Appendix B

U. S. ARMY COMMANDERS IN MAJOR THEATER COMMANDS, DECEMBER 1941-SEPTEMBER 1945

There is a mass of detailed information concerning major and minor U. S. Army commands set up in World War II, but a simple table of the few highest headquarters and the U. S. Army commanders in them, with dates and explanatory notes, does not exist in Department of the Army files. This appendix presents the names of the superior headquarters in which U. S. Army officers held command positions in every part of the world. For the most part OPD's links with the "overseas theaters" served to establish liaison between the War Department and the Chief of Staff in Washington and these headquarters and these commanders overseas.

Unless otherwise indicated, the "Date Established" signifies the date the official order for the setting up of a particular command was sent out by the War Department, the JCS, or the CCS. These dates, based largely on orders from Washington, do not coincide necessarily with the dates of the arrival of troops, the actual assumption of command by the commanding general, or the beginning of the effective functioning of the command headquarters. Unless otherwise indicated in the accompanying notes, the dates beside the name of the commanding general signify the period of actual assumption and relief from command. The rank of the commanding general listed is the rank he held upon his actual assumption of the command indicated.

The sources of information on which this table and the accompanying notes are based are varied and scattered. They present so many technical problems in citation that documentation has been omitted. Nevertheless, the information given is considered reliable within a small margin of error. For basic information, with an informal system of documentation, see OPD History Unit Study Z.

[373]

EUROPEAN THEATER

Name of Command

Date Established

Commanding General

U.S. Army Forces in the British Isles (USAFBI)

8 January 1942

Maj Gen J. E. Chaney 1
   (8 Jan-8 Jun 42)

European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (ETOUSA)2

8 June 1942

Maj Gen J. E. Chaney
   (8-20 Jun 42)

Maj Gen D. D. Eisenhower
   (24 Jun 42-3 Feb 43)

Lt Gen F. M. Andrews
   (4 Feb-3 May 43)

Lt Gen J. L. Devers 3
   (10 May 43-8 Jan 44)

Gen D. D. Eisenhower 4
   (15 Jan 44-1 Ju145)

Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF)

15 January 1944

Gen D. D. Eisenhower 5
   (15 Jan 44-16 Jul 45)

U.S. Forces European Theater (USFET)6

1 July 1945

General of the Army
D. D. Eisenhower
   (1 Jul-11 Nov 45)

(Notes)

 [374]

AFRICA-MIDDLE EAST THEATER

Name of Command

Date Established

Commanding General

U.S. Army Forces in the Middle East (USAFIME)1

16 June 1942

Maj Gen R. L. Maxwell2
   (16 June-4 Nov 42)

Lt Gen F. M. Andrews
   (4 Nov 42-31 Jam 43)

Maj Gen L. H. Brereton3
   (31 Jan-10 Sep 43)

Maj Gen Ralph Royce
   (10 Sep 43-10 Mar 44)

Brig Gen B. L. Giles
   (10 Mar 44-1 Mar 45)

U.S. Army Forces in Central Africa (USAFICA)4

16 June 1942

Brig Gen S. W. Fitzgerald 5
   (16 Jun 42-23 Jun 43)

Brig Gen E. S. Hoag
   (6 Jul-4 Sep 43)

Persian Gulf Command (PGC)6

10 December 1943

Maj Gen D. H. Connolly
   (10 Dec 43-24 Dec 44)

Brig Gen D. P. Booth
   (24 Dec 44-15 Aug 45)

Col G. A. M. Anderson
   (15 Aug-1 Oct 45)

U.S. Army Forces Africa-Middle East Theater (USAFAMET)7

1 March 1945

Maj Gen B. L. Giles
   (1 Mar 45-15 Feb 46)

(Notes)

[375]

NORTH AFRICAN-MEDITERRANEAN THEATER

Name of Command

Date Established

Commanding General

Allied Force Headquarters, North Africa (AFHQ)

11 August 1942 1

Lt Gen D. D. Eisenhower 2

North African Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (NATOUSA) 3

4 February 1943

Lt Gen D. D. Eisenhower
   (4 Feb 43-8 Jan 44)

Lt Gen J. L. Devers 4
   (8 Jan-22 Oct 44)

Lt Gen J. T. McNarney 5
   (22 Oct-1 Nov 44)

Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) [Allied]

10 December 1943

CinC
Lt Gen D. D. Eisenhower 6
   (10 Dec 43-8 Jan 44)

Deputy CinC
Lt Gen J. L. Devers 7
   (8 Jan-22 Oct 44)

Lt Gen J. T. McNarney 8
   (22 Oct 44-23 Oct 45)

Mediterranean Theater of Operations, U.S. Army (MTOUSA)

1 November 1944

Lt Gen J. T. McNarney
   (1 Nov 44-23 Oct 45)

(Notes)

[376]

ASIASTIC THEATER

Name of Command

Date Established

Commanding General

U.S. Army Forces in the Chinese Theater of Operations, Burma and India

2 February 1942

Lt Gen J. W. Stilwell 1
(also CofS to Generalissimo, Supreme Commander, China Theater)
   (4 Mar 42-21 Oct 44)

Southeast Asia Command (SEAC) [Allied]

21 August 1943 2

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander
Lt Gen J.W. Stilwell
   (16 Nov 43-21 Oct 44)

Lt Gen R.A. Wheeler 3
   (12 Nov 44-4 Oct 45)

U.S. Forces, China Theater (USFCT) 4

24 October 1944

Maj Gen A. C. Wedemeyer
(also CofS to Generalissimo)
   (31 Oct 44-1 May 46)

U.S. Forces, India-Burma Theater (USFIBT)

24 October 1944

Lt Gen D. I. Sultan
   (27 Oct 44-22 Jun 45)

Lt Gen R. A. Wheeler
   (23 Jun-28 Sep 45)

(Notes)

[377]

PACIFIC THEATER

Name of Command

Date Established

Commanding General

U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE)

26 July 1941

Lt Gen Douglas MacArthur 1

ABDA Command (ABDACom) [Allied] 2

3 January 1942

Deputy Commander
Lt Gen G. H. Brett 3

U.S. Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA) 4

5 January 1942

Maj Gen G. H. Brett
   (5-12 Jan 42)

Maj Gen L. H. Brereton
   (12-27 Jan 42)

Maj Gen J. F. Barnes
   (27 Jan-25 Feb 42)

Lt Gen G. H. Brett
   (25 Feb-18 Apr 42)

Maj Gen J. F. Barnes
   (18 Apr-10 Jul 42)

GHQ, Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) [Allied] 5

30 March 1942

Gen Douglas MacArthur
(CinC SWPA)
   (18 Apr 42-2Sep 45)

U.S. Army Forces in South Pacific Area (USAFISPA) 6

7 July 1942

Maj Gen M. F. Harmon
(ComGenSoPac)
   (26 Jul 42-8 Jul 44)

Hawaiian Department 7

  

Lt Gen W. C. Short
   (8 Feb 41-17 Dec 41)

Lt Gen D. C. Emmons
   (17 Dec 41-1 Jun 43)

Lt Gen R. C. Richardson, Jr.8
   (1 Jun 42-17 Mar 46)

U.S. Army Forces in Central Pacific Area (USAFICPA) 9

14 August 1943

Lt Gen R. C. Richardson, Jr.
(ComGenCentPac)
   (14 Aug 43-1 Aug 44)

U.S. Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Areas (USAFPOA) 10

1 August 1944

Lt Gen R.C. Richardson, Jr.
(ComGenPoa)
   (1 Aug 44-17 Mar 46)

U.S. Army Forces, Pacific (AFPAC) 11

3 April 1945

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
(CinC AFPAC)
   (6 Apr 45-31 Dec 46)

(Notes)

 [378 - 380]

WESTERN HEMISPHERE

Name of Command

Date Established

Commanding General

U.S. Army Forces, South Atlantic 1

20 November 1942

Brig Gen R. L. Walsh
   (20 Nov 42-15 May 44)

Maj Gen R. H. Wooten
   (16 May 44-30 Oct 45)

Caribbean Defense Command (CDC) 2

10 February 1941

Lt Gen D. Van Voorhis
   (10 Feb-18 Sep 41)

Lt Gen F. M. Andrews
   (20 Sep 41-9 Nov 42)

Lt Gen G. H. Brett
   (12 Nov 42-15 Oct 45)

Alaska Defense Command (ADC)

Alaskan Department

4 February 1941 3

1 November 1943

Brig Gen S. B. Buckner, Jr.
   (4 Feb 41-31 Oct 43)

Lt Gen S. B. Buckner, Jr.
   (1 Nov 43-12 Jun 44)

Lt Gen D. C. Emmons
   (21 Jun 44-30 Jun 46)

Continental Defense Commands 4

    

(Notes)

 [381]

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