Omar Bradley

Born: February 12, 1893, Clark, Missouri
Died: April 8, 1981 (age 88), New York City, New York

Omar Nelson Bradley was one of the main U.S. Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II and a General of the Army in the United States Army. 

He was the last surviving five-star commissioned officer of the United States. He was the first officer assigned to the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

1. He graduated from West Point in 1915 as part of a class that contained many future generals, and which military historians have called, "The class the stars fell on". How many graduates became generals?

• 39 men
• 59 men
• 79 men

2. Bradley joined the 19th Infantry Division in August 1918, which was scheduled for European deployment, but the influenza pandemic and the armistice prevented it.

• True or False?

3. In February 1941, he was promoted to brigadier general (bypassing the rank of colonel) and sent to command Fort Benning (the first from his class to become a general officer).

• True or False?

4. Bradley succeeded Patton as head of II Corps and directed it in the final Tunisian battles. When did he succeed Patton?

• April, 1943
• May, 1943
• June, 1943

5. On D-Day, what did he command?

• First Army
• Fifth Army
• Tenth Army

6. When Patton's Third Army came online, what was Bradley's command?

• 12th Army Group
• 17th Army Group
• 27th Army Group

7. Bradley used the advantage gained in March 1945, after Eisenhower authorized a difficult but successful Allied offensive (Operation Veritable and Operation Grenade) in February 1945, to break the German defenses and cross the Rhine into the industrial heartland of the Ruhr.

• True or False?

8. By V-E Day, the 12th Army Group was a force of four armies (1st, 3rd, 9th, and 15th). How many men were in the 12th Army Group?

• 1.3 million men
• 2.3 million men
• 3.3 million men

9. On August 11, 1949 President Harry S. Truman appointed Gen. Bradley to this new position. What position was he the first to hold?

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• Secretary of Homeland Security
• Secretary of Defense

10. From 1958 to 1973, he was the Chairman of the Board of what company?

1. Bulova Watch Company
2. Exxon
3. IBM

11. Where is Omar Bradley buried?

• Mount Hope Cemetery, Anson, Texas
• Fern Oak Cemetery, Griffith, Indiana
• Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Omar Bradley Answers

1. 59 men
2. True
3. True
4. April, 1942
5. First Army
6. 12th Army Group
7. True
8. 1.3 million men
9. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
10. Bulova Watch Company
11. Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
    Plot: Section 30, Lot 428-1 Grid AA-39

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