Born in Clark, Missouri, Feb. 12, 1893, Bradley
was the U.S. Army officer who commanded the highly effective
12th Army Group, which helped ensure the Allied victory over
Germany during World War II. Bradley was know by his troops
as "The Soldier's General" because of his care of
and compassion for those soldiers under his command. He later
served as first chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
(1949-53).
Bradley graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,
N.Y., in 1915. At the opening of World War II he was commandant
of the Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga., and later commanded
the 82nd and 28th infantry divisions. After being placed at
the head of the 2nd Corps for the North African campaign, under
General George S. Patton, he captured Bizerte, Tunisia, in
May 1943. This victory contributed directly to the fall of
Tunisia and the surrender of more than 250,000 Axis troops.
Bradley then led his forces in the Sicilian invasion, which
was successfully concluded in August.
Later in 1943 Bradley was transferred to Great Britain, where
he was given command of the U.S. 1st Army in 1944. Placed temporarily
under the command of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery,
he took part in planning the invasion of France. In June 1944
he joined his troops in the assault on the Normandy beaches
and in the initial battles inland. At the beginning of August
he was elevated to command of the U.S. 12th Army Group. Under
his leadership the 1st, 3rd, 9th, and 15th armies, the largest
force ever placed under an American group commander, successfully
carried on operations in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands,
Germany, and Czechoslovakia until the end of European hostilities.
After the German surrender, Bradley returned to the United
States to serve as administrator of veterans' affairs (1945-47)
and chief of staff of the Army (1948-49). He was well liked
by both officers and enlisted men and, after the unification
of the armed forces, was chosen in 1949 as the first chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While at that post he was promoted
(1950) to General of the Army.
After retiring from the Army in 1953, Bradley was active in
private enterprise. In 1951 he published his reminiscences,
A Soldier's Story. A General's Life (with Clay Blair) was published
in 1983.
