listed the principal American commanders in order of merit based on the value of their service during the war. Gerow was listed 8 of 32. In a letter to Marshall on April 26, 1945, regarding commanders who might go on to serve in the Pacific, Eisenhower commended Bradley most highly and then said: "In Europe there are other men who have been thoroughly tested as high combat commanders, including Simpson, Patch, Patton, Gerow, Collins, Truscott and others. Any one of these can successfully lead an army in combat in the toughest kind of conditions." Gerow was given command of the newly formed Fifteenth Army on 15 January 1945. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 6 February 1945, with the promotion being effective 1 January 1945. Post–World War II career After the war Gerow was appointed Commandant of the Command and General Staff College. He was placed in charge of a board which studied and proposed how army colleges ought to be organized, post war. In February 1946 the Gerow Board recommended five separate colleges. In January 1948, he was appointed Commanding General of the Second Army. This was his last post; he retired from the army, after almost 40 years service, on July 31, 1950. He was promoted to the rank of full general on July 19, 1954 by a special Act of Congress (Public Law 83-508). Gerow died at Kenner Army Hospital at Fort Lee, Virginia, on October 12, 1972, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His papers are in the Virginia Military Institute archives. Notes References External links Arlington National Cemetery Generals of World War II United States Army Officers 1939–1945 |- |- |- |- 1888 births 1972 deaths People from Petersburg, Virginia Commandants of the United States Army Command and General Staff College United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Virginia Military Institute alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Grand Officers of the Order of Leopold II United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Air Medal Honorary Companions of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil) Military personnel from Virginia