Lloyd Fredendall
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Fredendall was an American
General during World War II
. Major General
Fredendall is best known for his command of the Central Task Force landings during Operation Torch
, and his command of the US II Corps during the early stages of the Tunisia Campaign
. In February 1943, while in command of II Corps, his forces were defeated by forces commanded by German
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
and Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim
in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. After this setback, Fredendall was relieved from command of II Corps by Dwight D. Eisenhower
and replaced by George Smith Patton, Jr in March 1943. In spite of his relief, Fredendall was promoted to Lieutenant General in June 1943, assumed command of U.S. Second Army
and was greeted back home as a hero.
. His father, Ira Livingston Fredendall (December 7, 1846-February 6, 1935) was on active duty in the U.S. Army when Lloyd was born. Ira became sheriff
of the town of Laramie
before receiving a commission in the Quartermaster Corps during the Spanish-American War
. As a result of his father's connections in the service and with local and state politicians, Fredendall secured an appointment from Wyoming
Senator Francis E. Warren
to enter the class of 1905 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
. Fredendall's mother Eveline (Evelyn) McKussick (August 19, 1860-October 1930), a domineering woman, accompanied the newly-listed plebe to Highland Falls, New York
. Described by a classmate as "a very soldierly little fellow, but extremely goaty in mathematics
," Lloyd performed poorly in the latter subject as well as general deportment, and as a result was dismissed from the Academy after just one semester.
His mother successfully persuaded Sen. Warren to appoint him the next year, but he dropped out again. Although the senator was still willing to nominate him for a third attempt, this time the senator's offer was declined by the Academy. Undaunted, Fredendall took the officer's qualifying exam in 1906 while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, scoring first out of 70 applicants. On February 13, 1907, Fredendall received his commission in the Regular Army
as a second lieutenant in the infantry
.
After service in the Philippines
and other overseas and stateside assignments, Fredendall shipped out to France
with the 28th Infantry Regiment
in August 1917, where he held a succession of assignments in the Army's overseas schools. He soon built a record as an excellent teacher, trainer and administrator of troops, ending the war as a temporary lieutenant colonel
. However, as with other officers who later became prominent in World War II
, such as Marshall, Eisenhower
, Bradley
, and McNair, Fredendall never actually led troops in combat against enemy opposition.
The end of World War I
saw Fredendall assigned, like many other Army officers, to a variety of staff and training duties. He was both instructor and student at the Infantry School, was a 1923 distinguished graduate (placing 31 out of 151) of the Command and General Staff School (CGSS), and in 1927, he attended the Army War College (1925). He also completed tours of duty in Washington at the Statistics Branch, the Inspector General
's Department and as Executive Officer
, Office of the Chief of Infantry. These postings led to important contacts that later greatly affected his career.
In December 1939, Fredendall was promoted to Brigadier General, serving with the 5th Infantry Division. In October 1940, he was promoted to Major General, commanding the 4th Infantry Division from that date until July 1941.
for a major command in the American invasion of North Africa during Operation Torch
. Marshall was especially fond of the youthful-looking, cocky Fredendall, describing him as "one of the best" and remarking in a staff meeting when his name was mentioned, "I like that man; you can see determination all over his face." Fredendall himself was convinced that neither Eisenhower or Mark Clark
wanted him in Africa since he outranked both in pre-war rank. However, with such glowing testimonials from senior commanders, Eisenhower chose Fredendall to command the 39,000-man Central Task Force (the largest of three) in Operation Torch. Eisenhower cabled Marshall on November 12, 1942 “I bless the day you urged Fredendall upon me and cheerfully acknowledge that my earlier doubts of him were completely unfounded”. Eisenhower, in notes dictated to Harry C. Butcher on December 12, 1942 said that “…Patton I think comes closest to meeting every requirement made on a commander. Just after him I would, at present, rate Fredendall, although I do not believe the latter has the imagination in foreseeing and preparing for possible jobs of the future that Patton possesses”. Eisenhower later came to regret this assessment and choosing Fredendall for command.
Fredendall was once described by American General Lucian K. Truscott as,
until after fighting was over), Fredendall became the de-facto military governor in Oran
. Orders from his headquarters in the Grand Hotel of Oran were headed with “II Corps – In the Field” which prompted laughter from his troops living in tents and slit trenches.
Fredendall was assigned to command the U.S. Army's II Corps in its advance into Tunisia
against German forces. As such, he was the second oldest corps commander (of 34 who served as corps commanders) to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II (only Innis P. Swift
, First Corps commander in the Pacific, was older). His British
commander, Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson
, considered Fredendall incompetent well prior to the loss at Kasserine. Fredendall was given to speaking and issuing orders using his own slang, such as calling infantry
units "walking boys" or artillery
"popguns." Instead of using the standard military map grid-based location designators, he made up confusing codes such as "the place that begins with C." This practice was unheard-of for a general and distinguished graduate of the Command and General Staff School, who had been taught to always use standardized order procedures to ensure clarity when transmitting orders to subordinate commanders under the stress of combat. Fredendall's informality often led to confusion amongst his subordinates, and precious time was lost attempting to figure out his meaning.
During the advance into Tunisia, Fredendall used an entire engineer
company
of the 19th Engineer Regiment to build him a large, dug-in Corps
headquarters bunker
70 miles (112.7 km) behind the front in a place called Speedy Valley (nine miles southeast of Tébessa
). Blasted and drilled out of solid rock, the bunker (actually two U-shaped complexes running 160 feet (48.8 m) into the hillside) took three weeks to construct. An entire anti-aircraft battalion was emplaced to protect the headquarters. Fredendall also ordered a bulletproof Cadillac
similar to Eisenhower’s, and regularly phoned Oran to find out why it wasn’t being delivered faster. General Omar N. Bradley called the headquarters "an embarrassment to every American soldier," and General Eisenhower, after viewing the elaborate structure, reminded his senior commanders that even generals must assume personal risk in combat. Fredendall rarely visited the front lines, and had a habit of disregarding advice from commanders who had been farther forward and had actually reconnoitered the terrain. He split up units and scattered them widely, and at critical defense points had positioned (against advice) U.S. Army forces too far apart for mutual support or effective employment of artillery
, the strongest American arm.
During the Battle of the Kasserine Pass
, General Ernest Harmon was sent by Eisenhower to report on the fighting, to assist Fredendall and the other Allied commanders, and to determine if Fredendall or his 1st Armored Division
commander, Orlando Ward
, should be replaced. Harmon thus had the opportunity to observe Fredendall in action as commander of the US Army's II Corps, as well as his superior, the British General Kenneth Anderson
. Harmon noticed that the two generals rarely saw each other, and failed to properly coordinate and integrate forces under their command. Fredendall was barely on speaking terms with General Ward, whom he had deliberately left out of operational meetings after Ward had repeatedly protested the separation of his command into weaker 'penny packet' forces distributed across various sectors of the front.
Allied forces were bereft of air support
during critical attacks, and were frequently positioned by the senior command in positions where they could not offer mutual support to each other. Subordinates later recalled their utter confusion at being handed conflicting orders, not knowing which general to obey - Anderson, or Fredendall. While interviewing field commanders, Harmon received an earful of criticism over what many Allied officers viewed as a cowardly, confused, and out-of-touch command. Noting that Fredendall seemed out-of-touch (and at one point, intoxicated), he requested and received permission to go to the front and intervene where necessary to shore up Allied defenses.
On 5 March 1943, after the American rout at Kasserine Pass, Eisenhower visited II Corps headquarters and conferred with Bradley. Eisenhower asked "What do you think of the command here?" Bradley's response was "It's pretty bad. I've talked to all the division
commanders. To a man they've lost confidence in Fredendall as the corps commander." The British general Harold Alexander informed Eisenhower that he would welcome a replacement for Fredendall. On 5 March 1943, Eisenhower personally flew to Tebessa
to inform Fredendall of his decision to replace him, which he couched in terms of a routine assignment. Eisenhower arranged the replacement so that Fredendall's reputation was not formally brought into disrepute, an action some believe he soon came to regret. On 6 March 1943, at Eisenhower's direction, George S. Patton
replaced Fredendall as commander of II Corps. When Patton arrived at II Corps headquarters, Fredendall was at breakfast. Patton had disliked Fredendall in 1941 when they were both division commanders at Fort Benning
. After a brief conference, Patton formally relieved Fredendall saying II Corps "was primarily a tank show and I know more about tanks." Patton noted in his diary that Fredendall was “Very nice, conducted himself well – very well.” In a letter to his wife Beatrice that day, Patton even wrote that “Fredendall is a great sport, and I feel sure, is a victim largely due to circumstances beyond his control.” However, only a week later, after an initial inspection of his new command, Patton had completely changed his mind: "I cannot see what Fredendall did to justify his existence."
Fredendall was the first of seven American corps commanders in World War II to be “relieved of command” (most for medical reasons) but despite this, he received one more promotion in rank: in June 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.
While commanding the Central Defense Command
and the U.S. Second Army at Memphis, Tennessee
, Fredendall supervised training and field maneuvers, gave away brides, and at first even granted interviews to members of the press. However, after a sarcastic comment on his generalship abilities by a Time magazine reporter, Fredendall changed his mind, and largely blocked further press coverage of his command. The widespread custom of theater commanders to transfer senior commanders who had failed in battlefield assignments to stateside training commands did not in any way improve the reputation or morale
of the latter, who were now saddled with the difficult job of convincing a disgraced commander to take the lead in advocating radical improvements in existing Army training programs - programs which, like Fredendall himself, had contributed to the embarrassing U.S. Army reverses in North Africa
.
Author Charles MacDonald
described Fredendall as a "man of bombast and bravado in speech and manner [who] failed to live up to the image he tried to create." The American historian
(and retired Army officer) Carlo D'Este
has described Fredendall as "...one of the most inept senior officers to hold a high command during World War II." 2nd Armored Division commander Ernest Harmon, in his after-action report for the Kasserine battles, called Fredendall "a son of a bitch" and later said he was both a moral and physical coward.
on October 4, 1963. He is interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery
Officers Sections, Site 52-A, along with his wife Crystal Chant Fredendall (July 23, 1890-April 30, 1972).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
General during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Fredendall is best known for his command of the Central Task Force landings during Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, and his command of the US II Corps during the early stages of the Tunisia Campaign
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
. In February 1943, while in command of II Corps, his forces were defeated by forces commanded by German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
and Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim
Hans-Jürgen von Arnim
Hans-Jürgen Bernhard Theodor von Arnim was a German Generaloberst who served during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. After this setback, Fredendall was relieved from command of II Corps by Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
and replaced by George Smith Patton, Jr in March 1943. In spite of his relief, Fredendall was promoted to Lieutenant General in June 1943, assumed command of U.S. Second Army
U.S. Second Army
Second United States Army was formed 15 October 1918 during World War I. It functioned as a training and administrative headquarters until being inactivated 15 April 1919....
and was greeted back home as a hero.
Early life and career
Lloyd Ralston Fredendall was born on December 28, 1883, at Fort Warren near Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. His father, Ira Livingston Fredendall (December 7, 1846-February 6, 1935) was on active duty in the U.S. Army when Lloyd was born. Ira became sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of the town of Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
before receiving a commission in the Quartermaster Corps during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. As a result of his father's connections in the service and with local and state politicians, Fredendall secured an appointment from Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
Senator Francis E. Warren
Francis E. Warren
Francis Emroy Warren was an American politician of the Republican Party best known for his years in the United States Senate representing Wyoming.-Early life and military service:...
to enter the class of 1905 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
. Fredendall's mother Eveline (Evelyn) McKussick (August 19, 1860-October 1930), a domineering woman, accompanied the newly-listed plebe to Highland Falls, New York
Highland Falls, New York
Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,678 at the 2000 census. The village was founded in 1906...
. Described by a classmate as "a very soldierly little fellow, but extremely goaty in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
," Lloyd performed poorly in the latter subject as well as general deportment, and as a result was dismissed from the Academy after just one semester.
His mother successfully persuaded Sen. Warren to appoint him the next year, but he dropped out again. Although the senator was still willing to nominate him for a third attempt, this time the senator's offer was declined by the Academy. Undaunted, Fredendall took the officer's qualifying exam in 1906 while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, scoring first out of 70 applicants. On February 13, 1907, Fredendall received his commission in the Regular Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as a second lieutenant in the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
.
After service in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and other overseas and stateside assignments, Fredendall shipped out to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with the 28th Infantry Regiment
28th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Since the establishment of the United States Army in 1775, three regiments have held the designation 28th Infantry Regiment. The first was a Provisional unit that was constituted on 29 January 1813 and served during The War of 1812. The second was a reorganization and redesignation of 2nd...
in August 1917, where he held a succession of assignments in the Army's overseas schools. He soon built a record as an excellent teacher, trainer and administrator of troops, ending the war as a temporary lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
. However, as with other officers who later became prominent in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, such as Marshall, Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, Bradley
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
, and McNair, Fredendall never actually led troops in combat against enemy opposition.
The end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
saw Fredendall assigned, like many other Army officers, to a variety of staff and training duties. He was both instructor and student at the Infantry School, was a 1923 distinguished graduate (placing 31 out of 151) of the Command and General Staff School (CGSS), and in 1927, he attended the Army War College (1925). He also completed tours of duty in Washington at the Statistics Branch, the Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
's Department and as Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
, Office of the Chief of Infantry. These postings led to important contacts that later greatly affected his career.
In December 1939, Fredendall was promoted to Brigadier General, serving with the 5th Infantry Division. In October 1940, he was promoted to Major General, commanding the 4th Infantry Division from that date until July 1941.
World War II
Fredendall's rise to military command in World War II was facilitated by General George C. Marshall, as well as General Leslie McNair, a friend and colleague. McNair had included Fredendall on a list of the top three generals he believed capable of commanding all U.S. Army forces being sent to Great Britain. Marshall in turn had recommended the swaggering Fredendall to General Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
for a major command in the American invasion of North Africa during Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
. Marshall was especially fond of the youthful-looking, cocky Fredendall, describing him as "one of the best" and remarking in a staff meeting when his name was mentioned, "I like that man; you can see determination all over his face." Fredendall himself was convinced that neither Eisenhower or Mark Clark
Mark Wayne Clark
Mark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army...
wanted him in Africa since he outranked both in pre-war rank. However, with such glowing testimonials from senior commanders, Eisenhower chose Fredendall to command the 39,000-man Central Task Force (the largest of three) in Operation Torch. Eisenhower cabled Marshall on November 12, 1942 “I bless the day you urged Fredendall upon me and cheerfully acknowledge that my earlier doubts of him were completely unfounded”. Eisenhower, in notes dictated to Harry C. Butcher on December 12, 1942 said that “…Patton I think comes closest to meeting every requirement made on a commander. Just after him I would, at present, rate Fredendall, although I do not believe the latter has the imagination in foreseeing and preparing for possible jobs of the future that Patton possesses”. Eisenhower later came to regret this assessment and choosing Fredendall for command.
Fredendall was once described by American General Lucian K. Truscott as,
Small in stature, loud and rough in speech, he was outspoken in his opinions and critical of superiors and subordinates alike. He was inclined to jump to conclusions which were not always well founded. Fredendall rarely left his command post for personal visits and reconnaissance, yet he was impatient with the recommendations of subordinates more familiar with the terrain and other conditions than he.
Tunisia, Oran, and Kasserine Pass
After the Torch landings (Fredendall stayed on his command ship, HMS LargsHMS Largs
HMS Largs was a former French ship captured by the Royal Navy five months after the Battle of France while docked at Gibraltar in November 1940 and commissioned as an "Ocean Boarding Vessel"...
until after fighting was over), Fredendall became the de-facto military governor in Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
. Orders from his headquarters in the Grand Hotel of Oran were headed with “II Corps – In the Field” which prompted laughter from his troops living in tents and slit trenches.
Fredendall was assigned to command the U.S. Army's II Corps in its advance into Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
against German forces. As such, he was the second oldest corps commander (of 34 who served as corps commanders) to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II (only Innis P. Swift
Innis P. Swift
Innis Palmer Swift was a Major General in the United States Army. He was the grandson and namesake of Civil War Major General Innis Newton Palmer, as well as the grandson of Brigadier General Ebenezer Swift...
, First Corps commander in the Pacific, was older). His British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
commander, Lieutenant-General Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson
General Sir Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, KCB, MC was a British Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars. He is mainly remembered as the commander of the First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Tunisia. He had an outwardly reserved character and did not court...
, considered Fredendall incompetent well prior to the loss at Kasserine. Fredendall was given to speaking and issuing orders using his own slang, such as calling infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
units "walking boys" or artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
"popguns." Instead of using the standard military map grid-based location designators, he made up confusing codes such as "the place that begins with C." This practice was unheard-of for a general and distinguished graduate of the Command and General Staff School, who had been taught to always use standardized order procedures to ensure clarity when transmitting orders to subordinate commanders under the stress of combat. Fredendall's informality often led to confusion amongst his subordinates, and precious time was lost attempting to figure out his meaning.
During the advance into Tunisia, Fredendall used an entire engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of the 19th Engineer Regiment to build him a large, dug-in Corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
headquarters bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
70 miles (112.7 km) behind the front in a place called Speedy Valley (nine miles southeast of Tébessa
Tébessa
Tébessa is the capital city of Tébessa Province, Algeria, 20 kilometers west from the border with Tunisia. Nearby is also a phosphate mine. The city is famous for the traditional Algerian carpets in the region, and is home to over 161,440 people.-History:...
). Blasted and drilled out of solid rock, the bunker (actually two U-shaped complexes running 160 feet (48.8 m) into the hillside) took three weeks to construct. An entire anti-aircraft battalion was emplaced to protect the headquarters. Fredendall also ordered a bulletproof Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
similar to Eisenhower’s, and regularly phoned Oran to find out why it wasn’t being delivered faster. General Omar N. Bradley called the headquarters "an embarrassment to every American soldier," and General Eisenhower, after viewing the elaborate structure, reminded his senior commanders that even generals must assume personal risk in combat. Fredendall rarely visited the front lines, and had a habit of disregarding advice from commanders who had been farther forward and had actually reconnoitered the terrain. He split up units and scattered them widely, and at critical defense points had positioned (against advice) U.S. Army forces too far apart for mutual support or effective employment of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, the strongest American arm.
During the Battle of the Kasserine Pass
Battle of the Kasserine Pass
The Battle of the Kasserine Pass was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II in February 1943. It was a series of battles fought around Kasserine Pass, a wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia...
, General Ernest Harmon was sent by Eisenhower to report on the fighting, to assist Fredendall and the other Allied commanders, and to determine if Fredendall or his 1st Armored Division
1st Armored Division (United States)
The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S...
commander, Orlando Ward
Orlando Ward
Orlando Ward was a career United States Army Officer. During World War II, as a Major General, he commanded the U.S. 1st Armored Division during Operation Torch...
, should be replaced. Harmon thus had the opportunity to observe Fredendall in action as commander of the US Army's II Corps, as well as his superior, the British General Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson
General Sir Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, KCB, MC was a British Army officer in both the First and Second World Wars. He is mainly remembered as the commander of the First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Tunisia. He had an outwardly reserved character and did not court...
. Harmon noticed that the two generals rarely saw each other, and failed to properly coordinate and integrate forces under their command. Fredendall was barely on speaking terms with General Ward, whom he had deliberately left out of operational meetings after Ward had repeatedly protested the separation of his command into weaker 'penny packet' forces distributed across various sectors of the front.
Allied forces were bereft of air support
Air Support
Air Support is a 1992 computer game for the Amiga and Atari ST. It is a top-down strategy game, with a first-person mode available for special missions. The game takes place during a retrofuturistic 21st century where all wars are fought in virtual reality. The game was given mostly positive...
during critical attacks, and were frequently positioned by the senior command in positions where they could not offer mutual support to each other. Subordinates later recalled their utter confusion at being handed conflicting orders, not knowing which general to obey - Anderson, or Fredendall. While interviewing field commanders, Harmon received an earful of criticism over what many Allied officers viewed as a cowardly, confused, and out-of-touch command. Noting that Fredendall seemed out-of-touch (and at one point, intoxicated), he requested and received permission to go to the front and intervene where necessary to shore up Allied defenses.
On 5 March 1943, after the American rout at Kasserine Pass, Eisenhower visited II Corps headquarters and conferred with Bradley. Eisenhower asked "What do you think of the command here?" Bradley's response was "It's pretty bad. I've talked to all the division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
commanders. To a man they've lost confidence in Fredendall as the corps commander." The British general Harold Alexander informed Eisenhower that he would welcome a replacement for Fredendall. On 5 March 1943, Eisenhower personally flew to Tebessa
Tébessa
Tébessa is the capital city of Tébessa Province, Algeria, 20 kilometers west from the border with Tunisia. Nearby is also a phosphate mine. The city is famous for the traditional Algerian carpets in the region, and is home to over 161,440 people.-History:...
to inform Fredendall of his decision to replace him, which he couched in terms of a routine assignment. Eisenhower arranged the replacement so that Fredendall's reputation was not formally brought into disrepute, an action some believe he soon came to regret. On 6 March 1943, at Eisenhower's direction, George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
replaced Fredendall as commander of II Corps. When Patton arrived at II Corps headquarters, Fredendall was at breakfast. Patton had disliked Fredendall in 1941 when they were both division commanders at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. After a brief conference, Patton formally relieved Fredendall saying II Corps "was primarily a tank show and I know more about tanks." Patton noted in his diary that Fredendall was “Very nice, conducted himself well – very well.” In a letter to his wife Beatrice that day, Patton even wrote that “Fredendall is a great sport, and I feel sure, is a victim largely due to circumstances beyond his control.” However, only a week later, after an initial inspection of his new command, Patton had completely changed his mind: "I cannot see what Fredendall did to justify his existence."
Fredendall was the first of seven American corps commanders in World War II to be “relieved of command” (most for medical reasons) but despite this, he received one more promotion in rank: in June 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant General.
Reassignment and Stateside duty
At Eisenhower's recommendation, Fredendall returned to the United States. Eisenhower's aide made a report on Fredendall to President Roosevelt, where he communicated, without elaboration, Eisenhower's view that Fredendall be reassigned to a training command. As a result, Fredendall spent the rest of the war in training assignments in the United States. Because he had not been formally relieved of command or demoted in grade by Eisenhower, he was eligible for promotion to Lieutenant-General, which he duly received, along with a hero's welcome on his return.While commanding the Central Defense Command
Central Defense Command
Central Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Midwest region of the United States. A second major responsibility of CDC was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas...
and the U.S. Second Army at Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Fredendall supervised training and field maneuvers, gave away brides, and at first even granted interviews to members of the press. However, after a sarcastic comment on his generalship abilities by a Time magazine reporter, Fredendall changed his mind, and largely blocked further press coverage of his command. The widespread custom of theater commanders to transfer senior commanders who had failed in battlefield assignments to stateside training commands did not in any way improve the reputation or morale
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
of the latter, who were now saddled with the difficult job of convincing a disgraced commander to take the lead in advocating radical improvements in existing Army training programs - programs which, like Fredendall himself, had contributed to the embarrassing U.S. Army reverses in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
Author Charles MacDonald
Charles B. MacDonald
This article refers to Charles B. MacDonald, military historian. For the U.S. golfer, refer to Charles B. Macdonald.Charles B. MacDonald was a former Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army...
described Fredendall as a "man of bombast and bravado in speech and manner [who] failed to live up to the image he tried to create." The American historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
(and retired Army officer) Carlo D'Este
Carlo D'Este
Carlo D'Este is an American military historian and biographer, author of several books, especially on World War II. He is a retired U.S...
has described Fredendall as "...one of the most inept senior officers to hold a high command during World War II." 2nd Armored Division commander Ernest Harmon, in his after-action report for the Kasserine battles, called Fredendall "a son of a bitch" and later said he was both a moral and physical coward.
Interment
Lloyd Fredendall died in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
on October 4, 1963. He is interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is situated in the city of San Diego, California, on the Fort Rosecrans Military Reservation. The cemetery is located approximately 10 miles west of downtown San Diego, overlooking the bay and the city...
Officers Sections, Site 52-A, along with his wife Crystal Chant Fredendall (July 23, 1890-April 30, 1972).
Commands
- 1936-1938 Commanding Officer 57th Infantry Regiment57th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 57th Infantry Regiment was a unit in the Philippine Scouts. During their combat in Bataan members received 1 Medal of Honor, 21 Distinguished Service Crosses and 68 Silver Stars.-History:...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... - 1938-1939 Executive Officer to Chief of Infantry
- 1940-1941 Commanding General 4th Division
- 1941-1943 Commanding General II Corps
- 1942 Commanding General Central Task Force, Operation TorchOperation TorchOperation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and... - 1943 Commanding General XI CorpsXI CorpsXI Corps or 11th Corps may refer to:* XI Corps * XI Corps , a formation of the Pakistani Army* XI Corps , a formation of the Union Army during the American Civil War...
- 1943 Deputy Commanding General Second United States Army
- 1943-1946 Commanding General Second United States Army
- 1943-1946 General Officer Commander in Chief Central Defense CommandCentral Defense CommandCentral Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Midwest region of the United States. A second major responsibility of CDC was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas...
- 1946 Retired
External links
- Command Failures, Steven L. Ossad (from findarticles.com)