Roots of U.S. WWII Generals

Ike_FI · Post by **Ike_FI** » 10 Jan 2003 12:13

There was another thread about Red Army Generals who were not originally of Soviet nationalities and that inspired me to ask whether someone could name famous U.S. generals, whose parents or grandparents were immigrants.

(I hope this isn't too overworked/FAQ stuff...)

Musashi · Post by **Musashi** » 10 Jan 2003 13:32

Perharps IKE?
When Eisenhower saw German concentration camps, he said "Its a shame my name is Eisenhower".

Jack Nisley · Post by **Jack Nisley** » 10 Jan 2003 15:40

I believe LTG Walter Kruger, CG Sixth Army, in the SWPA was born in Germany. Check http://www.generals.dk for more info on WW II generals of all nations.

Andy H · Post by **Andy H** » 10 Jan 2003 18:08

Hi Jack your correct in that assumption, I think McArthur had a Love & Hate relationship with him, especially when involved who would become the centre of attention.

Andy from the Shire

Korbius · Post by **Korbius** » 11 Jan 2003 14:58

Eisenhower had his last name "Eisenhauer" and it changed to make it look less German, and also there was Nimitz who had German origins too also by looking at his last name.

Galahad · Post by **Galahad** » 12 Jan 2003 03:08

Admiral Nimitz did indeed have German roots. He was born in the German immigrant area of the Texas Hill Country, at Fredericksburg. He didn't speak English till he was about 4 or so.

Dwight Pruitt · Post by **Dwight Pruitt** » 13 Jan 2003 06:32

Korbius wrote:Eisenhower had his last name "Eisenhauer" and it changed to make it look less German, and also there was Nimitz who had German origins too also by looking at his last name.

Not true. Dwight Eisenhower's grandfather Jacob was the first be born with the last name Eisenhower rather than Eisenhauer. Eisenhower's family had lived in the US since 1741 and some of the family changed it to "Ironcutter."

Incidentally the WW1 Ace Eddie Rickenbacker was born Rickenbacher and changed it to remove the German connotations during that war.

Steen Ammentorp · Post by **Steen Ammentorp** » 23 Jan 2003 20:27

If it is of any interest:

26 WWII US Army generals were born outside USA,
of these were:

Brigadier-General William Weston Jr. Bessell, Puerto Rico
Brigadier-General Georges Frederic Doriot, France
Lieutenant-General George Price Hays, China (not that it made him Chinese)
Brigadier-General William Hesketh, England
Lieutenant-General William Signius Knudsen, Denmark

Brigadier-General Hans Kramer, Germany
General Walter Krueger, Germany
Brigadier-General Emil Lenzner, Germany
Brigadier-General Vicente Lim, Philippines
Brigadier-General James Carre Magee, Ireland
Major-General Carter Bowie Magruder, England
Brigadier-General Henry Jeffrey Matchett, Canada
Brigadier-General Thomas North, England
Brigadier-General William O’Dwyer, Ireland
Brigadier-General John Paul Ratay, Germany
Brigadier-General Haig Shekerjian, Ottoman Empire
Brigadier-General Oscar Nathaniel Solbert, Sweden
Major-General Truman Casper Thorson, Scandinavia (Properly Norway by his last name)
Major-General Charles Andrew Willoughby, Germany

8 US National Guard generals were born outside USA,
of these were:

Brigadier-General Reginald William Buzzell, Canada
Brigadier-General William E. Guthner, Germany
Major-General Charles Eskridge Saltzman, Philippines

4 US Army Air Force generals were born outside USA
5 US Navy flag officers where born outside USA
3 US Marine Corps generals where born outside USA

Kind Regards
Steen Ammentorp
The Generals of World War II

Korbius · Post by **Korbius** » 24 Jan 2003 21:32

Dwight Pruitt wrote: Not true. Dwight Eisenhower's grandfather Jacob was the first be born with the last name Eisenhower rather than Eisenhauer. Eisenhower's family had lived in the US since 1741 and some of the family changed it to "Ironcutter."

Well, anyways his last name was of german origin from his grandfather.

subskipper · Post by **subskipper** » 24 Jan 2003 22:02

Steen,

You don't happen to have any more info on BG Oscar Nathaniel Solbert? I tried a google search but drew a blank. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

~Henric Edwards

Ike_FI · Post by **Ike_FI** » 24 Jan 2003 23:42

Steen & others, thanks for sharing all that info!

Steen Ammentorp · Post by **Steen Ammentorp** » 25 Jan 2003 08:28

Henric,

Yes I do have more information on him. Solbert was born in Sweden on January 22, 1885. Commissioned in the Corps of Engineers from West Point in 1910. He served as Military Attaché to Norway & Denmark 1918-1919. Resigned from active duty in 1926, but he was recalled to active duty in 1942. He served with SHAEF 1943-1945, and was promoted Brigadier-General in 1944. His Decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal. He died in 1958.

Source: The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers : The US Armed Forces / R. Manning Ancell with Christine M. Miller.

Kind Regards
Steen Ammentorp

Kind Regards
Steen Ammentorp
The Generals of World War II

subskipper · Post by **subskipper** » 25 Jan 2003 08:38

Many thanks Steen! Very interesting indeed.

~Henric Edwards

Ken McCanliss · Post by **Ken McCanliss** » 21 Jun 2005 05:35

The Ancell-Miller book has good thumbnail sketches, but has some very serious shortcomings, which I pointed out in my review at Amazon.com several years ago. For example, in the appendix listing generals and flag officers that died during WWII, the authors failed to note Nelson Macy Walker, James Edward Wharton, or Gustave Joseph Braun, Jr. of the Army; Alexander Edward Anderson of the National Guard; nor Isaac Campbell Kidd (killed aboard the battleship 'Arizona' at Pearl Harbor), Henry Maston Mullinix, and James Alexander Logan of the Navy.

But the most serious shortfall is in the sheer volume of names omitted in the main body of the work - over 100 that I have been able to determine so far; undoubtedly there are others.

Following is a list of those officers that should have been included:

U.S. NAVY

Burrell Clinton Allen (ret.)
William Mack Angas (CEC)
Paul Henry Bastedo (ret.)
Robert Fred Batchelder (SC)
Hasrold Medberry Bemis
Frank Dunn Berrien (ret.)
Leslie Emmett Bratton (ret.)
Samuel Averett Clement
Oswald Symister Colclough
Thomas Selby Combs
Joseph Rollie Defrees (ret.)
Benjamin Henry Dorsey (MC)
Leonard Doughty, Jr. (ret.)
William Gunnell DuBose (ret.)
Thomas Arthur Durham (SC)
Leon Sangster Fiske
Percy Wright Foote (ret.)
Edward James Foy
Charles Seymour Freeman
Norman Campbell Gillette
William Henry Hamilton
John Fletcher Hatch (SC)
George Raymond Henderson
Mark Lesley Hersey, Jr.
Thomas Powers Jeter
Fred Durrell Kirtland
Dudley Wright Knox (ret.)
Lamar Richard Leahy (ret.)
James Alexander Logan
Francis Stuart Low
Frank Lyon (ret.)
John Holmes Magruder, Jr.
James Edward Maher
Irving Hall Mayfield
Benjamin Vaughan McCandlish
Harry Adrian McClure
Joseph William McColl, Jr. (ret.)
Lynde Dupuy McCormick
John Benedict McGovern
Joseph John Anthony McMullin (MC)
Ernest Doyle McWhorter
Martin Kellogg Metcalf (ret.)
Milton Edward Miles
Marc Andrew Mitscher
Lewis Nicholas Moeller (CEC)
Everett Graham Morsell (SC)
John Gould Moyer
Henry Maston Mullinnix
William Robert Munroe
Orin Gould Murfin (ret.)
John Vernon Murphy
Vincent Raphael Murphy
George Dominic Murray
Henry Parke Needham (CEC)
Clarence Edward Olsen
Charles Malden Oman (MC)
Hugo Wilson Osterhaus (ret.)
Andrew Calhoun Pickens
William Veazie Pratt (ret.)
Alfred Melville Pride
Oliver Middleton Read
Joseph Reasor Redman
John Walter Reeves, Jr.
James Otto Richardson
Donald Royce
Charles Frank Russell (ret.)
Dennis Leo Ryan
William Russell Ryan (SC)
Frank Howard Sadler
Francis Worth Scanland
Malcom Francis Schoeffel
Claire Clifford Seabury (CEC)
George Albert Seitz
Walton Roswell Sexton (ret.)
Luther Sheldon, Jr. ((MC)
James Marshall Shoemaker
Wallace Broughton Short (CEC)
Manley Hale Simons
Harold Wellington Smith (MC)
Roland Nesbit Smoot
Ray Spear (SC)
William Oscar Spears (ret.)
Adolphus Staton (ret.)
Charles S. Stephenson (MC)
Dallas Gilchrist Sutton (MC)
Charles Russell Train (ret.)
Thamas Earle Van Metre
John Drayton Wainwright
William Clifton Wallace (SC)
Adolphus Eugene Watson
William Carleton Watts (ret.)
Edward Clendenning White (MC)
Ralph Whitman (CEC)
Henry Ariosto Wiley (ret.)
John Wilkes
Frank Joseph Wille
Clarence Stewart Williams (ret.)
Thomas Withers, Jr.
Edgar Lyons Woods (MC)
Robert DuBois Workman (CC)
Jerauld Wright
Ben Harrison Wyatt
William Brent Young (SC)

U.S. COAST GUARD

James Albert Hirshfield
William James Keester
Norman Henry Leslie
Raymond Thomas McElligott
John Elliott Whitbeck

Steen Ammentorp · Post by **Steen Ammentorp** » 21 Jun 2005 19:13

Hi Ken,

Thank you very much for this list. While I agree you on its short commings I find it a useful reference tool nevertheless.

Another omission is btw. Major-General Charles Lewis Scott.

Kind Regards
Steen Ammentorp
The Generals of World War II

Axis History Forum

Roots of U.S. WWII Generals

Roots of U.S. WWII Generals

Roots of WW II US generals

The Ancell-Miller book