Spencer Akin

Spencer Ball Akin (born February 13, 1889 in Greenville , Mississippi , † October 6, 1973 ) was an American major general in the US Army . During the Second World War , as head of the Signal Corps in the Pacific War , he was instrumental in the success of the US troops in the reconquest of the Philippines and the victory against the Japanese Empire , and has received several awards for this.

Life

Communications Officer and Battle of the Philippines

After attending school, Akin completed an officer training course and then became an officer in the telecommunications force. He participated in the First World War in part and was on August 1, 1935, Lieutenant Colonel (Lieutenant-Colonel) for and on Aug. 21, 1939 Colonel (Colonel) transported. From May 1941 to November 1945 he was chief of the communications troops of the 3rd Army ( Third US Army ) and between November 1941 and March 1942 he was chief of the communications troops of the US land forces in the Far East, USAFFE (US Army Forces Far East) and then of 1942 to 1945 also chief of the communications troops in the SWPA ( Southwest Pacific Area ) . During this time he was on 18 December 1941 Brigadier (Brigadier-General) promoted and was during the Second World War, one of the closest associates of General Douglas MacArthur , the supreme commander in the Pacific war .

During this time Akin was largely responsible for the broadcast of the radio program Voice of Freedom , which was broadcast three times a day and before the occupation of the Philippines on June 9, 1942 by Japan, morally supported the US troops in Corregidor and Bataan . For his military merits and achievements, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star in 1942 . On November 3, 1943 his promotion was made to Major General (Major-General) .

In the course of 1944, telecommunications equipment proved to be more important in the Pacific War than in the European theater of war. In November 1944, communications in the Pacific were over a million messages a day. In addition to wire communications equipped Akin a small flotilla of small vessels such as schooners , Ketschern and ships without their own drive with radio equipment from. At first these acted as relay stations , but soon became advanced command posts, communication locations, locations for the Army Command and Administrative Network ( ACAN ) and telecommunications supply depots. Their support was so sought after that army units competed to receive their services.

Recapture of the Philippines, surrender of Japan and the post-war period

Akin took the US forces back to the Philippines Campaign and led the heavily equipped Signal Corps at the side of Lieutenant General Walter Krueger commanded the 6th Army ( Sixth US Army ) after landing at Lingayen Gulf in January 1945 in the Battle of Luzon to Manila . After the reconquest of the Philippines, he accompanied General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor in the further fighting against Japan. He made use of the Japanese dependence on radio communication by informing his own commanders about intercepted radio contacts and radio messages. For example, it emerged from an intercepted message that the Japanese troops were expecting a bomb attack and thereupon gave the order to move planes from an endangered military airfield to a supposedly safe location. The Army Air Force USAAF ( US Army Air Forces ) used this information to carry out the attack before the planned relocation and destroyed a large number of enemy aircraft in the process. His telecommunications troops were used across the armed forces. For example, the battleship USS Missouri , the flagship of Admiral William F. Halsey , was equipped with telecommunications and intelligence equipment. Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance , the commander of the US Fifth Fleet , also had communications specialists from the US Signal Corps.

After the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945 Akin was 1945-1946 chief of the Signal Corps of the US forces in the Pacific (US Army Forces Pacific) and was for his services during this time with both the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal awarded . On his return he was on April 1, 1947, first chief of the Signal Corps in the War Office (US War Department) , before moving to the ministerial restructuring of 18 September 1947 to the March 1, 1951 Head of the Signal Corps in the now the newly created Ministry of Defense (US Department of Defense) under standing army Ministry ( US Department of the Army ) was. He retired on March 31, 1951.

Akin, who was married to Eleanor Holt Stone Akin, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery after his death .

Web links

• Entry on the homepage of Arlington National Cemetery
• Spencer Akin in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Entry in general.dk