Jacob L. Devers
Jacob Loucks Devers | |
|---|---|
 General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers | |
| Nickname(s) | Jake |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1909-1949 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands held | 6th Army Group |
| Battles/wars | World War II Operation Dragoon Operation Overlord Operation Varsity |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Bronze Star |
General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers (September 8, 1887 - October 15, 1979), commander of the 6th Army Group in Europe during World War II. He was the first United States military officer to reach the Rhine after D-Day.[1]
Biography
Devers was born in York, Pennsylvania. He graduated 39th out of 103 graduates from the United States Military Academy in 1909. Some of his classmates were George S. Patton (46), John C. H. Lee (12), Robert L. Eichelberger (68), Edwin F. Harding (74), and William H. Simpson (101). Much of his energy between the world wars was spent in the tactical and technical improvement of his branch, the Field Artillery.[2]
At the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Devers was serving in Panama. He then commanded the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from November 15, 1940 to July 15, 1941. On August 14, 1941 Devers, the youngest major general in the Army's land forces, was posted to Fort Knox, Kentucky to head the Armored Force. During his command, Fort Knox grew from two armored divisions to 16 divisions and 63 separate tank battalions. In May 1943, Devers was appointed overall commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, where, from his London headquarters, he organized and trained many divisions for the cross-channel attack.[2]
In July 1944, Devers finally received the combat command he had so long coveted; the 6th Army Group. With his twelve American and eleven French divisions, Devers cleared Alsace, reduced the Colmar Pocket, crossed the Rhine River and accepted the surrender of German forces in western Austria on May 6, 1945.[1][2]
General Devers was a highly competent and consummate professional in an exemplary career that spanned more than thirty-five years. He was promoted to brigadier general in May 1940, major general in October 1940, lieutenant general in September 1942 and general on March 8, 1945. He retired on September 30, 1949. He died in 1979 in Washington, D.C. and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[2]
References
- ^ a b David P. Colley (November 2, 2009). "How World War II Wasn't Won". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
One Allied army, however, was still on the move. The Sixth Army Group reached the Rhine at Strasbourg, France, on November 24, and its commander, Lt. Gen. Jacob L. Devers, looked across its muddy waters into Germany. His force, made up of the United States Seventh and French First Armies, 350,000 men, had landed August 15 near Marseille — an invasion largely overlooked by history but regarded at the time as "the second D-Day" — and advanced through southern France to Strasbourg. No other Allied army had yet reached the Rhine, not even hard-charging George Patton's.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d David P. Colley (2008). Decision at Strasbourg: Ike's Strategic Mistake to Halt the Sixth Army Group at the Rhine in 1944. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1591141338.
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External links
- Army Black Knights men's basketball coaches
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- People from York, Pennsylvania
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
- Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal
- United States Army generals
- United States Military Academy alumni
- 1887 births
- 1979 deaths
- United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni