Leonard Fish Wing Sr. (November 12, 1893 – December 19, 1945), nicknamed "Red", was a Vermont political figure and a division commander in the United States Army during World War II.
Early life Leonard Wing was born in Ira, Vermont on November 12, 1893, the son of David E. and Dora (Fish) Wing. He attended the schools of Ira and Middletown, and his family moved to Rutland in 1908. He graduated from Rutland High School in 1914, and then attended Norwich University. Afterwards Wing studied law with the Rutland firm of Lawrence, Lawrence and Stafford, and he attained admission to the bar in 1917.The Fish Family in England and America, Lester Warren Fish, 1948, page 200The History of the 43rd Infantry Division, 1941–1945, by Joseph E. Zimmer, fourth edition, 2008, pages 173 to 174
World War I military service Wing enlisted in the Army for World War I, and served at Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont, Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Fort Dix, New Jersey. He completed officer training, received a commission and attained the rank of first lieutenant. He served as the supply officer for the 2nd Infantry Replacement Regiment until the end of the war, and was discharged at Fort Dix in December, 1918.Official Army National Guard Register, published by the National Guard Bureau, 1922, page 254
Post-World War I After his discharge Wing returned to Rutland and established a law practice. From 1919 to 1921 he served as Rutland City Attorney, and he was Rutland's City Judge from 1921 to 1925.Volume 129 (1925), Atlantic Reporter: Cases Argued and Determined in the Courts of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, published by West Publishing Company, St. Paul, MN
Wing was active in Republican party politics, and served on the state Republican Committee, of which he was chairman from 1925 to 1929. He also attended numerous state and national party conventions, including serving as a delegate to the 1940 Republican national convention.The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 35 (1967), page 190
In 1919 Wing joined the Vermont National Guard's 172nd Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant. He rose through the ranks and in 1933 received promotion to colonel as the 172nd's commander. That year he earned statewide praise from business owners and condemnation from laborers after leading his regiment to break a strike of Barre granite workers.Newspaper article, Recall Troops Who Get Tough, Spokane Daily Chronicle, May 12, 1933
In 1933 Wing was named executive assistant to Governor Stanley C. Wilson, serving until the end of Wilson's term in 1935.Vermont Legislative Directory, printed by the Vermont Secretary of State, 1933, page 540The Star That Set: The Vermont Republican Party, 1854–1974, by Samuel B. Hand, 2003, page 142
Wing was promoted to brigadier general in 1937 as commander of the 86th Infantry Brigade, at the time a subordinate command of the New England based 43rd Infantry Division.Report of proceedings of the annual meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, Volume 39 (1945), page 41 He was succeeded as regimental commander by Reginald W. Buzzell, who had been his executive officer.
In 1939 Wing was elected to the Norwich University Board of Trustees.Report of proceedings of the annual meeting, published by Vermont Bar Association, Volume 40 (1946), page 83
World War II
In 1941 the 43rd Division mobilized for service in the Pacific Theater. In 1942, Wing was named commander of the division's 68th Field Artillery Brigade, and later that year he was appointed the 43rd's Assistant Division Commander. Wing became commander of the division as a major general in 1943, replacing Major General John H. Hester. Wing successfully rebuffed attempts to replace him with a Regular Army officer, as was done in most divisions, making him one of three National Guard officers to command combat divisions in World War II.Guard Wars: The 28th Infantry Division in World War II, by Michael E. Weaver, 2010, page 115. This work indicates that 18 of 29 mobilizing divisions in 1941 were National Guard organizations, and that active Army planners believed replacing National Guard division commanders with Regular Army officers was necessary.The Vermont Encyclopedia, by John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, and Ralph H. Orth, 2003, page 14. The authors note in their introduction that Wing was the only National Guard officer to remain in command of a National Guard division in World War II.World War II History, 152nd Field Artillery Association web site, accessed February 25, 2011. The authors of the World War II history of 152nd Field Artillery Battalion, a 43rd Division unit, note that Leonard F. Wing was the only National Guard officer to command a World War II division.The Vermont Story: A History of the People of the Green Mountain State, 1749–1949, by Earle Williams Newton, Vermont Historical Society, 1949, page 255. The author notes that General Wing was the only National Guard officer to command a World War II division. The other National Guard officers who commanded combat divisions, Robert S. Beightler of the 37th Infantry Division and Raymond S. McLain of the 90th Infantry Division, received commissions in the Regular Army immediately after the war, which is likely the source of the claim that Wing was the only National Guard officer to command a combat division in World War II.Newspaper article, Beightler Nominated, Christian Science Monitor, July 27, 1946, Baltimore Sun, July 28, 1946Newspaper article, Beightler Confirmed, by Associated Press, Toledo Blade, August 3, 1946Newspaper article, Lausche Names Three As National Guard Generals, Youngstown Vindicator, September 5, 1946 Wing's success at keeping his command was especially noteworthy because he had been diagnosed with heart disease, and could have asked to be relieved on medical grounds.Magazine article, President and Soldiers Pay Gen. Wing Tribute, The Rattle of Theta Chi, published twice a year by Theta Chi Fraternity, April, 1946, page 5Tribute to Leonard F. Wing, Jr., Speech, U.S. Senator James M. Jeffords, May 11, 2005
The 43rd Division, named "Winged Victory" in honor of its commander, saw action at Guadalcanal, Rendova, New Georgia, New Guinea and Luzon. It played a vital role in the capture of the Ipo Dam outside Manila, Philippines, taking the city's main water source intact and breaking Japanese resistance, an action for which it received the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.Newspaper article, Munda Field Capture Was Work Of 43d, Hartford Courant, December 10, 1943Newspaper article, Yank Artillery Turned on Baguio, Deseret News, (Salt Lake City, Utah), March 17, 1945Newspaper article, US Paratroops Seize Southern Luzon Airfields, Los Angeles Times, April 7, 1945Newspaper article, Dam Captured In Philippines Fight, Palm Beach Post, May 13, 1945Newspaper article, Guns Roar Salute For Gen. Wing, Hartford Courant, October 10, 1945The Yanks are coming: the American invasion of New Zealand, 1942–1944, by Harry Bioletti, 1989, page 135
The 43rd Division served on occupation duty in Japan before being deactivated in October, 1945.Newspaper article, Maj. Gen. Leonard Wing Ill, New York Times, October 18, 1945Newspaper article, Maj. Gen. Wing Improves, New York Times, October 23, 1945Norwalkers to Attend Gen. Wing's Reception, Newspaper article, The Norwalk Hour, November 27, 1945Newspaper article, Gen. Wing Praises The 43rd Division, Norwalk Hour, December 3, 1945Newspaper article, Hildreth, Gen. Wing Arrive Here Today, Lewiston Daily Sun, December 7, 1945Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939, edited by Roger J. Spiller, 1992, pages 252 to 256Facts on File Yearbook, published by Facts on File, Inc., 1945, Volume 22, page 415Into the shadows furious: the brutal battle for New Georgia, Brian Altobello, 2000, page 229World War II in the Philippines: Manila, Bicolandia, and the Tagalog provinces, published by Veterans Federation of the Philippines, 1993Pictorial history of the Philippines, by Pedrito Reyes, 1953, page 402The Crucible: An Autobiography by Colonel Yay, Filipina American Guerrilla, by Yay Panlilio, 2009, page 308
Post-World War II
After returning home at the end of 1945, Wing spent time in the hospital to recuperate from pneumonia and other ailments. He took part in victory parades throughout New England in November and December, and was elected President of the Vermont Bar Association. He was considered a likely candidate for governor, and if incumbent Mortimer Proctor adhered to tradition and left office after one term, Wing would likely have won the Republican nomination. In a state where only Republicans held statewide office from the 1850s to the 1960s, Wing would almost certainly have been elected governor in 1946.The Vermont story: a history of the people of the Green Mountain State, 1749–1949, by Earle Williams Newton, 1949, page 255The Vermont Political Tradition and Those Who Helped Make It, by William T. Doyle, 1992 edition
Death and political ramifications
Wing's plans to run for governor were ended when he died of a heart attack at his home in Rutland on December 19, 1945. He was buried in Rutland's Evergreen Cemetery.Newspaper article, Obituary, General Leonard F. Wing, Hartford Courant, December 20, 1945Newspaper article, High Ranking Officers Die, Berkeley (California) Daily Gazette, December 21, 1945Newspaper article, Body of Gen. Wing to Lie In State In Rutland, Vt., Hartford Courant, December 21, 1945Magazine article, Milestones, Time magazine, December 31, 1945
As a result of Wing's death, Ernest W. Gibson Jr., an officer on Wing's staff during the war, ran for the Republican nomination, defeated Governor Proctor, and won the 1946 general election.Newspaper article, Sen. LaFollette to Try for New term in Senate, Associated Press, published in St. Petersburg Times, August 13, 1946Newspaper article, Governor of Vermont Denied Renomination, Los Angeles Times, August 14, 1946Newspaper article, Gibson Hits at Stand of Party Leader, The Christian Science Monitor, November 12, 1946
Awards and honors General Wing's military awards and decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star.Newspaper article, Posthumous Citation For General Wing, Hartford Courant, January 22, 1946Alphabetical Index of Recipients of Major Military Awards , Military Times, Hall of Valor web site, accessed January 30, 2011Leonard F. Wing, Sr. page TracesOfWar.com web site, accessed January 30, 2011The Rattle of Theta Chi, published twice a year by Theta Chi Fraternity, April, 1948
Norwich University awarded Wing honorary Master of Science (1938)The Rattle of Theta Chi, published by Theta Chi Fraternity, Volumes 31–36, 1942, page 6 and Master of Military Science (1946) degrees.Newspaper article, Eisenhower Says U.S. Disarmament Must be Limited, By William M. Blair, New York Times, June 10, 1946
Personal Leonard F. Wing was married twice. In 1919 he married Bernice Kidder (1894–1923), with whom he had a son. In 1924 Wing married Margaret Dorothy Clark (or Clarke) (1897–1960), with whom he had a son and a daughter.Vermont Marriage Certificate, Leonard Wing and Bernice KidderVermont Death Certificate, Bernice Kidder WingVermont Marriage Certificate, Leonard F. Wing and Margaret ClarkUS Census Entry, Leonard F. Wing family, 1930Vermont Death Record, Margaret Wing