Roderick R. Allen
| Roderick Random Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
January 29, 1894 Marshall, Texas |
| Died |
February 1, 1970 (aged 76) Washington, D.C. |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1916-1954 |
| Rank |
 Major General |
| Service number | 0-4652 |
| Commands held |
 20th Armored Division 12th Armored Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
Roderick Random Allen[1] (January 29, 1894 - February 1, 1970) was a Major General in the United States Army, who commanded the 20th and 12th Armored Divisions during World War II.
Early life
Roderick Random Allen was born on 29 January 1894 as a son of Jefferson Buffington and Emma Allen in the city of Marshall, Texas. He attended the Texas A&M University and earned his Bachelor of Science[2] in 1915. Subsequently he entered the army, and in 1916 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the 16th Cavalry Regiment.
Following the entry of US into the World War, Allen was sent with American Expeditionary Forces under command of general John J. Pershing to the Europe and served there until July 1919.
After return to the US with the rank of captain, he attended Cavalry school at Fort Riley, Kansas and then Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth. Allen was then appointed a battalion commander of the 32nd Armor Regiment.
After some time, Allen was transferred back to the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, where he was appointed as an instructor. After two years at Fort Leavenworth Staff School, Allen was detached to Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and then to Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
His next post was a position in Chief of Staff office at War Department in Washington, D.C., where he served until July, 1940.[3] In this capacity, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant colonel on August 1, 1938.
Second World War
Then he was appointed an operations officer of the 1st Armored Regiment, located at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In April of the following year, he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana.
On October 14, 1941 Allen was promoted again, to the rank of Colonel and was appointed a commanding officer of the 32nd Armor Regiment. He spent in this capacity just two months and then was transferred to the 6th Armored Division under command of Major General William H. H. Morris, Jr. and became his chief of staff.
On April of the year 1942, Allen was transferred to the 4th Armored Division and was appointed a commander of the Combat Command A. Subsequently, on May 23, 1942, Allen was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, Army of the United States. With his Combat Command A, Allen participated in the several maneuvers including Tennessee (1942) and California (1942–43).
At the end of January, 1943, Allen received a temporary rank of Major General and in October of the same year, he was transferred to the recently created 20th Armored Division at Fort Campbell, where he was appointed Commanding officer of the division. Allen stayed in the command until the end of September, 1944 in United States and subsequently was transferred to the 12th Armored Division.
Major General Allen assumed the command of freshly incoming 12th Armored Division, which was sent from United States to Liverpool to reinforce US forces in Europe. Allen succeeded Major General Douglass T. Greene in command of the division.
Postwar Life
Major general Roderick R. Allen retired from the Army on May 31, 1954 and lived in Washington, D.C., where he died at the age of 76 on February 1, 1970. He is buried together with his wife, Maydelle Campbell Allen (1891-1967) at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.[4]
Decorations
Major General Allen´s ribbon bar:[5][6]
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| 1st Row | Army Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster | Silver Star | Legion of Merit | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Row | Bronze Star Medal | Army Commendation Medal | Mexican Border Service Medal | World War I Victory Medal with one battle clasp | ||||||||||||
| 3rd Row | American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four service stars | World War II Victory Medal | ||||||||||||
| 4th Row | Army of Occupation Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Korea Service Medal with two service stars | Officer of the Legion of Honor (France) | ||||||||||||
| 5th Row | French Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with Palm | Military Order of the White Lion | Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 | United Nations Korea Medal | ||||||||||||
References
- ↑ "Officers of the US Army, 1939-1945". unithistories.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
- ↑ "Officers of the US Army, 1939-1945". unithistories.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
- ↑ Arlington Cemetery / http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rrallen.htm
- ↑ "Roderick Random Allen (1894 - 1970) - Find a Grave Memorial". findagrave.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
- ↑ "Valor awards for Roderick R. Allen". militarytimes.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
- ↑ "Officers of the US Army, 1939-1945". unithistories.com. 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Unknown |
Commanding General of the 20th Armored Division 1943 – 1944 |
Succeeded by Orlando Ward |
| Preceded by Douglass T. Greene |
Commanding General of the 12th Armored Division 1944 – 1945 |
Succeeded by Willard Ames Holbrook, Jr. |
| Preceded by Vernon Prichard |
Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division 1945 – 1946 |
Succeeded by Hobart R. Gay |
| Preceded by Ray T. Maddocks |
Commanding General of the 3rd Armored Division 1948 – 1950 |
Succeeded by Raymond E. S. Williamson |