Robert L. Eichelberger
Robert L. Eichelberger | |
---|---|
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Australia) Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor (France) Grand Officer Order of Crown (Belgium) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) Grand Officer Order Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) Order of Abdon Calderón (Ecuador) Distinguished Service Star (Philippines) Liberation Medal (Philippines) Legion of Honor (Philippines) Military Order of Italy |
Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a
A 1909 graduate of the
In 1940, Eichelberger became the
In August 1942, Eichelberger was abruptly sent to the Southwest Pacific Area, where he led American and Australian troops in the bloody
Early life
Robert Lawrence Eichelberger was born at Urbana, Ohio on 9 March 1886, the youngest of five children of George Maley Eichelberger, a farmer and lawyer, and Emma Ring Eichelberger.[1] He grew up on the 235-acre (95 ha) family farm that had been established by his grandfather.[2][3] He graduated from Urbana High School in 1903,[4] and entered Ohio State University, where he joined Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.[5]
In 1904, Eichelberger persuaded his father's former law partner,
Eichelberger was commissioned as a
On returning to the United States in March 1915, Eichelberger was posted to the 22nd Infantry at Fort Porter, New York. It too was sent to the Mexican border, and was based at Douglas, Arizona, where Eichelberger was promoted to first lieutenant on 1 July 1916. In September, he became Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri.[8]
World War I and Russian Civil War
Following the
In July 1918, Graves was appointed commander of the
Graves was instructed that his mission was political rather than military, and accordingly he was to "maintain strict neutrality". Eichelberger found himself thrust into a complex political, diplomatic, and military environment. Soon after arriving, he was appointed to the ten-nation Inter-Allied Military Council, which was responsible for Allied strategy. Eichelberger became convinced that America's objectives in Siberia were not necessarily the same as those of her French and British allies, but it was far from clear what they actually were, especially when the State Department and the War Department did not always agree. American policy called for protecting the Trans-Siberian Railway, but this was under the control of Admiral Alexander Kolchak's White Army forces, whom Eichelberger considered to be "murderers" and "cutthroats".[13]
Eichelberger was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for repeated acts of bravery while assigned to the Expeditionary Force. His citation read:
For extraordinary heroism in action June 28 – July 3, 1919, while serving as assistant chief of staff, G-2, American Expeditionary Forces, Siberia. On July 2, 1919, after the capture, by American troops of Novitskaya, an American platoon detailed to clear hostile patrols from a commanding ridge was halted by enemy enfilading fire, seriously wounding the members of the patrol. Colonel Eichelberger, without regard to his own safety and armed with a rifle, voluntarily covered the withdrawal of the platoon. On June 28, at the imminent danger of his own life, he entered the partisan lines and effected the release of one American officer and three enlisted men in exchange for a Russian prisoner. On July 3 an American column being fired upon when debouching from a mountain pass, Colonel Eichelberger voluntarily assisted in establishing the firing line, prevented confusion, and, by his total disregard for his own safety, raised the morale of the American forces to a high pitch.[14]
For his services in Siberia, Eichelberger was awarded the
Between the wars
Instead of returning to the United States following his service in Siberia, Eichelberger became Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2 (Intelligence), of the
A major disappointment for Eichelberger was his failure to make the General Staff Eligibility List (GSEL).
Davis had offered to nominate Eichelberger for a place at the
In 1931, Eichelberger was sent to West Point as its adjutant. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 August 1934.[23] In April 1935, he became Secretary of the War Department General Staff, working for the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Douglas MacArthur.[24] Eichelberger transferred back to the infantry in July 1937, although he remained Secretary of the War Department General Staff until October 1938, in the rank of colonel from 1 August.[23]
The new Chief of Staff, General
World War II
Training in the United States
Eichelberger was promoted to brigadier general in October 1940, and the next month received orders to become deputy division commander of the
As superintendent, Eichelberger attempted "to bring West Point into the twentieth century"
.
Over time, Marshall came to believe that Eichelberger's talents were wasted at West Point, but he was opposed by Pa Watson, who wanted Eichelberger to remain at the academy. When Marshall told Watson that Eichelberger's chances for promotion to major general were being adversely affected by being denied the chance to command a division, Watson added Eichelberger's name to the top of a promotion list and had the President sign it. In this manner, Eichelberger was promoted to major general in July 1941.[27]
After the
Eichelberger's period in command of the 77th Infantry Division was brief, for on 18 June 1942 he became commander of
Battle of Buna-Gona
On 9 August 1942, his orders were abruptly changed. MacArthur, now Supreme Commander of the
Eichelberger departed for Australia on 20 August with 22 members of his staff in a
Eichelberger's fears were realized when the overconfident 32nd Infantry Division suffered a serious reverse in the
"I'm putting you in command at Buna. Relieve Harding. I am sending you in, Bob, and I want you to remove all officers who won't fight. Relieve
companies—anyone who will fight. Time is of the essence; the Japanese may land reinforcements any night."General MacArthur strode down the breezy veranda again. He said he had reports that American soldiers were throwing away their weapons and running from the enemy. Then he stopped short and spoke with emphasis. He wanted no misunderstandings about my assignment.
"Bob," he said, "I want you to take Buna, or not come back alive." He paused a moment, and then, without looking at Byers, pointed a finger. "And that goes for your chief of staff, too."[47]
The next day, Eichelberger's party was flown to Dobodura, where he assumed command of US troops in the Buna area.[48] He relieved Harding, and replaced him with the division's artillery commander, Brigadier General Albert W. Waldron.[47] He relieved other officers too, appointing a 26-year-old captain to command a battalion.[49] Some of the 32nd Infantry Division's officers privately denounced Eichelberger as ruthless and "Prussian".[16] He set an example by moving among the troops on the front lines, sharing their hardships and danger. Despite the risk, he purposefully wore his three silver stars while at the front, even though he knew Japanese snipers targeted officers, because he wanted his troops to know their commander was present. After the snipers seriously wounded Waldron in the shoulder,[50] Eichelberger appointed Byers to command the 32nd Infantry Division, but he too was wounded on 16 December. This left Eichelberger as the only American general in the forward area, and he assumed personal command of the division.[49] He was not the most senior general present though; he served under the command of Australian Lieutenant General Edmund Herring, whom he referred to in letters to Em as "my grand colleague".[51]
After the fall of Buna, Eichelberger was placed in command of the Allied force assembled to reduce the remaining Japanese positions around Sanananda, with Australian
New Guinea Campaign
In February 1943, Lieutenant General
In January 1944, Eichelberger was informed that he would be in charge of the next operation, a landing at
In June 1944, Eichelberger was summoned to Sixth Army headquarters by Krueger. The Battle of Biak, where the 41st Infantry Division had landed in May, was going badly, and the airfields that MacArthur had promised would be available to support the Battle of Saipan were not in American hands. Eichelberger found that the Japanese, who were present in larger numbers than originally reported, were ensconced in caves overlooking the airfield sites. While the Americans were better trained and equipped than at Buna, so too were the Japanese, who employed their new tactics of avoiding costly counterattacks and exacting the maximum toll for ground gained.[62][63] After seeing the situation for himself, Eichelberger concluded that Fuller's 41st Infantry Division had not done too badly.[64] Nonetheless, as at Buna, Eichelberger relieved a number of officers that he felt were not performing as the battle ground on. His orders were to supersede Fuller as task force commander rather than relieve him as division commander,[56] but Fuller requested his own relief, and Krueger obliged him. On Eichelberger's recommendation, Fuller was replaced by Brigadier General Jens A. Doe.[65] Krueger was unimpressed with Eichelberger's performance on Biak, concluding that Eichelberger's tactics were unimaginative, and no better than Fuller's, and may have delayed rather than expedited the capture of the island. On the other hand, MacArthur thought sufficiently highly of Eichelberger's performance to award him the Silver Star.[66]
Philippines Campaign
While still on Biak, Eichelberger learned that MacArthur had selected him to command the newly formed
In January, the Eighth Army entered combat on
Eighth Army's final operation of the war was that of clearing out the southern Philippines, including the major island of
He was awarded an
Retirement and death
After nearly 40 years of service, Eichelberger retired with the rank of lieutenant general on 31 December 1948.
The
Military decorations and medals
United States awards
Distinguished Service Cross with oak leaf cluster | |
Army Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters | |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal | |
Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters | |
Legion of Merit | |
Bronze Star Medal | |
Air Medal | |
Mexican Border Service Medal | |
Victory Medal | |
American Defense Service Medal | |
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
| |
World War II Victory Medal | |
Army of Occupation Medal |
Source: Inventory of the Robert L. Eichelberger Papers, 1728–1998 [80]
Foreign awards
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Australia | |
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, United Kingdom | |
Grand Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau with swords, Netherlands
| |
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor , France
| |
Order of the Rising Sun, Japan | |
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Japan | |
Grand Officer Order of the Crown, Belgium | |
Grand Officer Croix de Guerre with palm, Belgium | |
First Class Order of Abdon Calderón, Ecuador | |
Distinguished Service Star, Philippines | |
Liberation Medal, Philippines | |
Legion of Honor , Philippines
| |
Grand Officer of the Military Order of Italy, Italy |
Source: Inventory of the Robert L. Eichelberger Papers, 1728–1998 [80]
Dates of rank
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
No pin insignia in 1909 | Second Lieutenant |
Regular Army | 11 June 1909 | [8] |
First Lieutenant |
Regular Army | 1 July 1916 | [8] | |
Captain |
Regular Army | 15 May 1917 | [8] | |
Major | (temporary) | 3 June 1918 | [8] | |
Lieutenant Colonel | (temporary) | 28 March 1919 | [15] | |
Reverted to permanent rank of Captain |
Regular Army | 30 June 1920 | [14] | |
Major | Regular Army | 1 July 1920 | [14] | |
Lieutenant Colonel | Regular Army | 1 August 1934 | [23] | |
Colonel | Regular Army | 1 August 1938 | [23] | |
Brigadier General | Army of the United States | 1 October 1940 | [32] | |
Major General | Army of the United States | 10 July 1941 | [32] | |
Lieutenant General | Army of the United States | 21 October 1942 | [32] | |
Brigadier General | Regular Army | 1 September 1943 | [32] | |
Major General | Regular Army | 4 October 1944 | [32] | |
Lieutenant General | Regular Army, Retired | 31 December 1948 | [32] | |
General | Regular Army, Retired | 19 July 1954 | [83] |
Notes
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 1.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 1–2.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 4.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, p. x.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 3.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 5.
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cullum 1920, pp. 1446–1447.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, pp. 5–6.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 11.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 15.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 16–18.
- ^ a b c d e Cullum 1930, pp. 849–850.
- ^ a b Chwialkowski 1993, p. 22.
- ^ a b c "Uncle Bob". Time. 10 September 1945. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 15.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 11.
- ^ a b c Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Schifferle 2010, pp. 138–139.
- ^ a b Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 32–33.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 18–19.
- ^ a b c d e Cullum 1940, p. 221.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 34–36.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 45–46.
- ^ a b c Chwialkowski 1993, p. 47.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. xix–xx.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, p. xxii.
- ^ Department of Defense Office of Public Information, Press Branch, "Major General Clovis E. Byers, USA", Byers papers, Hoover Institution
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. xxii–xxiv.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cullum 1950, p. 135.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 29–30.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 50–52.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 52–53.
- ^ a b c Chwialkowski 1993, p. 53.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 13.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, p. 4.
- ^ a b Eichelberger 1950, pp. 6–8.
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 37.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, p. 7.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. 8–11.
- ^ Milner 1957, p. 91–92.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 58.
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 43.
- ^ Milner 1957, p. 203.
- ^ a b Eichelberger 1950, p. 21.
- ^ Milner 1957, p. 205.
- ^ a b Shortal 1987, p. 57.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. 26–29.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 54.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. 58–62.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 59–60.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 74–75.
- ^ a b Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 80–82.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, pp. 68–69.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. 78–85.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. 100–102.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 75–83.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 97–98.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 84–85.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, pp. 138–139.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, p. 144.
- ^ Eichelberger 1950, p. 156.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 102–103.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 155.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 104.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 160.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 113–114.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 176.
- ^ Shortal 1987, p. 101.
- ^ Shortal 1987, pp. 107–113.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 200.
- ^ Eichelberger 1972, p. 268.
- ^ Svoboda, Terese (23 May 2009). "U.S. Courts-Martial in Occupation Japan: Rape, Race, and Censorship". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. 7 (1). Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ^ Takemae 2002, p. 67.
- ^ "Valor Awards for Robert L. Eichelberger". Military Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ Ancell & Miller 1996, p. 96.
- ^ a b c d "Robert L. Eichelberger Papers, 1728–1998 (bulk 1942–1949)" (PDF). Duke University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ Roberts, Henry L. (1 January 1951). "Our Jungle Road to Tokyo". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 177–180.
- ^ a b Public Law 83-508, 19 July 1954. U. S. Army generals, appointments. An act to authorize the President to appoint to the grade of general in the Army of the United States those officers who, in grade of lieutenant general, during World War II commanded the Army Ground Forces, commanded an Army, commanded Army forces which included a field army and supporting units, or commanded United States forces in China and served as chief of staff to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in the China Theater of Operations, and for other purposes.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 180–181.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 187–188.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 188.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, pp. 189–190.
- ^ Sayers 1980, p. 327.
- ^ Chwialkowski 1993, p. 189.
- ^ "R.L. Eichelberger". Arlington National Cemetery. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
References
- Ancell, R. Manning; Miller, Christine (1996). The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers: The US Armed Forces. ISBN 0-313-29546-8.
- Chwialkowski, Paul (1993). In Caesar's Shadow: The Life of General Robert Eichelberger. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. OCLC 243774061.
- Cullum, George W. (1920). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume VI 1910–1920. Chicago: R. R. Donnelly and Sons, The Lakeside Press. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Cullum, George W. (1930). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume VII 1920–1930. Chicago: R. R. Donnelly and Sons, The Lakeside Press. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Cullum, George W. (1940). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume VIII 1930–1940. Chicago: R. R. Donnelly and Sons, The Lakeside Press. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Cullum, George W. (1950). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume IX 1940–1950. Chicago: R. R. Donnelly and Sons, The Lakeside Press. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- Eichelberger, Robert L. (1950). Our Jungle Road to Tokyo. New York: Viking Press. OCLC 1262852.
- Eichelberger, Robert L. (1972). Luvaas, Jay (ed.). Dear Miss Em: General Eichelberger's War in the Pacific, 1942–1945. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. OCLC 415330.
- Milner, Samuel (1957). Victory in Papua (PDF). United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- Sayers, Stuart (1980). Ned Herring: A Life of Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Edmund Herring KCMG, KBE, MC, ED. K St J, MA, DCL. Melbourne: Hyland House. OCLC 8670811.
- Schifferle, Peter J. (2010). America's School for War: Fort Leavenworth, Officer Education, and Victory in World War II. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. OCLC 461324087.
- Shortal, J. F. (1987). Forged by Fire: General Robert L. Eichelberger and the Pacific War. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. OCLC 16356063.
- Takemae, Eiji (2002). Inside GHQ: The Allied Occupation of Japan and its Legacy. trans. Robert Ricketts, Sebastian Swann. New York: Continuum International. ISBN 978-0-82641-521-9.
External links
- "Robert L. Eichelberger Papers, 1728–1998 (bulk 1942–1949)". Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- "Images from the Robert L. Eichelberger Collection – Duke University Libraries Digital Collections – 417 images from Eichelberger's service in Soviet Russia, 1918–1920". Duke University. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- Generals of World War II
- United States Army Officers 1939–1945