The FReeper Foxhole Profiles General of the Army Omar Bradley - May 24th, 2003

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Bradley ^

[SAMWolf]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

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FReepers from the The Foxhole
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

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Omar Nelson Bradley
(1893 - 1981)

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Known by his troops in World War II as "The Soldier's General" because of his care of and compassion for those soldiers under his command. He graduated from West Point, just missing service in World War I. At the outset of World War II he was a training officer and felt he would miss involvement in another World War until he was assigned to the European Theater. There he served for a period under General George S. Patton, Jr., prior to taking command of the United States Army Group, the largest single command ever held by an American general officer. Following the war he was promoted to 5-star General-of-the-Army rank, served as Army Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also served as leader of the Veterans Administration.

Bradley during his second year at West Point. He found the structure of military life reassuring and quickly adpated to the rigors of cadet life.

Omar Nelson Bradley was born - literally in a log cabin - near Clark, Missouri, on 12 February 1893, the only surviving child of schoolteacher John Smith Bradley and Sarah Elizabeth Bradley, nee Hubbard. The environment of Bradley's youth in rural Missouri was impoverished, but he received a good secondary education, becoming a star player on the Moberly High School baseball team. Hunting to supplement the family income, he also became a crack shot. He went to work for the Wabash Railroad after high school graduation in order to earn enough money to enter the University of Missouri. Bradley's plans changed, though, when his Sunday School superintendent recommended that he apply for an appointment to West Point. After placing first in the competitive exams for his district that were held at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, he received an appointment from Congressman William M. Rucker to enter the Military Academy in the fall of 1911.

Graduating from West Point in 1915 he was part of a class that contained many further generals. He joined the 14th Infantry Regiment but did not see action in Europe - serving on the Mexican border in 1915 and when war was declared he was promoted to captain but was posted to Montana. He did not receive a frontline command, his joining of the 19th Infantry Division in August 1918 was intended to lead to Europe but the influenza pandemic and then the armistice prevented him leaving the US.

Between the wars he taught and studied. From 1920-24 he taught mathematics at West Point. He was promoted to a major in 1924 and took the advanced infantry course at Fort Benning. After a brief service in Hawaii he then studied at the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth in 1928-29. from 1929 he taught at West Point again, taking a break to study at the Army War College in 1934. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1936 and worked at the War Department from 1938. In February 1941 he was promoted to brigadier general and sent to command Fort Benning. In February 1942 he took command of the 82nd Infantry Division before being switched to the 28th Infantry Division in June.



Bradley did not receive a frontline command until early 1943 after Operation Torch, he had been given 8th Corp but instead was sent to North Africa to serve under Eisenhower. He became head of 2nd Corps in April and directed them in the final battles of April and May. He then led his corps onto Sicily in July. In the approach to Normandy Bradley was chosen to command the substantial 1st Army Group. During Overlord he commanded three corps directed at the areas codenamed Utah and Omaha. Later in July he planned Operation Cobra which was the beginning of the breakout from the Normandy beach-head. By August Bradley's command, the renamed 12th Army Group, had swollen to over 900,000 men.

Bradley used his unprecedented force to undertake an ambitious plan to encircle the German forces in France, trapping them west of the Rhine. It was only partially successful but German forces were enormously attrited during their retreat. The American forces reached the 'Siegfried Line' in late September and were largely halted.

It was forces under Bradley's command who took the initial brunt of what would become the Battle of the Bulge. and it was forces under Patton that would finally forced the Germans back. Eisenhower and Bradley used the advantaged gained after the end of the battle to break the German defences and cross the Rhine into the industrial heartland of the Ruhr. The fortunate capture of the bridge at Remagen was quickly exploited, leading to an enormous pincer movement encircling the German forces in the Ruhr from the north and south, over 300,000 prisoners were taken. American forces met up with the Soviet forces near the River Elbe in mid-April. By this time the 12th Army Group was a force of four armies (1st, 3rd, 9th, and 15th) that numbered over 1.3 million men.



Bradley headed the Veterans Administration for two years after the war. He was made army chief of staff in 1948 and first chairman of the Joint Chiefs in 1949. On September 22, 1950 he was promoted to the rank of five-star general, only the fouth man to achieve that rank. Also in 1950 he was the first chairman of the NATO Military Committee. He remained on the committee until August 1953 when he retired from the military to take a number of positions in commercial life.

He published his memoirs in 1951 as A Soldier's Story and took the opportunity to attack the British wartime commander Bernard Montgomery over his 1945 claims to have won the Battle of the Bulge.

On 15 August 1953, Bradley left active service. In the twenty-eight years before his death in 1981, he occupied himself in industry and was periodically consulted by civilian and military leaders. He retained an active interest in the Army, spoke at its schools, and frequently visited units and met with soldiers of all ranks.

A quiet but distinguished member of a distinguished class of West Point graduates, Bradley typified a remarkable generation of Army officers. Disheartened by a perceived lack of success in 1918, he pursued his duty throughout some of the Army's most difficult years. The fact that war coincided with Bradley's own professional maturity brought him promotion as the first general officer in his class; George Marshall's confidence assured him a chance to show his mettle.



There is no standard against which to compare Bradley as an army group commander. During the fighting in Europe, his calm and effective presence was important in times of crisis, as was his deft touch in handling subordinates. It is difficult, for example, to imagine Patton without Bradley, who exploited the talents of that volatile commander as well as any man could have done. Finally, it was his superb wartime record, combined with his reputation for fairness and honesty, that made him effective in what was probably his most difficult job, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General of the Army Omar N. Bradley died on 8 April 1981, just a few minutes after receiving an award from the National Institute of Social Sciences. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery on 14 April 1981 with full military honors, as the nation mourned the passing of this great and noble warrior.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hi guys, you know how it is on weekends… kinda busy. I'm in and out and enjoying a nice weather but wanted to stop by and say hello.

[snippy_about_it]

Hey back atcha! We're kind of busy too. Glad to hear your weather is good.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hi Snippy, yes, the weather is good, especially for gardening.

[ex-snook]

Hey Sam thanks for the great work you do in putting this history up to see what was going on at the time. (Happenings were 'remote' from my Pfc perspective in the 7th Army)

[PhilDragoo]

The M4 Sherman Duplex Drive (or "DD") Tank was probably one of the most ungainly looking US/British "Secret Weapons" of WWII. The Allies deemed its development necessary for the amphibious invasion of Europe and the British first used Valentine tanks in practice drills and vehicle development. As most of their special armored vehicle projects were delegated to the British 79th Armoured Division under Major General P.C.S. Hobart, it was natural to assign them the task of strategy development for the DD assault vehicles. Hobart was the driving force behind the project, insisting the Valentines be replaced by US Sherman tanks which were then being issued to both US and British troops as their primary medium tank. When demonstrated to General Eisenhower during D-Day Invasion practice drills the reception was so enthusiastic that orders were made to equip more units with the DD AFVs. Because the number of British conversions possible in the time allowed could not match the demand, US factories also worked over a number of tanks for the 1944 assault on the French coast. Canadian Armoured Corps crews were also trained in the DD tanks and they landed their amphibious tanks also on June 6, 1944.

While most American DD Sherman conversions, like the vehicle in this US Army picture, were based on the M4 and M4A1 versions, the British tanks were converted primarily from M4A2 and M4A4 vehicles, known to them as Sherman III and V, respectively. The trick to getting something to float in water is to displace enough water weight to compensate for the weight of the object. In order to get a tank to float you have to displace a LOT of water. For a Sherman DD tank, buoyancy is provided by a tall rubber-coated canvas screen that surrounds the upper hull and turret, attached to an extended flange along the perimeter of the hull just above the tracks. The tan water proof screen is collapsible and can be fully erected in about 15 minutes by inflating 36 tubular rubber pillars located along the inside surface of the screen. Three steel support hoops are attached to the screen and surround the vehicle to provide resistance against the water pressure. The screen is further supported by 13 steel struts, locked in place with hinges in their centers.

This DD Sherman of the 13th/18th Hussars almost made it out of the water at Sword Beach. Even so, the driver's extended periscope has been removed and the screen dropped. There are a number of details in this Tank Museum photo that give some clues about how the screen was attached and erected. Of the five beaches the allies landed upon during D-Day, two were British, two were American, and one was Canadian. The Canadian units that took part included the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars), A and B Squadrons, landing at Courselles-sur-Mer, and the 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse), B and C Squadrons, landing at Bernieres-sur-Mer and St. Aubin-sur-Mer, respectively. One of the 1st Hussars tanks, "BOLD" of B Squadron, was recovered offshore some years ago and is now a permanent monument near the beach at Courselles. It is the only surviving Canadian Sherman DD tank.

This is a US Army picture of a DD tank undergoing tests before D-Day. Notice that the twin props at the lower rear have been locked in the lowered position. There were also plastic windows in the raised canvas, one seen on this side near the bow. The whole contraption was a very fragile system for keeping a tank afloat and it is amazing that any army was able to talk their tank crews into something so dangerous and obviously hair-brained as this design. On the other hand, the possibility that an armored vehicle could be released into the sea from an LST at a safe distance from the shore was very appealing to the upper Navy command when planning the amphibious assault on the heavily fortified French coast.

Many drawings and description of the Duplex Drive M4 Sherman with flotation skirt and propellers.

17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division

June 6: Allied invasion, Normandy
June 10: GvB Division posted to Normandy to counter allied landing, some troops have to bicycle to the front.
June 11: first combat Carentan; between Saint Lô and Coutances; SS-Kampfgruppe 1 sent to Demark to relieve 363rd Infantry Division; SS-Kampfgruppe 3 sent to Jutland
June 12: US paratroopers capture Carentan
June 13: combat Coutances; unsuccessful counterattack by SS-Pz.g Regt 37 (against the US 101st Airborne?)
June 16: SS-Brigadeführer Ostendorff WIA ; SS-Oberführer Eduard Diesenhoffer becomes division CO.
June 18: SS-Kampfgruppen 1 & 3 become SS-Panzergrenadier Regt.s 49 & 51 respectively
June 30: combat Carentan; SS-Kampfgruppe 3 strength: circa 2,900
July 1944: division strength at 8,500; combat Carentan
July 25: US Army breaks through at St. Lô.
August 1944: Aug 4: 51st Regt. sent to Troyer, France
Aug 6: GvB participates in "Mortain Offensive" (a.k.a. Operation "Luttich") - the assault on Avranches; briefly assigned to the 2nd SS-Panzer Division
August 7: Operation Luttich
Aug. 10: 49th Regiment reclasified as "26.SS-Panzer-Division" (originally named 25th SS Panzer Division by the SS-FHA before they realised that they had already given out the number to a SS division of Hungarian recruits) & 51st Regiment as "27.SS-Panzer-Division" (26th divsion?) - to confuse allied intelligence.
Aug 13: 49th Regt. transferred to France; attacked by the Danish Resistence and Allied "Jabos" (fighter-bomber aircraft) the unit suffers heavy casualties and loses much of its equipment.
Aug 15: "Mortain Offensive" fails and becomes Falaise pocket. GvB split into 4 Kampsgruppe:
Kampgruppe Braune
Kampgruppe Gunter
Kampgruppe Fick
Kampgruppe Wahl
Aug 16: Regt. 49 arrives Calais, worse for wear & tear.
Aug 28: 1st Battery 17th SS Flak Battallion covers retreating German troops at Loire river bridge
Aug 22: Regt. 49 transferred to Meaux
Aug 23: Regt. 51 attacked by US 4th Armored Division, Troyes
Aug 25: Regt. 51 remnants flee Troyes; unit subordinated to GvB (some accounts say this occured Sept 7-8); 49th Regt. combat Romilly; then retreats to Verdun Aug 29: remnants of GvB withdraw to Chartres forest for refitting.
Aug 31: Regt 49 abandons Verdun
September 1944: Sept. 1: GvB refitting Metz.
Sept 5: stationed Arnaville
Sept. 7: 49th SS Panzergrenadier and 51st SS Panzer ("Mersig"?) brigades incorporated in to GvB (some accounts say Sept 8; SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 37 defends Dornot against US troops.
Sept. 8: US 5th Infantry Division creates bridgehead over Moselle River at Dornot; GvB strongly counterattacks; 26th & 27th SS "Divisions" disbanded
Sept. 9: US 5th & 80th Infantry Divisions create new bridgehead over Moselle River at Arnaville; GvB stongly counterattacks
Sept. 13: GvB counterattacks fail; US 5th & 80th Infantry Divisions maintain & expand the Arnaville bridgehead;
Sept. 14: GvB in action Saar area, defending Metz.
Sept 15: division strength 16,832
Sept 17: Americans liberate Foret De Facq
October 1944: Combat Saar area;
Oct 31. division badly depleted
November 1944: GvB assigned to SS-Gruppenführer Max Simon's XIII. SS-Korps.
Nov 8: USAAF bombs GvB division HQ
Nov 16: Hitler authorizes the withdrawl of GvB from Metz

US jeep that's been hit near St. Lo, France, June 1944.

Saving Private Ryan preponderantly a load:

In the film a below strength squad of Rangers, led by a Ranger Captain (Tom Hanks) is sent behind German lines to find and rescue private Ryan. They travel through German held territory, risking life and limb. They find Ryan and a small group of Paratrooper's trying to hold onto a key bridge. But there's more! The bridge is about to be attacked by a German Panzer Group with Tiger tanks. Will they save the bridge, and the invasion ? To find out go and see the film.

The true story is that the missing trooper - Niland - spent 18 days behind German lines evading enemy patrols helped by local French civilians. He finally walked into US controlled territory on his own. When he reported in the story goes he was told, "oh, we've been looking for you." A Chaplain drove Niland down to the beach in a jeep so he could be evacuated. There was no rescue, no risking a group of men to save one, no bridge, and no TIGER tank! The German Tigers were attacking further west in the British sector.

The main part of the film's story is the rescue attempt by Tom Hanks and his fellow soldiers. Hanks is the star of the film, and this action is the main story of the film. The fictional story of Private Ryan is the film's backstory. In reality there was no rescue attempt, to save Niland, (they army had no way of knowing where he was ). The main story of the film Tom, Hanks and his band of brothers finding and saving Private Ryan and fighting a crucial battle in Normandy is pure fiction. So is the bridge defense against Tiger tanks.

I found this more incisive as Hank and Erika Holzer were just on John Kasich Heartland on Fox on their book Fake Warriors.

I am convinced that the best service a retired general can perform is to lend his name to a platform our troops will ride to victory.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Phil.

LOL. Those canvas sides make the tanks look like giant wash tubs!

Now I'll leave the intellegent discussion of tanks to SAM and the others. :)

[SAMWolf]

Hi Victoria. Any plans for the weekend?

[SAMWolf]

You're welcome, ex-snook. Too bad we only find out the "big picture" much later.

[SAMWolf]

Evening PhilDragoo.

Thanks for the background and link on the DD Tanks.

I wonder how many people think that saving Private Ryan was based on a real story? Hard to believe they convinced tank crews to get into those things.

Nice concise timeline on the 17th SS PGD in France.

[snippy_about_it]

:)

[SAMWolf]

The M-18 Hellcat tank destroyer. That thing was fast!

Nice song with it too. Thanks

[snippy_about_it]

I was thinking them boys might need a fast tank, just in case they ran low on ammo. hahahaha!

You could fly off and bring back some extra. lol.

[SAMWolf]

Some day we'll have to discuss the difference in tank warfare philosopy between the US and germany in WWII. LOL!

[snippy_about_it]

Okay, over a beer or two.

Somehow I think it would be much more fun if I remain clueless! LOL.

[SAMWolf]

Yep. You're probably right.

[snippy_about_it]

Yep. You're probably right.

HEY! - LOL.

I liked this song so much the other night I'm signing off with it again. Good night-time song.

Good night SAM.

[SAMWolf]

Good night Snippy.

That is a good song.

[Light Speed]

Great post Phil

My Uncle Bob was with the Fort Garry Horse out of Manitoba Canada.
His unit landed D-DAY +6....they saw action at Falaise Gap later and onto the north towards Holland.

Most of his unit were decimated...Uncle Bob was blown from his Sherman and survived.

Fort Garry Horse 1944

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!

[Minuteman23]

BTTT