Leland Stanford Hobbs, Major General, U.S. Army
Leland Stanford Hobbs was born on 4 February 1892 in Gloucester, MA, and was raised in New Jersey.
Hobbs attended the U.S. Military Academy from which he graduated in June 1915 ("The class the stars fell on") in the same class as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley, James Van Fleet, Henry Aurand, Stafford LeRoy Irwin etc. He was subsequently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and assigned to the 12th Infantry Regiment in Nogales, AZ. There he saw his first military action during skirmishes with the Mexican bandits during the Pancho Villa Expedition.
He had duty stations in California and Maryland before being ordered to France with the 11th Infantry Division during World War I. However, the armistice with Germany was signed before the 11th Division was placed in combat. The Division was ordered back to the U.S. and was then disbanded at Camp Meade, MD. Hobbs was then assigned duty at West Point where he served as an Assistant Instructor of Tactics until 1924.
Between the World Wars, Hobbs had various assignments that included attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, and the Army War College in Carlisle, PA. In 1935, Hobbs was appointed Quartermaster in the Fourth Corps area and, in 1937, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Third U.S. Army under the command of Lieutenant General Stanley D. Embick.
Early in 1940, Hobbs was transferred to Washington, DC, where he was Executive Officer of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He served briefly as XO and after his promotion to the temporary rank of Colonel, he became Commander of the Regiment.
World War II:
After the U.S. entered World War II, Hobbs served as Chief of Staff of the Trinidad Base Command at Fort Read, Trinidad. In July 1942, Hobbs was named as Commanding General, 30th Infantry Division, at Camp Blanding, FL where he succeeded General William Hood Simpson, who was appointed Commander of XII Corps.
In November 1943, Hobbs' Division was transferred to Camp Atterbury, IN, where it continued training for its deployment to the European Theater of Operations (ETO). The 30th Infantry Division arrived in England on 22 February 1944 and trained until June. Major General Hobbs and the 30th Division landed on Omaha Beach on 11 June 1944 and secured the Vire-et-Taute Canal, crossed the Vire River on 7 July and beginning on 25 July, spearheaded the St. Lô break-through.
Hobbs led the 30th Infantry Division in the Battle of Normandy; Mortain Counter-offensive; Battle of the Bulge; Battle of Aachen and for the rest of the war. He was succeeded by Major General Albert C. Smith in September 1945.
Post-War Service:
After his arrival back in the U.S. in February 1946, he served as Commanding General of Fort Dix, NJ, and as Acting Commanding General of Second Service Command. He served in that assignment until October 1946, when he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division as its Commanding General, relieving his West Point classmate, Major General John W. Leonard.
In August 1947, Hobbs was transferred to Fort McPherson, GA, where he was Deputy Commanding General, Third U.S. Army, under the command of Lieutenant General Alvan C. Gillem. At the beginning of 1949, he was transferred to Japan, where he assumed command of IX Corps at Camp Sendai. Hobbs performed regular occupation duties with his Corps until August 1950, when he was replaced by General Frank W. Milburn.
His last military assignment was as Deputy Commanding General, First U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Jay, Governors Island, NY, under the command of Lieutenant General Willis D. Crittenberger.
Major General Hobbs retired from the Army in 1953.
In Retirement:
Following his retirement, in 1953 Hobbs became Vice President of Colonial Trust Bank in New York City.
Medals, Awards and Badges: Army Distinguished Service Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster; Silver Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters; Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters; Army Commendation Medal; Mexican Service Medal; World War I Victory Medal; American Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star; American Campaign Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Silver Star; World War II Victory Medal; Army of Occupation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Combat Infantryman Badge;
Foreign Awards:
Officer of the Legion of Honor (France); French Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with Palm; Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940-1945 with Palm; Soviet Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class;
Death and Burial:
Major General Leland Stanford Hobbs died on 6 March 1966 at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. His wife Lucy Davis Hobbs (1892-1980) is buried with him.
From the Military Hall of Honor Website