Fourth United States Army was a

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

between 1932 and 1991.

History

In 1922, Fourth Army was organized as a unit of the Organized Reserves in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was allotted to the Regular Army as an inactive unit on 9 August 1932. It was activated 1 October 1933 and headquartered at the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...

, California. In January 1944, Fourth Army moved its headquarters to

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. It was redesignated Fourth United States Army on 1 January 1957. Fourth Army remained in the Continental United States during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, largely responsible for the defense of the West Coast and training tactical units to operate efficiently in combat. During the 1960s, Fourth Army operated "Tigerland", an infantry training school at Louisiana's

Fort Polk Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the first ...

that prepared recruits for infantry combat in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. In July 1971, Fourth Army was consolidated with

Fifth United States Army Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

at Fort Sam Houston. Between 1984 and 1991, Fourth Army was based at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

James R. Hall served as the last commanding general, holding the position from 1989 until Fourth Army was inactivated in 1991.

Past commanders

* MG

Johnson Hagood Johnson Hagood may refer to: *Johnson Hagood (governor) (1828–1898), American Civil War soldier and Governor of South Carolina, 1880–1882 * Johnson Hagood (1873–1948), American World War I general See also *Johnson Hagood Stadium Johnson ...

(1932–1933) * MG

Malin Craig Malin Craig (August 5, 1875 – July 25, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who served as the 14th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1935 to 1939. He served in World War I and was recalled to active duty during World War II ...

(1933–1935) * MG Paul B. Malone (1935–1936) * MG George S. Simonds (1936–1938) * LTG Albert Jesse Bowley Sr. (1938–1939) * GEN

John L. DeWitt John Lesesne DeWitt (January 9, 1880 – June 20, 1962) was a 4-star general officer in the United States Army, best known for leading the Japanese American internment, internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. After the attack on Pe ...

(1939–1943) * GEN

William Hood Simpson General William Hood Simpson (May 18, 1888 – August 15, 1980) was a senior United States Army officer who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. He is best known for being the Commanding General of the Ninth United Stat ...

(1943–1944) * MG

John P. Lucas Major General John Porter Lucas (January 14, 1890 – December 24, 1949) was a senior officer of the United States Army who saw service in World War I and World War II. He is most remembered for being the commander of VI Corps during the Battle of ...

(1944–1945) * LTG

Alexander Patch General Alexander McCarrell Patch (November 23, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both world wars, rising to rank of general. During World War II, he commanded U.S. Army and Marine Corps force ...

(1945) * GEN

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV (August 23, 1883 – September 2, 1953) was a career American army officer and the Commander of Allied forces in the Philippines at the time Japan surrendered to the United States, during World War II. Wainwright ...

(1946–1947) * GEN Thomas Troy Handy (1947–1949) * MG Andrew D. Bruce (1949) * LTG LeRoy Lutes (1949–1952) * MG

Hobart R. Gay Lieutenant General Hobart Raymond Gay (May 16, 1894 – August 19, 1983), nicknamed "Hap", was a United States Army officer who served in numerous conflicts, including World War II, where he worked closely alongside General George S. Patton, and l ...

(1952) * GEN William M. Hoge (1952–1953) * GEN John E. Dahlquist (1953) * MG

Haydon L. Boatner Haydon LeMaire Boatner (October 8, 1900 – May 29, 1977) was a major general in the United States Army who served in World War II and the Korean War. Early life and family Haydon L. Boatner was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hi ...

(1953) * LTG Isaac D. White (1953–1955) * LTG

Samuel Tankersley Williams Lieutenant General Samuel Tankersley Williams (August 25, 1897 – April 26, 1984) was a senior United States Army officer. Williams became prominent in army history for being reduced in rank from brigadier general to colonel, and then resuscitati ...

(1955) * LTG John H. Collier (1955–1958) * LTG

Guy S. Meloy Jr. General Guy Stanley Meloy Jr. (September 4, 1903 – December 14, 1968) was a U.S. Army general, World War II and Korean War veteran, and served as commander of all U.S. forces in Korea during the Cold War. Early life and education Meloy was ...

(1958–1961) * LTG

Donald Prentice Booth Donald Prentice Booth (December 21, 1902 – October 30, 1993) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. During World War II he was the US Army's youngest theater commander. After World War II he was known for his commands of the 28th ...

(1961–1962) * LTG Carl H. Jark (1962–1964) * LTG Robert W. Colglazier (1964–1966) * LTG

Thomas W. Dunn Lieutenant General Thomas Weldon Dunn (September 12, 1908 – January 19, 1983) was a senior officer in the United States Army. Early life Dunn was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 12, 1908. On graduation from high school, he entered the ...

(1966–1967) * LTG Lawrence J. Lincoln (1967–1968) * LTG

Harry H. Critz Lieutenant General Harry Herndon Critz (26 February 1912 – 2 May 1982) was a native Texan, born in Teague. Rising through the ranks during periods of war, his final post was as Commanding General of Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas. Whi ...

(1968–1971) * LTG George G. O'Connor (1971) * LTG George V. Underwood Jr. (1971) * Unit inactive * LTG

Edward C. Peter II Edward C. Peter II (May 8, 1929 – November 12, 2008) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War, he attained the rank of lieutenant general and was most notable for his command of 2nd Battalion, ...

(1984–1986) * LTG

Frederic J. Brown III Frederic J. Brown III (born July 18, 1934) is a retired United States Army officer. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he attained the rank of lieutenant general and was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal (2), Silver Star, Legion o ...

(1986–1989) * LTG James R. Hall (1989–1991) * Unit inactive

Notes

References

General references

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

External links

Fourth Army web page at globalsecurity.org

i

a publication of the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

* {{Authority control 004 Army Military units and formations established in 1932