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 ...

Russell Peter Hartle (June 26, 1889 – November 23, 1961) was a senior

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 who fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

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 ...

, where he commanded the 34th Infantry Division and

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

Early life and military career

Hartle graduated from St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland in 1910, and received a commission as 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 ...

into the Infantry Branch of the

in the same year. Soon thereafter, he was sent to the Philippine Islands as the American military government was still attempting to stabilize the country nine years after the end of the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

, yet still in turmoil due in large part to the

Moro Rebellion The Moro Rebellion (1899–1913) was an armed conflict between the Moro people and the United States military during the Philippine–American War. The word "Moro" – the Spanish word for "Moor" – is a term for Muslim people who li ...

. In 1912, Hartle served with the 10th Infantry Regiment, then at

Fort Douglas, Utah Camp Douglas was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In ...

. From 1913 to 1916, he served with the 20th Infantry Regiment on the United States border with Mexico during the Mexican Border War. During

, Hartle served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 13th Infantry Division as it was preparing to leave for France in 1919. After World War I, he was a professor of Military Science and Tactics at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University).

Between the wars

Hartle graduated from the Army Infantry School in 1924, the United States Army Command and General Staff School in 1925, and 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 offic ...

in 1930. He returned to the Philippines in 1930, was promoted to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, and went on to Shanghai in 1932, as senior battalion commander of the 31st Infantry, under orders to protect American lives and property as the Japanese invaded China. In 1934, Hartle graduated from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

, and from 1934 to 1938, he served as a member of th
War Plans Division
of the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...

General Staff. Hartle was the first person to graduate from both the Army and Naval War Colleges. During that time he received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel on July 13, 1935. Promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on August 15, 1939, Hartle commanded the

65th Infantry Regiment The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Taíno Indian name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et Fidelita ...

in Puerto Rico from 1939 to August 1941. His mission was to pull together American and Puerto Rican forces and prepare them to defend the Caribbean and eastern coast of the United States from any

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis *Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...

aggression. In October 1940, while serving as commander of the mobile forces of Puerto Rico, Hartle was promoted to the temporary one-star

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

rank 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 ...

. In April 1941, war plan RAINBOW 5 was issued to counter further military assault by Germany against England. On August 5, 1941, Hartle was promoted to the

two-star rank An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...

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 ...

and placed in command of the 34th Infantry Division, an

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

formation, while the 34th was on maneuvers in Louisiana.

World War II

Following the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

on December 7, 1941, and the German declaration of war against the United States on December 11, 1941, war pla
MAGNET Force
was activated. Pursuant to that war plan, in January 1942, the 34th Division under Hartle's command was the first United States division shipped overseas–to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

to begin the

. In the spring of 1942, Hartle recommended his aide-de-camp, artillery Captain

William O. Darby Brigadier General William O. Darby (February 8, 1911 – April 30, 1945) was a career United States Army officer who fought in World War II, where he was killed in action at age 34 in Italy. He was posthumously promoted to brigadier general. Da ...

, to organize and train the first modern-day

United States Army Ranger United States Army Rangers, according to the US Army's definition, are personnel, past or present, in any unit that has the official designation "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the US Army Ranger School, even if t ...

unit, the

1st Ranger Battalion The 1st Ranger Battalion, currently based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is the first of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. It was originally formed shortly after ...

. The recommendation was authorized by General

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

, the

United States Army Chief of Staff The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...

, in May 1942. On May 20, 1942, Hartle was promoted to the command of

under Major General

James E. Chaney James Eucene Chaney (March 16, 1885 – August 21, 1967) was a senior United States Army officer. He served in both World War I and World War II. Early life James Eucene Chaney was born in Chaneyville, Maryland. He studied at public schools in ...

, who commanded United States Army Forces in the United Kingdom. Hartle continued to serve in that capacity under Lieutenant General

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, ...

from June 15 to October 24, 1942. On November 2, 1942, Hartle became Deputy Commander of American troops in the ETOUSA. Hartle commanded V Corps until his reassignment effective July 7, 1943, to Headquarters,

Army Ground Forces The Army Ground Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Service Forces. Throughout their existence, Army Ground Forces were the larges ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

On July 17, 1943, Hartle was reassigned to

Camp Fannin Camp Fannin was a U.S. Army Infantry Replacement Training Center and prisoner-of-war camp located near Tyler, Texas. It was opened in May 1943 and operated for four years, before closing in 1946. It is credited with training over 200,000 U.S. sol ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, to train replacement troops. The exact reason for the reassignment is unclear; however, it was most likely due to Marshall's dissatisfaction with Hartle as a potential battlefield commander. Marshall was believed to keep a "little black book" containing the names of key officers he deemed worthy of battlefield command. It is possible that Hartle just did not make it into the book. Major General Hartle retired from the army with a physical disability on June 30, 1946, while living in

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...

. For his services during the war, and in particular during the period from April 1942 to March 1943, Hartle was awarded the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

, the citation for which reads:

Postwar

Upon his retirement from the military, Hartle returned to

Washington County, Maryland Washington County is located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,705. Its county seat is Hagerstown. Washington County was the first county in the United States to be named for the ...

. On December 14, 1945 at the Scottish Rite Temple, in Wichita, Kansas, Hartle was awarded his 33rd Degree Rank of Freemasonry. In 1950, Hartle made an unsuccessful run as a Democrat to become Congressman for the 6th Congressional District of Maryland. Hartle died on November 23, 1961 at the age of 72 in Bethesda, Maryland, and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Hagerstown, Maryland.

Medals and decorations

References

External links

The US Army on the Mexican Border: A Historical PerspectiveU.S. Army Order of Battle 1919 – 1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry OrganizationsStrategic Planning For Coalition Warfare 1941-1942
* ttps://generals.dk/general/Hartle/Russell_Peter/USA.html Generals of World War IIbr>United States Army Officers 1939–1945
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartle, Russell P. 1889 births 1961 deaths People from Washington County, Maryland Military personnel from Maryland United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army Infantry Branch personnel United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials at Rose Hill Cemetery (Hagerstown, Maryland) United States Army generals of World War II Utah State University faculty Naval War College alumni United States Army generals