Major General Lloyd Davidson Brown (July 28, 1892 – February 17, 1950) was a senior United States Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II. During the latter, he commanded the 28th Infantry Division, including during the Battle of Normandy in mid-1944.
Early life Lloyd Davidson Brown was born in Sharon, Georgia, on July 28, 1892.Marquis Who's Who, Who Was Who in American History: The Military, 1975, page 68 He graduated from Augusta's Academy of Richmond County in 1908, and the University of Georgia in 1912. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta and Phi Beta Kappa, and after graduating was employed as an instructor at Georgia Military Academy.George Fuller Walker, Persons Lineage, 1951, page 106
In 1917, the same year of the American entry into World War I, Brown received his commission in the United States Army as a second lieutenant in the Infantry Branch, and was originally assigned to the 26th Infantry Regiment.Army and Navy Register, Assignments of Officers, July 14, 1917, page 5 During the war he served on the Western Front as a company commander of 'G' Company, 2nd Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment, part of the 5th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF).Sarah Cantey Whitaker Allen, Our Children's Ancestry, 1935, page 437
Post-World War I With the war over due to the Armistice with Germany in November 1918, Brown's post-war assignments included Professor of Military Science at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia, and postings as a company commander and regimental Plans, Operations and Training (S3) staff officer for the 45th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines.Army and Navy Register, The Army: Infantry, October 16, 1920, page 406U.S. Army Adjutant General, Officers of the Army, April 1931, page 173
He graduated from the Infantry Officer Course in 1923, the Infantry Advanced Course in 1928, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1930.U.S. Army Adjutant General, Official U.S. Army Register, 1946, page 87
In the late 1930s he served on the staff of the National Guard Bureau, and was an instructor and advisor for the Illinois Army National Guard's 131st Infantry Regiment.United States Infantry Association, Infantry Journal, Volume 44, 1937, pages 356, 457Illinois Military and Naval Department, National Guard Bureau Circular, 1938, page 143 On July 1, 1940, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
World War II Brown served on the War Department staff at the start of the American entry into World War II, and subsequently served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Training (G3) at Headquarters, Army Ground Forces.William C. Sylvan, Francis G. Smith Jr., Normandy to Victory: The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges, 2009, Chapter 2, Footnote 14 He was promoted to the rank of colonel in the Army of the United States (AUS) on December 12, 1941. During the U.S. Army's huge wartime expansion he was accused of encouraging Regular Army officers to have senior officers of the National Guard replaced by writing negative performance evaluations on them, enabling Regular Army officers to fill these positions and receive promotions and command assignments.Kent Roberts Greenfield, Robert R. Palmer and Bell I. Wiley, United States Army in World War II: The Army Ground Forces, The Organization of Ground Combat Troops , 1987, page 13Michael E. Weaver, Guard Wars: The 28th Infantry Division in World War II, 2010, page 117Jim Dan Hill, The Minute Man in Peace and War: A History of the National Guard, 1964, page 414George Catlett Marshall, author, Larry I. Bland, Sharon Ritenour Stevens, editors, The Papers of George Catlett Marshall: "The Right Man for the Job”, December 7, 1941-May 31, 1943, 1991, pages 220, 226
In mid-1942 he became the assistant division commander (ADC) of the 102nd Infantry Division after receiving another promotion, this time to brigadier general (AUS), on May 24, 1942.Paris (Texas) News, Assistant Division Commander For Maxey Reports, August 14, 1942
He remained in this position until January 1943 when he was reassigned to be the new commanding general (CG) of the 28th Infantry Division, an Army National Guard formation. He was taking over from Major General Omar Bradley, who had been sent to the North African Theater of Operations to be the personal representative of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander. Brown received promotion to major general (AUS) on March 15, 1943. He led the division during training in the United States and left for the United Kingdom in October 1943, arriving in South Wales soon afterwards. The division trained there until late July 1944 when it was sent to Northern France to take part in the Allied invasion of Normandy, and saw its first combat in Operation Cobra, an attempt to break out of the Normandy beachhead and end the temporary stalemate. He served until being relieved on August 12 over concerns that his division was not progressing rapidly enough against German defenses.Michael E. Weaver, Guard Wars: The 28th Infantry Division in World War II, 2010, page 144
Brown's performance and subsequent reputation were mixed. Major General Charles H. Corlett, then commanding the XIX Corps, thought Brown needed leave for medical reasons because he was sick and "rundown." One of Brown's battalion commanders thought Brown was not up to the challenge of commanding large units in combat and described him as "frantic." Bradley, now a lieutenant general, commanding the U.S. 12th Army Group, and Eisenhower believed Brown was personally brave, but not an inspirational leader, and that his soldiers under-performed as a result. Unlike several other division commanders who were relieved and later received second opportunities at division command, such as Terry Allen and Orlando Ward, in Brown's case Eisenhower recommended to General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, that Brown not be given another such assignment, and Marshall concurred.Andrew Rawson, The Divisional Commander in the U.S. Army in World War II: A Case Study of the Normandy Campaign, 6 June 1944 to 24 July 1944, 2011, pages 128-129 Brown was replaced by James Edward Wharton, who was killed by a sniper while visiting his front line units soon after he took command. Wharton, in turn, was replaced by Brigadier General Norman Cota, who had distinguished himself under fire on D-Day and was highly regarded by his superiors.
Brown reverted to his permanent rank of colonel and served in various staff assignments, including Director of Training at the U.S. Army Infantry School, until retiring from the army on 31 December 1948.Army and Navy Journal, Incorporated, Armed Forces Journal International, Volume 84, Issues 1-26, 1946, page 274 Upon retirement, he was promoted to major general on the retired list.Army and Navy Journal, Inc., Army and Navy Journal, Volume 86, Issues 1-26, 1948, page 474
Death and burial Brown died in Washington, Georgia, on February 17, 1950, and was buried at Resthaven Cemetery in Washington.Georgia Death Listings, 1919-98, 1950 entry for Lloyd D. Brown, retrieved April 2, 2014U.S. Army, Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, (1925-1963), 1950 entry for Lloyd Davidson Brown, retrieved April 2, 2014
Legacy His home in Washington, Georgia, the Leitner-Norris Home, was built circa 1814. It is still a privately owned residence, and a local historic landmark.Georgia Realty Sales.com, The Leitner-Norris Home on Alexander, c.1814, retrieved April 2, 2014Janet Harvill Standard, The Historic Homes of Washington, Georgia, 1973, page 28
Lloyd Brown Hall at Fort Benning was named for him.
Awards Silver Star Legion of Merit World War I Victory Medal with four campaign clasps American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one campaign star World War II Victory MedalU.S. Army Adjutant General, Official U.S. Army Register, 1947, page 138U.S. Army Adjutant General, Official U.S. Army Register, 1949, page 630Home of Heroes, U.S. Army Awards of the Silver Star in World War II, entry for Brown, Lloyd D., XIX Corps, 1944, retrieved April 2, 2014 (via Wayback Machine)
Dates of rank 2nd Lieutenant (Regular Army) - 5 June 1917 1st Lieutenant (Regular Army) - 5 June 1917 Captain (Temporary) - 5 August 1917 Captain (Regular Army) - 18 June 1920 Major (Regular Army) - 1 June 1934 Lieutenant Colonel (Regular Army) - 1 July 1940 Colonel (Army of the United States) - 11 December 1941 Brigadier General (Army of the United States) - 24 May 1942 Major General (Army of the United States) - 15 March 1943 Colonel (Army of the United States) - 19 August 1944 Colonel (Regular Army) - 25 April 1947 Major General (Retired List) - 31 December 1948 U.S. Army Register, 1947. pg. 138.
Family Lloyd Brown's first wife was Benita Allen (1895–1925), whom he married in 1919. In 1929 he married Katherine Green Brown (1895–1981).Sarah Cantey Whitaker Allen, Our Children's Ancestry, 1935, pages 436-437
With his first wife he had a son, Allen Davidson Brown (1925–2001).Savannah Morning News, Obituary: Allen D. Brown , May 5, 2001U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current, 2001 entry for Allen D. Brown, retrieved April 2, 2014
References
External links Generals of World War II United States Army Officers 1939–1945