Hodges, Courtney

Hodges, Courtney (Hicks) (1887–1966) soldier; born in Perry, Ga. The son of a newspaperman, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1906, received a commission three years later, and served with great distinction in World War I. During the next two decades he rose in rank as he moved up through the standard staff and command posts. In World War II he took command of the U.S. First Army from General Omar Bradley and led it across France to the liberation of Paris (August 1944), through the Battle of the Bulge, across the Rhine to encircle the Ruhr, and on to the Elbe River in Germany and victory. Promoted to full general, he commanded the First Army until retiring in 1949.