Horace H. Fuller

Infobox Military Person
name=Horace H. Fuller
lived=10 August 1886 - Death date and age|1966|9|18|1886|8|10|
placeofbirth=Fort Meade, South Dakota
placeofdeath=


caption=Major General Horace H. Fuller
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United States United States
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=1909-1946
rank=Major General
commands=41st Infantry Division
unit=
battles=World War I:
*Meuse-Argonne Offensive
*Battle of the Sambre (1918)
World War II:
*Salamaua-Lae campaign
*Operations Reckless and Persecution
*Battle of Biak
*Burma Campaign 1944-1945
awards=Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
relations=
laterwork=
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.

Education and early life

Horace Hayes Fuller was born on 10 August 1886 in Fort Meade, South Dakota,harvnb|Ancell|Miller|1996] the son of Major Ezra B. Fuller. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904, [Citation
title = PRESIDENT NAMES CADETS.; Appointments at Large to West Point Nearly All Soldiers' Sons.
newspaper = New York Times
date = 8 May 1904
url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B00E2DA1E3BE631A2575BC0A9639C946597D6CF
accessdate = 5 July 2008] and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 11th Cavalry in 1909. 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.harvnb|McCartney|1948]

Great War

Fuller transferred to the 11th Field Artillery in July 1917, and attended a course of instruction at Fort Sill. 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.

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 Benning. 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.

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 Lewis. 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. [harvnb|Eichelberger|1950|p=156]

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.

Later life

Fuller retired from the army in August 1946 and died on 18 September 1966.

References

Further reading

* Citation
last = Ancell
first = R. Manning
last2 = Miller
first2 = Christine
title = The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers: The US Armed Forces
place = Westport, Connecticut
publisher = Greenwood Press
year = 1996
page = 109
isbn = 0-313-29546-8
* Citation
last = Eichelberger
first = Robert L.
authorlink = Robert L. Eichelberger
title = Our Jungle Road to Tokyo
place = New York City
publisher = Viking Press
year = 1950
* Citation
last = McCartney
first = Wiliam F.
authorlink =
title = The Jungleers: A History of the 41st Infantry Division
publisher = Infantry Journal Press
year = 1948
location = Washington, DC
pages = 191-192

Persondata
NAME = Fuller, Horace
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States Army general in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH = 10 August 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH = Fort Meade, South Dakota
DATE OF DEATH = 18 September 1966
PLACE OF DEATH =