September in Military History

September 1

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Private

Author of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars who served in the 7th U.S. Cavalry at Fort Grant, Arizona. During World War II, at age 67, he became the oldest American war correspondent in the Pacific theater, covering the Battle of Midway and flying combat missions with bomber crews.

1875–1950

September 1

Siegfried Westphal

General of Cavalry

German Army officer who served as chief of staff to Rommel in North Africa and later to Kesselring and Rundstedt on the Western Front. One of the most capable staff officers of the Wehrmacht, he played a key role in coordinating Axis operations across multiple theaters.

1902–1982

September 2

Lyuh Woon-hyung

Korean independence activist who organized the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence in 1945 and briefly led the short-lived People's Republic of Korea. A moderate nationalist, he sought to unify the Korean peninsula before it was divided into Soviet and American zones of occupation.

1886–1947

September 2

Henry Royall

Major General

U.S. Army officer who served as Inspector General during World War I and later as judge advocate. He played a key administrative role in the expansion of the Army during both world wars.

1876–1946

September 3

Alan Ladd

Private

American actor who enlisted in the Army Air Forces during World War II but was medically discharged in 1943. He starred in numerous war films and is best remembered for his role in "Shane" (1953). He used his fame to sell war bonds and support military morale efforts.

1913–1964

September 3

Ferdinand Porsche

Austrian-German automotive engineer who designed the Volkswagen Beetle and, during World War II, the Tiger I and Tiger II heavy tanks, the Elefant tank destroyer, and the Maus super-heavy tank prototype. His tank designs were among the most feared weapons of the war, though many suffered from mechanical unreliability.

1875–1951

September 4

Albert DeSalvo

Former U.S. Army soldier who served in Germany. Although best known for claiming to be the "Boston Strangler," DeSalvo was also a trained military boxer and served as an Army MP. His case raised questions about the psychological effects of military service.

1931–1973

September 4

Henry Ford II

Grandson of Henry Ford who was released from the Navy in 1943 to take over Ford Motor Company, then the nation's third-largest defense contractor. Under his leadership, Ford produced B-24 Liberator bombers at the Willow Run plant at a rate of one per hour, the most impressive feat of wartime mass production.

1917–1987

September 5

Louis XIV

The "Sun King" of France who reigned for 72 years and transformed France into Europe's dominant military power. He fought four major wars, built the palace of Versailles, established a standing army of 400,000, the largest in European history to that point, and created the model of the modern military state.

1638–1715

September 5

Frank Gruber

Lieutenant

American author and screenwriter who served in World War I as a teenager. He wrote extensively about military themes in his westerns and detective fiction, drawing on his service experience for authenticity.

1904–1969