Kirk, Alan, born on 30-10-1888 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of William Thompson Kirk, (1860–1938) and his wife Harriet Whitney, born Goodrich, Kirk, (1858–1935), a six months before Adolf Hitler (see Adolf Hitler) (see Alois Hitler). Alan had one sister and one brother) Dorothy Whitney Kirk Hamner (1891–1984) and William Thompson Kirk (1895–1959) . Alan graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1909 and served in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. During his wartime naval service, Alan Kirk became the U.S. Naval Attaché in London (1939 to 1941). He was Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence from March 1941 but, obstructed and opposed by Rear Admiral Richmond “Terrible” Turner
, he was unable to develop the office into an effective centre along the lines of the British Royal Naval Operational Intelligence Centre, which he had seen whilst in London. Eventually, he requested a transfer to an Atlantic destroyer squadron. Kirk served as an amphibious commander in the Mediterranean in 1942 and 1943, the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy
. In addition, he was the senior U.S. naval commander during the Normandy landings of June 6, 1944 embarked on the heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31), and as Commander U.S. Naval Forces, France during 1944 and 1945. He retired from the Navy as a full Admiral in 1946. After retirement from the United States Navy, Kirk embarked on a diplomatic career, and subsequently served in several United States embassies abroad, beginning with the combined posting of U.S. Ambassador to Belgium U.S. Envoy to Luxembourg, resident in Brussels, Belgium, 1946–49; as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 04-07-1949 to 06-10-1951 and finally as United States Ambassador to Taiwan, 07-06-1962 to 16-01-1963.
Death and burial ground of Kirk, Alan Goodrich.
Admiral Alan Kirk died at the age of 74 of heart failure, on 15-10-1963 and is buried with his wife Lydia Selden, born Chapin, who died old age 88 in 1984, on Arlington National Cemetery, Section 30. Major General, Chief Signal Officer, George Back, Major General, Commander 116th and 29th Division, D-Day, Charles Canham, Lieutenant General, Commanded the 5th Marine Division, Thomas Bourke, Lieutenant General, Commander 2nd Armoured Division, Ted Brooks, Admiral, Robert Ghormley and General, Deputy Chief of Staff, Bomb on Hiroshima, Thomas Handy, General Major, Commanding General 3rd Armored Division , North-West Europe. Robert Walker Grow, The 3rd Armored Division had 231 days of combat in World War II, with a total of 2.540 killed, 7.331 wounded, 95 missing, and 139 captured. Total battle and non-battle casualties came to 16.122. The 3rd Armored Division lost more tanks in combat than any other U.S. division. Combat Command A lost more tanks than any other unit in the 3rd Armored Division. On 31 March, the commander of the division, Major General Maurice Rose
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