John L. Pierce
John L. Pierce (April 25, 1895 – February 12, 1959) was a United States Army brigadier general who commanded the 16th Armored Division in World War II. He was born in Dallas, Texas, to lawyer Frank Cushman Pierce and Isabella. He attended West Texas Military Academy in San Antonio and Texas A&M University before joining the Army in June 1917. He served in France during World War I and later with the 8th Infantry Division in Koblenz during the occupation of Germany. He was interested in mobile warfare and armor.
During World War II, Pierce served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the 3rd Armored Division under Major General Alvan C. Gillem, then as Chief of Staff of the II Armored Corps (later XVIII Airborne Corps). He was promoted to brigadier general in June 1943 and served as Chief of Staff of Armored Command. In September 1944 he moved to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, to command the 16th Armored Division, replacing Major General Douglass T. Greene.
Pierce arrived in Europe with the 16th Armored Division in February 1945 and fought in Germany and Czechoslovakia, including the liberation of Pilsen. For his wartime service he received the Legion of Merit (two awards, including an Oak Leaf Cluster) as well as the Order of the White Lion and the War Cross from Czechoslovakia.
After the war he returned to the United States and became President of the Secretary of War's Discharge Review Board, a position he held until his retirement in 1946. John L. Pierce died on February 12, 1959, at his home in San Antonio, Texas, at age 63.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:55 (CET).