Robert B. McClure

Who was Robert B. McClure?

Robert Battey McClure was a Major General in the United States Army who served in World Wars I and II as well as the Korean War.

Born in 1896, McClure joined the United States Army in 1917. He served on the Western Front during World War I and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He remained in the army after the war, and served in China with the 15th Infantry Regiment. He served as a regimental commander during the Guadalcanal and New Georgia campaigns of World War II. He later commanded the Americal Division during the Bougainville Campaign. During the Korean War he replaced Laurence "Dutch" Keiser as commander of 2nd Infantry Division but was relieved of his command after only a month due to the division's poor performance during the Battle for Wonju. He retired from the army in 1954 and died in 1973 at the age of 77.