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Fourth United States Army

Fourth United States Army
Fourth United States Army shoulder sleeve insignia
Active1932 – 1971
1984 – 1991
Country United States
Allegiance United States Army
BranchRegular Army
TypeField army
Motto(s)"Leadership And Integrity"
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Alexander Patch
Jonathan Wainwright
James R. Hall
Samuel Tankersley Williams
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia[1]
Flag

Fourth United States Army was a field army of the United States Army between 1932 and 1991.

History

Interwar period

Fourth Army (I)

The Fourth Army was authorized by the National Defense Act of 1920 and was originally to be composed of Organized Reserve units primarily from the First, Second, and Third Corps Areas. The Headquarters and Headquarters Company were constituted in the Organized Reserve on 15 October 1921 and allotted to the Second Corps Area. New York City, New York, was designated as headquarters upon organization, but the unit was never organized at that location. The Headquarters Company was initiated in December 1922 at New York City. The Headquarters Company was withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 18 August 1933 and allotted to the Regular Army effective 1 October 1933. Concurrently, the army headquarters was demobilized.[2]

Fourth Army (II)

The second iteration of the headquarters, Fourth Army, was constituted in the Regular Army on 9 August 1932 and allotted to the Seventh Corps Area. The headquarters was organized on 15 August 1932 at Omaha, Nebraska. The Headquarters Company (constituted in the Organized Reserve on 15 October 1921) was withdrawn from the Organized Reserve 18 August 1933, and allotted to the Regular Army effective 1 October 1933.

Due to the abandonment in 1933 of the “Six Army” plan in favor of the “Four Army” plan, the Fourth Army area was restructured to consist of the Seventh and Ninth Corps Areas. The army headquarters was transferred to the Presidio of San Francisco on 3 October 1933 upon the assumption of command of Major General Malin Craig, the senior corps area commander. The Fourth Army mission was to develop defense and operational plans for contingencies in the vicinity of the Pacific coast and the western United States, review the mobilization plans of the Seventh and Ninth Corps Areas, and oversee the training of units in the army area. As part of the responsibility to oversee training, the Fourth Army planned, conducted, and/or participated in three major maneuvers between 1937 and 1941.

The 1937 maneuvers, under the command of Major General George S. Simonds, were actually four separate exercises and were held at Fort Riley, Kansas, and Camp Ripley, Minnesota, for the Seventh Corps Area troops, and at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, and Fort Lewis, Washington, for the Ninth Corps Area troops. The next Fourth Army maneuver was also a split exercise, this time under the command of Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt. Held in August 1940, the maneuver was conducted near Camp Ripley for the Seventh Corps Area units and at Fort Lewis for the Ninth Corps Area contingent. A primary focus of this exercise was to train the army and corps staffs, all of which had been provisionally organized from the corps area staffs. Following the 1940 maneuver, the organization of the Fourth Army was changed to reflect the assignment of the III Corps to the troop list and the loss of the VII Corps to the Second Army. The Fourth Army Headquarters Company was activated on 18 November 1940 at the Presidio of San Francisco. The final maneuver in which the Fourth Army participated prior to World War II was the GHQ Fourth Army maneuvers in southwestern Washington in August and September 1941. The exercise included over 120,000 Fourth Army soldiers from Regular Army and National Guard units. Following the maneuvers, the Fourth Army headquarters returned to its station at the Presidio of San Francisco, where it was located on 7 December 1941.[3]

World War II

Fourth Army remained in the continental United States during World War II, largely responsible for the defense of the West Coast and training tactical units to operate efficiently in combat.[4]

Cold War

During the 1960s, Fourth Army operated "Tigerland", an infantry training school at Louisiana's Fort Polk that prepared recruits for infantry combat in Vietnam.[5] In July 1971, Fourth Army was consolidated with Fifth United States Army at Fort Sam Houston.[6]

Between 1984 and 1991, Fourth Army was based at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.[4] Lieutenant General James R. Hall served as the last commanding general, holding the position from 1989 until Fourth Army was inactivated in 1991.[4]

Past commanders

Notes

  1. ^ O'Connor suffered a heart attack and died in March 1971, approximately three weeks after assuming command.[14]
  2. ^ Fourth Army merged with Fifth Army in 1971; Underwood assumed command of the reorganized Fifth Army[6]

References

  1. ^ Wilson, John B., Center of Military History, United States Army (1987). Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 19 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Clay, Steven E. (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919-41. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 124.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Clay, Steven E. (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919-41. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 127.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ a b c Enstad, Robert (27 September 1991). "4th Army To Go Out With Bang". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL.
  5. ^ "Fourth Army Deputy General Tours Ft. Polk". Lake Charles American Press. Lake Charles, LA. 21 November 1966. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c "Gen. Underwood To Get 4th Star". Lawton Constitution. Lawton, OK. 6 August 1971. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Clay, Steven E. U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919–1941 (PDF). Vol. I. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 127.
  8. ^ a b c d e U.S. Department of the Army (1950). The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 496–497 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Young, Gordon R., ed. (1959). The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the United States Army. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Company. pp. 78–79, 640 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Colorful Rites Mark End of General's Career". San Antonio Express. San Antonio, TX. 21 October 1958. p. 1-C – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives (1965). "Listing of Principal Officials Responsible for Administration of Activities Discussed In General Accounting Office Reports of Materiel Readiness". U.S. Army Readiness: Hearings Before the Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 53 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ a b Zierdt, William H. Jr., ed. (December 1965). "Who's News". The Army Reserve Magazine. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve. p. 30 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Schmitt, William V., ed. (January 1968). "Bravo Brings Bravos". Army Digest. Washington, DC: Chief of Information, United States Army. p. 65 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ a b c "Died—Lt. Gen. George G. O'Connor". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Alexandria-Pineville, LA. 24 March 1971. p. B-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b c Miller, Stanley D. (29 September 1991). "Fourth Army deactivated amid pomp, circumstance, sadness". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, WI. Associated Press. p. F-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Edward C. Peter II". The Washington Post. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  17. ^ a b Walker, Chris (1 June 1989). "Holding the Line". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.

General references

  • History of the Fourth Army, Jack B. Beardwood, Washington, D.C., 1946 (N.P. Army Ground Force Study No. 18)
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