The Careers of Major American Officers During the Interwar Years

After World War I, there was little opportunity for the younger officers who remained in the Army. The nation adopted an isolationist foreign policy, leaving many aspiring leaders stuck in an Army that was downsized, had limited funding, and offered few promotions. But the major leaders of World War II stayed in the Army, and here are some of their experiences during the hardships of the interwar years.

George C. Marshall worked under General John J. Pershing during World War I as his war plans planner for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After the war, Marshall stayed with Pershing as his aide and was later sent to China to lead a regiment. From 1927 to 1933, Marshall was the assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he oversaw future officers whom he later utilized in command positions. As Germany and Japan began mobilizing, Marshall led parts of the Great Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps in South Carolina.

Douglas R. MacArthur returned home from World War I, retained his rank of brigadier general, became the superintendent of West Point, and by 1925, became one of the youngest major generals in the Army. He later transferred to lead the Manila Military District and served as president of the American Olympic Committee. As Army chief of staff, MacArthur was both a capable and controversial officer. During the "Bonus Army March" on Washington, D.C., in 1932, President Herbert Hoover ordered MacArthur to "lightly" push the Great War veterans out of Washington. Instead, MacArthur directed the use of tear gas, cavalry, and tanks to break up their encampments. By 1935, MacArthur had gone to the Philippines, commanding American forces and later training Filipino forces. He retired from the regular Army in 1937.

Around the time President Woodrow Wilson declared war, Mark Clark graduated from West Point in April 1917. He met Dwight D. Eisenhower at West Point and later endorsed him to Marshall for the Army's War Plans Operations. Clark grew up in a military family at Fort Sheridan in Illinois, where his father was a colonel, and he saw George S. Patton, who had previously been stationed at the base. In France, Clark fought in the Vosges Mountains, was wounded in the trenches, and later conducted occupation duty in Germany. During the Great Depression, Clark guided Civilian Conservation Corps programs in Nebraska, and it took him 15 years to receive his promotion to major in 1933. Clark also traveled to military bases, performing music and conducting patriotic public relations activities.

Dwight Eisenhower graduated from the promising West Point Class of 1915, which produced many World War II generals. Eisenhower trained tank crews at Camp Colt, Pennsylvania, and was respected for his leadership, but the war ended before he was sent to France. A lieutenant colonel, Eisenhower reverted to his previous rank of captain and was frustrated that he had not led troops in France. In 1919, Eisenhower was an observer of the Transcontinental Motor Convoy of 72 military vehicles that left Washington, D.C., and traveled for two months to San Francisco. During this period, Eisenhower served under noted officer Fox Conner, researched World War I battles in France, and became close friends with Patton.

A hard-drinking, horseback-riding, and tenacious officer, "Terrible" Terry Allen was shot in the face during World War I and later won a "cowboy vs. cavalryman" horse race, during which he rode for more than 101 hours. Allen served in the 61st Cavalry Division in New York City, where he was arrested following a car accident, drove without a license, and faced disorderly conduct charges. As Allen defended himself, a police officer recalled the fighting in France and how Allen had helped him survive on the Western Front.

Allen was later assigned to the Fort Riley Cavalry School in Kansas. In 1926, he graduated from the Command and General Staff College, ranking 221st, and received poor evaluations on his report. He was in the same class in which Eisenhower placed first out of 241 students. In 1931, Allen went to the Fort Benning Infantry School, performed well under Marshall, and received a positive endorsement to attend the War College. During the heavy fighting in North Africa and Sicily, Allen fought alongside Cove Neck resident Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.