Charles H. Gerhardt

Charles Hunter Gerhardt
Nickname(s)	"Uncle Charlie"
Born	June 6, 1895
Died	October 9, 1976 (aged 81)
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917–1948
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-5259
Unit	Cavalry Branch
Commands held	56th Cavalry Brigade 91st Infantry Division 29th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star (2)

Major General Charles Hunter Gerhardt (June 6, 1895 – October 9, 1976) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II. During the latter, he commanded the 29th Infantry Division from 1943 until the end of the war and during part of the occupation of Germany. The division's most famous combat operations were the Omaha Beach landings of June 6, 1944 (his 49th birthday), otherwise known as D-Day, and the taking of the French crossroads town of Saint-Lô in July 1944.

Biography

Early life and military career

Gerhardt grew up in the army as the son of a career officer who retired as a brigadier general. The younger Gerhardt attended the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York where he earned a reputation as a skilled football, baseball and polo player. In 1916, Gerhardt quarterbacked for West Point to a 30-10 upset win over Notre Dame, which was led by the famed freshman George Gipp. It was Notre Dame's only loss that year.

Upon graduation Gerhardt was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the United States Army's Cavalry Branch. He served during World War I with the 89th Division on the Western Front as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF).

Remaining in the army during the interwar period, in 1932, Gerhardt was selected as a judge in the equestrian events for the 1932 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles.

World War II

During World War II he was the Commanding General (CG) of the 91st Infantry Division at Camp White, Oregon and, in July 1943, assumed command of the 29th Infantry Division, an Army National Guard formation.

Gerhardt was a hard taskmaster, strict disciplinarian and considered by many of his men to be a martinet, who often became upset at small things such as a soldier not having the chinstrap of his helmet buckled. One famous story has him admonishing a soldier on the day after D-Day for dropping peels from the orange he was eating on the ground. He was intolerant of any dirt or mud being on the trucks, and would make soldiers stop and clean a truck under almost any circumstance. Major General Gerhardt was, however, a superb and driven trainer of soldiers and expected the same from his subordinates. He led the 29th Infantry Division throughout the fighting in Western Europe, from D-Day (June 6, 1944) until the end of the war in Europe on Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945).

Lieutenant General B.G. Horrocks (Commanding 30th Corps), Major General G.H.A. McMillan (Commanding 51st (Highland) Infantry Division) and Major General C.H. Gerhardt (Commanding 29th Infantry Division) on the saluting base during the ceremony to mark the handover of Bremerhaven by British to American forces.

Gerhardt was one of the European Theater's more controversial commanders. His critics held that he was lacking as a military tactician and careless with the lives of his men; often pointing to the astonishingly high casualty rate of the 29th Division. It was said that Gerhardt actually commanded three divisions: one on the field of battle, one in the hospital and one in the cemetery. He was also considered somewhat loose morally, as evidenced by a house of prostitution he established for his men near Rennes, France, which Lieutenant General Omar Nelson Bradley, the U.S. 12th Army Group commander, did not approve of and ordered closed. Gerhardt usually walked the line between approval and disapproval with his superior officers. After the war, he was demoted to colonel for reasons thought to be a combination of the 29th Division's high casualty rate and his moral lapses.

Later life

Following World War II, Gerhardt served as the United States Defense Attaché to Brazil and in a post at Fort Meade, Maryland. He reattained the rank of brigadier general and was able to retire at his highest held rank of major general.

Awards

His awards include:

• Distinguished Service Medal^[1]
• Silver Star^[1]
• Legion of Merit^[1]
• Bronze Star (2)^[1]

Death and legacy

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.^[2]

See also

• The Major of St. Lo

References

Further reading

• Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Division in Normandy, by Joseph Balkoski
• 29 Let's Go! A History of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II, by Joseph Ewing

External links

• Memoirs of Charles H. Gerhardt, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
• 29th Division order of battle at Omaha Beach
• Booklet of the 29th Infantry Division