Nathan Bedford Forrest III
Encyclopedia
Nathan Bedford Forrest III (April 7, 1905 - June 13, 1943) was a Brigadier General
of the United States Army Air Forces
, and a great-grandson of Confederate
General Nathan Bedford Forrest
.
Forrest was born in Memphis, Tennessee
, the son of Nathan Bedford Forrest II
and Mattie Patterson (Patton). On November 22, 1930 he married Frances Brassler and according to the Arlington National Cemetery
website, he had no children, making him the final male Forrest in his great-grandfather's direct line.
in 1928 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the cavalry
. In 1929 he transferred to the Air Corps
and subsequently gained rank rapidly.
Promoted to Brigadier General in 1942, Forrest was serving as chief of staff of the Second Air Force when he flew missions as an observer with the Eighth Air Force
in England
. He was reported missing in action
when the B-17 Flying Fortress he was in, leading a bombing raid on the German submarine yards at Kiel
, went down on June 13, 1943. The other members of the squadron reported seeing parachutes, and hoped that the General had survived. However, Forrest was found dead on September 23, 1943 when his body washed up near a seaplane base at Ruegen Island in Germany. He was buried on September 28, 1943 in a small cemetery near Wiek, Rügen
.
His family was presented his Distinguished Flying Cross, which he was awarded posthumously for staying with the controls of his B-17 bomber while his crew bailed out. The plane exploded before Forrest could bail out. Tragically, by the time German air-sea rescue could arrive, only one of the crew was still alive in the freezing water.
In 1947, two years after the war ended, his widow requested that he be returned to the United States and buried in Arlington National Cemetery
. He was exhumed and reburied in Section 11 at Arlington on November 15, 1949.
Forrest was the first American general to be killed in action during the war in Europe.
, Forrest serves in the administration of Jake Featherston
. He attempts to overthrow Featherston, which is similar to the July 20 plot
. As great-grandson of a popular Confederate hero, he is Chief of Staff in the Confederate Army of the alternate 1940s.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, and a great-grandson of Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
.
Forrest was born in 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....
, the son of Nathan Bedford Forrest II
Nathan Bedford Forrest II
Nathan Bedford Forrest II was the grandson of Confederate Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest , a pioneering leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and father of Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest III...
and Mattie Patterson (Patton). On November 22, 1930 he married Frances Brassler and according to the Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
website, he had no children, making him the final male Forrest in his great-grandfather's direct line.
Military service
Forrest graduated from West PointUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1928 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
in the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
. In 1929 he transferred to the Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
and subsequently gained rank rapidly.
Promoted to Brigadier General in 1942, Forrest was serving as chief of staff of the Second Air Force when he flew missions as an observer with the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was reported missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
when the B-17 Flying Fortress he was in, leading a bombing raid on the German submarine yards at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, went down on June 13, 1943. The other members of the squadron reported seeing parachutes, and hoped that the General had survived. However, Forrest was found dead on September 23, 1943 when his body washed up near a seaplane base at Ruegen Island in Germany. He was buried on September 28, 1943 in a small cemetery near Wiek, Rügen
Wiek, Rügen
Wiek is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.The body of the well-known American Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest III, killed while on an air raid on Kiel in 1943, was buried at Wiek by the German authorities. It laid there until 1947 when the...
.
His family was presented his Distinguished Flying Cross, which he was awarded posthumously for staying with the controls of his B-17 bomber while his crew bailed out. The plane exploded before Forrest could bail out. Tragically, by the time German air-sea rescue could arrive, only one of the crew was still alive in the freezing water.
In 1947, two years after the war ended, his widow requested that he be returned to the United States and buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. He was exhumed and reburied in Section 11 at Arlington on November 15, 1949.
Forrest was the first American general to be killed in action during the war in Europe.
Dates of Rank
- February 4, 1934, First Lieutenant
- June 16, 1938, Captain
- January 31, 1941, Major
- January 5, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel
- March 1, 1942, Colonel
- November 2, 1942, Brigadier General
In popular culture
In the alternative history series Settling Accounts by Harry TurtledoveHarry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
, Forrest serves in the administration of Jake Featherston
Jake Featherston
Jacob "Jake" Featherston is a fictional character inthe Southern Victory Series novel series by Harry Turtledove. He is the fictional timeline's equivalent of Adolf Hitler.-Character introduction:...
. He attempts to overthrow Featherston, which is similar to the July 20 plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
. As great-grandson of a popular Confederate hero, he is Chief of Staff in the Confederate Army of the alternate 1940s.
External links
- Nathan Bedford Forrest III, Brigadier General, United States Army Air Corps at www.arlingtoncemetery.net