Omar Bradley

Omar Bradley
Historical Figure
Nationality:	United States
Year of Birth:	1893
Year of Death:	1981
Cause of Death:	Cardiac arrhythmia
Occupation:	Author of Non-Fiction, Educator, Soldier
Spouse:	Mary Elizabeth Quayle ( 1965) Esther Dora "Kitty" Buhler
Military Branch:	United States Army (World War I, World War II, Korean War)
Fictional Appearances:

The Hot War POD: November, 1950
Appearance(s):	Armistice
Type of Appearance:	Direct
Political Office(s):	U.S. Secretary of Defense

Omar Nelson Bradley KCB (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was a United States Army General, serving in North Africa and Europe during World War II. From the Normandy landings through the end of the war in Europe, Bradley had command of all U.S. ground forces invading Germany from the west; he ultimately commanded 43 divisions and 1.3 million men, the largest body of American soldiers ever to serve under a U.S. field commander. After the war, Bradley headed the Veterans Administration and became Chief of Staff of the United States Army. In 1949, he was appointed the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the following year oversaw the policy-making for the Korean War, before retiring from active service in 1953.

Bradley was the last of only nine people to hold five-star rank in the United States Armed Forces.

Omar Bradley in The Hot War

Omar Bradley became Secretary of Defense for the United States in June 1952, during World War III. He was appointed unilaterally by President Harry Truman after the previous Defense Secretary, George Marshall, was killed in the Soviet atomic bombing of Washington, DC. Truman selected Bradley and the rest of his cabinet without the advice and consent of the Senate, which was not yet a going concern.

Bradley informed Truman that the new hydrogen bomb had been successfully tested on Eniwetok in the South Pacific. A week later, Bradley confirmed "Long Reach": that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had been located in Omsk. Truman ordered the h-bomb be deployed against Omsk, realizing that, even if Stalin escaped, the attack could prove decisive. The attack was successful, and Stalin was killed.

In mid-October, 1952, the communist government of Poland promised an amnesty if Warsaw surrendered on 31 October, 1952. However, the Red Army rolled in on 26 October. When Secretary Bradley informed Truman, Truman wanted to complain to the Soviet ambassador, Georgi Zarubin. Bradley advised him against it, since Truman had no intention of restarting the war to protect Poland. Truman saw the logic, and agreed with Bradley's advice.

Bradley then reminded Truman that the Congressional elections were a few days away. Truman took for granted that the Republicans would win the majority, and decided the best course of action was to veto any bills that helped the Midwest, but did not help the bombed cities on the coasts. He knew Stevenson would follow that course of action, though he also had no expectation that Stevenson would actually be president. He asked Bradley what he thought Eisenhower would do. Bradley acknowledged that Eisenhower's talent was getting various factions to work together, and so would probably follow Truman's lead. Both had no idea what Richard Nixon would do, but given his California residency, Truman conceded Nixon could also follow Truman's lead.

Omar Bradley in Worldwar

Worldwar POD: May 30, 1942
Appearance(s):	In the Balance through Striking the Balance
Type of Appearance:	Direct
Military Branch:	United States Army (WWII, Race Invasion of Tosev 3)

Omar Bradley was one of the most successful generals in United States' war against the Race's Conquest Fleet. He and General George Patton scored a major victory in the winter offensive in 1942. Later, Bradley defeated the Lizard offensive against Denver.

After the Race's fleet arrived in 1942, Bradley became one of the key U.S. generals responsible for successfully defending American soil. In Winter 1942, he and General Patton launched a successful counter-offensive against the Race after its successful attack on Chicago, the first counter-offensive the U.S. had been able to launch. The planned encirclement succeeded, preventing the Race from advancing beyond Chicago.

In 1944, Bradley and General Leslie Groves oversaw the defense of Denver, the city that housed the U.S.'s vitally important atomic bomb program. The battle was fought just outside the city. When the U.S. deployed an atomic bomb against the invaders, the offensive was halted, and the city saved. A ceasefire came shortly after.

Omar Bradley in Joe Steele

Joe Steele POD: 1878; Relevant POD: July, 1932
Novel or Story?:	Novel only
Type of Appearance:	Direct
Military Branch:	US Army (WWII)

Omar Bradley first came to prominence as part of the military tribunal that presided over the trial of the Supreme Court Four. He survived the military purges that came after a soldier attempted to assassinate President Joe Steele in 1937 and became a general during World War II. His first major success came with a landing of US and British troops in North Africa in 1942, driving the German forces out of Egypt through Libya and back to Tunisia. He was also responsible for opening the second front in Europe with the successful landings in Normandy in 1944. With the war won, the Germans tried to surrender to Bradley's and English forces but Steele ordered him to refuse and have them surrender to Soviet forces as had been previously agreed.

The Republican Party tried to recruit Bradley as their presidential nominee in 1952, but Bradley (after some prompting from Joe Steele's allies) declined.

Literary Comment

In the short story, General Dwight Eisenhower plays the same role he did in OTL in Europe. In the novel Eisenhower is sent to Japan while Bradley takes on Eisenhower's OTL role.