Leonard T. Gerow

Leonard T. Gerow

Leonard Townsend Gerow (born July 13, 1888 in Petersburg , Virginia , † October 12, 1972 ibid) was a highly decorated general in the United States Army .

Life

After attending high school in his hometown of Petersburg, Gerow enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington . His graduation as top of the class was followed in 1911 by promotion to lieutenant in the infantry . In 1914 he took part in the occupation of Veracruz . In 1916 Gerow served in Texas and participated in the Mexican expedition under John J. Pershing . He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1916 and to captain the following year . In early 1918 he came to France with the American Expeditionary Forces , where he served in the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel on the staff of the United States Army Signal Corps . For his services he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the admission to the French Legion of Honor.

Upon his return to the United States, Gerow was promoted to permanent major in 1919 and served for a time as commandant of the Signal Corps School at Fort Sam Houston . From 1924 he attended the advanced course at the US Army Infantry School in Fort Benning , which he in turn graduated as top of the class (second best was Omar N. Bradley ). He then attended the Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth as a classmate Dwight D. Eisenhower and finished the course there as eleventh best among 245 students. From 1926 to 1929 Gerow then served in the Washington War Department . In 1931 he completed the Field Officer's Course in Chemical Warfare and Tank Tactics and enrolled at Army War College . This was followed by a stay abroad in the Philippines with the 31st Infantry Regiment, where he was temporarily posted to Shanghai . From 1935 to 1939 he served in the War Plans Division (WPD) of the War Department. He was then used as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Infantry Division and Deputy Commander of the Infantry School. In October 1940 he was promoted to brigadier general .

In December 1940 Gerow was appointed head of the WPD and some time later also assistant chief of staff. Under his leadership, the then Major Albert Wedemeyer worked out the Victory Plan in 1941 . During this time, Gerow predicted an imminent collapse of the Soviet Union under the German attack and considered Japan's entry into the war unlikely. After the attack on Pearl Harbor , he testified before Supreme Court Judge Owen Roberts' investigative committee . In February 1942 he was replaced as chief of the WPD by Eisenhower, and promoted to major general commander of the 29th Infantry Division . With this he was transferred to England in autumn 1942. In July 1943 he took over command of the V Corps , at that time the largest combat unit of the US Army in ETOUSA . He played an important role in the preparation of Operation Overlord and led the V Corps in June 1944 on its landing at Omaha Beach and the further fighting in France. He was awarded the Silver Star for his role in this campaign . On January 15, 1945 Gerow received command of the newly formed 15th Army and was promoted retrospectively to lieutenant general a little later .

After the war ended, Gerow was appointed commander of the Command and General Staff School. At the same time, he was chairman of a commission that should advise on the future organization of military training. In January 1948 he took command of the 2nd Army , which was his last active post. In the summer of 1950 he retired from the army. By resolution of the US Congress of July 19, 1954, he was promoted to the retired list to general . He died in 1972 at the age of 84 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery .

literature

• Russell Frank Weigley: Eisenhower's Lieutenants: The Campaigns of France and Germany, 1944-1945. Indiana University Press, 1981, ISBN 0-253-13333-5 .

Web links

Commons : Leonard T. Gerow  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Leonard Townsend Gerow at arlingtoncemetery.net