Henning Linden

Henning Linden (September 3, 1892 – March 15, 1984) was a United States Army brigadier general during World War II. He was prominent for his role in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp while serving as Deputy Commander of the 42nd Infantry Division.

Henning Linden
Linden as Assistant Division Commander of the 42nd Infantry Division in World War II
Born(1892-09-03)September 3, 1892
Mound, Minnesota
DiedMarch 15, 1984(1984-03-15) (aged 91)
McLean, Virginia
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1917–1952
RankBrigadier General
UnitU.S. Army Infantry Branch
Commands heldTask Force Linden
53rd Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsSilver Star
Legion of Merit (2)
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Spouse(s)Marguerite Rachel Harshaw (m. 1922-1979, her death)
Children1

Early life

Henning Linden was born as Carl Henning Linden in Mound, Minnesota on September 3, 1892,[1][2][3] to Swedish immigrant parents Charles A. Linden and Mary (Seaquist) Linden.[4] He graduated from South High School in Minneapolis in 1912.[5][6] Linden completed the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of Minnesota and was a cadet captain, graduating in 1917 with a degree in civil engineering.[7][8][9] He then joined the United States Army as a second lieutenant of Infantry, assigned to the 40th Infantry Regiment.[10][11][12]

World War I to World War II

Linden commanded a company of the 33rd Infantry Regiment in Panama during World War I, and afterwards served in several command and staff assignments of increasing rank and responsibility.[13] In the early 1920s Linden was Assistant Professor of Military Science for the ROTC program at the University of Maryland.[14] In the early 1930s Linden was adjutant of the garrison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[15]

In 1936 Linden graduated from the Command and General Staff College and was reassigned to Fort McClellan, Alabama, where he commanded the 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment.[16][17][18]

In the early 1940s Linden was an Assistant Professor of Military Science for the ROTC program at Boston University.[19]

World War II

At the start of World War II Linden was commander of the 53rd Infantry Regiment in the Aleutian Islands as the United States retook them from Japan.[20]

In 1943 Linden was promoted to brigadier general as Assistant Division Commander of the 42nd (Rainbow) Infantry Division.[21] He commanded its three infantry regiments as "Task Force Linden", which arrived in Marseille, France, that fall, deployed in an attempt to prevent two German armies in Alsace from breaking out, and successfully defended along a 30-mile front.[22][23][24] Two units of "Task Force Linden", the 222nd Infantry Regiment and 1st Battalion 242nd Regiment, were awarded Presidential Unit Citations for extraordinary heroism.[25][26]

At the end of January 1945 the remainder of the division arrived in France, and as part of the Seventh Army the 42nd penetrated German defenses in the Haardt mountains, crossed the Siegfried Line, bridged the Rhine River, and captured the cities of Würzburg, Schweinfurt, Fürth and Donauwörth.[27][28]

Dachau liberation
Main article: Dachau concentration camp § Liberation
SS men confer with General Henning Linden (netted helmet, looking right) during the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp (April 29, 1945)

On April 29, 1945 Linden led a 42nd Division detachment to liberate the Dachau concentration camp.[29] Journalists including Marguerite Higgins traveled with Linden's detachment, resulting in international headlines about the soldiers' liberation of more than 30,000 Jews and political prisoners.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]

Post-World War II

After World War II Linden served in occupied Austria as Deputy Commander of the American Occupation Zone. After returning to the United States he was Chief of the Army's Military Arts Department at the Engineer School until he retired in 1952.[39][40][41]

Awards and decorations

Linden's awards and decorations included:[42][43][44]

Silver Star
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
World War I Victory Medal
World War II Victory Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with (3) bronze service stars
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
American Defense Service Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Croix de Guerre (France)
Commander of the Order of Leopold II (Belgium)

Death and burial

Linden died in McLean, Virginia on March 15, 1984.[45] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 1, Site 792-E.[46]

Family

On August 5, 1922, Linden married Marguerite Rachel Harshaw (1892-1979).[47][48] They were the parents of a son, John Henning Linden (1924-2007).[48][49]

Dachau controversy

For years there has been an ongoing controversy between adherents of Felix L. Sparks and those of Linden over whether the 45th Infantry Division or 42nd Division troops led by Linden were the actual liberators of Dachau.[50] Linden's son, Colonel John H. Linden addressed the question in 1997's Surrender of the Dachau Concentration Camp, 29 APR 45: The True Account, referring to numerous firsthand accounts and primary-source documents to bolster his father's version of events.[51]

Looting controversy

Historians and authors researching World War II have found fault with Linden, Harry J. Collins and other officers who performed occupation duty after the war, suggesting that they requisitioned luxury items from the Hungarian Gold Train for furnishing their offices and quarters — items allegedly taken from Jewish families by the Nazis during the war.[52] Linden is reported to have received 10 rugs for his quarters on the von Trapp Estate.[52] Many items were not returned to their original owners, who had been killed or displaced during the war, but were later sold at auctions, with the proceeds used to aid war refugees.[53]

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References
  1. Minnesota Births and Christenings Index, 1840–1980, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
  2. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
  3. UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878–1960, Record for USNS William O. Darby, May 1959, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
  4. Kastrup, Allan The Swedish heritage in America:the Swedish element in America and American-Swedish relations in their historical perspective. 1975. Page 738. ISBN 1299908055.
  5. "South High Swedish prize Given to Henning Linden". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, MN. May 29, 1912. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Junior Class (1917). "The Gopher: University of Minnesota Yearbook". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. p. 516. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  7. U.S. Army Adjutant General, U.S. Army Register, 1920, page 787
  8. University of Minnesota, President's Report, Volume 21, Issue 37, 1918, page 149
  9. University of Minnesota, Bulletin, Volume 20, Issue 20, 1917, page 126
  10. The American Swedish Monthly, published by Swedish Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A., January 1, 1944
  11. U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1920, page 787
  12. United States Committee on Public Information, The Official Bulletin, Recently Appointed Second Lieutenants Assigned, November 26, 1917, page 7
  13. Army List and Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1919, page 122
  14. University of Maryland, Biennial Report, 1921, page 157
  15. Newspaper article, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Jefferson City Post-Tribune, April 17, 1933
  16. Newspaper column, Army Orders, March 12, 1936
  17. United States Army Command and General Staff College, Annual Report for 1935–36, 1936, page 6
  18. Army and Navy Journal, Inc., Army and Navy Journal, Volume 74, Issues 1–26, 1936, page 17
  19. Annual Report for 1940, published by Boston University, 1941 (Volume 30, Issue 31), page 34
  20. Bellamy Park: Memoirs, by Bradford Grethen Chynoweth, 1975, page 177
  21. Chicago Tribune, Henning Linden Wins Brigadier General's Star, July 11, 1943
  22. Jean Bryant, Pittsburgh Press, Dachau Survivor, Lierators Meet Here 33 Years Later, July 16, 1978
  23. Flint Whitlock, Given Up for Dead: American GIs in the Nazi Concentration Camp at Berga, 2009, page 104
  24. Kenneth K. Hatfield, Heartland Heroes: Remembering World War II, 2003, page 185
  25. Howard J. Leavitt, Tales of Valor, 2004, page 338
  26. Turner Publishing, The Legacy of the Purple Heart, Volume 2, 2001, page 96
  27. Newspaper article, "42d 'Rainbow' Division, With U.S. 7th Army First Regiments Reach France in November", Chicago Tribune, February 7, 1945
  28. First to the Rhine: The 6th Army Group in World War II, by Harry Yeide and Mark Stout, 2007, page 285
  29. Dann, Sam (1998). Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press. pp. 14–30. ISBN 978-0-89672-391-7. henning linden dachau entrance.
  30. Newspaper article, Yanks Release 32,000 From Infamous Dachau Prison, by Howard Cowan, Associated Press, Modesto Bee And Herald-News, May 1, 1945
  31. Newspaper article, Yankees Free 32,000 In Camp, Piqua Daily Call, May 2, 2945
  32. Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs, by Sam Dann, 1998, page 16
  33. Justice at Dachau: The Trials of an American Prosecutor, by Joshua Greene, 2003, page 8
  34. Five Days That Shocked the World, by Nicholas Best, 2012, page 104
  35. Newspaper article, Yanks Storm Past Trainloads of Bodies to Free 32,000 Prisoners at Bloody Dachau Camp, Associated Press, Spokane Daily Chronicle, April 30, 1945
  36. Dachau Survivor, Liberators Meet Here 33 Years Later, by Jean Bryant, Pittsburgh Press, July 16, 1978
  37. Newspaper article, Dachau Exhibit Opens at New York State Military Museum, The Saratogian, April 14, 2011
  38. Lee Miller: A Life, by Carolyn Burke, 2005, page 258
  39. Newspaper article, Linden Gets Farewell Salute, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Edition, January 19, 1948
  40. Newspaper article, Commander Retires, by Associated Press, Kingsport Times, September 30, 1952
  41. Frederick Deane Goodwin Williams, SLAM, the Influence of S.L.A. Marshall on the United States Army, 1994, page 59
  42. U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1959, page 606
  43. Official U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1965, page 320
  44. Benda, Chuck, ed. (July–August 1984). "Class Notes: Deaths; Henning Linden" (PDF). Minnesota. St. Cloud, MN: University of Minnesota Alumni Association. p. 52.
  45. Social Security Death Index, entry for Henning Linden, accessed via Ancestry.com, February 20, 2012
  46. Death Notice, Henning Linden, Washington Post, March 19, 1984
  47. "Wedding Announcement: Linden-Harshaw". Army and Navy Journal. New York, NY. August 12, 1922. p. 1236 – via Google Books.
  48. "Obituary: Marguerite Linden". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. September 6, 1979.
  49. National Cemetery Administration (October 3, 2007). "Burial Record, John Henning Linden". Nationwide Gravesite Locator. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  50. Jensen, Ron (April 2013). "First Through the Gates of Hell". National Guard. Washington, DC: National Guard Association of the United States. p. 74.
  51. Linden, John H. (1997). Surrender of the Dachau Concentration Camp, 29 APR 45: The True Account. Elm Grove, WI: Sycamore Press Ltd. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-9665-1510-7 – via Google Books.
  52. Alford, Kenneth D. (2011). Allied Looting in World War II. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-7864-8014-2 – via Google Books.
  53. JTA Archives (January 21, 1947). "U.S. to Give Refugee Committee Valuables Stripped from Hungarian Jews by Nazis". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. New York, NY. Retrieved July 14, 2020.

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