Role of a US army Inspector-General in WW2

Does anyone know what the role of an Inspector-General in the American army of WW2 vintage would have been ? I am especially interested in Colonel John E.Grose who served in this capacity in the Pacific in about 1942, and who after being ordered by the Supreme Commander Douglas Macarthur to take over command of the 126th.Infantry Regiment
during the Buna, New Guinea campaign, was alleged to have shot, out of hand, a number of US officers and men for cowardice. I have the dates and details of these shootings ( including one officer shot summarily by Grose when he attempted to run away past Grose when the later was going forward to the front line ), but am more interested in Grose apparently being able to do this, especially whilst under Macarthur's command ( a senior officer well known to be extremely temperamental and sensitive to matters of this nature ) and what any outcome may have been.
BG

 

The Inspector General's office is basically responsible for ensuring that all other units are operating according to the rules and regulations. Sort of a monitor for the Army.

 

Inspector General's role

Hi JC,

Thanks for your reply. I wasn't sure if the I.G's role was limited more to effectiveness and efficiency, rather than legal and regulatory. Since Col. Grose had held that post prior to being given an infantry regiment to command in WW2 ( he had been a Doughboy in WW1 ), I guess that his alleged summary execution of numerous officers and men at drumhead courts martial at the front( as against those formally established ) would have been well within his command functions, unless, of course, these were entirely surrendered upon his change of duty. Either way, though, it does make me curious as to why so little is known about these battle front executions.
BG

 

probably because it is embarrising for the US military.

Both that it happened and that it was needed

FNG

 

The Judge Advocate General's (JAG) office is charged with the legal operations of the Army. Cowards and deserters are supposed to be jailed in a stockade until a proper court martial can be held. Drumhead court martials are illegal in most cases under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). That is not to say these events didn't happen though.

 

edit- deleted double post.

 

Alleged by whom? There was one reported incident that I know of where he wielded a pistol and attempted to stop a Lieutenant and a patrol size unit from withdrawing after he had ordered him to attack. The Lieutenant demurred and was arrested (properly) and the men were sent back into the attack. This occured during the attack of 31 December on the Buna Mission.
BTW Grose commanded the 127th Regiment. At times he had elements of the 126th and 128th under his command (the Urbana force)
Do you have some specific allegations and the names of those who made them so that they can be properly evaluated?
This was the only incident that I'm aware of. Please enlighten us.

 

Allegations of executions for cowardice

The purpose of my making the post in the first place was to try and throw more light on the allegations, with a view to (hopefully) proving or disproving them. You certainly seem to write with some authority - are you not able to publish your sources ?

Insofar as the source of the allegations, one only needs to talk to any Australian of WW2 military service age about the American army in the Pacific war for claims of this nature to come to light, although, I will agree, this one is uncommonly detailed - equally, it is remarkably widespread........I have heard it ( and similar ) told many times by Australians when I served in Hong Kong some years ago.
Since, other than your response, little other directly useful information has come to light, I am now quite happy to let the matter rest in this forum, saying only that, irrespective of the odd act of cowardice, any bugger who fought the Nips in the jungles of South East Asia can be sure of my respect !
BG

 

Executions for cowardice

I am sorry, Grieg, I omitted to respond to your request for details.

I agree with you inasmuch as the incidents are alleged to have taken place in or near Buna and late in 1942 ( so December would seem to be right), although I understood the executed soldiers (including a junior officer, possibly a Lieutenant ) to have been stopped whilst running away from the "front" ( not that such a thing so formally existed in this campaign ! ) and having thrown their weapons away. I have never been given any details about the units concerned but the name Grose or Gross crops up frequently, hence my being able to learn more about this officer.
For what it is worth, the numerous Australians I have heard this tale from included officers up to senior field rank, who always seem to know more than they were ever willing to talk about.......an unusual trait, I am sure you will agree, in an Australian !
BG

 

Colonel Grose

I think that it might be as well if, at this stage, I were to declare an interest in the war against Japan and in the actions of Colonel Grose and the US services generally.

Until he died in 1953, I had an Uncle who served as a Chindit in Burma under both Wingate and Masters. His war came to an end in 1944 when he was on the sticky receiving end of an airdrop of sacks of tinned pineapples dropped without parachutes by the American airforce charged with the responsibility of keeping his unit supplied by air. It didn't kill poor Uncle Basil, but he had a distinct aversion to pineapple after that !!
However, given that it was Americans who cleared away a landing strip in just a few hours, and an American who flew Uncle Bas out in a Grasshopper so he could get treatment for his many broken bones and badly shattered skull, neither he, nor I, have anything but good words to say about them, and until he died as a result of his injuries nearly ten years later, he numbered dozens of ex US servicemen amongst his best chums...........as do I, but under different circumstances !
BG

 

Re: Allegations of executions for cowardice

BG
I can provide some sources however you should know that normally in a case like this the burden of proof lies with those making the affirmative statements. It's very difficult to prove a negative i.e. that something didn't happen. I can state that I have seen no evidence to suggest that the incidents occurred as you describe. While absence of evidence isn't the same thing of evidence of absense it is the best one can do when trying to prove a negative.

My source for this is a quote from Col. Grose:

This occurred during an aborted surprise attack by the men under Col Grose's command when Lt. Bragg who was to lead the attack was wounded and reported as missing. The Lt referred to in the quote by Col. Grose was to have assumed command after Lt Bragg was wounded however he panicked and retreated and his men followed him.

The quote is published in:
US Army in World War II
The War in the Pacific ,
Victory in Papua
by Samuel Milner
Chapter XVI
The Fall of Buna
page 313


Admittedly the truth isn't nearly as interesting or colorful as the rumors however one should be careful about besmirching the good name of an officer who served in combat under some very trying conditions.
IMO this campaign certainy doesn't reflect the finest hour of the US fighting man. The results were often mixed with good examples of both cowardice and heroism,as well as both incompetence and excellent leadership.
AFAIK the Aussie troops bore a larger share of the fighting in this campaign compared to the US and acquitted themselves well (for the most part).
One has to look to Guadalcanal and beyond *(and to the best troops that the US had in the Pacific ) to find better examples of US troops performing admirably against the Japanese.

Having served in the USMC myself I understand how these rumors propogate and over time can assume a greater stature than they deserve, merely by repetition.

I don't mean to be disagreeable in agreeing to disagree with you on this particular subject.

 

Hello Grieg,
Many thanks for the courtesy you have shown me in making the detailed responses you have done, as well as your giving due attribution to your sources. There is, though, one point I must stress as being important, and that is that, as far as I am aware, I stated in all instances that my queries were "alleged".
If I didn't state this in as many places as perhaps I could have done, it was certainly my intention to do so, and I don't think that any reader could ever have failed to realise that I had used the word "alleged" frequently. More importantly, NOWHERE did I AFFIRM that these atrocities were ever committed, although certainly there seemed to be enough circumstantial evidence that incidents of this nature DID occur, and, indeed, having heard verbal reports from Australian veterans who were either in New Guinea at the time, or whose units were, but they themselves joined later, it is hard to discount these allegations completely. For what it is worth, Aussies ( God Bless 'em ! ) are just a tad inclined to exaggerate yarns a bit ( especially when talking to Brits ! ),but I just cannot believe that this story, so widely told by so many ( about 10 or so ) reasonably authoritative and responsible persons, is totally without foundation, although I am prepared to concede that there is just not enough evidence to accuse Colonel Grose of committing these acts, nor indeed do I do so.
Cheers,
BG

 

The Devil is in the detail !!

Hello Grieg,

I have no desire to provoke you, and certainly desire only that you take this post in the manner it is intended ( i.e. humourously ! ),but I couldn't help noticing when re-reading an earlier mail I submitted some while ago ( see below**), that you commented to the fact that you saw no reason as to why the nationality of the party making the claim as below be mentioned. In one respect you may well be right, inasmuch there are so few navies operating nuclear carriers that it should be very obvious as to which navy is being discussed, and therefore why identify it precisely, but I have learned in forums such as these that the more facts that are presented, the better it is for all concerned, especially when readers such as yourself ( as someone who has quite reasonably requested sources and attributions ) are so keen to have as much information put forward as is possible !
Regards,
BG

** I had queried the validity of a statement made by a US Chief Petty Officer then serving on a USN nuclear powered aircraft carrier, when he claimed that the catapults on his ship could propel a Volkswagen a distance of 12 miles !
p.s. In case, as an Englishman, my motives are doubted when I submit criticisms of other country's armed services ( especially the USA ), I should at this juncture declare that I hold dual US/UK nationality and,indeed, spend most of my time in either New York or Warren, Vermont..........well, at least when the snow is good !

 

Re: The Devil is in the detail !!

BG

It was a knee-jerk response on my part to the title "American Bullsh*t" or something like that as I recall. If you remain on these forums for long you will notice that there are about a half dozen posters whose primary contribution consists of US bashing, whether the subject is WW II or present day foreign policy or a history of slavery or the quality(or lack of) of immigrants that settled the US or of the low quality of contemporary American popular culture.
My refusal to accept unwarranted criticism without a response has led to my being labeled an American nationalist and an ultra patriot.
(A title I reject but seems to convince few).
I'm more than willing to engage in rational debate on these subjects and consider the points of view of those I happen to disagree with (and sometimes I consider the criticism warranted) But some posters don't want to debate the issues using logic and reason but prefer emotion and rhetoric to rule the day.
From reading all your posts I don't think that you are one of those professional US bashers and that your opinions (which I may not agree with) are not just an excuse to spew anti-American vitriol.
I do believe that people can disagree without being disagreeable and I think that you will find that for the most part the tone of my response is a reflection of the tone of the original posters criticism.
I have disagreed with Roel many times and he is quite critical of the US however his opinions seem rational and logical (though sometimes faulty )but we never engage in rancorous debate and there are several other posters I enjoy jousting with in this manner.

In sum, I think that I was hasty in my response to your post regarding "American bullsh*t" and jumped the gun by assuming that malice was intended by you when it has become clear that it was not.

 

New Guinea campaign

Grieg,

Thanks for your considered explanation, amigo, that you took time to submit it is an indication of someone's whose temperament show a strong sense of balance, proportion and fairness, and there ain't much wrong with that as far as I am concerned ! I hope, therefore, that I don't appear to be a total pain in the butt if I just can't let those allegations of the military executions of US servicemen in New Guinea go away ?

I first heard of them when on attachment to the Hong Kong Police back in 1969. At that time many of their NCO's and officers were Aussies, several of whom who had either actually served in the Australian forces in New Guinea at the time, or joined afterwards. The general theme to the discussions of these incidents was not of the cowardice of US servicemen ( Christ, we've all been there, and I've almost wet myself more than once
when ordered to be first through a door, or whatever ! ), but really rather more that US officers would be prepared to take such a Draconian action that flies in the face of what is generally thought to be the more relaxed attitude of the US officer corps ! My recent reading of Lida Mayo's excellent book "Bloody Buna", brought this all back, especially when she mentions the incident involving Col. Grose, but fails to refer to any executions - it was this that prompted me to raise the story in this forum.
Incidentally, I am still in touch with one of those Aussies, who has long since retired to England with his English wife. I rang him last night to obtain more information and was told that he is adamant that these executions took place, although he believes that they were undertaken by members of Col. Grose's staff rather than the Colonel ( who may not even have ordered them ) and that they were also made in "hot blood" ( i.e. the shooting of men who were actively deserting their posts, and not some little while afterwards ). I also asked him as to why there is no confirmed information or specific details of these executions generally available, and his reply was - " 1942 ? When we were all still taking a kicking from the f-------g Nips ! - a regiment could have been shot and we'd never be told about it !"
Cheers,
BG