadruple oak leaves, the Purple Heart , the Meritorious Service Citation , the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal , the Mexican Service Medal , the Dominican Campaign Medal , the World War I Victory Medal , the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal (First World War), the American Defense Service Medal , the World War II Victory Medal , as well as the French Croix de guerre and the appointment as British Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath .

In honor of Smith, a U.S. Marine Corps base on Oahu , Hawaii , Camp HM Smith was named. This is the headquarters of the US Marine Corps' Pacific Command .

In the film Flags of Our Fathers (2006) - directed by Clint Eastwood , Smith is portrayed by actor Gordon Clapp .

Web links

• Official biography of the US Marine Corps (English)
• British Bio (English)
• Find out more about Smith (English)