Harry Lewis Twaddle (June 2, 1888 – December 12, 1954) was a career officer in the United States Army. He served from 1912 to 1948 and attained the rank of major general. A veteran of World War I and World War II, his commands included the 95th Infantry Division during the Second World War, and his awards included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal.
A native of Clarksfield, Ohio, Twaddle was raised in Briarcliff Manor, New York and graduated from Ossining High School in 1905. After graduating from Syracuse University in 1910, he worked as an electrical engineer for two years before deciding to pursue a career in the military. He passed the examination for a commission in the United States Army in 1912, and was appointed a second lieutenant of Infantry. Twaddle served in the Western United States and Alaska prior to and during World War I; after the war, he commanded the convalescent center at Fort Dix, New Jersey. During the post-war period, he completed several military education and professional development courses, and served in several prominent staff assignments.
At the start of World War II, Twaddle was head of the United States Department of War's Mobilization Branch, where he helped plan for the army's expansion as the U.S. began preparing for entry into the war. He was then assigned as the assistant chief of staff for operations and training (G-3) on the War Department General Staff, where he was responsible for planning individual and unit training soldiers would undergo prior to entering combat. In 1942, he was assigned to command the 95th Infantry Division, which he led throughout the war, including combat in Europe in 1944 and 1945. After the war, Twaddle's assignments included command of the Infantry Replacement Center at Camp Wolters, Texas.
Twaddle retired in June 1948. In retirement, he lived in Kensington, Maryland and served as president of the 95th Infantry Division Association. He died on December 12, 1954, while visiting one of his sons in Hammond, Indiana. Twaddle was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Early life
Harry Lewis Twaddle was born in Clarksfield, Ohio on June 2, 1888, the son of Herbert Allen Twaddle and Sadie Arabelle (Campbell) Twaddle. He was raised and educated in Clarksfield, then in Briarcliff Manor, New York, where his father managed the dairy farm of businessman V. Everit Macy. Twaddle graduated from Ossining High School in 1905.
Twaddle attended Syracuse University beginning in 1906, where he played left guard on the football team. In 1910, he graduated with an electrical engineering (E.E.) degree.
After graduating from college, Twaddle resided in Cleveland, Ohio and worked as an engineer for the National Electric Light Association. In 1912, he passed the competitive examination that qualified him to receive a United States Army commission directly from civilian life, and he was appointed a second lieutenant of Infantry.
Military education
The military education and professional development courses Twaddle completed during his career included:
Infantry Field Officers Course (1921) United States Army Command and General Staff College (1923) United States Army War College (1925) Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course (1933) Chemical Warfare Field Officers Course (1935) Army Industrial College (1935)
Start of career
After receiving his commission, Twaddle was assigned to the 14th Infantry Regiment at Columbus Barracks, Ohio. In 1913, he was part of a 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry contingent that was assigned to duty at Fort George Wright, Washington. In 1914, Twaddle was a member of Company B, 14th Infantry when it was posted to Fort Gibbon, Alaska, and Twaddle was assigned as acting post quartermaster. In 1917, Twaddle married Sara Maud Udell of Brooklyn. They were the parents of two sons, Herbert Granger Twaddle and Warren William Twaddle.
During World War I, Twaddle continued to serve as part of the Fort Gibbon garrison and participated in activities to increase public support for the war effort, including helping recruit and organize Alaska's contingent of Four Minute Men. After the war, he was assigned to command the convalescent center for wounded and ill soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In addition to attending several army schools as a student in the early 1920s, Twaddle carried out duties including instructor and observer for units of the National Guard during their summer annual training periods. In the mid-1920s, he served on the general staff at the United States Department of War. In 1927, he was assigned to the faculty of the United States Army Command and General Staff College.