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Truman, Louis Watson, LTG.
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Last Address Atlanta, GA
Date of Passing Dec 02, 2004
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Lieutenant General Louis W. Truman
Commanding General Third Army
Lt. Gen. Louis W. Truman was born June 20, 1908. In 1926, he enlisted in Company E, 140th Infantry, 35th Division, Missouri National Guard. Truman entered the U. S. Military Academy at West Point June 2, 1928 and, upon graduation in 1932, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry.
Truman's first duty assignment was the 6th Infantry Regiment at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. During his tenure there, he held several positions. In 1936, then-1st Lt. Truman was assigned to Fort Benning, where he completed the Infantry School and The Tank School. Next, he served a two-year tour of duty at Fort Davis, in the Canal Zone and then returned to Fort Benning, to the 14th Armored brigade, 2nd Armored Division under Brig. Gen. George S. Patton, Commanding.
Truman was promoted to major in February 1942 and was assigned to Headquarters, Army Ground Forces, Washington, DC first as assistant G3 and later as Secretary of the General Staff for Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair. In1944, he was selected as Chief of Staff, 84th Infantry Division, Brig. Gen. Alex R. Bolling, commanding. During Truman's tenure as chief of staff, the 84th saw combat along the Siegfried Line, the Bulge, the Ardennes and in Germany from the Roer River to the Elbe River.
In 1946, then-Col. Truman was assigned to HQ, U. S. Forces European Theater, Frankfurt, Germany, as Deputy Theater Chief, Special Services. From 1946 to 1948, Truman was assigned as Secretary, U.S. Delegation, United Nations Military Staff Committee. Truman was a student at the National War College from 1948 to 1949. Following that, he was a member of the Joint Strategic Planning Group, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Pentagon, Washington, DC. During this assignment, Gen. Omar Bradley was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Truman commanded the 223rd Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division from July 1952 to January 1953, in combat in Korea. He later served as assistant division commander of the 2nd Infantry Division until the cessation of hostilities in July1953. From then until 1955, Truman served again with Bolling, this time as chief of staff of Third U. S. Army at Fort McPherson, Ga. That assignment was followed by duty at Naples, Italy, where then-Brig. Gen. Truman was Deputy Chief of Staff - G3, Plans and Operations, NATO Southern Command.
Truman received his second star in 1956 and with it the chairmanship of the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Karachi, Pakistan. He then commanded the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Lewis, Wash., from 1958 until 1960. In 1958 he was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Training and later as Deputy Commanding General, Headquarters, Continental Army Command, Fort Monroe, Va. Concurrent with this latter position, Truman was Commander Joint Task Force.
In 1962, Truman was promoted to lieutenant general and then, from 1963 until 1965, he commanded VII Corps at Kelly Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. This assignment was followed by his assignment as Commanding General, Third U. S. Army, Fort McPherson, Ga., until his retirement in August 1967.
During his military career, Truman was earned many awards to include: the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star (one oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit (one oak leaf cluster), the Bronze Star Medal (two oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (one oak leaf cluster) and the Combat Infantryman Badge (two awards).
Following his retirement in 1967, Truman was Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade under governors Maddox, Carter and Busbee. From 1976 until 1984, Truman served as vice president and special assistant to the president of Adams/Cates Realty in Atlanta.
He has resided in Atlanta since his retirement in 1967 after 37 years of active duty in the Army. Born June 20, 1908 in Kansas City, MO. He was preceded in death by his parents, Maj. Gen. Ralph Emerson Truman, Nanny Louise Watson Truman, his brother Col. Corbie Truman, his sister, Henrietta Truman Davidson, and his first wife, Margret Stevenson Truman.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Normandy Campaign (1944)/Operation Overlord/D-Day Beach Landings - Operation Neptune
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, led to the restoration of the French Republic, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beach. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialised tanks.
The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day. Carentan, St. Lô, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five bridgeheads were not connected until 12 June. However, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. German casualties on D-Day were around 1,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. Museums, memorials, and war cemeteries in the area host many visitors each year.
