Major General Fred Livingood Walker (June 11, 1887 – October 6, 1969)
was a highly decorated senior
United States Army officer who served in both
World War I and
World War II and was awarded with the second highest military decorations in both wars, the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
(DSC). During World War I he commanded a battalion on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
* Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...
, fighting with distinction in the
Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918. During World War II, Walker commanded the
36th (Texas) Infantry Division throughout its service in the
Italian campaign, from September 1943 until June 1944.
Early life and military career
Fred Livingood Walker was born on June 11, 1887 in
Fairfield County, Ohio
Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. Its county seat is Lancaster. Its name is a reference to the Fairfield area of the original Lancaster.
Fairfield County is p ...
as a son of William Henry Walker and his wife Belle (néé Mason). Walker attended
Ohio State University and graduated in 1911 with a degree in engineering. Subsequently, he was accepted into the
United States Army and was
commissioned as an officer, with the rank of
second lieutenant, into the
Infantry. He served briefly with an Infantry unit in
Fort Sam Houston in
San Antonio,
Texas and then he was transferred to the
Philippines, where he served with the
13th Infantry Regiment.
In 1914, he was transferred back to the
United States, where he was stationed in
Eagle Pass, Texas
Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County, Texas, Maverick County in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
Eagle Pass U.S.-Mexico border, borders the city of Pied ...
and also took part in the
Pancho Villa Expedition under the command of
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...
John J. Pershing (later destined to achieve the highest rank in the United States Army, that of
General of the Armies
General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States Army. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accolad ...
).
After the
American entry into World War I
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
(in April 1917) Walker was sent overseas and served with the
30th Infantry Regiment, part of the
3rd Division, into the
trenches
A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit).
In geology, trenches result from eros ...
of the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
* Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...
. The division was part of the
American Expeditionary Forces
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...
(AEF). Walker, as a 31-year old
major, commanded the 1st Battalion of his regiment during the
Second Battle of the Marne in the summer of 1918 and distinguished himself during heavy combat. In July 1918, Walker received the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
(DSC) for his service during the battle. In addition, he also received a
Silver Star and was
wounded twice.
Between the wars
He returned to the United States, where he served as an instructor at the
United States Army Infantry School at
Fort Benning,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, a position he held for three years. He then attended the
United States Army Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
, from where he was an honor graduate, in 1927. This was followed by his being made commandant of the
Shattuck School in
Minnesota, from 1927 to 1932. After attending and later graduating from the
United States Army War College
The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officer ...
in 1933, he remained there as an instructor for well over three years, where he taught many students who would later serve with in the not too distant future, such as
Mark W. Clark
Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was a United States Army officer who saw service during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the US Army during World War II.
During World War I ...
,
Courtney Hodges
General Courtney Hicks Hodges (January 5, 1887 – January 16, 1966) was a decorated senior officer in the United States Army who commanded First U.S. Army in the Western European Campaign of World War II. Hodges was a notable "mustang" office ...
,
Louis E. Hibbs and
Omar Bradley.
He then went to
China where he served with the
15th Infantry Regiment, before returning to the United States, serving as a
G-3 with the
Second Army. In April 1941 he was promoted to brigadier general and served as the assistant division commander (ADC) of the
2nd Infantry Division.
World War II
In September 1941, during
World War II (although the United States was still officially neutral), Walker was appointed
Commanding General
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitud ...
(CG) of the
36th (Texas) Infantry Division stationed in
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,862 at th2020 census Brownwood is located in the Northern Texas Hill Country and is home to Howard Payne University that was founded in 1889. ...
. In this capacity, Walker replaced
Major General Claude V. Birkhead, the previous commander. Walker commanded the division during the
Carolina Maneuvers
The Carolina Maneuvers were a series of United States Army exercises held around Southern North Carolina and Northern South Carolina in 1941. The exercises, which involved some 350,000 troops, was designed to evaluate United States training, logis ...
in the summer of 1942.
In April 1943, the 36th Infantry Division deployed from the
New York Port of Embarkation to the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Walker commanded the division in training operations in
North Africa, near
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...
,
Morocco and
Arzew
Arzew or Arzeu ( ar, أرزيو Berber; ) is a port city in Algeria, 25 miles (40 km) from Oran. It is the capital of Arzew District, Oran Province.
History
Antiquity
Like the rest of North Africa, the site of modern-day Arzew was ori ...
,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
. The 36th Division first saw combat in the
Italian Campaign in September 1943, when, under the command of Major General
Ernest Dawley's
VI Corps (later replaced by Major General
John Lucas) of the
U.S. Fifth Army
The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM. , commanded by
Lieutenant General Mark Clark, it took part in
Operation Avalanche, part of the
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army G ...
. The assault landings were successful, although the division suffered heavy casualties when the
German troops launched numerous
counterattack
A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in " war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically see ...
s in an attempt to push the Allies back into the sea.
Walker was 56 years old in 1943, making him the oldest
divisional commander in the United States Army at the time. He suffered from medical problems, including an elevated heart rate, arthritis and bouts of temporary blindness. While in Italy, one of his sons served as his operations officer and another as his personal aide.
Walker commanded the 36th Division during the whole of its service in the grueling slog up Italy, crossing the
Volturno Line
The Volturno Line (also known as the Viktor Line; , ) was a German defensive position in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II.
The line ran from Termoli in the east, along the Biferno River through the Apennine Mountains to the ...
in October, and by late November/early December, by which time the division was part of Major General
Geoffrey Keyes
Lieutenant General Geoffrey Keyes (October 30, 1888 – September 17, 1967) was a highly decorated senior United States Army officer who served with distinction in Sicily and Italy during World War II.
Early life
Keyes was born on October 30, ...
'
U.S. II Corps, were fighting in front of the
Bernhardt Line
The Bernhardt Line (or Reinhard Line) was a German defensive line in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Having reached the Bernhardt Line at the start of December 1943, it took until mid-January 1944 for the U.S. Fifth Army to f ...
, part of the formidable
Winter Line
The Winter Line was a series of German and Italian military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt and commanded by Albert Kesselring. The series of three lines was designed to defend a western section ...
defenses, suffering heavy casualties in the
Battle of San Pietro Infine
The Battle of San Pietro Infine (commonly referred to as the "Battle of San Pietro") was a major engagement from 8–17 December 1943, in the Italian Campaign of World War II involving Allied forces attacking from the south against heavily f ...
, later participating in the
Rapido river crossing, part of the
First Battle of Monte Cassino, and
Mount Artemisio on the drive north through Rome and beyond. The fighting in the early months of the Allied campaign in Italy proved very costly for the 36th Division, due to determined German resistance, the
mountainous terrain, and the worsening winter weather. Walker was critical of the leadership in Italy, writing, "The Italian campaign will not be finished this week, nor next. Our wasteful policy or method of taking one mountain mass after another gains no tactical advantage, locally. There is always another mountain mass beyond with the Germans dug in on it, just as before. Somebody on top side, who control of the required means, should figure out a way to decisively defeat the German army in Italy, instead of just pushing, pushing, pushing."
Unfortunately, the crossing of the Rapido that took place on January 20–22, 1944 was a total failure, which resulted in heavy losses for the 36th Division, suffering approximately 1,681 casualties–143 killed, 663 wounded and 875 missing. After the war, the Thirty-Sixth Division Veteran Association called for a Congressional investigation of this battle, due to the inefficiency and inexperience of General Clark. However, no action was taken against General Clark.
Walker had been pessimistic about the operations' chances of success from the start, writing on 17 January "It appears to me that the
defeat of the Germans on the Marne on July 15th 1918, is about to be repeated in reverse on the Rapido in January 1944." He blamed his superiors, Keyes, commanding II Corps, and Clark, commanding the Fifth Army, attempting to convince them to launch the attack further north, without success, "They do not understand the problems and do not know what I am talking about."
In July 1944, Major General Fred Walker was transferred back to the United States and appointed as Commander of the
U.S. Army Infantry School at
Fort Benning,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. He served in this capacity until April 30, 1946, when he retired from the U.S. Army.
In September 1944 Major General Walker was awarded with his second
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
for his leadership of the 36th Infantry Division.
Decorations
In 2009 he was inducted to the
Texas Military Hall of Honor.
Distinguished Service Cross Citation
For his actions, Fred L. Walker was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
. The official U.S. Army citation for Walker's Distinguished Service Cross reads:
:General Orders: War Department, General Orders 89 (1919)
:Action Date: 15-Jul-18
:Name: Fred L. Walker
:Service: Army
:Rank: Major
:Regiment: 30th Infantry Regiment
:Division: 3d Division,
American Expeditionary Forces
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...
'Citation'
''The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Infantry) Fred L. Walker, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, A.E.F., near the Marne River, France, 15 July 1918. Holding a front of more than 4 1/2 kilometers along the Marne River, Major Walker commanded a front-line battalion, which received the principal shock of the German attack on the French Army Corps front, but inflicted great losses on the enemy as the latter crossed the river. Those who succeeded in crossing were thrown into such confusion that they were unable to follow the barrage; and, through the effective leadership of this officer, no Germans remained in his sector south of the river at the end of the day's action. When one platoon had been cut off by an entire enemy battalion near the river, he sent other units to its relief and captured the entire German battalion, numbering 200 soldiers and 5 officers, including the battalion commander.''
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Generals of World War II
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Fred L.
1887 births
1969 deaths
United States Army War College alumni
United States Army War College faculty
United States Army Infantry Branch personnel
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
People from Fairfield County, Ohio
United States Army generals
Ohio State University College of Engineering alumni
United States Army personnel of World War I
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Silver Star
United States Army generals of World War II
Military personnel from Ohio