Denfeld, Louis Emil.

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Denfeld, Louis Emil
united statesNavyAdmiral
Denfeld, Louis, born on 13-08-1891 in Westborough, Massachusetts, the son of Louis Denfield, an attorney and his wife Etta May Kelly Denfield.  Louis was during World War I stationed at Queensland, Ireland, as Executive Officer of the USS Ammen and in 1918 he advanced to temporary Lieutenant Commander. Four years later he joined the staff of influential Chief of Naval Operations William Daniel Leahy
   who took a keen interest in his advancement. Having risen to captain in 1939, Denfeld assumed command of Destroyer Squadron One the following year, just prior to performing detached service as a special naval observer in London. Returning in April 1941, Denfeld took his post as Chief of Staff to the Commander of the Atlantic fleet.   In this capacity, he was charged with developing a task force organization to safely escort convoys across the Atlantic. His planning proved so sagacious that he received the Legion of Merit. The December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor accelerated Denfeld’s rise up the chain of command and enhanced his reputation for efficiency. Commencing in April 1942, he became a Rear Admiral. He led Battleship Division 9 in 1945, was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Personnel in 1945, and commanded Pacific Fleet and all U.S. forces in the area in 1947. That fall Admiral Chester William Nimitz announced his intention to resign as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), and Denfeld, assisted by his former mentor Admiral Leahy, now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeded him, edging out Admirals William Purnell Blandy and Arthur William Radford. Denfeld retired from active service in March 1950. He was succeeded by Admiral Forrest Purcival Sherman.

Death and burial ground of Denfeld, Louis Emil.

   Louis Denfeld died at the old age of 80, on 28-03-1972 and is buried on Arlington National Cemetery, Section 30. In Section 30 also buried the Lieutenant General, Commander of the 26thInfantry Division, Willard Paul , Major General, Chief Signal Officer, George Back, Major General, Commander 116th and 29th Division, D-Day, Charles Canham. On 7 June, a second wave of 20.000 reinforcements from the 1st and 29th divisions was sent ashore. By the end of D-Day, 2.400 men from the two divisions had become casualties on Omaha Beach. Added to casualties at other beaches and air-drops made the total casualties for Operation Overlord 6.500 Americans and 3.000 British and Canadians, lighter numbers than expected. Also buried here Lieutenant General, Commanded the 5th Marine Division, Thomas Bourke, Lieutenant General, Commander 2nd Armoured Division, Ted Brooks and Admiral, Robert Ghormley
 Major General, Commander 9th Infantry Division, Louis Craig, Air Force Lieutenant General, Commander 12th and 15th U.S. Air Force, Ira Eaker, Fleet Deputy Chief Operations, Richardson Edwards, Secretary of the Navy in 1944, James Forrestal and General, Deputy Chief of Staff, Bomb on Hiroshima, Thomas Handy.

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