Trivia

Saw combat for the first time in his 31 years with the U.S. Army, when he was deputy commander of US II Corps under Gen. George S. Patton. At the time he was a brigadier general. (1943)

Promoted to General of the Army (five-star general). Only four other generals have achieved this rank: Henry H. Arnold, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur and George C. Marshall. An act of Congress stipulates that five-star generals and admirals can take an extended leave of absence to lead a civilian life, but cannot retire. This means that from the time Bradley entered West Point until the time of his death, he served over 69 years on active duty, longer than any other soldier in US history. Since his death, no other US general or admiral has received a fifth star. (September 22, 1950)

Inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians, 1992.

Graduated from the US Military Academy (West Point). Later graduated from the Army's Infantry school, Command and General Staff school, and the Army War college. (1915)

Between 1929 and 1941, was chief of the Infantry school's weapons section, commandant of West Point, and secretary of the general staff in Washington D.C..

(15 August 1945-1949) Head of the Veterans' Administration.

Succeeded Dwight D. Eisenhower as Army Chief of Staff. (February 7, 1948)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (19 August 1949-15 August 1953).

(1958-1973) Chairman of the Bulova Watch Company.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 93-97. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

Despite owing his drastic career elevation to Dwight Eisenhower, he was critical of the fact that "Ike had little grasp of either strategy or tactics".

Taught mathematics at the United States Military Academy in the interim years leading upto World War 2.

In his capacity as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bradley supported relieving General Douglas MacArthur as the Supreme Allied Commander during the Korean War after the latter advocated using nuclear weapons to counterattack Chinese troops which had entered the war in support of North Korea.

As commander of the 12th United States Army Group in Western Europe post the success of Operation Overlord, he led the largest contingent of American troops in any theatre of the war, comprising of 4 field armies which together numbered over a million.

Contrary to his image of a "G.I.'s GENERAL" fabricated by journalist Ernie Pyle, his troops barely knew him. British commanders like Bernard Montgomery and Harold Alexander too were of the opinion that Bradley was the least imaginative American General Officer they encountered and was "merely managerial in both outlook and practice". And whilst known to be calm headed, Bradley sacked more senior officers under his charge as 12th Army Group commander alone for being "independent minded" despite delivering results compared to frequently painted as impulsive George S. Patton who throughout the course of the war relieved only two generals, that too after multiple warnings.

Had a long standing dislike for his one time superior and later subordinate George S. Patton. Bradley even quoted had he been Patton's commanding officer during the Sicilian campaign, he'd have relieved Patton and sent him back to the United States not just for slapping the shell shocked soldiers at the field hospital but for his conduct as a commander in general.

His 1915 batch at West Point was dubbed as "the class stars fell on". A record 59 students of the batch became General Officers in the U.S. Army, with Bradley and Eisenhower reaching the 5 star rank of General of the Army.

Was covertly opposed to President Harry Truman's orders of racially integrating the American military.

During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, his campaign in the Hurtgen Forest cost 26000 casualties, the highest ever suffered by the United States Army in a single day in any conflict.

Although Harry Truman regarded him to be his favourite general, Bradley for some unspecified reasons had a strange dislike for the American president. Coincidentally, both Bradley and Truman were natives of Missuorie, Bradley belonged to Clark whilst Truman came from Independence.

Several people found it odd that producer Frank McCarthy had roped in Bradley as a consultant for the biopic PATTON(1970), even showing the two generals as friends on screen, despite that it was an open fact ever since World War 2 Bradley hated Patton to the point he didn't even send condolences on his death on 21st December, 1945.

His promotion to a five star general had more to do with bringing him on the same footing as General Douglas MacArthur, who at the time was both a five star general as well as the supreme commander of all United Nations Forces battling the Soviet Union supported North Korean army in the Korean peninsula, rather than his performance record as a senior commander during World War 2. Bradley, being the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff when the conflict in Korea broke out, was hierarchy wise superior to MacArthur, but by designation was only a four star general upto the point.