Nolan, Dennis E., 1872-1956
Dates
- Existence: 1872-04-22 - 1956-02-24
Biography
Graduate of West Point, 1896. He chose infantry over cavalry. He began his military career as a 2LT assigned to the 3d Infantry (Old Guard) at Fort Snelling Minnesota.
August 1896 transferred to 1st Infantry Regiment, Presidio of San Francisco, for two years.
During the Spanish-American War, 1898. Nolan transferred to Louisiana, immediately ordered to Tampa, Florida to become part of the assault on Cuba. Although the first land engagement of the war was a disaster, Nolan would receive the Silver Star and it afforded Nolan the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership capabilities.
By June 28, 1898, 2LT Nolan now Acting Assistant Adjutant General of the 2d Brigade, 2d Division. The assault on El Caney would earn Nolan his second citation for gallantry under fire.
Present at the ceremony for the surrender of Santiago, 2LT Nolan was there as Aide-de-Camp to General Chambers McKibben. For his service Nolan was promoted to First Lieutenant, Infantry, December 14, 1898.
Upon return from the S-A War, Nolan was assigned to the 13th Infantry Reg., Camp Meade, Maryland and Fort McKenzie, GA. Within the year he would be ordered to the Philippines, arriving in Manila in August 1899 and temporarily promoted to Major and assigned the command of one of the squadrons of the 11th U.S. Volunteer Cavalry. It was during this service he first came to the attention of John J. Pershing and James G. Harbord. Nolan distinguished himself in the campaigns and Brigadier General Schwann wrote "Major Nolan has proved himself to be an officer of dash, enterprise, and withal excellent judgement".
Nolan was reassigned for temporary duty as the Acting Inspector General, Headquarters Division of the Philippines. In Feb 1901 he was appointed the Acting Adjutant General, First District, Dept. of Northern Luzon. In the summer of 1901 Nolan was promoted to the permanent rank of captain in the Regular Army and headed back to the U.S.
August 1901 Cpt Nolan was appointed as an instructor at West Point for a two-year tour.
Summer 1903, Cpt Nolan was one of the few captains selected for service with the Army's first General Staff, created by Secretary of War Elihu Root in 1903. Nolan's most valuable contact during his 3 years in Washington was a senior captain John J. Pershing. Their early careers mirrored one anothers.
Summer 1906, Cpt Nolan joined a delegation to France to observe army maneuvers.
1907-1911 Cpt Nolan back to Philippines, initially assigned as Acting Adjutant General to BG John J. Pershing at Fort William McKinley.
1911, He was assigned to California to serve as Adjutant for the 30th Infantry Regiment.
1912 He was ordered to Alaska 30th Infantry at Fort Seward.
Spring 1915 He was redetailed to the General Staff in Washington, assigned to the War College Division of the General Staff. Given the assignment to prepare a threat estimate of Germany's military capability. His report was exaggerated but this was due more to the fact that the War Department possessed no threat analysis or even viable intelligence summaries upon which to draw.
Nolan also prepared a memorandum for the Chief of Staff, Major General Hugh L. Scott advocating a draft, who subsequently raised the issue with the new Secretary of War, Newton Baker. Cpt Nolan was placed in charge of preparing the case for universal service. The Selective Service Act did not become law until May 1917, and it wasn't until Sept that men were drafted for duty.
Pres. Wilson placed BG John J. Pershing in command of the AEF. He selected Major James G. Harbord as his Chief of Staff. Only two officers from the War Department General Staff were to be released to accompany the expedition. Nolan was selected to head the Intelligence Section of the General Staff. He was now Chief of the Intelligence Services of the American Expeditionary Force, a position he held throughout the war as the first real G2.
27 May 1917, Maj Nolan sailed with Pershing on the SS Baltic for France.
Drawing on the best of both the French and British intelligence services, Nolan built the Army's intelligence service from the ground up, creating a multidiscipline intelligence organization on a scale never before seen in the U.S. Army.
WWI, for the first time, saw American military intelligence employing many of the basic intelligence disciplines still being used today: aerial reconnaissance, radio intelligence, interrogation teams, and counterintelligence agents. Modern technologies had changed the nature of the battlefield and the combat commander's intelligence requirements. In trench warfare, the problem was not to find the enemy, but to study the detail of the enemy's entrenchments.
The enormous mass of information flowing into the G2 logically led to a publishing role. The Information Division produced daily, weekly, and special reports.
August 1917, temporarily promoted to Colonel.
Ventured into newspaper publishing by starting The Stars and Stripes, the best-known military newspaper of all time.
Argonne-Meuse Offensive – BG Nolan assigned to take command of the 28th Division’s 55th Infantry Brigade, Sept. 28, 1918 tasked with holding Apremont against three counterattacks by the Germans.
After the Armistice, Nolan accompanied the American delegation to the Peace Conference at Versailles. Served on the subcommittee charged with drafting the portion of the treaty relating to German disarmament. Remained the Chief of the Intelligence Services, AEF, until demobilization, which occurred after the signing of the Treaty, June 28, 1919.
Report to Washington as Director of the Course in Military Intelligence at the General Staff College.
August 1920 appointed first peacetime Director of Military Intelligence Division (G-2).
August 1921 reassigned to command the Artillery Brigade of the 2d Division, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio TX. Following this he became the commanding general of the division.
Next War Department General Staff as the Assistant Chief of Staff in Charge of Supply (G-4). He became Deputy Chief of Staff on Sept 13, 1924. Promoted to Major General on Jan 18, 1925.
Nolan now held second highest office in the Army. Continued as Deputy Chief of Staff until March 1926 at which time he was detailed to the disarmament conference
While still in Europe Nolan was named as the next commander of the 5th Corps Area for four years.
Final assignment - Commander of the Second Corps Area.
1 October 1933 First Army Headquarters was activated at Governor’s Island. During Nolan’s last 2 years at Second Corps, he was dual hated as Commanding General First Army, becoming the first peacetime commander of First Army.
Retired April 30, 1936 at the mandatory age of 64.