Horace H. Fuller
Encyclopedia
Major General
Horace H. Fuller (10 August 1886 – 18 September 1966) was an American
soldier
and general in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the 41st Infantry Division in the South West Pacific Area
during World War II
.
, the son of Major Ezra B. Fuller. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy
at West Point — where his father had graduated with the class of 1873 — by President Theodore Roosevelt
in 1904. He graduated 59th in the class of 1909, a distinguished class that also included future generals George S. Patton
(46), Jacob L. Devers
(39), John C. H. Lee
(12), Edwin F. Harding
(74), Robert L. Eichelberger
(68), and William H. Simpson (101). He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 11th Cavalry. He was stationed with the 11th Cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe
until April 1914 when he transferred to the 7th Cavalry which was then based at Fort William McKinley
. He remained in the Philippines until 1916, transferring to the 8th Cavalry. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on 12 June 1916. He transferred to the field artillery
on 1 July 1916 but returned to United States to serve with the 17th Cavalry
at Fort Bliss
. He was promoted to captain on 15 May 1917.
. He was promoted to temporary Major
on 8 January 1918. He sailed for France
in October 1918 and joined the 108th Field Artillery at Véronnes
. He participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
and commanded the 108th Field Artillery in the Battle of the Sambre
, earning promotion to temporary Lieutenant Colonel
on 11 September 1918. He commanded the 109th Field Artillery until March 1919 and then served with the Motor Transport Corps and Graves Registration Service.
. He attended the Command and General Staff College
at Fort Leavenworth
from 1922 to 1923 and, a distinguished graduate, stayed on as an instructor until 1927 when he left to attend the U.S. Army War College
. Regimental duty followed with the 76th Field Artillery
at the Presidio of Monterey, California
but he returned to Washington, D.C.
in 1929 for duty on the War Department General Staff. In 1933 he was posted to the 6th Field Artillery at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. He was finally promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 1 May 1934.
After attending a chemical warfare
course at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland
, Fuller was posted to Paris
as military attaché
to France. He remained there until August 1940, watching the Fall of France first hand. While there he was promoted to Colonel
on 1 July 1938.
. As such, he was promoted to the temporary rank of Brigadier General
on 1 October 1940.
Fuller returned to the Command and General Staff College as its commandant in June 1941 but in December 1941 following the sudden death of Major General
George A. White
he became commander of the 41st Infantry Division. He was promoted to the temporary rank of Major General
on 15 December 1941.
Fuller led the 41st Infantry Division in the attacks on Salamaua
, Hollandia
, and Biak
. At Biak, tenacious defence by well dug in Japanese defenders frustrated his attempt to rapidly secure the island. Running afoul of General Douglas MacArthur
's need to have the island secured quickly, Fuller found himself superseded in command at Biak by Lieutenant General
Robert L. Eichelberger
, a West Point classmate. Fuller then asked to be relieved of his command, becoming the only divisional commander to be relieved in the Western New Guinea campaign
.
He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. His citation read:
Fuller became President of the U.S. Army Forces Far East
in August 1944. In November he became Deputy Chief of Staff at South East Asia Command
.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Horace H. Fuller (10 August 1886 – 18 September 1966) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and general in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the 41st Infantry Division in the South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatres of World War II, during 1942–45...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Education and early life
Horace Hayes Fuller was born on 10 August 1886 in Fort Meade, South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, the son of Major Ezra B. Fuller. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point — where his father had graduated with the class of 1873 — by President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
in 1904. He graduated 59th in the class of 1909, a distinguished class that also included future generals George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
(46), Jacob L. Devers
Jacob L. Devers
General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers , commander of the 6th Army Group in Europe during World War II. He was the first United States military officer to reach the Rhine after D-Day.-Biography:...
(39), John C. H. Lee
John C. H. Lee
John Clifford Hodges Lee was a US Army General. He graduated 12th out of 103 graduates from the United States Military Academy in 1909.He served in World War I, World War II and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General....
(12), Edwin F. Harding
Edwin F. Harding
Edwin Forrest Harding commanded the 32nd Infantry Division at the beginning of World War II. He graduated 74th among his classmates from the United States Military Academy in 1909, who included George S. Patton , Jacob L. Devers , John C. H. Lee , Horace H. Fuller , Robert L. Eichelberger , and...
(74), Robert L. Eichelberger
Robert L. Eichelberger
Robert Lawrence Eichelberger was a general in the United States Army, who commanded the US Eighth Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. His Army was among the very first to engage the Japanese in the Pacific Theater of Operations.-Pre-World War II service:Eichelberger was born...
(68), and William H. Simpson (101). He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 11th Cavalry. He was stationed with the 11th Cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe
Fort Oglethorpe (Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia)
Fort Oglethorpe was an Army post established in 1902 and opened in 1904. It served largely as a cavalry post for the 6th Cavalry. During World War I Fort Oglethorpe was home to 4,000 German Prisoners of War and civilian detainees. During World War I and World War II, it became a war-time...
until April 1914 when he transferred to the 7th Cavalry which was then based at Fort William McKinley
Fort William McKinley
Fort William McKinley, was established in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War in 1901 when the whole land south of Pasig River down to Alabang was declared a U.S. Military Reservation. During the World War II era, it was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department...
. He remained in the Philippines until 1916, transferring to the 8th Cavalry. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on 12 June 1916. He transferred to the field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
on 1 July 1916 but returned to United States to serve with the 17th Cavalry
17th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 17th Cavalry is a historical organization within the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry after the Pancho Villa Expedition. The unit was constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 17th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas and originally inactivated 26 September 1921 at the...
at Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
. He was promoted to captain on 15 May 1917.
Great War
Fuller transferred to the 11th Field Artillery in July 1917, and attended a course of instruction at Fort SillFort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
. He was promoted to temporary Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
on 8 January 1918. He sailed for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in October 1918 and joined the 108th Field Artillery at Véronnes
Véronnes
Véronnes is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
. He participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
and commanded the 108th Field Artillery in the Battle of the Sambre
Battle of the Sambre (1918)
The Second Battle of the Sambre was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I.-Background:...
, earning promotion to temporary Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
on 11 September 1918. He commanded the 109th Field Artillery until March 1919 and then served with the Motor Transport Corps and Graves Registration Service.
Interwar years
Fuller reverted to his permanent rank of Captain on 15 April 1920 but was promoted to major on 1 July 1920. On returning to the United States he was posted to the 83rd Field Artillery at Fort BenningFort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. He attended the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
from 1922 to 1923 and, a distinguished graduate, stayed on as an instructor until 1927 when he left to attend the U.S. Army War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
. Regimental duty followed with the 76th Field Artillery
76th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
The 76th Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army. first Constituted 1916 in the Regular Army.-Lineage:Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 18th Cavalry...
at the Presidio of Monterey, California
Presidio of Monterey, California
The Presidio of Monterey, located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center .-Spanish fort:...
but he returned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1929 for duty on the War Department General Staff. In 1933 he was posted to the 6th Field Artillery at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. He was finally promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 1 May 1934.
After attending a chemical warfare
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
course at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, Fuller was posted to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
as military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to France. He remained there until August 1940, watching the Fall of France first hand. While there he was promoted to Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
on 1 July 1938.
World War II
On returning to the United States Fuller attended a refresher course at Fort Sill before being posted to command the artillery of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort LewisFort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
. As such, he was promoted to the temporary rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
on 1 October 1940.
Fuller returned to the Command and General Staff College as its commandant in June 1941 but in December 1941 following the sudden death of Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
George A. White
George A. White
Major General George A. White was an American author, journalist and Major General in the first half of the 20th century...
he became commander of the 41st Infantry Division. He was promoted to the temporary rank of Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
on 15 December 1941.
Fuller led the 41st Infantry Division in the attacks on Salamaua
Salamaua-Lae campaign
The Salamaua–Lae campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Australian and United States forces sought to capture two major Japanese bases, one in the town of Lae, and another one at Salamaua. The campaign to take the Salamaua and Lae area began with the Australian...
, Hollandia
Operations Reckless and Persecution
Operation Reckless, known as the Landing at Hollandia and Operation Persecution known as the Aitape landing, were Allied amphibious landings which commenced the Western New Guinea campaign. Both operations commenced on 22 April 1944....
, and Biak
Battle of Biak
The Battle of Biak was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States Army and the Japanese Army from May 27 to June 22, 1944. It was the first major tactical use of an ambush by the Japanese during the war....
. At Biak, tenacious defence by well dug in Japanese defenders frustrated his attempt to rapidly secure the island. Running afoul of General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's need to have the island secured quickly, Fuller found himself superseded in command at Biak by Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Robert L. Eichelberger
Robert L. Eichelberger
Robert Lawrence Eichelberger was a general in the United States Army, who commanded the US Eighth Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. His Army was among the very first to engage the Japanese in the Pacific Theater of Operations.-Pre-World War II service:Eichelberger was born...
, a West Point classmate. Fuller then asked to be relieved of his command, becoming the only divisional commander to be relieved in the Western New Guinea campaign
Western New Guinea campaign
The Western New Guinea campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. United States and Australian forces assaulted Japanese bases and positions in the northwest coastal areas of Netherlands New Guinea and adjoining parts of the Australian Territory of New Guinea...
.
He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. His citation read:
Fuller became President of the U.S. Army Forces Far East
U.S. Army Forces Far East
USAFFE included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army , and the Far East Air Force. USAFFE Headquarters was created on July 26, 1941, at No.1, Calle Victoria, Manila, Luzon, the Philippines, with Major General MacArthur as commander. The Chief of Staff was Lieutenant General Richard K...
in August 1944. In November he became Deputy Chief of Staff at South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command
South East Asia Command was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II.-Background:...
.