Twentieth Century Warrior: The Life and Service of Major General Edwin D. Patrick

by Wilson Allen Heefner

Description

Major General Edwin D. Patrick was killed leading his 6th Infantry Division in combat on Luzon March 1945, one of only three division commanders to die as a result of combat action in World War II. His mission was to close with and destroy the enemy. Wilson A. Heefner here brings into focus those factors that set Patrick and his fellow 138 combat division commanders apart from their contemporaries who were not chosen for command.In doing that, Heefner has told the story of the United States show more Army. He takes the reader from Patrick's 1915 commissioning in the Indiana National Guard, through his combat in the Saint Mihiel and Meuse Argonne offensives in World War I, his schooling and assignments through the lean years between the wars, to Patrick's World War II contributions.During World War II, Patrick served briefly on Admiral William Halsey's staff in the South Pacific, then became Chief of Staff of General Walter Krueger's 6th Army. On New Guinea, he commanded task forces at the battles of Wakde-Sarmi and Noemfoor Island, before assuming command of the 6th Infantry Division. show less