#4-447
To Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley
July 12, 1944 [Washington, D.C.]
Personal
Dear Bradley,
I have been on the verge several times recently of sending you and some of your people a special commendation, but for several reasons decided that the time was not quite ripe—though the Cherbourg campaign was a great feat and displayed a very high capacity of leadership, organization, and general battle management. Please have in mind my complete confidence in your ability, and when occasion permits pass informally to your Corps commanders the tremendous reassurance I get from their fine performances. Compliment Collins for me on Cherbourg and give Taylor and Ridgway a pat on the back for the superb performance of their divisions and their long endurance under heavy losses.1
The weather has treated you badly, particularly considering the character of the terrain you have been trying to break through. However, i[t se]ems to me that things have gone extraordinarily well and that the German dilemma must be a nightmare for them.
With my very best wishes and complete confidence in the developments of the coming weeks,2
Faithfully yours,
Document Copy Text Source: George C. Marshall Papers, Pentagon Office Collection, Selected Materials, George C. Marshall Research Library, Lexington, Virginia.
Document Format: Typed letter.
1. For information regarding the Cherbourg campaign, see note 1, Marshall to Eisenhower, June 23, 1944, Papers of George Catlett Marshall, #4-419 [4: 489–90].
2. Bradley replied that it had been difficult fighting through the marshes to get to a place where they could make a concentrated attack. "It was necessary to get out of the marshes before making such an attack so that we could get a proper road net. Except for the unfortunate bombing of our own troops with part of the effort, the fight has gone about according to our plan and we feel we have been highly successful," wrote Bradley. "The cooperation between the advancing columns and the fighters and fighter-bombers of the Ninth Tactical Air Command has been of a very superior nature. They were in constant communication and in many cases the Air was able to tell the advancing columns where they could expect resistance and just how much, and in addition they attacked many targets ahead of the moving column. Major General Quesada has done a fine job in all phases of our fighting to assure close cooperation between the air and ground forces.” Bradley concluded, "I am leaving First Army headquarters tomorrow to take over the Army Group." (Bradley to Marshall, July 31, 1944, GCMRL/G. C. Marshall Papers [Pentagon Office, Selected].)
Recommended Citation: ThePapers of George Catlett Marshall, ed.Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981– ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 4, “Aggressive and Determined Leadership,” June 1, 1943–December 31, 1944 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), pp. 517–518.