Command Crisis on Saipan: The Only Time a Marine General Ever Fired an Army General

On the afternoon of June 24, 1944, a messenger entered Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith’s command post on Saipan and handed him a brief message. Smith read it, pocketed it, and continued to direct the battle that continued around him. The message informed him he was fired. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Holland M. “Howlin’ Mad” […]
