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Michael D. Withers (Mike), OSCS
to remember
Carpender, Arthur Schuyler ("Chips"), ADM.
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Contact Info
Home Town New Brunswick, NJ
Last Address Georgetown, MD
Date of Passing Jan 10, 1960
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Arthur Schuyler Carpender (October 24, 1884-1960) was an American Vice Admiral during World War II commanding U.S. naval forces in the Southwest Pacific.
A direct descendant of Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven, was born to John Neilson Carpender and Anna Neilson Kemp on October 24, 1884.
Entering the United States Navy in the late 1890s, Carpender would eventually commanding the Destroyers Atlantic Fleet from December 1941 to June 1942, Carpender was assigned to General Douglas MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Force on September 11, 1942 succeeding former deputy Admiral Leary. Although disagreeing on the deployment of the small naval force, particularly on sending Allied destroyers and submarines to support Australian forces near Buna during the Lilliput Plan, Carpender worked with McArthur to combat the severe supply shortages hindering "MacArthur's Navy" (later reorganized as the U.S. 7th Fleet on February 19, 1943).
Observing the capabilities of PT boats during his evacuation from the Philippines, MacArthur encouraged their use as Carpender effectively made use of the torpedo boats during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea on March 25, 1943. Along with Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey, Carpender would oversee the fleet's operations during Operation Cartwheel.
Replaced by Admiral Thomas C. Kincaid on November 26, Carpender would later command the Ninth Naval District from January 3, 1944 until September 2, 1945, during which time the construction of the USS Macabi (SS-375) would be sponsored by Carpender's wife, before his retirement in 1946. Carpender would continue to live in retirement with his wife Helena until his death in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC on 10 Jan 1960.
World War II/European-African-Middle Eastern Theater
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
September / 1945
Description The European-Mediterranean-Middle East Theater was a major theater of operations during the Second World War (between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946). The vast size of Europe, Mediterranean and Middle East theatre saw interconnected naval, land, and air campaigns fought for control of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The fighting in this theatre lasted from 10 June 1940, when Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, until 2 May 1945 when all Axis forces in Italy surrendered. However, fighting would continue in Greece – where British troops had been dispatched to aid the Greek government – during the early stages of the Greek Civil War.
The British referred to this theatre as the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre (so called due to the location of the fighting and the name of the headquarters that controlled the initial fighting: Middle East Command) while the Americans called the theatre of operations the Mediterranean Theatre of War. The German official history of the fighting is dubbed 'The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942'. Regardless of the size of the theatre, the various campaigns were not seen as neatly separated areas of operations but part of one vast theatre of war.
Fascist Italy aimed to carve out a new Roman Empire, while British forces aimed initially to retain the status quo. Italy launched various attacks around the Mediterranean, which were largely unsuccessful. With the introduction of German forces, Yugoslavia and Greece were overrun. Allied and Axis forces engaged in back and forth fighting across North Africa, with Axis interference in the Middle East causing fighting to spread there. With confidence high from early gains, German forces planned elaborate attacks to be launched to capture the Middle East and then to possibly attack the southern border of the Soviet Union. However, following three years of fighting, Axis forces were defeated in North Africa and their interference in the Middle East was halted. Allied forces then commenced an invasion of Southern Europe, resulting in the Italians switching sides and deposing Mussolini. A prolonged battle for Italy took place, and as the strategic situation changed in southeast Europe, British troops returned to Greece.
The theatre of war, the longest during the Second World War, resulted in the destruction of the Italian Empire and altered the strategic position of Germany resulting in numerous German divisions being deployed to Africa and Italy and total losses (including those captured upon final surrender) being over half a million. Italian losses, in the theatre, amount to around to 177,000 men with a further several hundred thousand captured during the process of the various campaigns. British losses amount to over 300,000 men killed, wounded, or captured, and total American losses in the region amounted to 130,000.