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 Running afoul of General Douglas MacArthur's need to have the island secured quickly, Fuller found himself superseded in command at Biak by Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger, a West Point classmate.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.
He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. His citation read:
For service in the Southwest Pacific from 6 April 1942 to 17 June 1944. Commanding one of the first infantry divisions to arrive in the theater, he demonstrated exceptional ability and sound judgement in bringing his division to a high standards of efficiency in preparation for jungle combat. He successfully commanded his division in the defense of the Oro bay-Gona area and in operations against the enemy from Gona to Morobe, while elements of his division participated in the landing at Nassau Bay and the subsequent drive on Salamaua. Later he led his division in the amphibious assaults against Hollandia and Biak Island. Elements of his division made the successful landing at Aitape and in the Wakde Island-Sarmi area. In all his attacks he inflicted decisive defeat on an experienced enemy. His personal courage and inspiring leadership made possible the able expedition of assigned missions, and contributed materially to our success in dislodging the enemy and forcing him to relinquish his conquests.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.
Read more about this topic: Horace H. Fuller
Famous quotes containing the words war ii, world and/or war:
“Today we know that World War II began not in 1939 or 1941 but in the 1920’s and 1930’s when those who should have known better persuaded themselves that they were not their brother’s keeper.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)
“Science in the modern world has many uses; its chief use, however, is to provide long words to cover the errors of the rich.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“The peace conference must not adjourn without the establishment of some ordered system of international government, backed by power enough to give authority to its decrees. ... Unless a league something like this results at our peace conference, we shall merely drop back into armed hostility and international anarchy. The war will have been fought in vain ...”
—Virginia Crocheron Gildersleeve (1877–1965)