Maurice Rose

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Major General Maurice Rose, Killed in Action, March 1945
Major General Maurice Rose, Killed in Action, March 1945

General Maurice Rose (November 26, 1899 - March 31, 1945) was an American military officer in the United States Army during World War I and World War II. The son and grandson of Rabbis, General Rose was at the time the highest ranking person of Jewish descent in the US Army. He was married twice and had two sons.

The Third Armored Division official history of World War II, published after Rose had been killed in action states "He was over six feet tall, erect, dark haired, and had finely chiseled features. He was firm and prompt of decision, brooking no interference by man, events or conditions in order to destroy the enemy."

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[edit] Early career

Rose first enlisted in the Colorado National Guard as a Private in 1915 hoping to serve with General John "Black Jack" Pershing's expedition into Mexico. He was discharged when it was found out that Rose falsified his age.

Commissioned in 1917 into the Infantry, he served with the 89th Infantry Division in France. He was wounded at St. Mihiel, and saw action in all of the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

He briefly left the Army after the war, for a short stint as a traveling salesman. He soon returned to the peacetime army as a captain, and continued his Army career during the interwar period, gaining experience in the theories and practices of Armored Warfare.

[edit] World War II

During World War II, Rose served in three armored divisions. In North Africa, he served with the 1st Armored Division. During the campaign in Tunisia, General Rose was the first officer to accept the unconditional surrender of a large Nazi unit.

He was later the Chief of Staff of the 2nd Armored Division, until he was assigned to command the 3rd Armored Division in August, 1944, and given the rank of Major General. After assuming command, Rose became known for his aggressive style of leadership, and directing the Division from the front lines not far from his forward elements. Under his command, the "Spearhead", as his division became known, drove over 100 miles in a single day, a record march for modern warfare, and played a key role in several campaigns. Notably, under Rose's command, the Division was the first unit to penetrate the Siegfried Line.

On March 31, 1945 a few miles south of the city of Paderborn in a rural forest area, General Rose rounded a corner in his jeep and found himself surrounded by several German tanks. As he withdrew his pistol to surrender, a young German tank commander, apparently misunderstanding Rose's intentions, shot the General. Later, the Werwolf movement - a German guerilla group - would claim to have assassinated him.

[edit] In Modern Memory

General J. Lawton Collins aka "Lightning Joe Collins", regarded Maurice Rose "as the top notch division commander in the business at the time of his death." However, Rose never gained the prominence of many of his contemporaries, for any of several reasons, including the fact that he did not survive the war, and as an intensely private man, he rarely if ever sought personal publicity.

His biographers have stated that he is "World War II's Greatest Forgotten Commander". Andy Rooney, a WWII war correspondent and later 60 Minutes commentator, wrote the following about General Rose in his book "My War":

Maj. Gen. Maurice Rose, who had been with the Second Armored Division at Saint-Lô, was now the commander of the Third Armored and he may have been the best tank commander of the war. He was a leader down where they fight. Not all great generals were recognized. Maurice Rose was a great one and had a good reputation among the people who knew what was going on, but his name was not in the headlines as Patton's so often was. Rose led from the front of his armored division.

The Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado is named in his honor. The Maurice Rose Army Airfield was in Bonames, north of Frankfurt, Germany.

[edit] Selected Awards and Decorations

External Links

[edit] References

  • Denver Post, November 27, 1960
  • Steven L. Ossad, Don R. Marsh, Major General Maurice Rose: World War IIs Greatest Forgotten Commander (Taylor Trade Publishing, August 2003) ISBN 0-87833-308-8
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