James Maurice Gavin | Airborne, 82nd Airborne, WWII

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link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Maurice-Gavin/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/James-Maurice-Gavin">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Maurice-Gavin/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/71/47771-050-F3C1EF14/James-Gavin-US-82nd-Airborne-Division.jpg" data-href="/media/1/227340/40323" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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(aged 82)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Role In: </dt> <dd><a href="/event/World-War-II">World War II</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/James-Maurice-Gavin"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref128726"></span>James Maurice Gavin</strong> (born March 22, 1907, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York</a>, N.Y., U.S.—died Feb. 23, 1990, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Baltimore" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Baltimore</a>, Md.) was a U.S. Army commander known as “the jumping general” because he parachuted with combat troops during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">After graduating from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-States-Military-Academy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United States Military Academy</a> at West Point, N.Y. (1929), Gavin was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="commissioned" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/commissioned" data-type="EB">commissioned</a> a second lieutenant of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/infantry" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">infantry</a>. He became a paratrooper in 1941 and went on to command the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which joined the 82nd Airborne Division under Maj. Gen. <span id="ref830037"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Matthew-Bunker-Ridgway" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Matthew Ridgway</a>. Gavin led assaults on Sicily and on Salerno Bay, Italy, in 1943, after which he reached the rank of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/brigadier-general" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">brigadier general</a>, and he jumped with the parachute assault section of the division on the first night of the <span id="ref830035"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Normandy-Invasion" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Normandy Invasion</a> (June 5–6, 1944). Elements of Gavin’s section took the town of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sainte-Mere-Eglise" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sainte-Mère-Église</a> and guarded river crossings on the flank of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Utah-Beach" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Utah Beach</a> landing area. After Ridgway was given command of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Gavin was made major <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/general" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">general</a> and commanded the 82nd <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Airborne" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Airborne" data-type="EB">Airborne</a> Division during operations in the Netherlands. His division later fought in Germany until the German army surrendered in 1945.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">After the war Gavin was chief of staff of the Fifth Army, chief of staff of allied forces in southern Europe, and commanding general of the U.S. VII Corps in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/West-Germany" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">West Germany</a>. He became a lieutenant general in 1955. While heading army <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/research-and-development" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">research and development</a>, he became a strong opponent of Pres. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dwight-D-Eisenhower" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Dwight D. Eisenhower</a>’s defense policy because of its dependence on nuclear weapons. After his retirement in 1958, he served as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/ambassador" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">ambassador</a> to France (1961–63) and became a prominent critic of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Vietnam-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Vietnam War</a>. Gavin was the author of such books as <em>Airborne Warfare</em> (1947), <em>Crisis Now</em> (1968), and the autobiographical <em>On to Berlin</em> (1978).</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/pop-quiz-17-things-to-know-about-world-war-ii" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/188426-050-2AF26954/Germany-Poland-September-1-1939.jpg" alt="Germany invades Poland, September 1, 1939, using 45 German divisions and aerial attack. By September 20, only Warsaw held out, but final surrender came on September 29." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About World War II</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature font-12">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":227340,"pageLength":282,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-134/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.134.26"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-134/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.134.26' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true,"hasAiTopQuestions":false,"hasSimplifyButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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James Maurice Gavin | Airborne, 82nd Airborne, WWII | Britannica