Leonard Townsend Gerow | |
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Nickname(s) | "Gee" |
Born | Petersburg, Virginia, United States | 13 July 1888
Died | 12 October 1972 Fort Lee, Virginia, United States | (aged 84)
Buried | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1911–1950 |
Rank | General |
Service number | 0-3151 |
Unit | Infantry Branch |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
Relations | Lee S. Gerow (brother) |
Leonard Townsend Gerow (13 July 1888 – 12 October 1972) was a general in the United States Army who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II.
A 1911 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Gerow served with the United States occupation of Veracruz and on the Signal Corps staff on the Western Front during World War I. After the war he attended the Infantry School, the Command and General Staff School, and the Army War College.
During World War II, he was the Chief of War Plans Division of the War Department General Staff. He would later be reprimanded for his actions in the lead up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He commanded the 29th Infantry Division and then the V Corps. As such, Gerow played a major part in the planning of Operation Overlord, the invasion of continental Europe. He was the first corps commander ashore on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and continued in command through the Battle of Normandy, which saw his divisions sustain heavy casualties. He became the first American major general to enter Paris after its liberation. In January 1945, he assumed command of the Fifteenth Army.