Courtesy Photo | Philip Haxall Bagby while at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, 1924 (courtesy photo).... read more read more
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by Fiona G. Holter, USAICoE Staff Historian
In December 1919, Lt. Col. Philip H. Bagby, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, American Forces in Germany, received a Distinguished Service Medal for meritorious service throughout the First World War. While the award was a culmination of his service in the war, it was a testament to his twenty-year Army career.
When the U.S. entered World War I in April 1917, Lt. Col. (then Capt.) Philip Bagby was stationed with the 15th Infantry in Tientsin, China, where the regiment exercised military control over the Peking-Mukden Railway through the American sector of China. In August 1917, Capt. Bagby received orders back to the U.S., where he spent the next five months at Camp Fremont, California, as the camp adjutant and commanding officer of the 2d Battalion, 8th Infantry. In January 1918, Bagby (now a major) received orders to Washington D.C., where he worked with the Executive Division of the General Staff until he deployed to France in June 1918.
In France, Bagby attended the third course at the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) General Staff College in Langres, taking classes on artillery planning, logistics, and intelligence. Two weeks before the class officially ended, one-third of the students, including Bagby, received new orders to the front to assist units in preparation for the St. Mihiel offensive. Bagby, now a lieutenant colonel, spent the next month on staff with the 1st Infantry Division.
After the Battle of St. Mihiel, Bagby served in several intelligence positions beginning as an intelligence liaison officer between the British and American General Headquarters. In December 1918, he became the director of the Army Intelligence School in Langres, overseeing its final month of operation. Finally, from 1919-1924, Bagby served as the assistant chief of staff, G-2, American Forces Germany. In 1924, he finally received orders to return to the U.S. after six years overseas.
In December 1919, Colonel Bagby was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his support to Army intelligence in the final year of the war. His citation explained that between 1918-1919, Bagby became known for his “steadfast loyalty and military ability of a high order.” His “unusual ability in delicate and vital matters…his rare powers of discernment, [and] tact and sound judgement” were unmatched in his commands.
In March 1921, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs bestowed one of Belgium’s highest honors on Bagby, making him an Officer of the Order of the Crown for meritorious service as a commissioned officer who provided support to Belgium while overseas. In 1924, Bagby received orders to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In March 1926, Colonel Bagby’s health began to decline, and he passed away at the age of forty-four.
| Date Taken: | 11.29.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.29.2022 10:18 |
| Story ID: | 434106 |
| Location: | FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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