William Morris Hoge; General, U.S. Army
William Morris Hoge was born on 13 January 1894 in Boonville, MO, and grew up in Lexington, MO, where his father, William McGuffey Hoge, served as principal and superintendent at Wentworth Military Academy. After graduating from Wentworth in 1912, he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy.
Hoge graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1916, then was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Corps of Engineers. From 1917 to 1918, he commanded a company of the 7th Engineers at Fort Leavenworth, KS.
World War I
During World War I, Hoge received the Distinguished Service Cross personally from General John J. Pershing for heroic action under fire as a battalion commander in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. During the interwar years, he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and from the Command and General Staff School.
World War II Hoge directed one of the great engineering feats of World War II, the construction of the 1,519-mile ALCAN Highway in nine months. Later, in Europe, he commanded the Provisional Engineer Special Brigade Group in the assault on Omaha Beach. He then directed Combat Command B, 9th Armored Division, in its heroic actions in the Ardennes and in its celebrated capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen. By war's end, Hoge commanded the 4th Armored Division. Hoge was promoted to Major General in May 1945.
Later Career:
During the Korean War, at General Matthew Ridgway's request, Hoge commanded the IX Corps. Hoge was promoted to Lieutenant General in June 1951. Hoge was promoted to General on 23 October 1953 and achieved his senior command in the Army as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army, Europe. He retired from active duty in January 1955.
Retirement:
Upon his retirement from active duty, he returned to his hometown of Lexington, MO. He then took a job in the private sector as Chairman of the Board of Interlake Steel.
Hoge moved to his son's farm in Kansas in October 1975.
Medals and Awards:
Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters Silver Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Foreign Medals:
Honorary Companion of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom) Distinguished Service Order (United Kingdom) Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) French Croix de guerre 1939–1945 with Palm Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Commander of the Military Order of Italy Commander of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil) Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 Order of Kutuzov, 1st Class (Soviet Union) Korean Order of Military Merit, 1st Class
Distinguished Service Cross Citation The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Corps of Engineers) William Morris Hoge, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 7th Engineers, 5th Division, A.E.F., near Brieulles, France, 4 November 1918. After personally and voluntarily reconnoitering the site of a pontoon bridge over the Meuse, in daylight and under direct shell fire, Major Hoge commanded the movement of a train of heavy wagons, under enemy observation, to this location. Major Hoge then supervised the construction of the bridge and the successful crossing of the train.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 37 (1919)
Honors:
Hoge Barracks, the transient housing operation at Fort Leavenworth, KS, is named in his honor.
In Popular Culture:
In the 1969 film The Bridge at Remagen, the character of Brigadier General Shinner (played by actor E. G. Marshall) was based on Hoge.
Death and Burial:
General William Morris Hoge died suddenly on 29 October 1979 at Munson Army Hospital in Fort Leavenworth, KS. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 2, Lot 3405.
Source: Military Hall of Honor