Charles S. Kilburn
Charles S. Kilburn | |
---|---|
Born | Silver City, New Mexico, United States | January 2, 1895
Died | December 28, 1978 Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States | (aged 83)
Buried | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917−1946 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Unit | Cavalry Branch |
Commands held | 7th Field Signal Battalion 8th Cavalry Regiment 3rd Cavalry Brigade Combat Command A, 11th Armored Division 11th Armored Division Florida Military District Camp Blanding, Florida |
Battles/wars | Pancho Villa Expedition World War I World War II |
Awards | Legion of Merit |
Spouse(s) | Edith Chabot (m. 1919-1978, his death) |
Children | 4 |
Charles S. Kilburn (January 2, 1895 – December 28, 1978) was a career officer in the United States Army who attained the rank of brigadier general and was most notable for his World War II command of the 11th Armored Division from 1944 to 1945.
Early life
Charles Solomon Kilburn was born in Silver City, New Mexico on January 2, 1895, the son of John Franklin Kilburn and Harriet M. (Randall) Kilburn.[1][2] He was raised and educated in El Paso, Texas, where his parents operated a ranch.[1] He attended El Paso High School, from which he graduated in 1913, and he was president of his senior class.[3] After graduation, Kilburn competed for an appointment from William Robert Smith to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York.[4] Kilburn obtained the appointment and attended West Point from 1913 to 1917.[4] He graduated in April 1917, the same month of the American entry into World War I, and was ranked 92nd of 139 and received his commission as a second lieutenant of Cavalry in the United States Army.[5] Because of his ranching background, during his West Point career his classmates nicknamed him "Rattlesnake Pete", the nickname of Peter Gruber, a Rochester, New York folk figure who operated a snake-themed museum and saloon in the early 1900s.[1][6]
Early military career
Kilburn was initially assigned to the 17th Cavalry Regiment and posted to Camp Harry J. Jones in Douglas, Arizona, where he took part in defense of the Mexico–United States border during the Pancho Villa Expedition.[1] In May he was promoted to first lieutenant.[7] In August, Kilburn was promoted again, thus time to temporary captain, as the army underwent its huge expansion during U.S. participation in World War I.[5] From September to December 1917, Kilburn was assigned to Camp Sherman, Ohio as aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Willard Ames Holbrook, the commander of the 165th Infantry Brigade.[5]
From December 1917 to February 1918, Kilburn was assigned to the 83rd Field Artillery Regiment at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming,[5] and, from February to September 1918, Kilburn was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment in Marfa, Texas.[7] Following this, from September to December 1918, Kilburn was again aide-de-camp to Willard Holbrook, who was by now the commander of the newly activated 9th Division at Camp Sheridan near Montgomery, Alabama.[5] While he was in this position the war ended due to the Armistice with Germany. From January to March 1919, Kilburn was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas as a student at the Machine Gun Officers' Course.[5] He was then assigned as aide-de-camp to DeRosey Caroll Cabell, commander of the Army's Southern Department.[5]
In December 1919, Kilburn married Edith Chabot of San Antonio.[1] They were the parents of three daughters and a son.[1]
Continued career
Following the First World War, Kilburn was promoted to permanent captain. His post-war assignments included instructor at the Southern Department's Military Government School, which was located at
In the mid-1920s, he served as aide-de-camp to General
In 1937, Kilburn graduated from the United States Army War College and was assigned to the staff of the Office of the Chief of Cavalry.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant colonel July 1, 1940[11] and from April until August 1941 he was assigned to the War Plans Section of the War Department General Staff.[7]
World War II
In August 1941, Kilburn was assigned to command of the
The division landed in Normandy in December 1944, and was assigned to mop up German forces in the Lorient pocket.[12] During the Battle of the Bulge, the 11th Armored Division executed a forced march to the Meuse and took up the defense of a 30-mile sector from Givet to Sedan.[12] In later December 1944 and early January 1945, the division counterattacked German units near Neufchâteau, Belgium, then defended the highway from Neufchâteau to Bastogne in order to halt the German advance.[12]
The division made contact with units of the
Post-World War II
In June 1945, a month after the end of World War II in Europe, Kilburn, relinquishing his wartime rank of brigadier general and reverting to his full-time rank of colonel on March 29, 1945,[11] returned to the United States and was assigned as Chief of Post War Plans on the Army staff.[1] In January 1946, he assumed command of the Florida Military District and Camp Blanding, Florida.[1] He retired as a colonel on December 1, 1946[1] but on October 22, 1948, was granted the rank of brigadier general again.[11]
At the first reunion of the 11th Armored Division in August 1947, attendees passed a resolution expressing appreciation for Kilburn's service as their commander and regret at his removal from command.[15] In addition, they elected him the honorary president of the 11th Division Veterans Association.[15]
In retirement, Kilburn was a resident first of
In addition to his civil defense work, Kilburn was also involved in civic and charitable efforts, including raising funds for The Salvation Army in Marin County, California.[16] Kilburn died in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California on December 31, 1978, at the age of 83 and just a few days before his 84th birthday.[1] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Krisman, Michael J., ed. (December 1980). "Death Notice, Charles S. Kilburn". Assembly. West Point, NY: Association of Graduates, USMA. p. 128 – via Google Books.
- ^ Chabot, Frederick Charles (1937). With the Makers of San Antonio. San Antonio, TX: Artes Graficas. p. 312 – via Google Books.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cullum, George W. (1920). Robinson, Wirt (ed.). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy. Vol. VI–B. Saginaw, MI: Seemann & Peters. p. 1897 – via Google Books.
- ^ Nickell, Joe (April 15, 2013). "The Story of "Rattlesnake Pete"". Center for Inquiry.org. Amherst, NY: Center for Inquiry.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Brigadier General Charles Solomon Kilburn". General's Histories. 11th Armored Division Legacy Group. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1923). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 5 – via Google Books.
- ^ U.S. Army Adjutant General (1929). Army List and Directory. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 6 – via Google Books.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Biography of Brigadier General Charles Solomon Kilburn (1895−1978), USA". generals.dk.
- ^ a b c d e "A Brief History of the Thunderbolt Division". Our History. 11th Armored Division Legacy Group. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Moeller, Kenneth W. "Memories: The European Theater Of Operations 1944-45". Our History. The 11th Armored Division Legacy Group. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Legion of Merit, Charles Solomon Kilburn". The Hall of Valor Project. Tysons, VA: Military Times. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
External links
- "Burial Record, Charles S. Kilburn". Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington, VA: Office of Army Cemeteries. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- Generals of World War II