By Major William Carraway
Historian,
Georgia Army National Guard
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| Lieutenant General Joseph Fraser commanded the 108th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade, 48th Infantry Division and 48th Armor Division in nearly four decades of service. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Lieutenant
General Joseph Bacon Fraser was one of the most influential leaders of the
Georgia National Guard in the post-World War II era.
With active service in World War I, World War II and the Korean War, his career
spanned 38 years and culminated with command of the 48th Armored
Division in 1956.
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| Joseph Fraser with his brother Layton in 1904. |
Fraser Jr. attended
the Bradwell Institute, a private high school in Liberty County and upon
graduation, matriculated at the Agriculture and Mechanical College of the 11th
Congressional District in Douglas, Georgia.[4] He
enlisted in the Liberty Independent Troop as a private April 20, 1915 while a
student at A&M.[5]
In April 1916, his two-year curriculum completed at A&M, Fraser enrolled in
the reserve officer training corps program at the University of Georgia.
On July 16, 1916,
The Liberty Independent Troop as Troop B, 2nd Squadron of Cavalry,
Georgia National Guard was called to duty on the Mexican Border. As he was
enrolled in the ROTC program, Fraser did not mobilize with the unit but his
brother, 2nd Lt. Donald Fraser, traveled with the troop to Texas
where it served on border duty through the winter of 1917.[6] Traveling
with Troop A, the Georgia Hussars, was Private Lester Henderson who would later
serve as Fraser’s executive officer in the Pacific.
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| The Georgia Cavalry on the Mexican Border in 1916. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Upon its return
to Georgia, the Liberty Independent Troop remained in Federal service and in
September 1917 was redesignated Company B, 106th Signal Battalion.[7] But
Fraser would not rejoin the unit until after the war. Entering federal service
Sept. 12, 1917, Fraser completed Officer’s Training Camp at Leon Springs Texas
and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant of artillery. Fraser mobilized
overseas April 23, 1918 and was assigned to Battery B, 129th Field
Artillery Battalion, 35th Infantry Division, the same unit as future
president Harry Truman. The 129th served in various locations in
France until September 26 when it entered action during Meuse Argonne
Offensive. Fraser would again see action near Conflans and Metz on November 9.
Fraser returned to the United States with the 129th Field Artillery
arriving in New Jersey April 20, 1919.[8] He
left federal service as a 1st lieutenant May 17, 1919.[9]
On Sept. 20,
1920, the Georgia National Guard reactivated the Liberty Independent Troop as
Troop B, 1st Squadron of Cavalry and appointed Fraser 1st
lieutenant of the troop.[10] Fraser
served as 1st Lt in Troop B for seven months before promotion to
captain May 4 1921 whereupon he assumed command of Troop B.
Fraser married
Pearl B. Collins November 14, 1923.[11]
Three years later, the couple welcomed their first child, Joseph B. Fraser Jr.
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| The 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment on parade in Savannah in the 1930s. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Fraser was placed
in command of the 1st Squadron 108th Cavalry with the
rank of major Sept. 30, 1927. [12]
In 1929 Fraser founded the Fraser Lumber Company in McIntosh, Ga. That same
year Pearl gave birth to a second son, Charles Elbert Fraser, who would
eventually take the reigns as president of the lumber company.[13]
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| The 108th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia and Louisiana, at Fort Oglethorpe. Ga. in 1930. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
With his lumber
business flourishing Fraser was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed
executive officer of the 108th Cavalry Regiment January 18, 1934. He
assumed the colonelcy of the regiment June 29, 1936. The 108th was
split between two states with 1st Squadron in Georgia and 2nd
Squadron in Louisiana.
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| Soldiers of the 108th Cavalry conduct a saber charge during annual training at Fort McClellan circa 1922. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
By 1938, Fraser, was among the most influential members of the Georgia National Guard. In September he was named to the executive council of the National Guard Association of Georgia. The council was comprised of key leaders including Col. Sheftall B. Coleman, commander of the 118th Field Artillery; Col. Lewis Pope, commander of the 121st Infantry Regiment and Col. T. L. Alexander, commanding the 122nd Infantry Regiment.[14] These units were destined for service in World War II, and their commanders would play a significant role in shaping the Georgia National Guard for combat in the coming years.
By the end of the
1939, the 122nd Infantry Regiment had converted to form the 179th
Field Artillery Regiment and Fraser’s 108th Cavalry was assigned to
the 55th Brigade, 23rd Division.[15]
But the future of horse cavalry was uncertain. In 1939, the chief of cavalry
proposed a restructuring of the branch.[16] In
the ensuing months, Fraser would have cause to wonder whether the legacy of
horse cavalry in Georgia would be preserved by the 108th or whether
the War Department would see fit to mechanize the unit.
In August 1940,
the War Department communicated to Georgia’s Adjutant General its desire to
convert the 1st Squadron 108th Cavalry to form an
anti-tank unit.[17]
Objecting to the reorganization plan, Fraser led a delegation of officers to
Washington DC to confer with War Department officials. On Sept. 3, 1940, all
parties agreed to a plan which would see the squadron form an independent
battalion of Coast Artillery.[18]
This arrangement was perhaps more in keeping with Fraser’s background as an
artillery officer and Georgia’s tradition of Savannah Artillery which preceded
the American Revolution.[19]
Fraser was
assigned as commanding officer of the 101st Separate Battalion Coast
Artillery (antiaircraft) Oct 11, 1940.[20]
In addition to headquarters, the 101st was comprised of four
batteries and a medical detachment. Battery A was formed from the Savannah-based
Georgia Hussars while the Soldiers of the Liberty Independent Troop constituted
Battery B. The Atlanta-based Governor’s Horse Guards formed Battery C while
Battery D, a new unit, was organized in Bainbridge.[21]
The 101st
was inducted into federal service Feb. 10, 1941[22]
and dispatched to Camp Stewart for initial training. Fraser directed the unit
through a 13-week mobilization training program at Stewart followed by a series
of maneuvers and firing problems in Florida.
Before dawn,
September 20, the 101st departed Camp Stewart bound for the Carolina
Maneuvers. Passing a dismally cold night in Augusta the Soldiers were roused by
reveille at 4:00 am and continued their convoy on to Chester, S.C. where they
went into camp. The 101st engaged in maneuvers and field problems
serving for a time with the 1st Armored Division under Brig. Gen.
George Patton. By the end of the maneuvers the 101st was credited
with shooting down 104 enemy aircraft of the blue forces.[23]
At the conclusion
of the maneuvers, Fraser was commended by Brig. Gen. C. M. Thiele, commanding
general of the 34th Coast Artillery Brigade who noted:
Colonel Joseph B.
Fraser, who commands the 101st Sep CA Bn (AA), demonstrated a high
professional knowledge, a willingness and desire to cooperate with other units,
and possessed such a pleasant personality, that it was a distinct pleasure to
have him in my command. [24]
The 101st
returned to Camp Stewart December 2 and on Saturday, December 6, Fraser issued
weekend passes to Soldiers who had spent nearly 11 weeks in the field. In less
than 24 hours, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Fraser recalled the men to
camp. The next several days passed like a whirlwind as the President requested
and received a declaration of war from Congress and Camp Stewart remained
locked down with patrols guarding the perimeter at all ours.
On December 11,
Fraser, speaking before his soldiers commended the performance of the unit
during the maneuvers and shared with them Thiele’s letter of commendation.
Fraser concluded his remarks by noting “With a spirit as you have shown, our
country can face the future with every confidence in the American soldier and
with a feeling of assurance in our ultimate triumph.”[25]
The next several
weeks were filled with disastrous reports from the Pacific. Kwajalein fell
December 9 followed in rapid succession by Guam, Thailand, Wake Island and Hong
Kong. In the wake of these and other reports the 101st departed Camp
Stewart arriving at Camp Dix by train February 2, 1942. Boarding the Queen Mary,
the 101st sailed from Boston Harbor February 18. Sailing southeast,
the 101st arrived at Sydney Harbor March 28, 1942.[26] and
embarked by train for Brisbane where joined a force of 25,364 U.S. Army
personnel coalescing under command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
At Brisbane,
Fraser was ordered to divide his command. While he retained command of Battery
B, C and D his executive officer, Maj. Lester Henderson, took Battery A, the
medical section and a platoon from Battery B to provide air defense over Lowood
Airdrome as the 1st Provisional Coast Artillery. Fraser meanwhile took
his command to Ipswich and secured the air above Amberly Field. The 101st
remained thus dispersed until April 26 when orders were dispatched to
consolidate and prepare for movement to New Guinea. Fraser gathered his officers
and informed them they were bound for Port Moresby, not as part of a larger
task force, but as the sole American unit inbound to join Australian militia
personnel stationed there. Fraser concluded his briefing with “Gentlemen, we’re
on the spot. Keep your gun crews especially alerted from now on and, men, be
prepared to fight your way off. That’s all, and God bless you.”[27]
The 101st
reached Port Moresby May 3, 1942 aboard the Dutch ship Cremer. Fraser ordered
the men to maintain vigilance over sky and waves. An unidentified aircraft was
sighted and for several hours an unidentified submarine moved in parallel with
the Cremer adding to the trepidation and dread of the voyage.
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| Situation in New Guinea upon the arrival of the 101st AAA. Graphic by Maj. William Carraway. |
The 101st
had not completely disembarked at Port Moresby before the first Japanese attack
scattered bombs over the location where Battery A was to be established. Within
days, the 101st had established firing positions and accounted for
their first downed aircraft May 7. Through the rest of the month, Japanese
aircraft made 17 separate attack runs on Port Moresby.[28]
On May 20, Fraser
relinquished command of the 101st to Henderson and assumed command
of the Antiaircraft Brigade, New Guinea.[29]
Fraser led the brigade which was comprised of American and Australian forces
through April 1943 whereupon he was recalled to the United States to assume
command of the 23rd Antiaircraft Artillery Group. The 23rd
AAAG served in the European Theater of Operations as part of the XV Corps and
Fraser concurrently served as the corps anti-aircraft officer. In two days,
units under Fraser’s command were credited with shooting down 42 enemy planes
in the skies over France.[30]
Released from
active duty in December 1945, Fraser was an active force behind the
reorganization of the Georgia National Guard helping to organize the 108th
Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade. Fraser was assigned as brigade commander with
the rank of brigadier general May 12, 1947. Called into active federal service
August 14, 1950, Fraser deployed the units of the 108th AAA to
provide air defense for cities in the American Midwest.[31]
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| Brig. Gen. Joseph Fraser (center left) briefs Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Georgia's Adjutant General on the mobilization of the 108th AAA at Fort Bliss, Texas in 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
In April 1952,
having returned from active duty, Fraser was appointed commander of the Georgia
National Guard’s 48th Infantry Division with a promotion to major
general. He led the division for the next four years shepherding the
organization through its conversion to armor in 1955.
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| CAMP STEWART, August 15-29, 1954 - Observing tank fire on the range at Camp Stewart where the Georgia National Guard's 190th Tank Battalion had their annual summer maneuvers are, left to right: Lt. Col. Wesley D. Willingham, commander, 190th Tank Battalion; Maj. Gen. Joeseph B. Fraser, commanding general, 48th Infantry Division; Maj. Gen. George Hearn, Georgia's Adjutant General and Brig. Gen. Richard Mayo, commanding general, of Camp Stewart. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
On the last day
of annual training 1956, following the review of troops and presentations of
awards by the governor, Fraser received the Georgia Distinguished Service Medal
from Maj. Gen. George Hearn, Georgia’s Adjutant General. He retired as a
lieutenant general July 31, 1956.[32]
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| Maj. Gen. Joseph Fraser receives the Georgia Distinguished Service Medal from Maj. Gen. George Hearn, Georgia’s Adjutant General in 1956. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
Fraser remained
active in Georgia National Guard affairs after retirement. A resolution
introduced and passed unanimously at the 1956 Georgia National Guard
Association convention recognized Fraser as one of the most outstanding and
influential officers in the history of the National Guard and lauded him for
his “superior and outstanding active duty and National Guard Service and for
his spiritual qualities which he instilled in the Georgia National Guard by
virtue of his leadership.” Following a standing ovation, Fraser expressed
appreciation for the resolution saying, “nothing can take away from me the
cherished memories I have for the Georgia National Guard.”[33]
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| Lieutenaqnt General Joseph Fraser presents the colors of the 48th Armor Division to Maj. Gen. Patrick Seawright who succeeded Fraser as division commander in 1956. Georgia National Guard Archives. |
[1] 1900 United States Federal Census Militia District 17,
Liberty, Georgia, 13. Retrieved Oct. 19, 2021 from https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4120071_00671?pId=9158838
[3] “Photograph of Second Sergeant Joseph Bacon Fraser and
daughter, Liberty County, Georgia, 1891.” Georgia Archives. Retrieved
Oct. 20, 2021 from https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_vang_lib076.
[4] Military
Department of the State of Georgia. Pictorial Review of the National Guard
of the State of Georgia. (Atlanta: 1939) 196.
[5] Secretary of the
Army. Official National Guard Register (Army) January 1953. (Washington
D.C: Government Printing Office, 1953) 371.
[6] The Adjutant
General of Georgia. “Muster-in Roll of Troop “B” Cavalry Ga. N.G. 2nd Sq.
Called into Service 16 July 1916.” 530. Georgia National Guard Archives.
[7]
National Guard Bureau. Composition of National Guard Divisions and
Disposition of Former National Guard Units. (Washington D.C.: Government
Printing Office 1918) 22 and supplemental March 2, 1926, 38.
[8] “Record Group 31:
Records of Battery D, 129th Field Artillery. Harry S. Truman Library.
Retrieved October 31, 2021 from https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/federal-record/record-group-391-records-battery-d-129th-field-artillery.
[9]
[10]The Adjutant
General of Georgia. Annual Report of the Adjutant General State of Georgia
for the Year 1920. (Atlanta: Byrd Printing Company, 1920) 172.
[11] Ancestry.com. Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013).
[12] Military
Department of the State of Georgia. Pictorial Review of the National Guard
of the State of Georgia. (Atlanta: 1939) 196.
[13] Jack Nelson
Averitt. Families of Southeastern Georgia. (Baltimore: Clearfield
Company, 2009) 219.
[14] “Major C. H. Cox
heads National Guard Body.” Atlanta Constitution. Sept. 6, 1938, 7.
[15] Military
Department of the State of Georgia. Pictorial Review of the National Guard
of the State of Georgia. (Atlanta: 1939) 194.
[16] Robert S. Cameron. Mobility, Shock, and Firepower: The Emergency of the U.S. Army’s Armor Branch, 1917-1945. (Washington D.C: Center for Military History, 2008) 289.
[17] “State Cavalry
May Be Made Antitank Unit.” Atlanta Constitution. August 24, 1940, 1.
[18] “108th
Cavalry is to Become Antiplane Unit.” Atlanta Constitution. September 4,
1940, 8.
[19] Gordon Burns
Smith. The Chatham Artillery 1786-2011. (Savannah: Gordon Burns Smith,
2011) 6-7.
[20] Marion
Williamson. “General Order No. 240.” (Atlanta: Military Department, State of
Georgia, Oct. 11, 1940).
[21] Marion Williamson. “General Order No. 29.” (Atlanta:
Military Department, State of Georgia, Oct. 1, 1940).
[22] Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “Executive Order No. 8633.”
(Washington D.C.: The White House, January 14, 1941).
[24] Lindsey P
Henderson. Come What Will: A Military History of the 101st AAA Automatic
Weapons Battalion, 15 October 1940 to VJ Day 1945. (Berlin: U.S. Army,
1966) 8.
[25] Lindsey P
Henderson. Come What Will: A Military History of the 101st AAA Automatic
Weapons Battalion, 15 October 1940 to VJ Day 1945. 9.
[26] Gail Parnelle.
“Interview with Brig. Gen. (Ret) Donald E. Mees, September 1992, Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia National Guard Archives.
[27] Lindsey P
Henderson. Come What Will: A Military History of the 101st AAA Automatic
Weapons Battalion, 15 October 1940 to VJ Day 1945. 24.
[28] Gail Parnelle. “The Georgia Battalion which helped stop an
invasion; the defense of Port Moresby.” Georgia Militia and National Guard
Society Journal. Fall 1992 Vol. 3 No. 2. 5-6.
[29] Headquarters, 101st
Separate Coast Artillery Battalion (AA) New Guinea Forces. “Special Order
Number 43.” May 24, 1942.
[30] “Brilliant
Military Career of Lt. General Joseph B. Fraser ends after 38 years’ service.”
The Georgia Guardsman, July August 1956, 12.
[31] William Carraway. “The Georgia National Guard and the
Korean War” Georgiaguardhistory.com. June 25, 2021. http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2021/06/the-georgia-national-guard-and-korean.html.
[32] “Brilliant
Military Career of Lt. General Joseph B. Fraser ends after 38 years’ service.” The
Georgia Guardsman, July August 1956, 12.
