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 ...

Robert Chauncey Macon (July 12, 1890 – October 20, 1980) was a senior

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officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

who commanded the 7th Infantry Regiment and the 83rd Infantry Division 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 ...

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and later served as

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Early life

Macon graduated from

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

in 1912 with a B.S. degree and received an M.E. from the same institution the following year. He also played

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for the university. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1916. He served in China as the commander of Company I, 15th Infantry Regiment from 1919 to 1921. He was then a professor of military science and tactics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute from 1924 to 1928. After graduation from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School on June 19, 1931, he served in the

Panama Canal Department The Panama Canal Department was a department (geographical command) of the United States Army, responsible for the defense of the Panama Canal Zone between 1917 and 1947. First U.S. Army presence The Isthmian Canal Commission and the Panama Can ...

until 1933. He then attended the U.S. Army War College and from 1934 to 1939 was an instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School. Macon served as assistant chief of staff for plans in VII Corps from March to August 1940, and then served with the 6th Armored Infantry Regiment until 1941. He was then assigned as assistant chief of staff for supply of the 4th Armored Division.

World War II

In April 1942, Macon, now a colonel, took command of the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He commanded the regiment during

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

, the invasion of North Africa in November 1942, and the subsequent occupation of French Morocco. In February 1943, he was promoted to brigadier general. General Elster surrenders

In April 1943, Brigadier General Macon was appointed as assistant division commander (ADC) of the 83rd Infantry Division. He succeeded

Frank W. Milburn Lieutenant General Frank William Milburn (January 11, 1892 – October 25, 1962) was a senior United States Army officer who served during World War II and the Korean War. Military career Milburn attended the United States Military Academy and ...

as commanding general of the division in January 1944 and was promoted to major general on June 1, 1944. Major General Macon commanded the 83rd Infantry Division during operations in Normandy, including Operation Cobra and the

Battle of Saint-Malo The Battle of Saint-Malo was fought between Allied and German forces to control the French coastal town of Saint-Malo during World War II. The battle formed part of the Allied breakout across France and took place between 4 August and 2 September ...

. The division then screened the Allied advance along the Loire River Valley, and accepted the surrender of 20,000 German troops at

Beaugency Beaugency () is a commune in the Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, north-central France. It is located on the Loire river, upriver (northeast) from Blois and downriver from Orléans. History 11 March 1152 the council of Beaugency annulled ...

. The division drove through Lorraine and into Luxembourg, and then fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In 1945, the division advanced through Germany and linked up with Soviet troops on the Elbe in April. Throughout this period, from the time he assumed command of the 83rd Division, his ADC was Brigadier General

Claude Birkett Ferenbaugh Claude Birkett Ferenbaugh (1899–1975) was a United States Army lieutenant general. He served as the operations officer of the U.S. II Corps in Africa during World War II and commanded the 7th Infantry Division during the Korean War. Early l ...

Later years

Major General Macon remained in command of the 83rd Division until 1946, when he became military attaché in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, USSR. He served there from 1946 to 1948, and then became Deputy Chief, U.S. Army Field Forces from 1949 to 1952. He retired in July 1952.

Decorations

Promotions

Source - Register of the Army of the United States for 1946. United States Government Printing Office Washington: U.S. Secretary of War. 1946. p. 430 Note - Macon accepted his commission December 1, 1916

References

* R. Manning Ancell, ''Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers'' (1996) * Shelby Stanton, ''World War II Order of Battle'' (1984)

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macon, Robert C. 1890 births 1980 deaths United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Military personnel from Washington, D.C. People from Washington, D.C. Virginia Tech alumni Virginia Tech Hokies football players United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals of World War II United States Army personnel of World War I Virginia Tech faculty United States military attachés