Oscar Griswold

Oscar W. Griswold
Born	(1886-10-22)October 22, 1886 Ruby Valley, Nevada, United States
Died	September 28, 1959(1959-09-28) (aged 72) Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1910–1947
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	0-2883
Unit	Infantry Branch
Commands	Third Army Seventh Army II Corps XIV Corps IV Corps 4th Infantry Division
Battles / wars	World War I Meuse–Argonne offensive World War II Operation Cartwheel Solomon Islands campaign Bougainville campaign Philippines campaign Battle of Manila
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart
Signature

Lieutenant General Oscar Woolverton Griswold (22 October 1886 – 28 September 1959) was a United States Army officer who served in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the XIV Corps in the South Pacific Area and South West Pacific Area during World War II.

Early life

Oscar Woolverton Griswold was born on 22 October 1886 in Ruby Valley, Nevada. Raised in Arthur, Nevada, he attended the University of Nevada, Reno from 1905 to 1906, when he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. On graduation with the West Point Class of 1910, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry.

Military career

Griswold's early company grade assignments included three years service in China from 1914 to 1917. During World War I, he served as a major and lieutenant colonel in the 84th Division, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), from 1918 to 1919, and participated in the Meuse–Argonne offensive.

Griswold was assigned to the USMA from 1921 to 1924. He graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1925, graduating 189th in the class of 258, and the United States Army War College in 1929. From 1929 to 1931 Griswold served with the War Department General Staff. This duty was followed by service with the United States Army Air Corps. He served as a member of the Infantry Board from 1932 to 1936, and from 1936 to 1939 was assigned to the Office, Chief of Infantry.

World War II

Griswold commanded the 29th Infantry Regiment from September 1939 to October 1940. The 29th was the primary training regiment permanently billeted at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia; under Griswold's command, the first Parachute Test Platoon was organized out of the 29th, as well as its ersatz successor, the original 501st Parachute Battalion. Griswold was promoted to brigadier general in October 1940 and became Commanding General of the Infantry Replacement Training Center at Camp Croft. Promoted to major general in August 1941, he commanded 4th Infantry Division.

New Zealand Major General Harold Barrowclough (right), with Major General Oscar Griswold, commander of U. S. XIV Corps, Vella Lavella, 1943.

From April 1943, Griswold was Commanding General of the XIV Corps, which fought in New Georgia, Bougainville and in the Philippines. It was for his service during this period that he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Oscar Woolverton Griswold (ASN: 0-2883), United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States while serving as Commanding General, XIV Corps with additional duty as Commander, Bougainville Landing Forces from 15 December 1943 to 5 June 1944. During this period, Major General Griswold displayed exceptional qualities of forceful leadership in the execution of the many offensive operations carried out by his command under extremely difficult terrain and weather conditions. His efficient coordination of the activities of the Army with the Navy and Allied units, enabled our forces to exert their greatest strength against the Japanese and administer a series of crushing defeats. Major General Griswold, through his initiative and broad understanding of combined operations, contributed materially to the neutralization of the last and most formidable Japanese stronghold in the Solomon Islands and to the continued success of the Allied campaign in the South Pacific. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Military Service.

He was promoted to lieutenant general in early 1945, and continued to serve in the Pacific theater under Douglas MacArthur during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. Griswold was the top ground commander only under MacArthur and Krueger during that battle, which was the largest urban warfare American troops ever participated in up to that point; Griswold's XIV Corps, in their bitter and bloody fight for Manila, consisted of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 37th Infantry Division, and the 11th Airborne Division. In June 1945, General of the Army MacArthur nominated Griswold to command the Tenth United States Army following the death of Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. in the Battle of Okinawa. However, he was passed over in favor of General Joseph Stilwell.

Later life

After World War II, Griswold served as Commanding General of the Seventh United States Army from 11 June 1946 to 15 March 1947, and then the Third United States Army from 15 March to 14 April 1947.

In October 1947, Griswold retired to The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and resided in the Broadmoor Stadium Apartments. In 1948, he was employed by The Broadmoor Hotel Corporation as the Director of Athletic Events. These included ice hockey and figure skating in the Broadmoor Ice Palace. In 1954, Griswold helped to bring the new United States Air Force Academy to Colorado Springs. He also appeared in a television segment of This Is Your Life in December 1956 where he lauded the exploits of an army captain who refused to surrender in the Philippines and successfully led a guerilla campaign against the Japanese until he turned himself in to General Griswold. He remained employed by the Broadmoor until health problems caused him to retire.

Griswold died on 28 September 1959 at his home in Colorado Springs. He was buried along with his wife Elizabeth Katherine (Matile) Griswold at the West Point Cemetery.

Awards

Griswold's awards and decorations include the following:

	Army Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
	Navy Distinguished Service Medal
	Silver Star with one oak leaf clusters
	Legion of Merit
	Bronze Star Medal
	Air Medal
	Purple Heart
	Victory Medal
	American Defense Service Medal
	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two campaign stars
	World War II Victory Medal
	Army of Occupation Medal

In 1946 he received a Doctor of Laws from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date
No insignia	Cadet	USMA	June 15, 1906
No insignia in 1910	Second Lieutenant	Regular Army	June 15, 1910
	First Lieutenant	Regular Army	July 1, 1916
	Captain	Regular Army	May 15, 1917
	Major	National Army	June 7, 1918
	Lieutenant Colonel	National Army	October 1, 1918
	Major	Regular Army	July 1, 1920
	Lieutenant Colonel	Regular Army	March 1, 1935
	Colonel	Regular Army	July 1, 1939
	Brigadier General	Army of the United States	October 1, 1940
	Major General	Army of the United States	August 5, 1941
	Brigadier General	Regular Army	March 1, 1944
	Lieutenant General	Army of the United States	April 14, 1945
	Major General	Regular Army	December 1, 1946
	Lieutenant General	Retired List	October 31, 1947

Bibliography

• Taaffe, Stephen R. (2013). Marshall and His Generals: U.S. Army Commanders in World War II. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1942-9. OCLC 840162019.