John J. Pershing

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John J. Pershing

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing (born September 13, 1860 in Laclede , Linn County , Missouri ; †  July 15, 1948 in Washington, DC ) was an American officer who in 1919 received the specially created rank of General of the Armies of the United States . Apart from him, this honor was only bestowed on George Washington during the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the independence of the USA. He gained fame in World War I as Commander in Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe.

biography

Pershing was born near Laclede, the first of six children. Although he originally had no ambitions for a military career, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1882 to 1886 , which had a reputation for providing excellent training. Although he was an average student, he showed leadership qualities early on that set him apart from the other cadets .

After his successful training in West Point he was assigned to the 6th Cavalry Regiment stationed in New Mexico , with which he took part in the Indian Wars, among other things . From 1891 to 1895 Pershing was a military tactics instructor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln . Then he came to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, where he led African American soldiers, the Buffalo Soldiers . His nickname "Black Jack" came from this time.

General John Pershing outside his headquarters in Chaumont, France, October 19, 1918

In 1897 Pershing became a military tactics instructor at West Point, where he was rather unpopular with the cadets because of his strict methods. Pershing served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War . In 1899 he supervised various expeditions against local resistance members in the Philippines , and in 1905 he was employed as a military attaché in Tokyo . After serving as an observer in the Russo-Japanese War , he returned to the Philippines in 1909 as governor of Moro Province .

After Pershing had spent four years in the Southeast Asian country, he was ordered in December 1913 to take over the leadership of the US 8th Infantry Brigade in the Presidio of San Francisco . In 1916 he was given supreme command of the troops of the punitive expedition that were sent to capture the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa . During his time in Mexico , Pershing's wife and three daughters were killed in a house fire; only his son Warren survived.

On May 7, 1917, 52 days after the United States declared war on the German Reich , Pershing was ordered to Washington. President Woodrow Wilson had appointed him Commander in Chief of the US Forces in Europe, known as the American Expeditionary Forces .

When he arrived in France , he found that the Entente intended to send the American soldiers to the front immediately. Pershing did not agree, but wanted to set up a well-trained and independent armed force first. With an initial 500,000 soldiers, he began the first major operations on the Western European battlefields in 1918. The offensives he led at Saint-Mihiel and in the Argonne helped push the Germans back after their advances in spring and summer. Pershing came under fire shortly after the war because on the last day of the war, although the armistice had been decided on November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m., he had allowed an attack on the German positions planned before the armistice. There was nothing left to gain and the conquered territories were later returned to the Germans. He had to answer for it with other high-ranking officers before a commission of inquiry. During questioning, one officer noted, “They were like children given toys to play with and who knew they would have to give them back one day. So they played with it until the last day. ”However, since a certain hero myth developed around Pershing during that time, this investigation ultimately had no consequences for him. The general was stationed in Trier until 1919 , when French troops replaced the American troops.

Pershing (October 1931)
Pershing's 1940 speech calling for American support for the Allies against Nazi Germany
John J. Pershing's grave in Arlington

After the war, he was discussed as a Republican presidential candidate in 1920 . But since he showed no great ambitions for the office and influential members of the party viewed him as too close to the Democrats , Warren G. Harding was finally nominated (and subsequently elected president).

Pershing continued his military career. Due to his achievements, he, who had been a four-star general up to this point, was awarded the unique rank of General of the Armies of the United States by the President of the United States on September 3, 1919 on the recommendation of Congress . As a badge of rank he wore four gold stars at his own request (four-star generals wore four silver stars). In 1921 he became Chief of Staff of the Army , succeeding Peyton C. March . He performed his service until 1924. In 1931 he published his book My Experience on the World War, which was awarded the " Pulitzer Prize for History" in 1932 . On August 7, 1946, he received the Congress Gold Medal of Honor .

John Pershing died on July 15, 1948 at the Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

honors and awards

Honors

Awards (selection)

Publications

Individual evidence

  1. The History Channel Special - The Last Day of the First World War; Documentation; Year of production: 2004

Web links

Commons : John Pershing  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wikisource: John J. Pershing  - Sources and full texts (English)
predecessor Office successor
- Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission
1923–1948
George C. Marshall