16 APR - Statue Dedication Ceremony for US Army Major General Maurice Rose, WWI & WWII (KIA) - Denver

The Colorado PGR has been invited to stand in honor at the Statue Dedication Ceremony for US Army Major General Maurice Rose. The Ceremony will begin at 2:00PM, on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at the Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park at Lincoln Street and 14th Avenue, Denver, 80203. There will be a reception for family and friends, at the Colorado History Museum, starting at 1:00PM. The invited attendees will be walking from the Museum to the Veterans Memorial Park, prior to the Ceremony.

Free Parking will be available in the Parking Lot that is directly West of the Capitol Complex, Office of Administrative Courts at the NE corner of Colfax and Lincoln.

Do not enter off Lincoln as that gate will be down. The gates will be open (off the alley street) entering from Colfax. Civil Air Patrol may be manning the gate.

The best way to enter the Parking Lot is while traveling Westbound on Colfax. Mid-block, between Sherman Street and Lincoln Street, turn North into the Parking Lot. 1:00PM - Stage in the Parking Lot, NE corner of Colfax and Lincoln 1:15PM - Mission Briefing 1:30PM - Form Flag Line at the Ceremony Site Will an available Ride Captain please post. I will be honored to attend and will bring Flags. Jim Herstein jwherst@aol.com 303-518-8790 About US Army Major General Maurice Rose:

Maurice Rose was born on 26 November, 1899 in Middletown, CT. His family moved to Denver in 1902. Rose first enlisted in the Colorado National Guard as a Private in 1915 hoping to serve with General John "Black Jack" Pershing's Expedition into Mexico. He was discharged when it was found out that he had falsified his age. During WWI he was commissioned into the U.S. Army Infantry in 1917, he served with the 89th Infantry Division in France. He was wounded at St. Mihiel, and saw combat in all of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He briefly left the Army after WWI for a short stint as a traveling salesman. He soon returned to the peacetime Army as a Captain, and continued his Army career during the interwar period, gaining experience in the theories and practices of Armored Warfare. U.S. Army Major General Maurice Rose died during World War II while leading the 3rd Armored Division into Germany. At the time of his death, Rose was the highest ranking Jewish officer in the U.S. Army and the highest ranking American killed by enemy fire in the European Theater. Maurice Rose’s grandfather, a Rabbi, lead one of Poland’s premier centers of Jewish learning. Rose’s father Samuel, served as the Rabbi for a congregation in Denver, Colorado for more than 40 years.

In the first American offensive of World War II, Rose served as chief of staff for the 2nd Armored Division in North Africa where he received his first Silver Star. Rose received a promotion to Brigadier General and took command of the 2nd Armored Division. Rose led his troops in combat across Sicily and then into France shortly after D-Day. General Rose became the commander of the 3rd Armored Division during combat in France in August 1944. Shortly thereafter, Rose received a promotion to Major General. Under Rose’s leadership, the 3rd Armored Division led an advance across northern France and Belgium. On September 12, Rose’s division became the first armored unit to enter Germany and the first to breech the Siegfried Line. During the winter of 1944-45, Rose’s division helped stem the German advance in the Battle of the Bulge. They captured Cologne on March 7. On March 29, the Division made the longest one-day advance through enemy territory by any Allied division during the war, more than 100 miles, stopping just south of the German city of Paderborn.

During World War II, Rose served in three armored divisions. In North Africa, he served with the 1st Armored Division. During the campaign in Tunisia, Rose was the first officer to accept the unconditional surrender of a large German unit. He was later Chief of Staff of the 2nd Armored Division, until he was assigned to command the 3rd Armored Division in August 1944, and promoted to Major General. After assuming command, Rose became known for his aggressive style of leadership, and for directing the Division from the front lines not far from his forward elements. Under his command, the "Spearhead," as his Division became known, drove over 100 miles in a single day, a record march for modern warfare, and played a key role in several campaigns. Notably, under Rose's command, the Division was the first unit to penetrate the Siegfried Line.

On 30 March 1945, a few miles south of the city of Paderborn in a rural forest area, Major General Rose was riding at the front of the Task Force Welborn column. The front of this column consisted of his own jeep, a jeep in front of him, a tank at the lead of the column, an armored car behind him, and a motorcycle messenger bringing up the rear. Suddenly they began taking small arms fire as well as tank and anti-tank fire. Along with the other men, Rose jumped into a nearby ditch with his Thompson sub-machine gun, as the lead tank took a direct hit and was destroyed. When they realized that they were being surrounded by German tanks, they re-entered their jeeps and tried to escape. They drove off the road and through a nearby field before heading back towards the road. Upon arriving back at the road, they realized it was occupied by numerous German Tiger tanks. The lead jeep gunned its engine and narrowly made it past the Tiger tanks and escaped to the other side. The driver of Rose's jeep attempted to do the same but one of the German Tigers turned to cut them off. As Rose's jeep was passing, the Tiger tank wedged the jeep against a tree. The top hatch of the Tiger tank flung open and a German soldier appeared pointing a machine pistol at the group in the jeep. Rose reached towards his pistol holster (either to throw it to the ground or in an attempt to fight back). The German soldier shot him several times with at least one round hitting Rose in the head. It is believed that the German tank crews never had any idea that the man they killed was a general because sensitive documents, as well as Rose's body, were not removed from his jeep. Rose was the highest-ranking American killed by enemy fire in the European Theater of Operations during the war. He was the only individual casualty to spark a War Crimes Investigation because of the nature of his death.

Medals and Awards

Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters Legion of Merit with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster Bronze Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster Purple Heart with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters World War I Victory Medal American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 Bronze Stars World War II Victory Medal Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgium) Legion of Honor (France) Croix de Guerre with Palm (France)

Honors ● The US Army Transport Ship (USAT), General Maurice Rose, was named in his honor. ● The Rose Medical Center in Denver, CO, is named in his honor. ● The Maurice Rose Army Airfield was in Bonames, North of Frankfurt, Germany.

Death and Burial Major General Maurice Rose died on 30 March 1945 in Germany. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Limburg, Netherlands.