Biography of Maurice Rose

Maurice Rose (1899 - 1945)

General Maurice Rose was the only Jewish general in the U.S. Army in World War II.

The son of a rabbi from Poland, Rose enlisted in the army at age 18 and fought in France with the 8th Infantry during the First World War.  He was He was selected for officer training and graduated from the Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kansas.

During the Second World War, Rose became chief of staff for the 1st Armored Division in North Africa, and later became commander for the 2nd Armored Division as a brigadier general.  In 1944, he was promoted to major general and commanded the 3rd Armored Division.  Unlike other commanders, he commanded the division from the front line.  His division advanced in France against the Germans and was first to reach the German defense at the Siegfried Line.

After reaching Paderborn in Germany, Rose was riding in a jeep as he was suddenly confronted by a German Tiger tank, whose crew shot him and killed him.  He was buried in an American cemetery in the Netherlands.

No doubt, General Rose is America's greatest forgotten general.  Nevertheless, there is a Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, and in Middletown, Connecticut, there is the General Rose United States Armed Forces Reserve Center.  Two American army installations in Germany are named in his honor.

The Jewish contribution to the armed forces of the United States is extraordinary in view of the small number (1.7%) of Jews in this country.  Currently the commander of the U.S. Air Force is General Goldfine, the second Jew to hold that post.

Shalom u’vracha.

Dr. Gerhard Falk is the author of numerous publications, including The American Drug Culture (with Dr. Thomas S. Weinberg & Dr. Ursula A. Falk, 2018).

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