Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

John Beugnot Wogan (January 1, 1890 – September 30, 1968) was a decorated

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 ...

officer. He is most noted for his leadership of the 13th Armored Division for the most of

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 ...

Military career

John B. Wogan was born on January 1, 1890, in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Louisiana. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, in 1915 as a part of The class the stars fell on. His classmates were for example

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, Omar Bradley, James Van Fleet,

Paul J. Mueller Major General Paul John Mueller (November 16, 1892 – September 25, 1964) was a highly decorated senior United States Army officer. He served overseas during World War I and World War II, where he commanded the 81st Infantry Division in the Pac ...

Charles W. Ryder Major General Charles Wolcott Ryder CB (January 16, 1892 – August 17, 1960) was a senior United States Army officer who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. Early life and military career Born in Topeka, Kansas in m ...

and

Stafford LeRoy Irwin Lieutenant General Stafford LeRoy Irwin (March 23, 1893 – November 23, 1955) was a senior United States Army officer who served in World War II. He came from a family with a strong military tradition: he was the son of Major General George LeRo ...

, all big future generals of

. He was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of coastal artillery, and his first service assignment was at

Fort H. G. Wright Fort H. G. Wright was a United States military installation on Fishers Island in the town of Southold, New York, just two miles off the coast of southeastern Connecticut, but technically in New York. It was part of the Harbor Defenses of Long Isla ...

during the years 1915–1916. Fluent in both French and English (parents were from old New Orleans French lineage), Wogan spent extensive time in France as a staff translator for the Army of Occupation after World War 1. In 1931, Wogan was posted to Panama as a major of Pack Artillery, and oversaw the first ever aerial deployment of artillery, using army aircraft to transport artillery from one side of the Panama Canal to the other. ANCExplorer John B

In 1939, Wogan transferred service branches once again, this time to the Armored Corps. He eventually rose in rank to major general, commanding the 13th Armored division from 1942 to 1945. On April 15. 1945, Wogan fought a desperate German offensive in the Ruhr Pocket, at a German roadblock near the Autobahn interchange Leverkusen, where he was severely wounded by German rifle fire. He was forced to medically retire as a result of these wounds after a lengthy convalescence in military hospitals. Wogan retired to his wife's hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, where he spent the remainder of his life as the director of the veterans hospital there. He was active in civic causes until his death in 1968.

Decorations

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wogan, John B. 1890 births 1968 deaths People from New Orleans Military personnel from Louisiana United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 United States Army generals of World War II