Lieutenant General Stafford LeRoy Irwin (March 23, 1893 – November 23, 1955) was a senior United States Army officer who served in World War II. He came from a family with a strong military tradition: he was the son of Major General George LeRoy Irwin -- for whom Fort Irwin, California, is named -- while his grandfather, Brigadier General Bernard J. D. Irwin, was a recipient of the Medal of Honor. After General Manton Eddy resigned from his position due to health issues, Irwin commanded the XII Corps from April 20, 1945, through the end of the war.
Stafford LeRoy Irwin | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant General Stafford LeRoy Irwin in 1946 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Red" |
| Born | February 23, 1893 Fort Monroe, Virginia, United States |
| Died | November 23, 1955 (aged 62) Asheville, North Carolina, United States |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1915–1952 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Service number | O-3803 |
| Unit |  Cavalry Branch Field Artillery Branch |
| Commands | 72nd Field Artillery Regiment 5th Infantry Division XII Corps V Corps |
| Battles / wars | Mexican Punitive Expedition World War I World War II |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Silver Star Bronze Star (2) |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Hall
(m. 1921; died 1937)Clare Moran (m. 1941) |
| Relations | Bernard J. D. Irwin (Grandfather) George LeRoy Irwin (Father) |
Early life and military career
edit
Stafford LeRoy Irwin was born March 23, 1893, at Fort Monroe, Virginia, the son of Major General George LeRoy Irwin and his wife Marla Elizabeth. He attended the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York in 1911, at the age of 18. He graduated 40th in a class of 164 in June 1915 as a part of the West Point class of 1915, also known as "the class the stars fell on". Many of Irwin's classmates became general officers during World War II, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Henry Aurand, John W. Leonard, James Van Fleet, Joseph May Swing, Charles W. Ryder, Paul J. Mueller, Roscoe B. Woodruff, Vernon Prichard, Leland Hobbs, and numerous others.[1]
He was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch of the United States Army on the same date of his graduation. Irwin subsequently served with the cavalry during the Pancho Villa Expedition, which was commanded by Brigadier General John J. Pershing, as a member of the 11th Cavalry Regiment in 1916 and the following year.[2]
During World War I he served initially with the 80th Field Artillery Regiment, and then was a student at the U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he was received promotion to the temporary rank of major but saw no service overseas as the war came to an end on November 11, 1918.[2]
Between the wars
editDuring the interwar period Irwin, realizing the cavalry was becoming obsolete (which trench warfare and World War I had shown), transferred to the Field Artillery Branch. From 1919 to 1920 he was Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Yale University and from 1920 to 1924 was an instructor for the Oklahoma Army National Guard. Between 1929 and 1933 he was an instructor for the U.S. Army Field Artillery School and, from 1933 to 1936 served with the Organized Reserves. He attended the U.S. Army Field Artillery School in 1926, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School from 1926 to 1927, and the U.S. Army War College in 1937.[2]
World War II
editStafford Irwin was the commander of artillery for the 9th Infantry Division in North Africa. He was noted for performing well during the Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, particularly during the engagement with Field Marshall Erwin Rommel at Thala. Following the North African campaign he was given command of the 5th Infantry Division during Patton's drive across Europe.
General Irwin finished the war as commander of XII Corps after Manton S. Eddy, the previous corps commander, was sent home due to ill health, and served in that position until September 1945.[citation needed]
Postwar and retirement
edit
After the war, Irwin returned to the United States and became commander of V Corps in 1946 and director of the Military Intelligence Division in 1948. He was promoted to lieutenant general on October 15, 1950. He finished his military career as the commander of U.S. Army forces in Austria from 1950 to 1952 when he retired due to medical problems on May 31, 1952.
Lt. Gen. Irwin died in 1955 of a coronary occlusion in Asheville, North Carolina, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[3]
Personal life
editIrwin married in 1921 to Helen (Hall) Irwin and together they had one son, Francis LeRoy. After Helen died in 1937, Irwin remarried in 1941 to Clare (Moran) Irwin.[3] His second marriage also produced a son.
Decorations
editLieutenant General Irwin's ribbon bar:
    | |||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
   |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
References
edit- ^ "Biggest West point Class Joins Army" (PDF). The New York Times. June 13, 1915. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Officers of the US Army 1939-1945 -- I".
- ^ a b "Gen. Irwin Dies Here at Age 62". The Asheville Citizen. November 24, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Empric, Bruce E. (2024), Uncommon Allies: U.S. Army Recipients of Soviet Military Decorations in World War II, Teufelsberg Press, pp. 93, 141, ISBN 979-8-3444-6807-5
External links
edit
- Stafford LeRoy Irwin at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Time Magazine December 1955 retrieved 5/12/09
- Field Artillery Magazine Jan/Feb 1949 Archived 2016-12-29 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 5/12/09
- Generals of World War II
- United States Army Officers 1939–1945