In May 1942, during World War II, he took command of the 79th Infantry Division. He led the division in the Normandy landings, and oversaw many of its battles until May 1945. After World War II ended, Wyche took command of VIII Corps. He would later serve on the Officer Interview Board and command III Corps and 1st Service Command. He served as Inspector General of the Army from January 1947 to September 1948, during which he investigated charges that John C. H. Lee misused enlisted men under his command in occupied Italy. Wyche retired from the army in September 1948, and moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina.
The shoulder insignia of the 79th Infantry Division, which Major General Ira T. Wyche commanded from 1942−1945
Wyche left Fort Riley in August 1933 to attend the United States Army War College. After graduating, he assumed command of the 1st Battalion of the 14th Field Artillery Regiment in 1934. While in command, he received a promotion to lieutenant colonel.[8] He later commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Field Artillery Regiment from September 1938 to June 1940, when he was promoted to colonel. He then was the chief of the training sector at the Office of the Chief of Field Artillery until April 1941 (during which he became a brigadier general). At Camp Blanding in Florida, he was the commanding general of the 74th Field Artillery Brigade until March 1942. He took a course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, where, after graduating, he was temporarily promoted to major general on 17 April 1942.[9][10]
While commanding the 79th Infantry Division, Wyche created a new program for funneling replacement troops into front line units. He felt that new recruits were not receiving enough training, and he created a divisional replacement pool. Each infantry regiment sent one officer and one noncommissioned officer to serve on the staff of the pool, which also included one officer and four enlisted men selected from the division at large. This pool repeated most of the checking that new men had received at the forward replacement battalions, including the zeroing of rifles. Additional pool camps were operated in the three regimental sections and another one was maintained in the special troops section. These camps gave new arrivals a chance to learn many lessons from experienced soldiers. The success of this 79th Division pool caused the 44th Infantry and 100th Infantry Divisions, as well as some of the other XV Corps units to adopt similar methods.[13][14]
The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill (center), crosses the River Rhine to the east bank, south of Wesel, in an American Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (or Higgins boat) with Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery (left of Churchill), who is talking to U.S. Lieutenant General William H. Simpson, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke (furthest right) who is standing in front of U.S. Major General Leland Hobbs. To Simpson's right is Major General John B. Anderson, who is talking to Major General Ira T. Wyche. Picture taken on 25 March 1945.
According to U.S. Army G-2 intelligence the 361st Volksgrenadier Division released a report on 25 October 1944 that stated: "The 79th Division is said to have fought particularly well in Normandy and is considered as one of the best attack divisions of the U. S. Army."[15] Well-liked by his soldiers, Wyche was known as the "Doughboy's General", and called 'Papa' Wyche by his soldiers, as a result of his daily inspections of the Division's camp.[16] For his service, he received the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit.[17]
Wyche handed over command of the division to Leroy H. Watson on 20 May 1945, after which he commanded VIII Corps until December 1945, when he took command of III Corps, before leaving that post in May 1946. He was later a member of the Press Integration Interview Board and Officer Interview Board. In May 1946, Wyche took command of the 1st Service Command, which he held until 30 January 1947. Wyche then became the Inspector General of the U. S. Army in January, receiving the permanent rank of major general.[9] While inspector general, he investigated charges raised by newspaper columnist Robert Ruark against Lt. Gen. John C. H. Lee, that he misused enlisted men under his command in occupied Italy. Wyche exonerated Lee in a report he issued in October 1947.[18] The 12,000 word report concluded that Ruark had presented a "wholly false picture of conditions".[19] He retired from the office and army service on 30 September 1948.[9]
Later life and death
After retiring from the army in 1948, Wyche moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina with his wife, Mary. He would live there until his death on 8 July 1981 at Moore General Hospital. Wyche is buried at the Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery.[1]
Cox, Hank H. (2018). The General Who Wore Six Stars: The Inside Story of John C. H. Lee. Lincoln, Nebraska: Potomac Books. ISBN978-1-61234-963-3. OCLC989124130.
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Major General
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