George Windle Read Jr.

George Windle Read Jr. (July 29, 1900 – December 15, 1974) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He was prominent as a top-tier polo player, a successful commander of World War II armor units, and the U.S. Army's Chief of Armor.

George Windle Read Jr.
Read as commander of Second United States Army, 1958
BornJuly 29, 1900 (1900-07-29)
Fort Grant, Arizona, US
DiedDecember 15, 1974 (1974-12-16) (aged 74)
Fort Ord, California, US
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1917–1960
Rank Lieutenant general
Service number0-12603
Commands held68th Tank Regiment
Combat Command B, 6th Armored Division
6th Armored Division
1st Brigade, United States Constabulary
2nd Armored Division
Allied Land Forces South East Europe
U.S. Army Armor Center and School
Second United States Army
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
French Legion of Honor
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Belgian Croix de Guerre
Greek Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Phoenix

Early life

Read was born at Fort Grant, Arizona, on July 29, 1900,[1][2][3] the son of Burton Young Read and Major General George Windle Read (1860–1934), one of the top commanders in the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. His grandfather was Lieutenant General S.B.M. Young, who served as the first Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Read was educated on military posts throughout the United States, and graduated from Central High School in Washington, D.C.[4]

Read was decided upon a military career from an early age; at 13, he took part in a summer Boy Scout encampment that included military training.[5] In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Washington's high schools maintained a corps of cadets, with students organized into companies and regiments for drill and ceremony competitions.[4] During his high school years, Read was an active participant as a member of the corps' Company H. 1st Regiment.[4]

World War I

Read enlisted in the Army on May 15, 1917, shortly before his seventeenth birthday.[6] He served with the 15th Cavalry Regiment and the 30th and 42nd Infantry Divisions during World War I, attaining the rank of sergeant.[7]

Post World War I

Read completed the officer candidate school in Langres, France, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry in 1919.[8] He soon transferred to Cavalry, and graduated from the Cavalry School Basic Course in 1921.[9]

He served throughout the United States and overseas during the 1920s and 1930s. From 1922 to 1925 Read served in the Philippines as aide de camp to his father.[10][11]

A championship caliber polo player, Read took part in several tournaments during the 1920s and 1930s, playing on teams sponsored by the Army.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

Read graduated from the Cavalry School Regular Course in 1937, afterwards serving in the Middle East as an observer in Palestine and a member of the Armored Force Board that was based in Cairo, Egypt.[19][10][20][21]

World War II
General Read with the 6th Armored Division in World War II

After graduating from the Command and General Staff College in 1941, Read was assigned as Training and Operations Officer, G-3, for the 6th Armored Division.[10][1]

Read served with the 6th Armored Division in Europe throughout World War II, including assignments as commander of the 68th Tank Regiment, commander of the division's Combat Command B, assistant division commander, and division commander from April to May, 1945 and again from July until the division was deactivated in September, 1945.[10][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]

Post World War II

In the late 1940s Read served as President of Army Ground Forces Board 3 at Ft. Benning, Georgia. (The Army created several ground forces boards to test new weapons and equipment and make procurement recommendations.)[32][10]

From 1948 to 1950 Read served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, G-4, for the United States Constabulary.[33]

During the early 1950s General Read commanded 1st Brigade, United States Constabulary in West Germany.[34][35][36]

From April 1952 to April 1953 Read served as commander of the 2nd Armored Division.[37][38]

In 1953 Read was assigned as commander of the U.S. Army Armor Center and School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he remained until 1955.[39]

He then commanded Allied Land Forces South East Europe, remaining in this post until 1957.[40][41][42]

In 1957 Read assumed command of the Second United States Army, remaining in this position until his retirement in 1960.[43][44][45][46][47]

Awards and decorations

General Read's U.S. decorations included multiple awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, and multiple awards of the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal.[48][49]

His foreign awards included the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre with Palm, Belgian Croix de Guerre, Luxembourg War Cross, Greek Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Phoenix, and Order of Merit (Chile).[50]

Retirement and death

General Read resided in Aptos, Santa Cruz County, California after his retirement from the Army, and died at Fort Ord's Silas B. Hays Army Hospital on December 15, 1974, from the effects of lymphocytic leukemia. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 3946.[51][52][53][54]

Family

In 1933, Read married Ernestine Eaton Renzel (1903–1988).[55] They had no children.[55]

References
  1. The Monthly Supplement: a Current Biographical Reference Service, published by Who’s Who, Inc., 1944, Volumes 5-6, page 247
  2. Newspaper article, Maj. Gen. G.W. Read is Dead at Capital; World War Officer Succumbs, New York Times, November 7, 1934
  3. U.S. Census entry, 1910, family of George Windle and Burton Young Read
  4. "Plans Completed for Cadets' Drill". The Evening Star. Washington, DC. May 30, 1916. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Boy Scouts Work at Trail Building: Gaining Health and Experience in Trip to the White Mountains; Real Military Rule Prevails in Camp". The Evening Star. Washington, DC. June 28, 1914. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Kelly, William P., ed. (July 1954). "Private to General". Life of the Soldier and the Airman. Governors Island, NY: Recruiting Publicity Bureau, U.S. Army. p. 9 – via Google Books.
  7. Official Army register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1922, page 504
  8. "Lieutenant Here to Visit Brother". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, CA. October 29, 1922. p. 10.
  9. Official Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957, page 708]
  10. Life of the Soldier and the Airman, Volumes 35-36, 1953, page 289
  11. U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1940, page 663
  12. Field Artillery Journal, March-April 1928, page 204
  13. Newspaper article, Governors Island Wins at Polo, 7-6, New York Times, October 3, 1932
  14. Newspaper article, West Point Officers Bow; Lose to Second Corps Area at Polo, 11-7 -- Read Excels, New York Times, July 3, 1933
  15. Newspaper article, South Shore Takes Polo Game, 13 TO 4; Overpowers First Division A Quartet Before 1,000 at Fort Hamilton, New York Times, July 31, 1933
  16. Newspaper article, Governors Island Wins at Polo, 11-10, New York Times, October 26, 1934
  17. Newspaper article, Greentree Four Was Outstanding During the Past Polo Campaign, New York Times, December 29, 1935
  18. Newspaper article, Governors Island Tops NYAC By 12 to 7 to Annex Polo Title, New York Times, March 12, 1936
  19. U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1956, page 702
  20. Newspaper article, More US Observers Reach Cairo, New York Times, April 8, 1941
  21. Army and Navy Journal, Volume 78, Issues 1-26, 1940, page 495
  22. The New International Year Book, 1946, page 684
  23. The Super Sixth: history of the 6th Armored Division in World War II, George F. Hofmann, 1975
  24. Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II, Shelby L. Stanton, 1984, page 56
  25. United States Army in World War II: Breakout and Pursuit, Department of the Army Historical Division, 1951, page 316
  26. Magazine article, Taps for an Armored Division: The Final Veterans Reunion of the 6th Armored Division, undated, by George F. Hoffman
  27. Web site, U.S. 6th Armored Division in Normandy and Brittany, by Merle Delinger
  28. Cold War Casualty: the Court-Martial of Major General Robert W. Grow, George F. Hoffman, 1993, page 67
  29. War as I Knew It, by George Smith Patton, 1995, page 245
  30. Operation Cobra and the Great Offensive: Sixty Days That Changed the Course of World War II, Bill Yenne, 2003, page 82
  31. Brest to Bastogne: The Story of the 6th Armored Division, published by Stars and Stripes, Paris, 1945
  32. Military Affairs: the Journal of the American Military Institute, 1945, Volumes 9-11, page 36
  33. Newspaper article, Read to Leave 2d Armd Div for US Post, Stars and Stripes Newspaper, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, June 16, 1953
  34. Newspaper article, Gens Rickard, Hickey, Thorson Get 2d Star, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, July 21, 1950
  35. Newspaper article, Col Slocum to Speak At Giessen Ceremony, Stars and Stripes Newspaper, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, May 17, 1951
  36. Newspaper article, 2 Brig Gens in EC on Truman List for Temporary 2d Stars, Stars and Stripes Newspaper, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, January 30, 1952
  37. 2nd Armored Division web site, past commanders page
  38. Newspaper article, West's War Games Begin In Germany, The New York Times, September 7, 1952
  39. Newspaper article, Knox General Being Shifted, The New York Times, July 5, 1955
  40. The National Guardsman, Volume 11, 1957, page 13
  41. NATO Letter, Volumes 5 - 6, published by North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 1957, page 21
  42. History of the United States Armor and Cavalry Association, established 1885 Archived 2010-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Unknown authors, updated 2008
  43. Newspaper article, General in Cook's Togs Confuses Post, Washington (D.C.) Afro-American, August 6, 1957
  44. Newspaper article, West Point to Get New Chief July 1, The New York Times, May 14, 1960
  45. Newspaper article, Maryland, Virginia Guardsmen At Gap, Reading (Pennsylvania) Eagle, August 21, 1959
  46. World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1960, page 60
  47. The Army Almanac: a Book of Facts Concerning the United States Army, 1959, page 78
  48. Official Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957, page 708
  49. "Military Times, Hall of Valor, Alphabetical Index of Recipients of Major Military Awards". Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  50. "Gen. Read of 2nd Army to Speak July 3". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, PA. March 30, 1960. p. 1 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  51. Social Security Death Index
  52. California Death Index Archived 2012-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, entry for George W. Read Jr.
  53. State of California death certificate, George Windle Read Jr.
  54. "Read, George W". ANC Explorer. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  55. "Obituary, Ernestine Read". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. June 5, 1988. p. A-10 – via Newspapers.com.
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