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Major General Franklin Cummings Sibert (January 3, 1891 – June 24, 1980) was a
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
officer. During World War II, Sibert was originally the commander of the 6th Infantry Division but was promoted to command the X Corps of General
Walter Krueger Walter Krueger (26 January 1881 – 20 August 1967) was an American soldier and general officer in the first half of the 20th century. He commanded the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. He rose fro ...
's US Sixth Army. His corps took part in the landing operations of the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines.


Early years

Sibert was born on January 3, 1891, in
Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...
, as a son of future Major General William L. Sibert and his wife Mary Margaret Cummings. He attended the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
at
West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...
and graduated on June 12, 1912. Several of his fellow graduates, like Sibert himself, would attain
general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
rank, such as Gilbert R. Cook, John S. Wood,
Wade H. Haislip General (United States), General Wade Hampton Haislip (9 July 1889 – 23 December 1971) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who served in both World War I and World War II, where he led XV Corps (United States), XV ...
, Stephen J. Chamberlin, Walton Walker, Harry J. Malony, William H. Wilbur, Robert McGowan Littlejohn, Archibald Vincent Arnold, Millard Harmon, Raymond O. Barton, Albert E. Brown, and Walter M. Robertson. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry on the same date. One year later, Sibert married Helen Mildred Rogers on March 4, 1913. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Sibert served with the
American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...
(AEF) in France, initially as an aide-de-camp to his father, who commanded the 1st Division from June−December 1917, before commanding a machine gun battalion. With the war over, he subsequently served with the allied occupation forces in Germany. After the war, Sibert attended the Infantry School at
Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...
in 1924, before going on to attend the
Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
at
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
from August 1924 until June 1925, where he was a distinguished graduate. This was followed some years later by his attendance at the Army War College from August 1928 to July 1929. His next few years were spent mainly as a staff officer or in a teaching role, returning to the Command and General Staff College, this time as an instructor. In 1934, Sibert served as a battalion commanding officer in the 29th Infantry Regiment and subsequently served in the various infantry positions at
Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...
or as the Member of the Infantry Board.


World War II

In 1939, Sibert spent some time in
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
as a commanding officer of
Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...
or Camp Custer. In September 1941 Sibert was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was appointed to the staff of Lieutenant general Joseph W. Stilwell, Commander of the U.S. Forces in China-Burma-India Theater. Sibert accompanied Stillwell in the retreat from Burma in 1942. Sibert was then appointed the commanding officer of the 6th Infantry Division. He replaced Major General Durward S. Wilson in this capacity. He was also promoted to the rank of major general on March 11, 1942, and his assistant division commander (ADC) was Brigadier General Julius Ochs Adler. He participated in the
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
and Philippines campaigns. He was highly regarded by Lieutenant General
Walter Krueger Walter Krueger (26 January 1881 – 20 August 1967) was an American soldier and general officer in the first half of the 20th century. He commanded the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. He rose fro ...
, who in July 1944 radioed his superior, General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...
, about Sibert: After commanding the 6th Infantry Division, he commanded the US X Corps from August 1944 until the end of the war. Under his command his X Corps participated in the New Guinea, Southern Philippines and Leyte campaigns.


Post World War II

Sibert retired from the Army on June 30, 1946. After his retirement, he and his wife lived in
Fort Walton Beach, Florida Fort Walton Beach, often referred to by the initialism FWB, is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is a principa ...
, until his death on June 24, 1980. He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...
.


Decorations


Bibliography

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References


External links


Franklin Cummings Sibert at Arlington National Cemetery site6th Infantry Division History


, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sibert, Franklin C. 1891 births 1980 deaths Army Black Knights men's ice hockey players United States Army Infantry Branch personnel People from Bowling Green, Kentucky United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals Military personnel from Kentucky Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II