HONORING THE HEROICS OF THE UNITED STATES FIRST ARMY. A LEGACY FOR ALL GENERATIONS. PREFACE CHAPTER ONE

 

The United States First Army as a fighting group was initially commissioned in France in 1918 at the height of WW1 as American infantry forces arrived in France in sufficient numbers under General John J Pershing to constitute an Army. The term First Army was thus coined to mark the first functional American Army that assembled in France on their way to the Western front in support of the Allies in WW1 in 1918. The US First Army was thus activated under General Hunter Liggett who took command of the activated force on the 10^th of August as the first of the three United States field Armies that were established as part of the Allied Expeditionary Force .

The First Army was thus to prove a veritable training ground for many notable officers that were to emerge later during WW2, following the end of WW1 in November of 1918. The First Army served as part of an occupation force in Germany until its demobilization and inactivation in April 1919.

The First Army however continued to exist as part of the four American Armies that were created when Douglas MacArthur was Army Chief and had to re-organize the Army in compliance with the National Defense Act of 1916 which was amended in 1920. The First Army was thus located in the North east of the United States with its headquarters at Fort Jay’s Governor’s Island in New York. On 11^th September 1933, it was thus re-activated under the command of General Dennis E Dolan.

The First Army was composed of three Corps, with the first Area Corps being quartered in Boston, the second Corp Area was situated at Fort Jay, Governor’s Island in New York and the third Corp was situated at Fort Howard (Maryland) near Baltimore Maryland.

First Army as it then was, was more of an administrative unit saddled with the responsibility of training the regular army reserve and National Guards units in the three Corps Area. In 1938 , First Army  under the command of General Hugh A Drum  was tasked with the responsibility of creating a true field Army as the wind of war began to blow all over Europe. A Staff recruitment program began and its troops were programmed to take part in large scale military exercises in Louisiana and North Carolina between 1939 and 1941.

As the United States entered the war in 1941, General Dolan was given the command of the newly established Eastern Defense Command which he held until he retired in 1943 as he approached retirement age. The command of the First Army thus passed over to General Grunnert who remained in control until the First Army Headquarters was moved to Bristol in England in January 1944 under the command of Lieutenant General Omar N Bradley. 

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THE UNITED STATES FIRST ARMY, THE FORGOTTEN HEROES OF WW2 - FOREWORD 2

The place and recognition given to the fighting units of the Allied Armies in World War 2 seemed to tie in many instances to the flamboyance and public relations proficiency of its commanding officers. Such seemed to be the undoing of the First Army whose two commanding officers, General Omar N Bradley and General Courtney Hicks Hodges were not particularly charismatic personalities and as such the pall of recognition that hovered over the commanders invariably affected the perception of the public concerning the men and thousands of heroic soldiers and officers who fought under their command.

I wonder how many people today particularly link the June 6^th D-Day landings on Omaha Beach and Utah Beach with the US First Army or that the First Army bore the brunt of the fighting in the US sector in the battle of the Hedgerows, the capture of St Lo and the eventual breakthrough to Brittany following the launch of Operation Cobra, its central role in orchestrating the envelopment and destruction of the German Seventh and Fourth Armies in the Falaise pocket and the eventual pursuit across the Seine River.

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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150 years of European History according to Nigerian writer Freddy John Jnr

I am Fred E Okolo , a Nigerian , a Lawyer, a Gospel Minister, motivational minister and writer focused on issues that relate to human development and international politics and issues that have have shaped the face of the globe in the 20th and 21st century. I have a strongly held belief that the lives of individuals and nations are impacted by their response to the Word of God as found in the Holy Bible and that everything in creation, politics, economics, social issues and individuals have their fate largely determined by their response to the Word which is the first and dominant change agent. I will be sharing with you excerpts from my book ,

BLOOD, FIRE AND STEEL, 150 YEARS OF EUROPEAN HISTORY and THE US FIRST ARMY: THE FORGOTTEN HEROES OF WW2.

I will also provide quips from my motivational teachings published under the acronym WISDOM SPRINGS. This is information that is guaranteed to change your life and offer insights into the Eternal Wisdom of God as revealed in His Word. The 21st century and the wealth of information available in the digital age have opened up tremendous opportunities for information exchange on a level and scope hitherto unthinkable. I shall be writing under the pseudonym Freddy John Jnr on this page and i look forward to providing precise and succinct information that is guaranteed to move your life forward   in a positive  way. Thanks for linking up and i look forward to us  having a great time.