Willis D. Crittenberger
Lieutenant General Willis Dale Crittenberger (December 2, 1890 – August 4, 1980) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was a career soldier who served during World War II as a combat commander, commanding IV Corps, which came under the command of Lieutenant General Mark Clark's U.S. Fifth Army, during the later part of the Italian campaign from July 1944 until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945.
Biography
Early life and military career
Crittenberger was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 2, 1890. After growing up in Anderson, Indiana, he was appointed to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, graduating with the Class of 1913, two years ahead of fellow cadet, friend and infantry officer, Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower.[1]
Crittenberger was then commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch of United States Army in August 1913 and assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas. [2]
Between the wars
Unable to see service overseas in World War I, his advanced military education included the U.S. Army Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas in 1924, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1925 and the U.S. Army War College at Washington Barracks in Washington, D.C. in 1930. After assignments to Fort Knox, Kentucky, the 1st Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized)'s new home in 1934, he served on staff positions to Chief of Cavalry in Washington and Chief of Staff of the 1st Armored Division.
World War II
With the onset of World War II, Crittenberger, with the one-star general officer rank of brigadier general, was commanding the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division, under Major General George S. Patton. In February 1942, two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought America into World War II, Crittenberger assumed command of the division while Patton was sent to command I Armored Corps. In August 1942, relinquishing command of the division, Crittenberger, now a two-star major general, organized, trained and commanded III Armored Corps, composed of the 7th and 11th Armored Divisions at Camp Polk, Louisiana. Redesignated as XIX Corps in October 1943, Crittenberger brought XIX Corps to England in January 1944.
In early 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander for the impending Normandy invasion, initially selected Crittenberger as one of three corps commanders, along with Major General Leonard T. Gerow (commanding V Corps) and Major General Roscoe B. Woodruff (commanding VII Corps), for the invasion. All three were well known and trusted by General Eisenhower. However, Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, who Eisenhower selected as the U.S. First Army commander for the D-Day invasion, replaced Eisenhower's picks, seeking differing temperaments and commanders that had more combat experience. At the time, Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers, Commanding General (CG) of the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was seeking a corps commander for the U.S. Fifth Army's IV Corps for the Italian Campaign and Crittenberger was chosen.[3]
Crittenberger relinquished command of XIX Corps to Major General Charles H. Corlett, who he had graduated alongside in the West Point class of 1913, and departed for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO), assuming command of IV Corps in Italy on March 20, 1944. Held in reserve during the early stages of the Italian Campaign, IV Corps replaced VI Corps, under Major General Lucian Truscott, in the front line after the liberation of the Italian capital of Rome in early June. Crittenberger's corps, coming under command of Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark's U.S. Fifth Army (itself part of the Allied Armies in Italy, later designated 15th Army Group, commanded by British General Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander) later fought on through the Gothic Line, in some of the toughest and most difficult fighting of the Italian Campaign.
Having Brazilians and South Africans in its ranks, in addition to Americans, Crittenberger's IV Corps were in combat for over 390 days, 326 of them engaged in continuous combat. Crittenberger commanded IV Corps as the western arm of the Allied thrust through northern Italy (codenamed Operation Grapeshot) to the Po River which ended with the surrender of German forces in Italy on May 2, 1945.[4] The end of World War II in Europe came soon after.
Postwar career
In the postwar years Crittenberger commanded the Caribbean Defense Command, including the Panama Canal Zone, then in 1947, became first commander-in-chief of U.S. Caribbean Command, a regional unified theater command and preedcessor to today's United States Southern Command. After a two-year stint as Commanding General of the First Army, at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York, Crittenberger concluded his active duty military career in December 1952, leaving New York City with a ticker tape parade up Broadway.[5]
Civilian career
In retirement, he advised President Dwight D. Eisenhower on national security matters. Crittenberger served as president of the U.S. Military Academy Association of Graduates from 1955 to 1958 and president of the Greater New York Fund.[4]
Crittenberger was Chairman of the Free Europe Committee from 1956 to 1959.[6][7]
Family
Crittenberger married Josephine Frost Woodhull (1894–1978) on June 23, 1918, during World War I. Two of his three sons served in the United States Armed Forces and died in combat. Corporal Townsend Woodhull Crittenberger (born May 13, 1925) was killed in action during the Rhine River crossing on March 25, 1945 during the final days of World War II, aged just 19.[4] Colonel Dale Jackson Crittenberger (USMA 1950) (born May 27, 1927) commanding the 3rd Brigade of the 9th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War was killed in a mid-air collision on September 17, 1969 while directing combat operations, aged 42. Dale served as a White House military aide to President Eisenhower in 1959 and as a newly commissioned major received his new badge of rank from his father's old friend, the President.[4]
A third son, Willis D. Crittenberger, Jr. (USMA 1942) also served in the U.S. Army in World War II with the 10th Armored Division, rising from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel during the war, retiring as a major general. He later was a spokesman for the Daughters of the American Revolution.[4]
Lieutenant General Willis Dale Crittenberger died in Chevy Chase, Maryland on August 4, 1980 at the age of 89. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia with his wife and sons, Townsend and Dale.[4]
Decorations
  |
Army Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster |
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Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters |
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Mexican Border Service Medal |
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World War I Victory Medal |
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American Defense Service Medal |
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American Campaign Medal |
  |
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four Service Stars |
 |
World War II Victory Medal |
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National Defense Service Medal |
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Officer of the Legion of Honor (France) |
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Croix de Guerre (France) |
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Order of Abdon Calderón (Ecuador) |
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Orden de Merito Militar (Peru) |
Books
- The final campaign across Italy; 1952 - His memoirs as commander of US Army IV Corps ISBN 85-7011-219-X
- Some thoughts on civil defense; 1954 4pgs Essay
- Debrief report; 1967 Dept. of the Army - Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam Artillery 21pgs report
References
- ↑ "Obituary: General Willis D. Crittenberger; A Leader of Allied Forces in Italy", New York Times, New York, pp. B11, August 7, 1980, retrieved 2008-03-09
- ↑ "People (Crittenberger retirement)", Time, New York, December 29, 1952, retrieved 2008-03-09
- ↑ D'Este, Carlo= (2002), Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life, New York: Henry Holt, ISBN 978-0-8050-5686-0, retrieved 2007-10-03
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 New York Times, August 7, 1980 Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "People (Crittenberger retirement)", Time, December 29, 1952
- ↑ Johanna Granville, "Caught With Jam on Our Fingers”: Radio Free Europe and the Hungarian Revolution in 1956,” Diplomatic History, vol. 29, no. 5 (2005): pp. 811-839.
- ↑ Granville, Johanna (2004), The First Domino: International Decision Making During the Hungarian Crisis of 1956, Texas A & M University Press, College Station, Texas, ISBN 1-58544-298-4
Further reading
"Milestones (obituary)", Time, New York, August 18, 1980, retrieved 2008-03-09.
"Bigger: Indications of the U.S. Army's growing size and strength [Establishment of 3rd Armored Corps]", Time, New York: Time, September 14, 1942, retrieved 2008-03-09.
D'Este, Carlo (2002), Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life, New York: Henry Holt, ISBN 978-0-8050-5686-0, retrieved 2007-10-03.
External links
- Works by or about Willis D. Crittenberger at Internet Archive
- Arlington National Cemetery page for Lt. Gen. Willis D. Crittenberger
- Arlington National Cemetery page for Col. Dale J. Crittenberger
- XIX Corps Website
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George S. Patton |
Commanding General 2nd Armored Division February 1942 – July 1942 |
Succeeded by Ernest N. Harmon |
| Preceded by New post |
Commanding General III Armored Corps 1942–1944 |
Succeeded by Post redesignated XIX Corps |
| Preceded by New post |
Commanding General XIX Corps 1942–1944 |
Succeeded by Charles H. Corlett |
| Preceded by Alexander Patch |
Commanding General IV Corps 1944–1945 |
Succeeded by Post deactivated |
| Preceded by Roscoe B. Woodruff |
Commanding General First Army 1950–1952 |
Succeeded by Withers A. Burress |