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Sixth Army is a
theater army Army Service Component Commands (ASCCs) are U.S. Army commands responsible for recommendations to the Joint Force Commander on the allocation and employment of U.S. Army forces within a unified combatant command (CCMD) or further assigned to a sub ...
of the United States Army. The Army service component command of
United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida, Doral in Greater Miami, Greater Miami, Florida, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providi ...
, its
area of responsibility Area of responsibility (AOR) is a pre-defined geographic region assigned to Combatant commanders of the Unified Command Plan (UCP), that are used to define an area with specific geographic boundaries where they have the authority to plan and c ...
includes 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is headquartered at
Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam", it is named for the first president o ...
. The Sixth Army saw extensive service in the South Pacific during World War II, including in
New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...
,
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 the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. Postwar it served stateside training army forces until its inactivation during force reduction in 1995. The army was reactivated in 2007.


History


Interwar period


Sixth Army (I)

The first iteration of the Sixth Army was authorized by the
National Defense Act of 1920 The National Defense Act of 1920 (or Kahn Act) was sponsored by United States Representative Julius Kahn (congressman), Julius Kahn, Republican Party (United States), Republican of California. This legislation updated the National Defense Act ...
and was originally to be composed of Organized Reserve units primarily from the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Corps Areas. The Sixth Army Headquarters and Headquarters Company were constituted in the Organized Reserve on 15 October 1921 and allotted to the Seventh Corps Area.
Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
,
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, was designated as the army headquarters upon organization, but the unit was never organized at that location. The Headquarters Company was initiated 13 October 1922 at Little Rock. Little Rock remained the Sixth Army’s headquarters location upon the event of its activation until 25 February 1924, when
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
,
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, was designated as the army’s new headquarters location. The headquarters was initiated in August 1924 at St. Louis. The Headquarters Company was inactivated at Little Rock on 1 October 1924 and relocated to St. Louis. Due to the abandonment of the “Six Army” plan in favor of the “Four Army” plan, the Sixth Army was deleted from the mobilization plans on 1 October 1933 and demobilized (disbanded). Its subordinate units were reassigned to the Fourth Army, the General Headquarters Reserve, or demobilized.


World War II


Sixth Army (II)

The Sixth United States Army was activated in January 1943, commanded 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 ...
. Under the code name Alamo Force, it assumed control of the majority of
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary 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 the United Stat ...
units involved in
Operation Cartwheel Operation Cartwheel (1943 – 1944) was a major military operation undertaken by the Allies in the Pacific theatre of World War II. The ultimate goal of Cartwheel was to neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul. The operation was di ...
, the campaign to isolate and neutralize the Japanese base at
Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...
in
New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...
. Following the completion of Cartwheel, Sixth Army joined the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
and other US forces on the north coast of
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 ...
. Similar in conception to the island hopping operations of the central Pacific, the object of the attacks was to land, establish a garrison and airfield which could support the next strike, and then move on. In September 1944, Sixth Army was relieved from operations in New Guinea by the Eighth Army. On 20 October 1944, X Corps and XXIV Corps, under Sixth Army, invaded
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. By December, Leyte was secured, and the Sixth Army was relieved again by Eighth Army to prepare for the invasion of
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
. As a prelude to that invasion, the island of
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...
was invaded by the Western Visayan Task Force comprising the 19th and 503rd Regimental Combat Teams. Sixth Army took part in the
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf The Invasion of Lingayen Gulf (; ; ; ), 3–13 January 1945, was an Allies of World War II, Allied Amphibious warfare, amphibious operation in the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 6 Janua ...
on 9 January 1945 with the subordinate units of I and XIV Corps. Sixth Army units fought south until they met up those of Eighth Army advancing from around
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. Sixth Army then continued to clear the north of Luzon and confronted the Shimbu Group in the Sierra Madres until the end of the war. Sixth Army was to have provided the ground forces for the first phase of the invasion of Japan, though after Japan's early surrender Sixth Army was reassigned to occupation duty in Japan. Sixth Army returned to the United States in 1946, and was headquartered at the
Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...
. After the war, Sixth Army took responsibility for training of Army forces from part of the continental United States. It was eventually inactivated in June 1995 due to force reductions.


Reactivation

In 2007 it was decided that US Army South would be redesignated as US Army South (Sixth Army) under the Army modularization program. It is garrisoned at the Old Brooke Army Medical Center building at
Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam", it is named for the first president o ...
. Organization of the army after reformation is as follows: * United States Army South Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas * 470th Military Intelligence Brigade, Fort Sam Houston, Texas * 56th Signal Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas * Army Forces,
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
( Joint Task Force Bravo), Soto Cano Air Base,
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
* Geospatial Planning Cell, 512th Engineer Detachment, Fort Sam Houston, Texas * 377th Theater Sustainment Command,
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
* 807th Deployment Support Medical Command, Fort Douglas, Utah * 525th Military Police Battalion, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba * 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras


Commanding officers

*GEN
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 ...
(16 February 1943 – 28 January 1946) *Inactive (29 January 1946 – 28 February 1946) *GEN Joseph W. Stilwell (1 March 1946 – 12 October 1946) *MG George Price Hays (13 October 1946 - June 1947) *GEN
Mark W. Clark Mark Wayne Clark (1 May 1896 – 17 April 1984) was a United States Army officer who fought in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He was the youngest four-star general in the U.S. Army during World War II. During World War I, he wa ...
(June 1947 – 30 September 1949) *LTG Albert C. Wedemeyer (1 October 1949 – 23 June 1951) *MG Milton B. Halsey (acting) (23 June 1951 – 31 August 1951) *LTG Joseph M. Swing (1 August 1951–1954) *LTG
Willard G. Wyman General (United States), General Willard Gordon Wyman (21 March 1898 – 29 March 1969) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer who served as Commanding officer, Commanding General of Continental Army Command from 1956 t ...
(1954–1955) *LTG Robert N. Young (1955–1957) *LTG Lemuel Mathewson (1957–1958) *LTG Charles D. Palmer (1958 – 31 August 1959) *LTG Robert M. Cannon (1 September 1959 – 31 August 1961) *LTG John L. Ryan (1 September 1961 – 31 July 1963) *LTG Frederic J. Brown II (1 August 1963 – 31 July 1965) *LTG James L. Richardson (1 August 1965 – 1967) *LTG Ben Harrell (1967–1968) *LTG Stanley R. Larsen (1968–1971) *LTG Alexander D. Surles (1971–1972) *LTG Richard G. Stilwell (1972–1973) *LTG Elvy B. Roberts (1973–1975) *LTG Edward M. Flanagan Jr. (1975–1978) *LTG Eugene Forrester (1978–1980) *LTG Charles M. Hall (1980–1981) *LTG David E. Grange Jr. (1981–1984) *LTG
Robert Arter Robert Arter (born September 7, 1929) is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General (United States), lieutenant general and former commanding general of the Sixth United States Army. Born and raised in Massillon, Ohio, Arter graduated from ...
(1984–1986) *LTG Frederick F. Woerner Jr. (1986–1987) *LTG James E. Moore Jr. (1987–1989) *LTG William H. Harrison (1989–1991) *LTG Glynn C. Mallory Jr. (1991–1995)


References


External links


List of former commanders
of 6th United States Army and United States Army South at ''United States Army South'' website




Born of War ... Dedicated to Peace
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:006 006 Army Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations of the Battle of Manila (1945)