While there he promoted the formation of armored and airborne forces as well as developed the prototype Officer Candidate School. Given command of the reactivated 82nd Division, he oversaw its training before fulfilling a similar role for the 28th Division. In both cases, he utilized Marshall's approach of simplifying military doctrine to make it easier for newly recruited citizen-soldiers.
In addition, Bradley utilized a variety of techniques to ease draftees' transition to military life and boost morale while also implementing a rigorous program of physical training. As a result, Bradley's efforts in , produced two fully trained and prepared combat divisions. In February , Bradley was assigned command of X Corps, but before taking the position was ordered to North Africa by Eisenhower to troubleshoot problems with American troops in the wake of the defeat at Kasserine Pass.
Arriving, Bradley recommended that Patton be given command of the U. II Corps. This was done and the authoritarian commander soon restored the unit's discipline. Becoming Patton's deputy, Bradley worked to improve the fighting qualities of the corps as the campaign progressed.
As a result of his efforts, he ascended to command of II Corps in April , when Patton departed to aid in planning the invasion of Sicily. For the remainder of the North African Campaign, Bradley ably led the corps and restored its confidence.
During the campaign in Sicily, Bradley was "discovered" by journalist Ernie Pyle and promoted as the "G. General" for his unprepossessing nature and affinity for wearing a common soldier's uniform in the field.
In the wake of the success in the Mediterranean, Bradley was selected by Eisenhower to lead the first American army to land in France and to be prepared to subsequently take over a full army group.
Returning to the United States, he established his headquarters at Governor's Island, NY and began assembling staff to assist him in his new role as commander of the First U. A believer in employing airborne forces to limit German access to the coast, he lobbied for the use of the 82nd and st Airborne Divisions in the operation. As commander of the U. Troubled by the stiff resistance at Omaha, he briefly considered evacuating troops from the beach and sending the follow-on waves to Utah.
This proved unnecessary and three days later he shifted his headquarters ashore. As early attempts to push deeper inland failed, he planned Operation Cobra with the goal of breaking out of the beachhead near St.
Commencing in late July, the operation saw a liberal use of air power before ground forces smashed through the German lines and began a dash across France.
In December, Bradley's front absorbed the brunt of the German offensive during the Battle of the Bulge. After stopping the German assault, his men played a key role in pushing the enemy back, with Patton's Third Army making an unprecedented turn north to relieve the st Airborne at Bastogne. During the fighting, he was angered when Eisenhower temporarily assigned First Army to Montgomery for logistical reasons. Promoted to general in March , Bradley led 12th Army Group, now four armies strong, through the final offensives of the war and successfully captured a bridge over the Rhine at Remagen.
In a final push, his troops formed the southern arm of a massive pincer movement which captured , German troops in the Ruhr, before meeting up with Soviet forces at the Elbe River. With the surrender of Germany in May , Bradley was eager for a command in the Pacific. This was not forthcoming as General Douglas MacArthur was not in need of another army group commander. On August 15, President Harry S. Truman appointed Bradley to the head of the Veterans Administration.
While not thrilled with the assignment, Bradley worked diligently to modernize the organization to meet the challenges it would face in the postwar years. Basing his decisions on the needs of veterans rather than political considerations, he built a nationwide system of offices and hospitals as well as revised and updated the G.
Bill and arranged for job training. He remained in this post only eighteen months as he was named the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on August 11, With this came a promotion to General of the Army 5-star the following September.
Remaining in this position for four years, he oversaw U. Like most military families, they moved quite often. Their one child, Elizabeth, was born in Bradley served in many different ways during those years. During World War I , while other soldiers gained experience in France, Bradley was sent to Montana to guard valuable copper mines. Afterwards, he taught at colleges and attended army advanced training schools at Fort Benning and Fort Leavenworth.
Bradley rose in rank and trained troops. He learned the fundamentals of command and military organization during these noncombat years. With strong leadership and strategic skills in hand, Bradley was prepared to face the great challenges that lay ahead. World events brought rapid change for Bradley.
In the government feared that the United States Army would be drawn into war. At that time the army had only about , soldiers. The government ordered the army to expand quickly.
Army Chief of Staff George Marshall needed leaders who could organize large numbers of men and develop them into soldiers. One of the men he turned to was Omar Bradley. Bradley was appointed to command the infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, in Before being called overseas, he directed the training of thousands of men and officers. She had one sister, Sarah Jane, who was two years younger. Charles Quayle was the sheriff of Moberly and a highly respected citizen. When Mary was ten, her father died of tuberculosis.
Mary attended Moberly High School and graduated in She then moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, for college, where an aunt was a teacher. Following two years of college, Mary took a teaching job in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Mary had known Bradley for some time.
The families were neighbors in Moberly, and the two were in the same high school class. They planned to marry in the spring of ; however, only a few weeks before the ceremony, the army ordered Bradley to the Mexican border.
The wedding was postponed. Shortly afterwards, Mary contracted typhoid fever. She was ill for months. While in the hospital, she lost all of her hair. There were other times when she was separated from her husband for months.
After two problem pregnancies, she gave birth to a healthy daughter in and named her Elizabeth. As Mrs. Omar Bradley, Mary met many important military and political leaders.
They then moved to Washington, DC, where Mary was close to her six grandchildren. She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The threat of war had become real by the late s. Japan invaded China in The United States and other nations protested, but did little to make Japan stop. Germany invaded Poland in As a result, France and Britain declared war on Germany. At the time this political cartoon was published, Germany was invading France.
Americans were very worried about their future. Would the U. Daniel R. Louis Post-Dispatch on June 4, The first major campaign in which the U. Army fought was in North Africa in early Many were worried. General Eisenhower, the American commander, sent for Omar Bradley. When the II Corps next went into battle, it drove the Germans back and captured 40, soldiers. General Bradley then served in the successful invasion of Sicily.
The army was learning to fight well, and Bradley was one of the main reasons for it. After Sicily, Bradley was appointed to one of the most important jobs of the war.
After the United States entered the war, it made plans with Britain to drive the Germans out of France. General Dwight D. It was up to him to decide when the invasion would begin. That way, German spies could not find out when the attack would begin. Operation Overlord was well planned, but risky.
The Germans were sure to fight hard. As it turned out, the invasion resulted in about ten thousand American, British, and Canadian casualties. The deadliest fighting took place at Omaha Beach. At least 1, Americans died that morning. Twice that number were wounded. Airborne and the 28th Infantry Division. Bradley is behind the capture in May of Tunisia and nearly , German soldiers. Then he embarks on the conquest of Sicily that he occupies in August A few months later, Bradley was called to England, with the aim of preparing for the invasion of northwestern Europe and commanding the 1st US Army Corps under the command of the British General Bernard Montgomery, who must begin this invasion.
The situation on Omaha is so disastrous that he even thinks to interrupt the landing on this beach, re-embark the American troops and redirect them to Gold Beach. But the boats are not sufficient to allow such an operation. Thus he continues the operation which results in a semi-successful, the American losses being extremely high. Later, in August , he took command of the 12th Army Group, then composed of the 1st, 3rd, 9th and 15th Armies, the largest group ever formed by the Americans.
After the war, Omar Bradley returned to the United States and took care of the US Department of Veterans Affairs between and , during which time he became a fourth general star.
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