United States Sixth Army History
The United States Sixth Army was constituted in October 1921 as Organized Reserves, Sixth Army. It remained active until 1933, when it was deactivated. On January 25, 1943, the US Sixth Army was reconstituted under the command of Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, and in February, the Sixth Army was sent to the Southwest Pacific Area of Operations, under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. Shortly after its arrival in the Pacific, then-Colonel William A. Hagins joined the Sixth Army as its Chief Surgeon, a post he held until the end of hostilities in late 1945.
US Sixth Army Combat Operations - 1943 and 1944
Upon arrival in the Southwest Pacific, the Sixth Army established control over largely veteran US Army Divisions, and their first combat operation was landings on Papua New Guinea in June 1943; Sixth Army combat operations continued on New Guinea until August 20, 1944. Next, elements of the Sixth Army landed on New Georgia in June 1943 to secure the island. Combat operations on New Georgia concluded in an American victory in October 1943. Elements of the Sixth Army then invaded Noemfoor and Morotai islands, which were both secure by mid-September 1944, which opened up the way to the Philippines archipelago. Towards the end of these operations, responsibility for combat in the Southwest Pacific was divided when the US Eighth Army established its base of operations on Hollandia on September 7, 1944. After these combat operations concluded, the Sixth Army underwent a short period of downtime to prepare for the next operation: the invasion of the Philippines.
Command Structure for the Invasion of Leyte, October 1944
US Sixth Army Combat Operations - The Philippines, 1944 and 1945
After a short period of downtime, the US Sixth Army spearheaded the invasion of the Philippines archipelago, beginning with the invasion of Leyte on October 20, 1944. Four divisions of the Sixth Army landed on the island, and they were quickly confronted by Japanese reinforcements, causing a two-month stalemate. During this period, elements of the Sixth Army invaded Mindoro, located west of Leyte. Responsibility for concluding combat operations on the two islands was passed to the US Eighth Army, who assumed responsibility for mopping up ongoing resistance in late December 1944. On January 9, 1945, the Sixth Army led a massive invasion in Lingayen Gulf on the island of Luzon, which led directly to a month of heavy fighting to secure Manila, the capital of the Philippines. After the city was secured, Sixth Army forces continued to attack Japanese positions in the mountains on the north side of Luzon, which fell in May 1945.
US Sixth Army at the end of World War II and Beyond
The next operation the Sixth Army was to participate in was Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of Japan, however, the war ended before the invasion launched. The Sixth Army downsized at the end of the war as troops returned home as part of Operation Magic Carpet.
After World War II, the US Sixth Army assumed responsibility for training units within the continental United States until 1995. In 2007, the US Sixth Army was reactivated and merged with the existing US Army South; this new merged structure retained the US Army South name. Today, US Army South is based at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and is tasked with overseeing Army operations in the Caribbean Sea and Central/South America.
Further Readings about the US Sixth Army
Items in the Display
Japanese flag, two "Micky Money" Occupation bills, Wartime Japanese National Currency, and Japanese Phrase Book on loan from Jack Montgomery, Government Documents, Zach S. Henderson Library.