Patch, Alexander

Alexander McCarrell Patch ( born Alexander McCarrell Patch ; November 23, 1889 - November 21, 1945) is an American military leader, a general known for his service during World War II . He graduated from the Academy at West Point, served as an infantry officer during the First World War.

Alexander McCarrell Patch
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Date of death
Place of death
Affiliation	USA
Type of army	U.S. Army
Years of service	1913-1945
Rank	the general
Battles / wars	World War I The Second World War
Awards and prizes

Born in Fort Huachuk ( Arizona ) in a military family. In 1909 he entered the Military Academy at West Point , after which in 1913 he was assigned to the infantry. After the United States entered World War I, he took part in the battles in France.

In 1939, before the outbreak of World War II , the patch was promoted to brigadier general and sent to Fort Bragg (North Carolina) to oversee the training of recruits. On March 10, 1942 he was promoted to major general and sent to the southwestern Pacific Ocean to strengthen the defense of New Caledonia , where he formed the American division . In December 1942 he was placed at the head of the XIV corps and took part in the battle for Guadalcanal .

After success in the Pacific, the patch was transferred to the European theater of war, where he took command of the 7th Army. On August 15, 1944, troops under his command landed in southern France , after which Lieutenant General Patch, led on August 18, led them on the offensive up the Rhone Valley, and on September 9 in the Dijon area they met with the 3rd Army advancing from Normandy. In the spring of 1945, the 7th Army entered southern Germany. In April 1945, Patch participated in the capture of Nuremberg, and in May - Munich, after which he appeared on the cover of the Times magazine. He died a few months after the end of the war from pneumonia.