Biographical Information Regarding Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger

GENERALS OF THE ARMY AND THE AIR FORCE rary) on November 20, 1942, and was named Com- manding General, North African Strategic Air Forces in March 1943. He became Commanding General of the Fifteenth Air Force on November 1, 1943, and on January 1, 1944, was named to command the Eighth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations. On March 13, 1944, he was promoted to lieu- tenant general (temporary). In July 1945 he re- organized the Eighth Air Force on Okinawa. Wartime decorations received were: Congressional Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster; Silver Star; Distinguished Fly- ing Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters: Bronze Star; Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters; Yon-Hwei, Class III (Chinese): Grande Officer French Legion d'Honneur; Croix de Guerre with Palm (French); Knight Commander of the Bath (British); Grand Com- mander (Polish); Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown with Palm (Belgian); Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgian). Resigned from the Army and rejoined the Shell Company on January 5, 1946. He is now a Vice President, Director and member of the Executive Board. He was chairman of the President's Airport Com- mission in 1952 and National Chairman on the 50th Anniversary of Powered Flight in 1953. Business address: Shell Oil Company, 50 West U. S. Army Photograph 50th Street, New York 20, New York. LT. GEN. ROBERT L. EICHELBERGER Home address: 1155 Park Avenue, New York 28, New York. The Eighth Army was widely known as the "Am- EICHELBERGER, ROBERT L., LT. GEN. phibious Eighth" after General Eichelberger led it on some 52 amphibious landings in the Philippine USA (Ret.) (O2624) Islands campaign alone. When Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, Eighth Army Early in January 1945 Eighth Army troops under Commander, returned to Washington in September General Eichelberger cleared the island of Mindoro 1948, the Army in Japan lost one of its veteran lead- and seized Marinduque. ers who has commanded every unit from a squad to His amphibious Eighth Army task force struck an Army in combat. the Bataan corridor northwest of Manila on January General Eichelberger brought the I Corps to 29, 1945. Two days later, the 11th Airborne Division Australia in the summer of 1942 and retained com- (reenforced) made an amphibious thrust at Manila mand of this combat unit until he assumed command from the southwest. General Eichelberger personally of the newly activated Eighth Army at Hollandia, led the forces in this operation. To consolidate its Dutch New Guinea, in September 1944. He thus hold on the Philippines the Eighth Army struck at the covered the entire axis from Australia to Japan. heartland of the islands - the rich Southern Visayas. At the end of the war, General Eichelberger re- Less than a 100 days later, the islands of Panay, ceived a letter from Henry L. Stimson, then Secretary Negros, Cebu and Bohol were liberated. of War, giving him and his Army high praise for suc- To complete the liberation of the Philippines, the cess in the Pacific victory. Eighth Army still had to crush Japanese forces on Mr. Stimson's letter states: "I wish to add my per- Mindanao, which was accomplished by July. The sonal congratulations to the gratitude felt by our whole final phase in the Philippine campaign - the cleaning nation in its rejoicing over the victory that you and out of the Japanese who remained in the rugged moun- the fine soldiers of your Eighth Army did so much to tains of Luzon - was still going on when the Japa- bring about. Few military forces have ever triumphed nese surrendered. over such severe tests as those experienced on your For its brilliant work in the liberation of the determined advances from Buna to Mindanao. The Philippines, General of the Army Douglas Mac- new chapters you have written in America's annals Arthur selected the Eighth Army to strike the main are in the highest traditions of gallantry. They re- blow in the invasion of Japan. Later in summarizing main as tributes to your untiring devotion to duty and the Pacific fighting General MacArthur said, "No qualities of leadership that have earned universal Army of this war has achieved greater glory and esteem." distinction than the Eighth."