Robert B. McClure
Born	September 15, 1896 Rome, Georgia, United States
Died	September 15, 1973 (aged 77)
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery,Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/ branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917–1954
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-6785
Unit	Infantry Branch
Commands	35th Infantry Regiment 84th Infantry Division Americal Division Chinese Combat Command 2nd Infantry Division 6th Infantry Division
Battles / wars	World War I Meuse–Argonne offensive Chinese Civil War World War II Guadalcanal campaign Operation Cartwheel New Georgia campaign Capture of Vella Lavella Bougainville campaign Second Sino-Japanese War Chinese Civil War Operation Beleaguer Korean War Battle for Wonju
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal (3)

Major GeneralRobert Battey McClure (September 15, 1896 – September 15, 1973) was a seniorUnited States Armyofficer who served inWorld War I,World War II, and theKorean War.

Born in 1896, McClure joined the United States Army in 1917. He served on theWestern Front during World War I and was awarded theDistinguished Service Cross. He remained in the army after the war, and served in China with the15th Infantry Regiment. He served as a regimental commander during theGuadalcanal andNew Georgia campaigns of World War II. He later commanded the"Americal" Division during the Bougainville Campaign. During theKorean War he replacedLaurence B. Keiser as commander of2nd Infantry Division but was relieved of his command after only a month due to the division's poor performance duringthe battle for Wonju. He retired from the army in 1954 and died in 1973 at the age of 77.

McClure was born on September 15, 1896, inRome, Georgia, and graduated fromNew York Military Academy as Cadet First Captain in 1915.^[1] Entering theUnited States Naval Academy in 1916, he was unable to maintain the academic achievements necessary to remain in the academy. He subsequently enlisted in theUnited States Army.^[2]

After theAmerican entry into World War I, McClure wascommissioned as asecond lieutenant into theInfantry Branch. He fought on theWestern Front with the102nd Infantry Regiment, part of the26th Division of theAmerican Expeditionary Force (AEF). He was awarded theDistinguished Service Cross for his actions at Bellieu Bois during theMeuse–Argonne offensive on October 27, 1918, where he waswounded.^[3] The citation for the medal reads:

For extraordinary heroism in action at Bellieu Bois, France, 27 October 1918. After being wounded Lieutenant McClure continued to lead his men until he was again wounded by enemy machine-gun fire in the foot and knee. Despite his wounds he reorganized his command and established a line of resistance, retaining active command until relieved by another officer several hours later.^[4]

Remaining in the army following the end of the war, McClure spent from 1927 to 1933 inTianjin,China with the15th Infantry Regiment, becoming fluent in Chinese. One of his fellow officers wasAlbert Coady Wedemeyer, under whom he would serve during the latter stages ofWorld War II. He entered theU.S. Army War College in 1938, where he made the acquaintance ofMajorJ. Lawton Collins, an instructor at the college at the time. After graduation, McClure then spent time on the staff of the25th Infantry Division as divisionalG-4 (handling logistics and supply).^[2]

When Collins was made commander of the 25th Infantry Division in 1942, shortly after theJapaneseattack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the subsequentGermandeclaration of war on the United States four days later, he made McClure commander of one of the division's three infantry regiments, the35th. McClure led the regiment during theGuadalcanal andNew Georgia campaigns, as well as during thecapture of Vella Lavella. Having spent time asaide-de-camp to Collins, in 1943 he returned to the United States with thetwo-stargeneral officer rank ofmajor general, and put in command of his own division, the84th Infantry Division. After six months preparing the division for combat in theEuropean Theater of Operations, he returned to theSolomon Islands as commander of the23rd "Americal" Infantry Division, which was then participating in theBougainville campaign.^[2]

In November 1944, McClure returned to China to act aschief of staff toAlbert Coady Wedemeyer, his former comrade from the 15th Infantry Regiment. Wedemeyer had replacedGeneralJoe Stilwell as commander of United States forces in China. Shortly after his arrival in China, McClure was sent into the field and made commander ofChinese Combat Command, remaining in this capacity until the end of the war in 1945.^[2][5] He was twice awarded theArmy Distinguished Service Medal for his services during the war.^[6]

In the immediate postwar period he remained in China trainingKuomintang guerillas before being transferred to a post on theMarianas Islands.^[7]

In December 1950, during theKorean War, the commander of the2nd Infantry Division, Major GeneralLaurence B. Keiser was sacked for the division's performance during theBattle of the Ch'ongch'on River, although his dismissal was dressed up as being for medical reasons.^[8] McClure was named by Collins, now theChief of Staff of the United States Army and a full general, as his replacement, although his tenure as divisional commander would turn out to be short-lived.^[2]

The division, previously part ofIX Corps, was redeployed toX Corps and now came under the jurisdiction of Major GeneralEdward Almond, the corps commander.^[9] Almond began to be critical of McClure's leadership, citing a "lack of supervision" in reports back toLieutenant GeneralMatthew Ridgway, then commanding theEighth Army. After a period of refitting, the division was ordered toWonju, which had been deemed by Ridgway to be "second only to Seoul" in tactical importance. Duringthe battle for Wonju, McClure found his position to be increasingly indefensible especially when flanking South Korean troops were overrun by theNorth Korean People's Army. He ordered his division to withdraw to a position much farther to the rear than agreed upon by Almond, who was angered by McClure's disobedience.^[10] After little more than a month as divisional commander, McClure was relieved of his command on the grounds of "poor leadership". He was replaced as commander of the division by Major GeneralClark L. Ruffner, in a move endorsed by Ridgeway.^[11]

Following his dismissal, McClure commanded the6th Infantry Division, which was then based atFort Ord inCalifornia. McClure retired from the army in 1954, after 37 years service.^[12] In 1956, he was awarded his third Distinguished Service Medal for services during theCold War.^[6] He died on September 15, 1973, on his 77th birthday, and is buried atArlington National Cemetery, inVirginia.^[13]

• Blair, Clay (1987).The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950–1953. New York, NY: Times Books.ISBN 0-8129-1670-0.
• Halberstam, David (2007).The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War. New York, NY: Hyperion.ISBN 978-1-4013-0052-4.
• Spector, Ronald H. (2007).In the Ruins of Empire: The Japanese Surrender and the Battle for Postwar Asia. New York, NY: Random House.ISBN 978-0-375-50915-5.
• Taaffe, Stephen (2016).MacArthur's Korean War Generals. Lincoln, KN: University Press of Kansas.ISBN 978-0-7006-2221-4.JSTOR j.ctt1qnw7ct.
• Weintraub, Stanley (2001).MacArthur's War: Korea and the Undoing of an American Hero. New York, NY: Touchstone.ISBN 0-7432-0503-0.

• Generals of World War II

• 1896 births
• 1973 deaths
• United States Army Infantry Branch personnel
• United States Army personnel of World War I
• United States Army War College alumni
• United States Army personnel of the Korean War
• United States Army generals
• Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
• Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
• New York Military Academy alumni
• United States Army generals of World War II
• People from Rome, Georgia
• Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)

• Articles with short description
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