27 Facts About Lloyd Fredendall

Lieutenant General Lloyd Ralston Fredendall was a general officer of the United States Army who served during World War II.

Lloyd Fredendall is best known for his leadership failure during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, leading to one of America's worst defeats of World War II, for which he was relieved of his command.

Lloyd Fredendall was in command of the Central Task Force landings during Operation Torch in North Africa, and led II Corps during the early stages of the Tunisian Campaign.

In spite of being relieved of command, Fredendall was promoted to lieutenant general in June 1943, assumed command of Second Army and was greeted in the United States as a hero.

Lloyd Ralston Fredendall was born on December 28,1883, at Fort D A Russell near Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The elder Lloyd Fredendall retired as a major in 1914, returned to active duty during World War I to supervise construction at several bases in the western United States, and retired again as a lieutenant colonel.

Lloyd Fredendall's mother persuaded Senator Warren to re-appoint Fredendall the next year, but he dropped out again.

Lloyd Fredendall took the officer's qualifying exam in 1906, and scored first out of 70 applicants.

Lloyd Fredendall built a record as an excellent teacher, trainer, and administrator, and ended the war as a temporary lieutenant colonel.

The Armistice of November 11,1918, saw Lloyd Fredendall assigned, like many other officers, to a variety of staff and training duties.

Lloyd Fredendall was both student and instructor at the US Army Infantry School; was a 1923 distinguished graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff School; and in 1925, he graduated from the US Army War College.

Lloyd Fredendall completed tours of duty in Washington at the Statistics Branch, the Inspector General's Department and as executive officer, Office of the Chief of Infantry.

In December 1939, during World War II, Lloyd Fredendall was promoted to the one-star rank of brigadier general, serving with the 5th Infantry Division.

Lloyd Fredendall was inclined to jump to conclusions which were not always well founded.

Lloyd Fredendall rarely left his command post for personal visits and reconnaissance, yet he was impatient with the recommendations of subordinates more familiar with the terrain and other conditions than he.

Lloyd Fredendall was assigned to command the US II Corps in its advance into Tunisia against German forces.

Lloyd Fredendall ordered a bulletproof Cadillac similar to Eisenhower's, and regularly phoned Oran to find out why it was not being delivered faster.

Lloyd Fredendall rarely visited the front lines, and had a habit of disregarding advice from commanders who had been farther forward and had actually reconnoitered the terrain.

Lloyd Fredendall was barely on speaking terms with Ward, whom he had deliberately left out of operational meetings after Ward had repeatedly protested the separation of his command into weaker 'penny packet' forces distributed across various sectors of the front.

Eisenhower arranged the replacement so that Lloyd Fredendall's reputation was not formally brought into disrepute, an action some believe he soon came to regret.

When Patton arrived at II Corps headquarters, Lloyd Fredendall was at breakfast.

Lloyd Fredendall was the first of seven American corps commanders in World War II to be "relieved of command", but despite this, he received one more promotion: in June 1943, he was advanced to lieutenant general.

However, after a sarcastic comment on his generalship by a Time magazine reporter, Lloyd Fredendall changed his mind, and largely blocked further press coverage of his command.

Lloyd Fredendall served through the end of the war in 1945, and retired on March 31,1946.

Lloyd Fredendall died in San Diego, California, on October 4,1963.

Lloyd Fredendall is interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Officers Sections, Site 52-A, along with his wife Crystal Daphne Chant.

Lloyd Fredendall was portrayed by William Boyett in Ike: The War Years.