Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
General Leonard T. Gerow (1888-1972)
— National D-Day Memorial —
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, 2024
1. General Leonard T. Gerow (1888-1972) Marker
Inscription.
General Leonard T. Gerow (1888-1972). .
General Leonard T. Gerow (1888-1972) Chief, War Plans Division and Assistant Chief of Staff of the U. S. Army (1941-1942); Commanter, 29th Infantry Division (1942-1943); Commander V Corps (1943-1945); Commander, 15th Army (1945); Commandant, Command and General Staff School (1946-1948); Commander, 2nd Army (1948-1950) . A 1911 graduate of Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Leonard T. Gerow won VMI’s “Honor Appointment” and received, without further examination, a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant of infantry. Seasoned by several company-grade infantry assignments, which included service in the Mexican Campaign, Captain Gerow served on the signal staff in France during World War I. While in the temporary rank of colonel, he earned the Distinguished Service Medal and French Legion of Honor. Promoted to a permanent rank of major 1920, he went on to graduate first in the Advanced Infantry Officer Course (AIOC) at Ft. Bennington, Georgia, with AIOC classmate Omar N. Bradley finishing a close second. At Ft. Leavenworth, he and Dwight Eisenhower were study partners at Command and General Staff School, where they were beneficiaries of the detailed class notes of George S. Patton had bequeathed to Ike. After taking a course at the Army War College, Colonel Gerow served in the Shanghai sector of China. He later returned to Washington as a new brigadier general to become chief of War Plans Division (WOD). He and his deputy, Brig. Gen. Eisenhower, worked in close contact with the Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall. On their watch, WPD increased its strategic functionality and tactical utility, and soon became a central influence in Anglo-American operational planning. Yielding WPD to his deputy, Maj. Gen. Gerow left Washington to assume command the 29th Infantry Division on 16 February 1942. For nearly nine months, Gen. Gerow led the Blue and Gray Division in rigorous combat training as well as a center of wide-ranging maneuvers to ready the unit for relocation to the British Isles in early October. In England, he intensified the Division’s pre-invasion training and team building until passing the command to Maj. Gen. Charles H. Gerhardt on 17 July 1943, the same day he took command of V Corps, then the largest troop unit in the European Theater. Comprising the 1st (Big Red One) and 29th Infantry Divisions, V Corps would assault Omaha Beach on D-Day. Over the eleven months before the landing, Gen. Gerow divided his efforts between training and planning for the invasion. Receiving a promotion to lieutenant general and command of 15th Army early in 1945, he subsequently became commandant at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and concluded his distinguished career in command of the 2nd Army. Congress, in a special act, appointed him general in 1954, four years after his retirement from active duty. In tribute to the courageous, faithful, and selfless service rendered to the United States of America and her Allies by the alumni and graduates of Virginia Military Institute from its founding to the present day. Given by the members, families, and friends of the VMI Class of 1943.
General Leonard T. Gerow (1888-1972)
Chief, War Plans Division and Assistant Chief of Staff of the U. S. Army (1941-1942); Commanter, 29th Infantry Division (1942-1943); Commander V Corps (1943-1945); Commander, 15th Army (1945); Commandant, Command and General Staff School (1946-1948); Commander, 2nd Army (1948-1950)
A 1911 graduate of Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Leonard T. Gerow won VMI’s “Honor Appointment” and received, without further examination, a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant of infantry. Seasoned by several company-grade infantry assignments, which included service in the Mexican Campaign, Captain Gerow served on the signal staff in France during World War I. While in the temporary rank of colonel, he earned the Distinguished Service Medal and French Legion of Honor. Promoted to a permanent rank of major 1920, he went on to graduate first in the Advanced Infantry Officer Course (AIOC) at Ft. Bennington, Georgia, with AIOC classmate Omar N. Bradley finishing a close second.
At Ft. Leavenworth, he and Dwight Eisenhower were study partners at Command and General Staff School, where they were beneficiaries of the detailed class notes of George S. Patton had bequeathed to Ike. After taking a course at the Army War College, Colonel Gerow served
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in the Shanghai sector of China. He later returned to Washington as a new brigadier general to become chief of War Plans Division (WOD). He and his deputy, Brig. Gen. Eisenhower, worked in close contact with the Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall. On their watch, WPD increased its strategic functionality and tactical utility, and soon became a central influence in Anglo-American operational planning. Yielding WPD to his deputy, Maj. Gen. Gerow left Washington to assume command the 29th Infantry Division on 16 February 1942.
For nearly nine months, Gen. Gerow led the Blue and Gray Division in rigorous combat training as well as a center of wide-ranging maneuvers to ready the unit for relocation to the British Isles in early October. In England, he intensified the Division’s pre-invasion training and team building until passing the command to Maj. Gen. Charles H. Gerhardt on 17 July 1943, the same day he took command of V Corps, then the largest troop unit in the European Theater. Comprising the 1st (Big Red One) and 29th Infantry Divisions, V Corps would assault Omaha Beach on D-Day. Over the eleven months before the landing, Gen. Gerow divided his efforts between training and planning for the invasion.
Receiving a promotion to lieutenant general and command of 15th Army early in 1945, he subsequently became commandant at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas,
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
2. General Leonard T. Gerow (1888-1972) Marker
and concluded his distinguished career in command of the 2nd Army. Congress, in a special act, appointed him general in 1954, four years after his retirement from active duty.
In tribute to the courageous, faithful, and selfless service rendered to the United States of America and her Allies by the alumni and graduates of Virginia Military Institute from its founding to the present day. Given by the members, families, and friends of the VMI Class of 1943.
Erected by National D-Day Memorial.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the U.S. National D-Day Memorial series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 6, 1944.
Location. 37° 19.851′ N, 79° 32.162′ W. Marker is in Bedford, Virginia, in Bedford County. Memorial can be reached from Overlord Circle, 0.4 miles west of Burks Hill Road. The Marker is located on the grounds of the National D-Day Memorial. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 Overlord Circle, Bedford VA 24523, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . 1. Leonard T. Gerow. (Submitted on February 11, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.) 2. National D-Day Memorial. (Submitted on February 11, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 56 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on February 11, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
