Military history question....
I have also had this question on my mind. Any surviving WW2 Generals or Admirals in any contry? Perhaps in the former Soviet Union?
Another interesting fact...at the height of WW II, with some 16 million Americans in the military, there were FEWER generals or admirals than we have now..with the military less than 20% of WW II strength..
Jimmy Doolittle died in 1993 at 96.
James Gavin, the war's youngest US general died in 1990.
He may have been the only US WWII general to bed Marlene Dietrich or vote for McGovern.
Your interest in “historical overlap” reminds me of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. In his youth, he clerked for a man who had served as secretary to George Washington. And when Holmes was himself an old man, one of his clerks was Alger Hiss.
Therefore, it is said about Justice Holmes: He knew a man who worked for George Washington, and he knew a man who worked for Joe Stalin!
You might take a look at this site: http://www.generals.dk/
When I was a kid, there were still Civil War Vets around, but no Generals. In the mid 70’s I met a Spanish American War vet who still had a job.
No help to offer, but I’ve often reflected on the same thing. Did you know that the last veteran of the American Revolution died in 1869? Reflecting on that, it makes one realize just how new our country is- only a couple of lifetimes from the founding.
It may be Ralph Corbett Smith, commander of the US Army’s 27th Infantry Division. He passed away in 1998 at the age of 104. If he’s not the last, he’s close.
He was a Major General when the 27th took part of the invasion of Saipan in 1944, where he was unfairly sacked by the USMC commander, General Holland M. (Howling Mad) Smith in the famous “Smith -vs- Smith” controversy. That episode is a very interesting read in of itself.
My father served under him and held him in the highest regard.
I remember when Omar Bradley died in 1981 they said he was the last living 5 star.
Funny, I just Googled “living wwii generals” and this thread was the first result. Might as well bump it! :-)
Fascinating information here.