Walter Krueger
Lieutenant General - United States Army
Born the son of a Prussian officer in 1881, Walter Krueger had emigrated to the United States with his American mother following the death of his father. He would be called to serve his new country in 1898, enlisting in the 2nd US Volunteer Infantry Regiment when the Spanish-American War began. After mustering out, he would reenlist to fight the Philippine Insurrection in 1899, serving a tour of duty that would take him to the archipelago under the command of General Arthur MacArthur, mirroring his coming campaign in the islands in 1945 under his son, Douglas MacArthur. It was during this conflict he would be commissioned as an officer, and decide to remain in the Army.
During the Great War Krueger would serve in the American Expeditionary Force, and despite issues with his French counterparts regarding his German birth, would end the war as Chief of Staff for the infant US Tank Corps. Follwing the conflict, he toured Germany to examine the defeated enemy’s military archives, incorporating information gained into courses he taught at the Army War College.
During the 1920s Krueger would also work with the Army staff on developing a variety of warplans for the defense of the United States in various different scenarios. After an attempt to join the US Army Air Forces, he returned to teaching classes on World War I, this time at the Naval War College. In the late 1930s, Krueger took command of the 2nd Infantry, trialing his new organizational structure for divisions, which proved a massive success, becoming the standard for the US Army in the coming war.
General Krueger confers with other officers in the Philippines, 1945
When the war began for the United States Krueger, now a Lieutenant General in command of the US 3rd Army, was primarily tasked with performing maneuvers and training of troops in the US. Resigned to a rear-line command, he was surprised with he was personally requested by General Douglas MacArthur to transfer to the Pacific Theater. Denied the 3rd Army due to a lack of troops in that theater at the time, Krueger was instead tasked with forming the new 6th Army, which would form the nucleus of MacArthur’s Alamo Force, a specialized task force of US Army troops operating in the south Pacific Theater.
The 6th Army formed the nucleus of the US forces for Operation Cartwheel, tasked with reducing the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul, before participating in the New Guinea Campaign until relieved by the 8th Army in 1944.
Following this, Krueger’s command participated in the invasion of the Philippines at Leyte in October of 1944, where he faced some criticism for his cautious approach. Following landings on Luzon in early 1945, Krueger and the 6th Army began their advance toward Manila, which was considered by MacArthur to be the main objective of the campaign.
MacArthur exerted considerable pressure on the cautious Krueger to drive on Manila, as his intelligence suggested only a token Japanese force was in the area, and the city would be undefended. MacArthur even went as far as to move his headquarters forward of Krueger’s, and ordered Krueger’s rival, General Eichelberger of the 8th Army, to advance on Manila from his beachheads south of the city at Nasugbu. As Krueger’s forces advanced on the capitol with the 37th Infantry and 1st Cavalry leading the way, he dispatched a “flying column” of mechanized forces from the 1st Cavalry to enter the city at the beginning of February.
