page_title: Richard H. Jeschke
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Richard H. Jeschke / World War II
context_page_description: Richard Hall Jeschke was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general, who commanded 8th Marine Regiment during the Battle of Guadalcanal. He later served in the European Theater and participated in the planning of the Invasion of Normandy and the Invasion of Sicily.
context_section_description: Upon the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Jeschke was appointed commanding officer of the 8th Marine Regiment on 23 December. The 8th Marines were attached to the 2nd Marine Brigade and sailed for defensive duty to American Samoa. His task was to prevent the enemy from cutting the vital lines of communication between the United States and Australia and New Zealand. Jeschke commanded the 8th Marines during the subsequent expansion and improvement of the beach defenses and fortifications. He later supervised the regiment's intensive jungle training in order to prepare for upcoming offensive operations. During his training on Samoa, he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
  Jeschke arrived at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal at the beginning of November 1942 and almost immediately took part in heavy combat with the Japanese, which lasted for the next two months. Although 8th Marines had no previous combat experience, eight months of intensive training at Samoa under Jeschke's command helped them to become an outstanding unit. Jeschke commanded the 8th Marines during the final drive toward the west and the island was declared secured at the beginning of February 1943. For his leadership during combat, Jeschke was decorated with the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V". He also received his first Navy Presidential Unit Citation.
  Colonel Jeschke remained with 8th Marines until the beginning of May 1943, when he was relieved by Colonel Elmer E. Hall. He was subsequently transferred to the United States and assigned for a brief period to the Headquarters Marine Corps. Jeschke was subsequently appointed Force Marine operations and training officer on the staff of the Western Naval Task Force located in the Mediterranean under the command of Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt. In this capacity, he participated in the planning of the Invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and received his second Navy Commendation Medal for his efforts.
  Following the Sicily campaign, Jeschke was transferred to England and assigned as observer to the First Army under Lieutenant-General Omar Bradley and later returned to the staff of the Western Naval Task Force now under Admiral Alan Goodrich Kirk as Assistant Planning Officer and Joint Operations Officer. He participated in the planning of the Invasion of Normandy and went ashore with General Bradley. During D-Day, Jeschke kept  Admiral Kirk informed and made frequent liaison visits to front-line Army combat units ashore. For his work on D-Day, he was decorated with the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and also received the French Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with Gilt Star from the Government of France.
  His tour of duty in Europe ended in September 1944, when he was transferred back to the United States and assigned to the Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., as officer in charge of the Enlisted Performance Division and Decorations and Medals Division. Jeschke was later appointed Chief of the Performance Branch.
caption: Change of command on Guadalcanal, December 1942. Maj. Gen. Alexander M. Patch, center, succeeds Maj. Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift (USMC), right. Col. Richard H. Jeschke (USMC) briefs them.
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