William C. Chase

William Curtis Chase
Major General William C. Chase, U.S. Army, observes "Operation Portrex" D-Day maneuvers on Vieques, Puerto Rico, 8 March 1950.
Born	(1895-03-09)March 9, 1895 Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Died	August 21, 1986(1986-08-21) (aged 91)
Buried	Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1916–1955
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-4739
Unit	Cavalry Branch
Commands held	113th Cavalry Regiment 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division 1st Cavalry Division 38th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Pancho Villa Expedition World War I Battle of Saint-Mihiel Meuse-Argonne offensive Occupation of the Rhineland World War II Operation Cartwheel Admiralty Islands campaign Philippines campaign Battle of Leyte Battle of Luzon Battle of Bataan Occupation of Japan Korean War
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit Bronze Star (4) Commendation Ribbon Purple Heart

Major General William Curtis Chase (March 9, 1895 – August 21, 1986) was an American soldier and general in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his service in the South West Pacific Area during World War II and in the Occupation of Japan.

A graduate of Brown University, Chase enlisted in the Rhode Island National Guard in 1913 and served on the Mexican Border. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry in January 1917, he served on the Western Front in World War I and in the Occupation of the Rhineland. Between the wars, he attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, later returning as an instructor.

Chase was promoted to brigadier general in March 1943 on assuming command of the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. He was chosen to lead the assault on the Admiralty Islands in February 1944. He resisted the temptation to swiftly overrun the island, and thereby overextend his forces, and formed a defensive perimeter that made good use of the terrain. From this position, he was able to defeat a series of counterattacks by the numerically superior Japanese garrison.

In February 1945, Chase's columns pushed into the northern outskirts of Manila, liberating some 3,700 internees at the University of Santo Tomas which had been turned into an internment camp. He took over command of the 38th Infantry Division, which was confronted by enemy fortifications at Zig-Zag Pass on the Bataan Peninsula that took a week of hard fighting to reduce. Chase assumed command of the 1st Cavalry Division on August 1, 1945. He remained with it in the Occupation of Japan until he returned to the United States in January 1949. Later, he was chief of staff of the Third Army at Fort McPherson and head of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Taiwan. Retiring from the Army, he earned a Master of Arts degree in history from Trinity University and taught political science at the University of Houston.