saw this pic on facebook, I thought it might be the VI Corps commander Ernest J Dawley but another chap says maybe not as he a 2 star general. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_J._Dawley anyone ID the general in question ? https://www.facebook.com/Radio.WW2/photos/a.1723098984602757.1073742309.1634742540105069/1723099021269420/?type=3&theater
Could very well be Major General Ernest J. Dawley. Is that a XI VI on the left side of the front fender? He was certainly a 2-star general, at least for a while... he commanded XI VI Corps for Salerno, but was sent back to the States by Mark Clark shortly after.
for reference to those who don't know , could someone explain what command each type of star general had? division , corps , army etc. cheers
Not certain, but I think it is Major General Dawley. The nose looks to be the same shape and the shadow on the upper lip could be a his mustache..
Those were my thoughts as well. In the jeep photo, his face looks much thinner than the other photo, but that could be explained in a couple of ways. BTW, would it be in poor taste to point out that he seems to be knuckle-deep in the photo?
Two star...? My first thought was Robert Frederick, but he didn't get his second star until December 1944. Ernest Harmon had the mustache but he was stockier than the man in the photo.
Its difficult to explain. You see, for may years the American Army was general shy. And for may years the highest Regular rank was major general (two star). All other lieutenant generals (three star) and general (four star) ranks were either temporary or specially conferred by Congress to people like Washington, Grant, and Sheridan. During World War I all three and four star ranks were temporary and after the war, the three star rank was discontinued, the four star rank was only allowed for the general officer appointed the Chief of Staff and for General Pershing. In 1939, the rank of lieutenant general was re-instituted for army commanders, but still the only four star was the Chief of Staff. During the war, most of the corps commands were held by senior major generals, with lieutenant generals as army commanders, and theater commanders as four stars. However, by the end of the war the expansion of general ranks led to most generals who held corps being promoted to three star, army commanders to four star, and the most senior generals, including Chief of Staff Marshall, to five star.