Richard Ernest Dupuy

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Richard Ernest Dupuy
Born(1887-03-24)March 24, 1887
New York City, US
DiedApril 25, 1975(1975-04-25) (aged 88)
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, United States
Allegiance United States
Service/branchUnited States Department of the Army Seal.svg United States Army
Years of service1909–1946
RankUS-O6 insignia.svg Colonel
Battles/wars

Colonel Richard Ernest Dupuy (March 24, 1887 – April 25, 1975) was a United States Army officer and military historian. Dupuy was a reporter with the New York Herald before his National Guard artillery unit was called up to serve in World War I. He transferred to the regular army after the war, serving in a number of public relations roles. During World War II, he served as acting director of public relations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. On D-Day – June 6, 1944 – Dupuy was the first to announce on radio that the invasion of Normandy was taking place. He was also present for the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender in Berlin on May 8, 1945. Dupuy retired from the Army after the war and became a prolific military historian, working with his son Trevor N. Dupuy.

Early life and World War I[]

Richard Ernest Dupuy was born on March 24, 1887 in New York City. He aspired to a career in the United States Army but his family's circumstances required him to go out to work at the age of 17. He spent three years in various clerical roles before finding employment as a junior reporter at the New York Herald. In 1909 Dupuy joined the New York Army National Guard and by 1917 he had become the Herald's shipping news editor and a features editor. After the United States joined World War I in 1917 Dupuy was deployed to France where he served in command of an artillery battery and as a staff officer of an artillery regiment. At the end of the war he transferred to the US Army, accepting a regular commission.[1] Dupuy was married to Laura Nevitt Dupuy, who was an accomplished illustrator and artist,[2] and their son Trevor Nevitt Dupuy was born in New York City on May 3, 1919.[3]

World War II[]

Richard Ernest Dupuy reads Communiqué Number One of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force announcing the invasion of Normandy

After the World War I Dupuy served in the Philippines and in a number of public relations roles including as chief of the in New York City; on the general staffs of the II Corps and the First Army and with the United States Military Academy. After the outbreak of World War II he was with the War Department's Bureau of Public Relations in Washington.[1]

Dupuy joined the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in 1943 as news chief and acting director of public relations, reporting to supreme commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. He played a key part in publicizing the Allied landings on D-Day, the first day of the invasion of Normandy, when he had the role of officially announcing the operation on radio.[1][4] In a broadcast at 12:32 am Pacific Time (3:32 am Eastern War Time) on June 6, 1944 he announced that "Under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces, began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France".[5][1] This announcement, known as Communiqué Number One, was so short that Dupuy read it out twice in a row.[5]

Dupuy remained with SHAEF for the rest of the war. He was present when the German Instrument of Surrender was signed in Berlin on May 8, 1945.[1]

Later career[]

After the war Dupuy returned to the , serving as its acting director until his retirement, as a colonel, in 1946. Dupuy was a military historian and had written a number of books in the inter-war years during his spare time. He returned to this passion in retirement and wrote 100 articles and short stories, as well as 22 published books.[1] Dupuy often collaborated with his son, also a military historian, who had served in the US Army as a colonel and commanded an artillery battery during the Burma campaign.[6]

Richard Ernest Dupuy also served as an associate editor of the Army-Navy-Air Force Journal for five years and was a director and staff editor of the from 1963. Dupuy died on April 25, 1975 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC.[1]

Publications[]

Among his books are:[7]

  • Governors Island: Its History and Development 1637–1937 (1937)
  • If War Comes (1938)
  • Perish by the sword: The Czechoslovakian Anabasis and our Supporting Campaigns in North Russia and Siberia 1918–1920 (1939)
  • World in Arms: A Study in Military Geography (1939)
  • Where They Have Trod: The West Point Tradition in American Life (1940)
  • To the Colors!: The Way of Life of an Army Officer
  • The Story of West Point: 1802–1943 (1943)
  • Soldiers' Album (1946) with Herbert L. Bergstein
  • St Vith: Lion in the Way: 106th Infantry Division in World War II (1949)
  • Men of West Point: The First 150 years of the United States Military Academy (1951)
  • The Compact History of the United States Army (1956)
  • Military Heritage of America (1956) with Trevor Dupuy
  • Brave Men and Great Captains (1959) with Trevor Dupuy
  • The Compact History of the Civil War (1960) with Trevor Dupuy
  • The Compact History of the Revolutionary War (1963)
  • 5 Days to War, April 2–6, 1917 (1967)
  • The Little Wars of the United States: A Compact History from 1798 to 1920 (1968) with William H Baumer
  • World War II: A Compact History (1969)
  • The National Guard: A Compact History (1971)
  • An Outline History of the American Revolution (1975)
  • The American Revolution, a Global War (1977)
  • The Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present (1977) with Trevor Dupuy

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Col. R. Ernest Dupuy, 88, Dead; Publicist and Military Historian". The New York Times. April 26, 1975. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "Index of Women Artists : The Johnson Collection, LLC". The Johnson Collection, LLC. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "Col. Trevor Dupuy; Military Historian, Author". Los Angeles Times. Reuters. June 9, 1995.
  4. ^ McDonough, John (1994). "The Longest Night: Broadcasting's First Invasion". The American Scholar. 63 (2): 198–201. ISSN 0003-0937. JSTOR 41212236.
  5. ^ a b Banel, Feliks (May 29, 2019). "On D-Day, West Coast radio listeners 'sat up all night by the radio'". My Northwest. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  6. ^ Graduates, United States Military Academy Association of (1991). Assembly. Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. p. 17 (Volume L, No. 3).
  7. ^ "R. Ernest Dupuy". Amazon. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
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