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Major General William C. McMahon (Division Commander February 1943 – July 1944) |
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Maj. Gen. William Claude McMahon (1895 -
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General McMahon was born in New York in 1895. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1917. He served as the commander of the 8th Infantry Division from 1943 through its initial combat in Normandy. There the division's first attacks were blunted with many casualties. He relieved two of his regimental commanders, and his assistant division commander, Nelson W. Walker, was killed when he went to the front to attempt to rally the men. A report of that incident is found here. He was heavily criticized for insisting on repeated frontal attacks against the Germans who were dug into the hedgerows. General McMahon was relived from division command and replaced by Donald Stroh. McMahon continue to serve in the Personnel section of the 15th Army Group in France, for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He remained in Europe after the war with the U.S. forces in Austria and reverted to his permanent rank of Colonel. In November 1946 McMahon, his wife and daughter were involved in a plane crash in Switzerland, but all were safely rescued from the Alps. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and Commendation Ribbon for his efforts there. He served as Chief of Staff for the 6th Army from 1947-1949, then retired in 1949. |
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 Colonel McMahon (his permanent rank) is seen here being rescued from the plane crash in the Alps in 1946. |
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