Roscoe B. Woodruff

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Maj. Gen. Roscoe B. Woodruff

Roscoe Barnett "Woody" Woodruff (born February 9, 1891 in Oskaloosa , Iowa ; † April 24, 1975 in San Antonio , Texas ) was an American officer and major general in the US Army , who was among other things commander of various infantry divisions and corps and in 1949 to 1950 twice Acting Commanding General of the First US army ( First US army ) was.

Life

Officer training, World War I and the interwar period

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of Woodruff's classmates at the US Military Academy at West Point .

Roscoe Barnett Woodruff, son of Calvin Woodruff and his wife Rhoda Isabella Barnett Woodruff, began officer training in 1911 at the US Military Academy at West Point , which he completed in 1915. The graduating class in 1915 was referred to as "the class the stars fell on" due to the large number of graduates who later received general ranks . His classmates included Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar N. Bradley , while he himself was First Captain of the Cadet Corps. After graduation, he was in 1915 as a lieutenant (Second Lieutenant) of the infantry in the US Army adopted. He served first on the border with Mexico and after the United States entered the First World War on April 6, 1917 in the 2nd Infantry Division.

After the end of the war, Woodruff found numerous other uses as an officer and staff officer and after attending the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) in Fort Leavenworth and the US Army War College (USAWC) in Carlisle as a major, among other things, was an instructor for tactics at the US military Academy. In addition, he was between July 1932 and August 1936 commander of the cadet battalion ( Commanding Officer Battalion of Cadets) of the US Military Academy and was promoted in this use on July 1, 1936 to lieutenant colonel (Lieutenant Colonel) . He then acted on 6 September 1936 to July 1940 as head of unit training in the office of assistants chefs and G3 of Staff of the Army in the War Office (US Department of War) .

Second World War

Commander in the US and UK

Woodruff was seconded to the 23rd Infantry Regiment at Fort Sam Houston as commander of the 2nd Battalion between August 1940 and July 31, 1941 . There he was promoted to colonel (Colonel) of the Army of the United States on June 26, 1941 , whereupon he was from August 1, 1941 to January 15, 1942 commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment (23rd Infantry Regiment) . In June 1941 his former fellow student Dwight D. Eisenhower was promoted to Chief of Staff of the Third US Army in Fort Sam Houston and in September 1941 was promoted to Brigadier General. In these positions both witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and the entry of the United States into World War II on December 8, 1941. He then became Brigadier General of the Army of the United States on January 15, 1942 and initially deputy commander of the 77th Infantry Division. On June 22, 1942, he became Major General of the Army of the United States and succeeded Major General Robert L. Eichelberger from June 1942 until his replacement by Major General Andrew D. Bruce in May 1943, Commander of the 77th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Jackson ( 77th Infantry Division ) , the so-called "Statue of Liberty", which was being prepared for a deployment in the Pacific War in the Philippines at this time .

Roscoe B. Woodruff was then on May 31, 1943 as the successor to Major General Robert C. Richardson, Jr. Commanding General of the United Kingdom stationed VII US Corps ( VII Corps ) , the so-called "The Jayhawk Corps" and remained on this post until February 14, 1944, whereupon Lieutenant General J. Lawton Collins was his successor. In this use took place on November 1, 1943 his promotion to Colonel (Colonel) of the regular US Army. 1943 Woodruff was General Dwight D. Eisenhower alongside Leonard T. "Gee" Gerow and Willis D. "Critt" Crittenberger selected as one of three corps commanders, originally for the implementation of Operation Overlord , the Allied landing in Normandy were provided . Crittenberger, Gerow, and Woodruff were recognized officers whom Eisenhower trusted. Woodruff's fellow fellow student General Omar N. Bradley, who was selected by General Eisenhower as the American commander for Operation Neptune on D-Day on June 4, 1944, changed Eisenhower's selection as he sought different temperaments and commanders with greater combat experience .

Commander in the Pacific War in the Philippines

Major General Woodruff was instrumental in the Battle of Mindoro (December 13-16, 1944).

Woodruff was then in 1944 as the successor of Crittenberger Commanding General of the XIX. US Corps ( XIX Corps ) , but replaced by Major General Charles H. Corlett in March 1944 . He then returned to the US and sparked in March 1944, Major General Robert B. McClure as commander of the 84th Infantry Division ( 84th Infantry Division ) from the so-called "rail splitter" which at the time in Camp Claiborne in Louisiana trained for operations abroad. He remained in this post until June 1944 and was then replaced by Major General Alexander R. Bolling . Then he took between 17 June and 18 November 1944 the post of commander of the on Hawaii stationed army garrison 248 (Army Garrison Force 248) and received there on 9 September 1944 was promoted to Brigadier (Brigadier General) of the regular US Army .

On November 19, 1944 Roscoe B. Woodruff took over from Major General Frederick A. Irving the post as commander of the 24th Infantry Division ( 24th Infantry Division ) , the so-called "Victory Division", and had this until his replacement by Brigadier General Kenneth F. Cramer in November 1945. The 24th Infantry Division was deployed in the Pacific War in the Philippines and took part under his leadership in the Battle of Leyte (October 17 to December 31, 1944), the Battle of Mindoro (December 13 to 16, 1944) and the five-month battle of Mindanao (March 10 to August 15, 1945), which ultimately led to the reconquest of the Philippines (October 20, 1944 to September 2, 1945).

post war period

After the war and the surrender of Japan was Roscoe B. Woodruff on 15 November 1945 successor Lieutenant General Innis P. Swift as Commanding General of the in Japan stationed and the Eighth US Army ( Eighth US Army ) belonging to I Corps ( I Corps ) and remained in this post until February 5, 1948, whereupon Major General Joseph M. Swing succeeded him there. For his services in World War II, he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal twice and the Silver Star twice in 1946 . In the post of Commanding General of I Corps took place on January 24, 1948 was promoted to Major General (Major General) . He then acted from February 15, 1948 to March 1951 as Deputy Commanding General of the First US Army ( First US Army ) in Fort Jay on Governors Island . As such, he was after the retirement of General Courtney H. Hodges between February 1 and March 28, 1949 for the first time acting commanding general of the First US Army. After General Walter Bedell Smith was appointed director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), he acted again between October 1 and October 31, 1950 as acting commanding general of the First US Army. Most recently, Major General Woodruff was in March 1951 Commanding General of the XV. US Corps ( XV Corps ) at Fort Polk . In January 1953, after 41 years of service, he left active military service and retired.

He was married to Alice Gray Woodruff until his death. From this marriage came Roscoe Barnett "Barney" Woodruff, Jr., who served as a colonel in the US Air Force . After his death, he was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio .

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Woodruff, Roscoe B.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Woodruff, Roscoe Barnett (full name); Woody (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American military, major general in the US Army
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Oskaloosa , Iowa
DATE OF DEATH April 24, 1975
Place of death San Antonio , Texas