Harry Kinnard
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Harry Kinnard | |
---|---|
Dallas, Texas | |
Died | January 5, 2009 Arlington County, Virginia | (aged 93)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1939–1969 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Service number | 0-21990 |
Commands held | 1st Cavalry Division 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment |
Battles/wars | World War II
|
Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) (Netherlands)Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Knight 4th Class of the Military Order of William |
Harry William Osborne Kinnard II (May 7, 1915 – January 5, 2009) was a senior
Military career
Kinnard grew up in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1939, he entered military service.[1]
On December 7, 1941, Kinnard was stationed at
Bastogne
In December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, German forces surrounded the town of Bastogne, a town in Belgium then held by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and located at a crossroads that could have allowed the Germans to break through the American lines and reach their goal of retaking the port city of Antwerp. With the American forces surrounded, short on supplies and suffering the effects of the bitter cold weather, two German officers approached the American lines with a demand that the U.S. forces surrender or face destruction.[1]
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe was acting division commander when he was handed the German demand. Lieutenant Colonel Kinnard, the division's operations officer, recounted later that McAuliffe had laughed and said "Us surrender? Aw, nuts." After considering the German demand, McAuliffe said he did not know what to say in response, to which Kinnard replied, "That first remark of yours would be hard to beat."[1] As recounted by The New York Times in his 2009 obituary, "McAuliffe said, 'What do you mean?' I answered, 'Sir, you said, 'Nuts.' All members of the staff enthusiastically agreed. McAuliffe then wrote down: 'To the German Commander, Nuts! The American Commander.'"[1]
McAuliffe's response was passed on to the two German officers who did not understand its meaning. Colonel Joseph H. Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, who had delivered the message, explained to the Germans, "If you don’t know what 'nuts' means, in plain English it is the same as 'go to hell.'"[1]
McAuliffe asked Kinnard to compose a message that he delivered to the troops in Bastogne on
What's merry about all this, you ask? Just this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South and West. We have identifications from four German Panzer divisions and one German parachute division. The Germans surround us, their radios blare our doom. Their commander demanded our surrender, and received the following reply... 'NUTS!' We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present, and, being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms, are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas.[4][5]
With improving weather allowing air support to assist the troops, the American forces were able to hold Bastogne. "Nuts" came to symbolize the American determination to overcome against the odds.[1]
After the war, William Wellman's film Battleground, based on the experiences of the 101st, was filmed and released in 1950. The script was written by Robert Pirosh, a veteran of the battle, and Kinnard served as the Technical Advisor.[6]
Twenty years after the Battle of the Bulge, Kinnard drew criticism from members of the 101st Airborne Division for his comments in a newspaper interview where he said, "We never felt we would be overrun. We were beating back everything they threw at us. We had the houses, and we were warm. They were outside the town, in the snow and cold". Many members of
Airmobile
After the war, Kinnard served as commanding officer of the Aviation Test Section at Fort Bragg.
When the test was concluded, the assets of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) and the 2nd Infantry Division were merged into a single unit. The colors and subordinate unit designations of the 1st Air Cavalry Division were transferred from its post in Korea. On 3 July 1965, in Doughboy Stadium at Fort Benning, the colors of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) were cased and retired and the 1st Air Cavalry Division colors were moved onto the field and passed to the commander of the former 11th Air Assault Division, Major General Kinnard.[9] At the same time the personnel and units of the 1st Cavalry Division that remained in Korea were reflagged as a new 2nd Infantry Division. In July 1965 the 1st Air Cavalry Division was ordered to Vietnam.[10]: 30 [1]
Kinnard commanded an operation in October 1965, in which 5,000 troops took control of the Suai Ca Valley, Vietnam, which placed the crop-rich valley under South Vietnamese control. Associated Press reporter Bob Poos who rode for two days with 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division during the operation, described the innovative use of the "Sky Cavalry", combining light infantry on armed helicopters, as constituting "the first cavalry charge of modern warfare".[11]
Kinnard was ordered by General Westmoreland at the end of October 1965 to take the 1st Air Cavalry on the offensive and seize the initiative in Pleiku province.
As a result of Kinnard's leadership, helicopters became an essential part of US military doctrine.
Kinnard retired in 1969 from the armed forces.[1]
Honours and awards
1st Row | Distinguished Service Cross | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
2nd Row | Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster | Silver Star | Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster | Bronze Star Medal |
3rd Row | Air Medal | Army Commendation Medal | Purple Heart | American Defense Service Medal with one bronze star |
4th Row | American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one campaign star
|
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four campaign stars
|
World War II Victory Medal
|
5th Row | Army of Occupation Medal | National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star | Vietnam Service Medal with one campaign star | French Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Palm
|
6th Row | Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940–1945 with Palm | Belgian Order of the Crown – Officer Grade | Netherlands Military William Order – Knight Grade
|
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
|
On November 14, 1946 by
Kinnard in Museums
World War II memorabilia from Kinnard can be seen in Belgium where he fought during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, at December 44 Museum, La Gleize.
Kinnard Mission Training Center, a digital systems training complex at Fort Campbell, Kentucky is named for him. His awards, decorations and several historical items of interest relating to him are on display in its lobby.
Personal
Kinnard died at age 93 on January 5, 2009, in
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Goldstein, Richard. "Harry W. O. Kinnard, Who Said One Word Would Do, Dies at 93", The New York Times, January 10, 2009. Accessed January 20. 2009.
- ^ Downey, Kristin. "Multi-War Veteran Under Siege As Sewage Plant Din Roars On", The Washington Post, August 19, 2007. Accessed January 11, 2009.
- ^ "Audie Murphy Award 2005 Recipient: Lt. General Harry W.O. Kinnard"[permanent dead link], American Veterans Center. Accessed January 11, 2009.
- ^ Skelly, Joseph Morrison. "Bastogne!: Saving Western Civilization on Christmas." Archived 2007-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, National Review, December 21, 2006.
- ^ Associated Press. "Article 7 – No Title", The New York Times, December 29, 1944. Accessed January 11, 2009.
- ^ "Harry William Osborn Kinnard II". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
- ^ Ambrose, Stephen E. (2000). Band of Brothers. Thorndike, Maine: G.K. Hall, p. 309-310.
- ^ Kinnard, W. O. II
- ^ "1st Cavalry Division History – Ft. Benning, Airmobile 1965". www.first-team.us. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- JSTOR 26304086. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "The Evening Standard from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Page 3", Friday, October 15, 1965. Accessed September 13, 2015.
- .
- ^ Military order of William – Official website Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- The short film STAFF FILM REPORT 66-20A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- The short film STAFF FILM REPORT 66-22A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.