| Jacob Loucks Devers | |
|---|---|
 General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers | |
| Nickname | Jake |
| Born | September 8, 1887 |
| Died | October 15, 1979 (aged 92) |
| Place of birth | York, Pennsylvania |
| Place of death | Washington, D.C. |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1909–1949 |
| Rank |
 General |
| Commands held |
9th Infantry Division 6th Army Group Army Ground Forces |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (3) Navy 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. His units were the first United States units 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 January 1943 General Devers was a passenger on a B-17 which landed in neutral Ireland along with much of his senior staff. He was transferred across the border to Northern Ireland the next day. .[3]
In January 1944 Devers had become Commanding General North African Theater of Operations, U.S. Army and also Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater under General Sir Maitland Wilson.[4] When the Allied landings in Southern France took place in August 1944 (Operation Dragoon) Devers formed a special headquarters in Corsica to oversee the Franco-American forces commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander Patch. As the ground forces built up in southern France French Army B headquarters was activated alongside Patch's 7th Army and Devers' headquarters became that of an army group subordinated to Wilson's theater H.Q.. It was officially designated 6th Army Group once his forces had advanced to link with the Allied advance in northwest Europe and had become subordinate to Dwight Eisenhower's Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).[5] 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' career 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[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 David P. Colley (November 2, 2009). "How World War II Wasn’t Won". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/opinion/23colley.html?em. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 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 1-59114-133-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=5ow-MQAACAAJ&dq.
- ↑ Paul Browne (2010). "Eagles Over Ireland". Paul Browne. http://www.eagles-over-ireland.site50.net/index.php/general-j-l-devers. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ↑ Jackson, p. 176.
- ↑ Jackson, pp. 176-178.
Bibliography[]
- Jackson, General Sir William & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1988]. Butler, Sir James. ed. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 3 - November 1944 to May 1945. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-072-6.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jacob L. Devers. |
- Papers of Jacob L. Devers, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Army.mil: Jacob L. Devers
- Lost Victory - Strasbourg, November 1944
The original article can be found at Jacob L. Devers and the edit history here.