John F. R. Seitz
| John Francis Regis Seitz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 22, 1908 Wilmington, Delaware |
| Died | October 10, 1978 (aged 70) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1929–1966 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Unit | Infantry Branch |
| Commands held | 26th United States Infantry Regiment; 2nd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit Silver Star (2) Bronze Star (3) Presidential Unit Citation American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal French Legion of Honour Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France) French Médaille militaire, Fourragère, cord device Order of Leopold (Belgium) officer Croix de guerre (Belgium) with palm Order of Abdon Calderón (Ecuador) Belgian Fourragère, 1940, cord device Army of Occupation of Germany Medal Korean War Service Medal National Defense Service Medal |
John Francis Regis "Jeff" Seitz (May 22, 1908 - October 10, 1978) was a career United States Army officer who retired as Deputy Commander of the First United States Army in 1966 at the grade of major general. Seitz graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1929. He served in several assignments before commanding a battalion at Schofield Barracks at Oahu, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After the United States entered the Second World War, Seitz served in important staff positions from early 1942 to late 1943. He was highly decorated for his service as colonel commanding the 26th United States Infantry Regiment in combat in the European Theater of World War II for most of the remainder of the war, which was especially distinguished.
From November 26, 1943 to April 9, 1945, Seitz commanded the 26th Infantry Regiment (organized for the 1944-1945 campaign in France, Belgium and Germany as Regimental Combat Team 26 or Combat Team (CT) 26). CT 26 was a unit of the 1st Infantry Division (United States). Seitz commanded the combat team at Omaha Beach during the Normandy landings on D-Day, in the breakout from Normandy and at the approach to close the gap in the Falaise Pocket. The First United States Army, including Seitz's regimental combat team, hotly pursued the fleeing German Army divisions across France to the border of Germany by September 7, 1944. On October 11, 1944, after heavy fighting during the Battle of Aachen, Seitz led two of the three battalions of the regiment into heavily defended Aachen, Germany. They seized the first German city to fall to the Allies of World War II after 8 days of urban combat. In November 1944, Seitz led the regiment during the opening phase of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. Starting only 10 days after the regiment was withdrawn from this bloody and costly battle, Seitz directed CT 26's heroic, successful stand at the Battle of Bütgenbach, an important part of the Battle of the Bulge that followed the Battle of Elsenborn Ridge. With many replacement soldiers due to losses in the Hürtgen Forest, and with skillful artillery support, Seitz and the outnumbered 26th Infantry Regiment team prevented the Nazi 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, 3rd Parachute Division (Germany) and the 12th Volksgrenadier Division, which were supported by dozens of tanks, from breaking the Allied line at Bütgenbach.
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