page_title: William Durward Connor
section_title: Military career
hierarchical_section_title: William Durward Connor / Military career
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Die erste grosse Manöver-Übung der III. Division in Döberitz! fand unter Anwesenheit des Reichswehrministers Groener, des Chefs der Heeresleitung General Heye, sowie des amerikanischen Kommandeurs General W.D.Connor, dem Leiter der Heereskriegsschule der Vereinigten Staaten statt. Der amerikanische Kommandeur der Heeres-Kriegsschule in den Vereinigten Staaten W.D. Connor wohnt in zivil den Manöverübungen der III. Division bei. Ein Offizier erläutert ihm die Gefechtslage.
context_page_description: William Durward Connor was a career United States Army officer who became a superintendent of the United States Military Academy after originally serving in the Corps of Engineers. While stationed in the Philippines, he participated in the Spanish–American War. He later served with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.
context_section_description: He began his military career as an officer in the Corps of Engineers. During the Spanish–American War, he served in the Philippines as an engineer and was awarded a Silver Star for heroism in combat.
  From 1909 to 1916, he was with the War Department General Staff and was promoted to colonel and appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the American Expeditionary Forces in 1917, following the entry of the United States in World War I. In July 1918, he was promoted brigadier general, and given command of the 63rd Brigade, 32nd Infantry Division. At the Battle of Château-Thierry, he was awarded a second Silver Star. 
  For his World War I service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He also received the Order of the Bath from Britain and from France, he received the Croix de guerre and was named a Commander of the Legion of Honour. After the war he served as Commanding General of American forces in France until 1920.
  Returning to the United States, Connor served as the Chief of Transportation Service in 1921, Deputy Chief of Staff, US Army, in 1922 and Commanding General of US Army forces in China, 1923 to 1926. He was promoted to major general in 1925, serving as commander of the 2nd Infantry Division until 1927, and as Commandant of the Army War College until 1932. He served as the Superintendent at West Point from 1932 to 1938.
caption: Connor (wearing civilian clothes) inspecting a maneuver of the German Reichswehr in July 1929.
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