William R. Desobry
William Robertson Desobry | |
---|---|
San Antonio, Texas , U.S. | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | US Army |
Years of service | 1941–1975 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands held | V Corps United States Army Armor School 1st Armored Division Combat Command C, 2d Armored Division 20th Armored Infantry Battalion |
Battles/wars | World War II, 1941-1945 Vietnam War,1965-1968 |
Awards | Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Legion of Merit (5) Bronze Star (2) Purple Heart |
William Robertson Desobry (September 11, 1918 – January 12, 1996) was a senior
After 34 years in the Army and service in two wars, Lieutenant General Desobry completed his military career in 1975.
Education
Desobry received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1941 from
Early life and career
Born in Manila, the Philippine Islands in 1918, Desobry was the son of Colonel and Mrs. Elmer C. Desobry.[2] He attended high schools in Chicago, Illinois, and Honolulu, Hawaii–graduating from Punahou Academy in 1936.[2] John McManus described Desobry, "Rail-thin at six-feet-four and one-hundred-sixty pounds, he was the son of a career soldier. He qualified as something of a family rebel because he had elected to go to Georgetown University instead of West Point. He had graduated in 1941 with an ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) commission. Although he had only been in the Army four years, he had deployed overseas as commander of the 20th Armored Infantry Battalion because of his natural leadership skills. His subsequent performance in combat only enhanced his fine reputation. Now he found himself in charge of 325 soldiers and fifteen tanks in a mixed task force generally known as 'Team Desobry.'"[3]
World War II
General Desobry's service during World War II included a tour of duty with the
The road between Noville and Bourcy, which Team Desobry held briefly during the defense of Bastogne, was renamed Rue de Général Desobry in his honor.[5]
Post-war service
Upon his return to the United States, Lieutenant Colonel Desobry served for short periods at Fort Rucker and Fort McClellan, Alabama and in G2, Department of the Army. In July 1946, he returned to Europe where he served as an Assistant G1 in Headquarters, Third Army and US Forces in Austria.
Upon his return to the United States in 1950, he attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and subsequently served four years on the faculty.
He returned to Germany in 1955 and served as Commanding Officer, Combat Command C, 2d Armored Division, and later Chief of Staff, 2d Armored Division and G3, V Corps. Upon his return to the United States in 1958, he attended the National War College, graduating in 1959. He was then assigned to the Office Chief of Legislative Liaison, where he served for three years in the Plans and Projects Division.
In 1962 he was assigned to the faculty of the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, where he served as a Course Director, Chairman of a Faculty Group, and the Chairman of the Department of Strategy.[2]
Vietnam War
From August 1965 to June 1966, Colonel Desobry was assigned to Headquarters
Cold War service
Following over two years as Senior Advisor to the ARVN IV Corps, Brigadier General Desobry became the Director of Army Operations, The Army Staff. Major General Desobry then served as Commanding General of the
In 1968, Desobry returned to Washington, D. C. where he served as a member of the Department of the Army Board of Inquiry on the Army Logistics System; the Chief of the Coordination Division, Office of the Chief of Staff, and subsequently as Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff, U. S. Army.[2]
On June 1, 1973, Lieutenant General Desobry assumed command of V Corps at Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany from Lieutenant General Willard Pearson. He was responsible for the training and readiness of V Corps, headquartered at Abrams Barracks, which included the 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized) "Pathfinder," the 3rd Armored Division "Spearhead," and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment "Blackhorse." Major General Joseph C. McDonough commanded the "Pathfinder" Division, which was headquartered at Rose Barracks, Bad Kreuznach. Major General Jonathan R. "Jack" Burton commanded the "Spearhead" Division headquartered at Frankfurt. Colonel (later Lieutenant General) Robert L. Schweitzer (1973-1974) and Colonel (later Lieutenant General) John L. Ballantyne III (1974-1976) commanded the "Blackhorse" Regiment headquartered at Fulda.
Desobry turned over command of V Corps to Lieutenant General Robert L. Fair on August 24, 1975.
Retirement
Lieutenant General Desobry continued to support the Armor community after his retirement from Army. As a result, he received the U.S. Cavalry and Armor Association's Gold Medallion Winners Hall of Fame in 1989.[8]
Desobry died on January 12, 1996, in San Antonio, Texas.
Personal life
General Desobry was married to the former Jacqueline Keyes of
Rank earned
Second Lieutenant
|
First Lieutenant
|
Captain |
---|---|---|
O-1 | O-2 | O-3 |
May 29, 1941 | June 19, 1942 | February 19, 1943 |
Major | Lieutenant Colonel
|
Colonel |
---|---|---|
O-4 | O-5 | O-6 |
October 27, 1943 | March 20, 1945 | September 2, 1965 |
Brigadier General | Major General | Lieutenant General |
---|---|---|
O-7 | O-8 | O-9 |
September 2, 1965 | September 1, 1966 | September 18, 1968 |
Awards and decorations
General Desobry's awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Air Medal (10 awards),
Military Decorations | |
Combat Infantryman Badge | |
Army Staff Identification Badge | |
Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster | |
Silver Star | |
Oak Leaf Cluster )
| |
Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster | |
award numeral 10 (10 awards)
| |
Purple Heart | |
Prisoner of War Medal | |
American Defense Service Medal | |
American Campaign Medal | |
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
| |
World War II Victory Medal | |
Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Campaign Clasp | |
National Defense Service Medal (with oak leaf cluster) | |
Vietnam Service Medal (with 4 Campaign Stars) | |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with gilt and bronze star
| |
Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal , 1st Class
| |
Vietnam Campaign Medal | |
Army Presidential Unit Citation | |
Meritorious Unit Commendation | |
Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm
|
Assignment history
- 1941: Graduation from Georgetown University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Program, Washington, D.C.
- 1943: Commander, 20th Armored Infantry Battalion, 10th Armored Division
- 1944: Commander, "Team Desobry"—a battalion-sized tank-infantry task force of the 10th Armored Division—Noville, Belgium
- 1945: Prisoner of War
- 1951: Graduate, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
- 1954: Commander, Combat Command C, 2d Armored Division
- 1959: Graduate, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
- 1965: Deputy Senior Advisor, IV ARVN Corps, Republic of Vietnam
- 1966: Senior Advisor, IV ARVN Corps, Republic of Vietnam
- 1968: Director of Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.
- 1969: Commanding General, 1st Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas
- 1971: Commanding General, U.S. Army Armor Center and School, Fort Knox, Kentucky
- 1973: Commanding General, V Corps, Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany
- 1975: Retired from active service
See also
References
- ^ "Brigadier General Desobry on Vietnam War (1968)". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g U.S. Army (1966), Biography of William R. Desobry, U.S. Army
- ^ *John C. McManus (2008). The American Defense of Noville, 18-20 December 1944 (PDF). Vol. 5. World War II Quarterly. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
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ignored (help) - )
- ^ Google Maps. 50.064967, 5.772550
- ^ a b Major General George S. Eckhardt (January 15, 1973). VIETNAM STUDIES: Command and Control, 1950-1969. United States Army.
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ignored (help) - ^ "IV Corps". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Gold Medallion Winners Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 25, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Death Notices – Desobry, William Robertson, Lt Gen, USA, (Ret)". The Washington Post. January 14, 1996.
Further reading
- Graham A. Cosmas (2006). MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Escalation, 1962-1967. The United States Army in Vietnam. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 91-6-1. Archived from the original on 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
- William R. Desobry (January 1, 1968). Senior Officer Debriefing Report: IV Corps (MACV), Republic of Vietnam (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. AD 513367. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- Major General George S. Eckhardt (January 15, 1973). VIETNAM STUDIES: Command and Control, 1950-1969. United States Army.
- Dr. Charles E. Kirkpatrick, V Corps Historian (November 2001). The History of V Corps. V Corps. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- John C. McManus (2008). The American Defense of Noville, 18-20 December 1944 (PDF). Vol. 5. World War II Quarterly. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - Lewis Sorley (1992). THUNDERBOLT: General Creighton Abrams and the Army of His Times. Simon & Schuster.