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MAJ Mark E Cooper
to remember
Baade, Paul William, MG USA(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Fort Wayne
Last Address Santa Barbara, CA
Date of Passing Oct 09, 1959
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Last Known Activity:
MG Paul William Baade
(1889-1959)
Born and raised in Indiana, Paul entered West Point in June of 1907 with a Bachelor of Science already to his credit. Upon graduation in 1911 he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and awarded degrees of B.A. and A.B. Then began the commissioned service of nearly 40 years.
The new lieutenant joined the 11th Infantry at Fort D. A. Russel in Wyoming.
To Texas City with the regiment on Border Patrol until August 1914. Then to the 8th Infantry in the Philippines for 3 years and then to the 54th Infantry at Chickamaugua, Park, Georgia. As a new major, he sailed for France with the advance party of the 81st Division and was quickly in action.
With the 322nd Infantry in the occupancy of the St. Die Sector, the Vosges and on to Verdun. He fought as a Lieutenant Colonel in the bitter actions east of the Somedian Sector and in the Meuse Argonne. After returning home with his regiment in June 1919 he spent four years at various schools, four years in the office of the Chief of Infantry, Graduated from the Army War College, four years duty at the USMA then two years with the 29th Infantry at Fort Benning. After several more assignments he received his first star in July 1941. July 1942 he was Assistant Commander of the 35th Division Guarding the southern California coast.
A major general in July 1943 and in command of the division, he moved it from San Luis Obispo to Camp Rucker, Alabama and in November '43, through the Tennessee maneuvers and then to Camp Butner, N.C. until May '44.
The division landed on Omaha Beach on July 8th, '44 to join the Battle of Normandy under the XIX Corps, First Army.
General Baade led the division in almost constant combat for 11 months and 1600 miles, through St. Lo, the Vire River, Mortain, Orleans, Montargis, Troy, Nancy, Sareguemines, the Bleis river, Bastogne, the lower Vosges, the Roer River, Venlo, Wesel, the Ruhr, and on to the Elbe river. This included five countries, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.
On occupation duty in Hanover and Recklenhausen and the Coblenz area until July 1945, when control was relinquished to the French.
The division came home in September 1945, and demobilized at Camp Breckenridge, N.C.
The General continued to serve until his retirement, disability in the line of duty, 30th September 1946. Among the numerous decorations he received were the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, The Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, and Purple Heart. From France he received the honors of Officer of the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre and from the Netherlands, Grand Officer Orange van Nassau.
He retired to his home in Santa Barbara, California with his wife Margaret. The general was active in civic and church activities until his death on the 9th October, 1959.
WWII - European Theater of Operations/Normandy Campaign (1944)/Battle of St. Lo
From Month/Year
July / 1944
To Month/Year
July / 1944
Description Battle of St Lô (7 - 19 July 1944) in the west of the landing zones was as important to the Americans as the town of Caen was to the Anglo/Canadian Forces in the east. Both towns were the main crossroad towns into Normandy through which all major road led. Without these towns and the road networks they give access to, the Allied Armies were going nowhere. The Germans recognized this and set up most of their Armoured forces around Caen where the open countryside better suited their armour protection and longer range of their guns. The forces used by the Germans for the defense of St Lô were the 3rd Parachute Division and the 352nd Infantry Division. The German Parachute divisions were the elite infantry units of the German Army, showing the importance the attached to the defense of St Lô. SS units were not used as all the SS formations were armoured and the terrain around the town did not lend itself to armoured warfare. Experts in camoflague and trained to operate in small groups or alone, the German Paratroopers used the hedgerow terrain expertly to their advantage and did everything in their power to exact a heavy price from the Americans for every meter of ground captured.
The new attack of First Army was delivered on a ten-mile front, with the main effort by the 29th Division aiming at the ridges along the St-Lô-Bayeux highway and then at St-Lô itself. On its right, the 35th Division was to exert pressure between the Vire and the Isigny-St-Lô highway; its objective was the right bank of the Vire, in the elbow made by that winding stream just northwest of St-Lô. Advance here would help the 30th Division on the other side of the Vire, by covering its flank along the river. On the 29th Division's left, an assault against Hill 192 would be made by the 2d Division of V Corps. Capture of this dominating observation point would be of prime importance in the attack on St-Lô.
