Robert T. Frederick
| Robert Tryon Frederick | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | March 14, 1907 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Died | November 29, 1970 (aged 63) Stanford, California, United States |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1928–1952 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Unit |
 Coastal Artillery Corps
|
| Commands held |
1st Special Service Force 1st Allied Airborne Task Force 45th Infantry Division 4th Infantry Division 6th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Cold War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross (2) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star (2) Purple Heart (8) |
Major General Robert Tryon Frederick (March 14, 1907 – November 29, 1970) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in World War II. During the war, he commanded the 1st Special Service Force, the 1st Allied Airborne Task Force, and the 45th Infantry Division. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and several other decorations, and is the only American serviceman who received eight Purple Hearts during World War II.
Frederick was born on March 14, 1907 in San Francisco, California. He attended Staunton Military Academy from 1923 to 1924 and the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point from 1924 to 1928. Upon graduation from West Point, New York, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps of the United States Army. He graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1939.
In 1942, after the United States entered World War II due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, after serving as a staff officer in the War Department, then a lieutenant colonel, Frederick was tasked with raising a new U.S.-Canadian regiment size commando force which became the 1st Special Service Force (later called the "Devil's Brigade" by the Germans). The unit, activated on July 9, 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison, Montana, was originally intended for commando operations in Norway, and trained extensively in winter and mountain warfare, as well as hand-to-hand combat and other infantry skills. In April 1943, the unit moved to Vermont for training, first at Camp Bradford and then at Fort Ethan Allen. The Norway mission was cancelled, however, and the 1st Special Service Force was sent instead to the Aleutian Islands in July 1943. It returned to the continental United States in September, and then left in October for the European Theater of Operations (ETO).
...
Wikipedia