“The mission of this Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241, local time, May 7th, 1945.” General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces
Some seventy-nine years ago this week, Eisenhower told German Wehrmacht representative Colonel General Alred Jodl, while the war was over, he was expected to follow the surrender and maintain the peace. There was no jubilation at this historic moment, only relief that this terrible war was over. Eisenhower had reached the pinnacle of military command as one of the highest ranking American officers who emerged to defeat the strength of Adolph Hitler’s forces in Europe.
For Eisenhower the last six years went from his belief that he would be retired as a lieutenant colonel to leading one of most powerful armies ever assembled. This general wore a big grin, was a Kansas farm boy, and at twenty-one years, he was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point. As a cadet, Eisenhower was a talented football and baseball player, he graduated sixty-fourth in his class, and was well liked by the Class of 1915. Eisenhower was one of the fifty-nine officers who later became generals in the army. Although he did not fight on the Western Front during World War I, he was respected for his leadership abilities at the Camp Colt Training Center, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The interwar years were difficult for Eisenhower, as there were few opportunities for officers from 1919-1939. But Eisenhower was a talented writer who traveled to the Western Front battlefields with General John J. Pershing, and wrote about the fighting contributions of the American Expeditionary Force. He was also the protege to General Fox Conner who was the AEF Chief of Operations under Pershing. Eisenhower credited this figure for instructing him on the importance of planning that later played a key role during World War II.
From 1933-1939, Eisenhower was a military aide to Army Chief of Staff General Douglas and later traveled with this noted general to help lead the Filipino military. By 1939, Eisenhower returned stateside and feared that he would be retired as a lieutenant colonel. After World War I, he was good friends with General George S. Patton and asked him for a command under his authority. The 1941 Louisiana Military Maneuvers saw Eisenhower’s genius of organization and planning impressed General George C. Marshall over the ability of this officer to solve complex problems with little assistance. After the Pearl Harbor attacks, Eisenhower was rapidly promoted, attained the rank of major-general, and was directed to lead the Operation Torch landings of North Africa in November of 1942.
During the war, Eisenhower was a leader who understood the big picture of fighting the war against the Germans through the support of the Allies. A likable figure, he worked well with the British generals, and was determined to work as a team to gain a total victory. Before the invasion of Normandy, Eisenhower visited members of the 101st Airborne that was preparing for this jump. These men expected a stiff officer, instead they had a commanding general who asked them where they were from in America and which football team they liked Eisenhower led during the hardships of the Battle’s of Kasserine and the Bulge, through the landings at Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, and Marseilles. Eisenhower was at the helm of the Allies to gain total victory on May 7th, 1945. Thank you to our local Greatest Generation veterans who made it possible for Eisenhower to crush the tyranny of the Nazi’s.