Courtney Hicks Hodges (January 5, 1887 - January 16, 1966) was an American military officer, most prominent for his role in World War II, in which he commanded various forces in Northwest Europe.
Hodges's father was a member of a newspaper publishing company, and he was born in the United States. He attended West Point; however, he was forced to leave after a year because of poor test scores. In 1906, however, he entered the United States Army as a private, and became a commissioned officer three years later. He served with General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Philippines and General George Patton in Mexico.
In 1938, he became an Assistant Commandant of the Infantry School, and in 1941, he became full Commandant. In May 1941, he was promoted to major general and was given various commands, until he finally received a frontline command, that of the X Corps, which he received in 1942. In 1943, while commanding both X Corps and then the US Third Army, he was sent to Britain, where he served under General Omar Bradley. During Operation Overlord, he was subordinate to Bradley as Deputy Commander of the US First Army, but in August 1944, he succeeded Bradley, as the latter went to command 12th Army Group and took command of the Army.
Hodges's troops were the first to reach Paris, France, and he led them through Germany. His troops had a major role in the Ardennes Offensive, otherwise known as the Battle of the Bulge. The First Army was the first unit to cross the Rhine River, by using the still standing Ludendorff bridge at Remagen, and to meet with the Soviet Red Army near Torgau, on the river Elbe. In May 1945, after the German surrender, Hodges and his troops were prepared for an invasion of Japan; however, that became unnecessary when the atomic bomb caused Japan's surrender later in that year. After WW2, he led his troops, which remained stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, until his retirement in March 1949. Hodges died in San Antonio, Texas in 1966.
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Last updated: 08-17-2005 07:38:40
