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0-17676. James Maurice Gavin (March 22, 1907 – February 23, 1990), sometimes called " Jumpin' Jim " and " the jumping general ", was a senior United States Army officer, with the rank of lieutenant general, who was the third Commanding General (CG) of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II. During the war, he was often referred to as ...
- Enlisted Career
- Rising in The Ranks
- A New Style of War
- World War II
- Later Career
Late that month, Gavin met with a recruiter from the US Army. Underage, Gavin was unable to enlist without parental consent. Knowing this would not be forthcoming, he told the recruiter he was an orphan. Formally entering the army on April 1, 1924, Gavin was assigned to Panama where he would receive his basic training in his unit. Posted to the US ...
Entering West Point in the fall of 1925, Gavin found that he lacked the basic education of most of his peers. To compensate, he rose early each morning and studied to make up the deficiency. Graduating in 1929, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted to Camp Harry J. Jones in Arizona. Proving to be a gifted officer, Gavin was selected...
Graduating from the Airborne School in August 1941, Gavin was sent to an experimental unit before being given command of C Company, 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion. In this role, Gavin's friends convinced Major General William C. Lee, commander of the school, to allow the young officer to develop the tactics of airborne warfare. Lee agreed and m...
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and US entry into the conflict, Gavin was sent through the condensed course at the Command and General Staff College. Returning to the Provisional Airborne Group, he was soon dispatched to aid in converting the 82nd Infantry Division into the US Army's first airborne force. In August 1942, he was given command o...
An opponent of segregation in the US Army, Gavin oversaw the integration of the all-Black 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion into the 82nd after the war. He remained with the division until March 1948. Moving through several high-level postings, he served as assistant chief of staff for operations and Chief of Research and Development with the rank...
James Maurice Gavin was a U.S. Army commander known as “the jumping general” because he parachuted with combat troops during World War II. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. (1929), Gavin was commissioned a second lieutenant of the infantry.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 1, 2017 · James Maurice “Jumpin’ Jim” Gavin was the youngest lieutenant-general in the US Army ever, and the only general to make four combat airborne jumps in the history of the United States. Hence his nickname. Before he became a general, he spent a life of struggle with very humble beginnings. He was an orphan born in Brooklyn in 1907.
Sep 20, 2015 · Army Lieutenant General James M. Gavin earned his nicknames—“Jumpin’ Jim” was another—by making four combat jumps during World War II, the most of any U.S. general officer. According to the “Air & Space Power Journal,” Gavin always jumped first from the lead aircraft. Once on the ground, he led his troops from the front.
Feb 25, 1990 · Lieut. Gen. James M. Gavin, a World War II commander who went on to become a top Army administrator, a diplomat and a leading management consultant, died of complications from Parkinson's disease ...
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By Christopher Miskimon. James Gavin began his wartime service as the commander of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment during the Sicily operation, before assuming command of the entire 82nd Airborne Division for the remainder of the war. He was the first out the door on four combat jumps, earning two Distinguished Service Crosses, two Silver ...
