THE UNITED STATES FIRST ARMY, THE FORGOTTEN HEROES OF WORLD WAR 2 - FOREWORD ONE

The history of the world in the 20^th century and the United States army in Europe cannot be fully told in reality without taking a critical look at one great body of men that played a critical role in laying ground for Allied and particular the United States army’s victory in Europe in 1945.

Almost 67 years have passed since WW2 ended, but the events of that era, lessons learned and conclusions drawn have continued to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the World well into the 21^st century. The Cold War may be over, but political tensions and hostilities that pre-dated even WW2 are still alive and potent today.

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The simmering crises between China, Japan, The Philippines and Taiwan on the disputed Islands in the South China Sea between China, Taiwan and Japan are still potent reminders that the hostilities and antagonisms as well as prejudices and tensions that have been with us from the early 20^th century are still very potent even till today.

No doubt a flood of books have been written detailing specifically, events and issues that arose during and after WW2, but the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the digital age, particularly after the declassification of a lot of sensitive WW2 related information  following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the democratization of its satellite states has made a wealth of information available for what one may call a comparative analysis of issues and events in WW2  from a point of view encompassing all the belligerents in a manner  that would have been a futile dream some thirty years ago or thereabout.

Our attention in the course of this writing is focused mainly on the United States First army and its activities in the European theater of Operation between 1944- 1945 which forms the basis of the description of the First Army as the forgotten heroes of WW2.

In recounting the history of the US First Army in Europe in 1944-45 not much commendation or proper recognition has over the years been given to the men and officers of the United States First Army in the crucial role that Army played in the eventual victory In Europe.

There are few American youths that have not heard about General George S Patton and the exploits of the US Third Army, but there are few writers and statesmen who have made any effort to single out the US First Army for particular praise or commendation in the heroic effort to rescue Europe from Nazi tyranny in the summer and winter of 1944 right down to the spring of 1944.

The First army happens to be the truly first American army assembled by the war department specifically for the invasion of France. Of course we are all aware that Lieutenant George S Patton had commanded the first fully fledged US army in Europe for the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, which is the United States Seventh Army, while Lieutenant General Mark W Clark had been penciled to lead the US Fifth Army into Italy.

George Patton had actually been penciled down to lead the American armies’ assault into France but for the incidents involving the slapping of two convalescing soldiers in Sicily, he was sidelined and his II Corps commander Omar N Bradley was nominated for the job of commanding the First army as it disembarked and assembled in Great Britain. It thus became an act of providence that eventually it was Lieutenant General Omar N Bradley and not George S Patton that was eventually to lead the First Army into France.

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