Unparalleled Leadership in the Chemical Warfare Service

by Jack Saroni

Charles S. Shadle

November 1, 1888 – March 1, 1985

Charles Shadle in 1946, near his retirement. (Find a Grave)[1]

While the legacy of chemical warfare is complicated and somewhat infamous, the United States Chemical Warfare Service has occupied an important role within the US military. General Charles Shadle was instrumental in establishing much of the leadership infrastructure during the Second World War, serving with distinction in both North Africa and Italy. After the war, Charles remained in the Chemical Warfare Service, commanding the Rocky Mountain Arsenal until his retirement in 1947.

Born the second youngest of five, a young Charles Shadle was born to Issac and Ina Shadle on the 1st of November 1888. In Pittsburgh, where the family of seven resided during the turn of the century, Issac worked as an electrician while Ina remained home and watched the children, whose ages varied over almost 20 years. Despite the large number of family members, everyone who was mature enough could read and write as of the 1900 census,[3] suggesting that the Shadle family was educated more than average for the time. During the late 1800s, just around the time Charles was growing up, Pittsburgh experienced an industrial boom, spurred on by large coal reserves found in the region. The population of Pittsburgh exploded as thousands were drawn to the city looking for work.[4]

During this same time, in the years prior to the breakout of the Great War, Charles attended and graduated from Dickinson High School in Altoona, Pennsylvania.[5] After graduating from Dickinson, Charles worked as a stenographer in a Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) office in Blair, Pennsylvania, the same place where his father Issac was employed as an electrician. At the time, the PRR was one of the most profitable companies in the US, controlling miles of vital rail lines.[6] Given both Charles and his father’s employment at PRR, the Shadle family was likely well provided for in the pre-war years. As a stenographer, Charles developed many of the clerical and administrative skills that made him such a competent officer in the US military.

The United States entered World War One in 1917, and Charles enlisted in the Army shortly thereafter, the first demonstration of many of his commitment to serving his country.[7] He was called into service in March 1918 and was shipped off to France, where he saw action in several engagements as a private in the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). This culminated in Charles receiving slight injuries while involved in combat in Chateau-Thierry on July 25th, 1918. The Battle of Chateau-Thierry marked one of the first major offensives by the relatively untested AEF, and the resulting victory over the battle-hardened Germans cemented the “doughboys” as serious contenders in the conflict.[8]

Not much is known about what kinds of specific injuries Charles received during the battle, but it did not stop him from dutifully serving his country for another 20 years. As a result of his valiant service throughout his time in France, Charles Shadle was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, while also receiving the Croix de Guerre, a French military distinction. In order to earn such an award, a solider or unit must display exemplary courage or bravery in combat. In addition to the Croix de Guerre, Charles received all seven American Battle Stars.[9] During his early time in the army, Charles also graduated from the Chemical Warfare School, and entered the Chemical Warfare Service (CWS), where he would provide leadership and organization critical to the CWS’s operations in World War Two and beyond. [10]

After the Treaty of Versailles had been signed and demobilization began, Shadle was honorable discharged from the Army on December 6th, 1918, and returned home to Pittsburgh. In the interwar years, Charles remained in the army, and married Martha Grace McCall in 1920 at Sherman Oaks Military Base.[11] A few years after that, while he was stationed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, he and Grace had two children: Charles Jr. who was born in 1923, and Robert born in 1925.[12] As fate would have it, Charles Jr. would eventually become commander of the very place he was born, after following his father both into the Army and Chemical Warfare Service.[13] Charles would then be stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas,[14] where he and his family remained until they relocated again to Fort Benning, Georgia in the mid 1930s. Never spending more than a few years in one location, the Shadle family endured the grind of a military family, having to frequently move and adapt to new situations.[15]

In the years directly preceding the war, Charles was promoted to Lt. Colonel and remained an important officer within the CWS. Following the first war where chemical weapons were used on a large scale, the United States Chemical Warfare Service greatly expanded its warfighting capabilities and research advancements. Unlike other services in the military, the CWS “found itself in the unenviable position of preparing for an unconventional kind of warfare that never came to pass.”[16] The CWS was based out of the Aberdeen Proving Ground, where Charles and his colleagues would have studied and prepared for the implementation of various chemical agents.[17] However, due to President Roosevelt’s “no first use” policy regarding chemical weapons, the CWS had to adapt and utilize other measures at its disposal to support US military interests. This included employing smoke and incendiary devices in lieu of offensive chemical weapons, an effort that Charles was directly involved in during the Second World War.[18]

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the US again entering in a global conflict, Charles Shadle donned his uniform for one more war, this time at the age of 54. Despite his age as compared to other G.I.s, Charles’s experience and aptitude for leadership carried him far while serving under General Eisenhower in the Mediterranean/African theater. Having spent almost the entirety of his career in CWS prior to the Second World War, Lt. Col. Shadle was uniquely positioned to fulfill the many responsibilities awaiting him in Northern Africa.[19]

“Colonel Shadle (seated) and Staff in Algiers, Fall of 1943” [20]

Charles was instrumental in the establishment of the Chemical Warfare Service command in Europe and North Africa, and was appointed Chief Chemical Officer, Allied Force Headquarters (AFHQ). In August 1942, he was given this promotion by no less than General Eisenhower himself, who tasked Charles with preparing possible chemical weapons for the upcoming invasion of Northern Africa. Overseen by Eisenhower, who had supreme command over all Allied forces in the war and directed operations in the Mediterranean theater, Operation Torch [21] constituted the first mass invasion on the European front, as well as the first large-scale aerial bombing of the war. The fact that Shadle participated in the first American engagements of both World Wars is truly remarkable.

When Eisenhower needed a man in charge of Chemical Operations for the offensive, Lt. Col. Shadle Charles proved quite gifted in this important administrative role, organizing logistics across the entire theater, while earning the admiration and respect of his superiors. Considered to have a looser and more relaxed leadership style, “he was commended by British as well as American authorities for performance in this area.”[22] Since offensive use of chemical weapons was prohibited for US forces, Colonel Shadle and his staff were forced to assist combat operations in a much-reduced capacity, supplying smoke pots and incendiary devices to infantry.

After serving with distinction in both Africa and parts of Italy, World War Two ended, and Charles returned home to his family, which hadn't seen him for years. Charles remained in the army for two years following the war, serving as commander of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Denver. On October 31st, 1947, Shadle retired at the rank of Brigadier General,[23] marking the end of his nearly 20-year commitment to defending his country. Having spent the entirety of his career in the Chemical Warfare Service, Charles was witness to the heyday of the CWS, and retired just as chemical weapons became obsolete after the advent of nuclear weapons. Once Charles retired, the Shadles finally settled down in Denver,[24] where he was then hired by the Hyman Company and served as its director until his full retirement in 1963 caused by failing eyesight.[25] This company was a subsidiary of the Shell Corporation, which also operated the Rocky Mountain Arsenal that Charles previously commanded.

The life of Charles Jr. and his wife Hildegarde mirrored his parents closely, with the younger Charles spending over 30 years in the Army while also attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel. Most unfortunately, Charles’ other son, a captain in the Army, was killed in the Korean War in 1950.[26] In retirement, Charles remained a member of his community by joining the Masonic League and Denver Chamber of Commerce.[27] Charles lost his wife Martha in 1968, having spent over 40 years together. At the age of 96, Charles S. Shadle passed away March 1, 1985 after fighting an illness for a month. The retired General left behind a legacy of exemplary service and leadership.[28]

Footnotes ↓

[1] “Charles S Shadle- Retired Army General,” Baltimore Sun, March 5, 1985; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17868647/charles-s-shadle, accessed April 24, 2021.

[2] Brooks E. Kleber and David Birdsell, “The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat,” Washington, D.C, Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, March 15, 1966, https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-3/CMH_Pub_10-3.pdf, pp. 50-150.

[3] “1900 United States Federal Census, entry for Shadle Family”, ancestry.com, accessed April 12, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4115007_00696?usePUB=true&_phsrc=xRr45&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=46017321.

[4] “The History of Pittsburgh,” Visit Pittsburgh, accessed April 21, 2021, https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/things-to-do/arts-culture/history/.

[5] “Charles S Shadle- Retired Army General,” Baltimore Sun, March 5, 1985; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17868647/charles-s-shadle, accessed April 15, 2021.

[6] “The Pennsylvania Railroad Company,” britannica.com, accessed April 24, 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pennsylvania-Railroad-Company.

[7] “US WW1 Veterans Service and Compensation files (1917-1919),” https://www.ancestrylibrary.com, accessed on accessed April 12, 2021.

[8] “The Battle of Chateau-Thierry," History on the Net, accessed May 12, 2021, https://www.historyonthenet.com/battle-of-chateau-thierry.

[9] “Charles S Shadle- Retired Army General,” Baltimore Sun, March 5, 1985; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17868647/charles-s-shadle.

[10] US WW1 Veterans Service and Compensation files (1917-1919),” https://www.ancestrylibrary.com, accessed April 12, 2021.

[11] “US Newspapers.com, Marriage Index 1800s-1999, entry for Charles and Martha Grace Shadle,” ancestry.com, accessed April 17, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/46505929:62116.

[12] “1930 United States Federal Census, entry for Charles S Shadle,” accessed April 10, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/64134848:6224.

[13] J. Kelly, “Charles R Shadle Obituary,” Baltimore Sun, October 27, 2018, accessed April 15, 2021, https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2007-07-02-0707020086-story.html.

[14] “1930 United States Federal Census. Entry for Charles S Shadle “, ancestry.com, accessed April 16th, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/64134848:6224.

[15] Due to conflicting archival information, it is not exactly known if Charles remained in the Army throughout the entire inter-war period. However, it can be determined that he spent at least 10 years in the CWS following World War One, in which he and other officers prepared for the possibility of another global conflict involving chemical weapons.

[16] Brooks E. Kleber and David Birdsell, “The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat,” Washington, D.C, Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, March 15, 1966, https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-3/CMH_Pub_10-3.pdf.

[17] It is impossible to mention the Aberdeen Proving Ground without acknowledging the Edgewood Arsenal Human Experiments that were conducted there for over 30 years. The experiments consisted of testing a wide array of psychochemical compounds on military volunteers in order to assess the combat effectiveness of these non-lethal chemicals. While there is no evidence directly linking both Charles Sr. and Jr. to the experiments, it is likely that they were at least aware of the classified program given their high ranks within the Chemical Warfare Service.

[18] Brooks E. Kleber and David Birdsell, “The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat,” Washington, D.C, Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, March 15, 1966, https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-3/CMH_Pub_10-3.pdf.

[19] “Charles S Shadle- Retired Army General” Baltimore Sun, March 5, 1985, accessed April 24, 2021, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17868647/charles-s-shadle.

[20] Brooks E. Kleber and David Birdsell, “The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat,” Washington, D.C, Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, March 15, 1966, https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-3/CMH_Pub_10-3.pdf.

[21] “Operation Torch: Invasion of North Africa,” Naval History and Heritage Command, (n.d.), accessed April 15, 2021, https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1942/operation-torch.html.

[22] Brooks E. Kleber and David Birdsell, “The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat,” Washington, D.C, Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, March 15, 1966, https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-3/CMH_Pub_10-3.pdf.

[23] ”US Select Military Registers, 1862-1985. entry for Charles S. Shadle“, ancestry.com, accessed April 25th, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2345/images/40014_1821100517_0658-00961?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=3e65aed231c5bbc79e5591edaacc0594&usePUB=true&_phsrc=xRr33&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=2247883.

[24] ”US City Directories, 1822-1995, entry for Charles S Shadle,” ancestry.com, accessed April 13, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/871067395:2469.

[25] “Charles S Shadle Elected Director of Hyman and Co,” Denver Post, July 25, 1954, https://infoweb-newsbank-com.du.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=charles%20S%20shadle%20chemical&docref=image/v2%3A12C7581AC4BD0728%40WHNPX-1667DABE5BF5144B%402434949-1666E802E00C1FE0%4016-1666E802E00C1FE0%40.

[26] "Charles Shadle, Ex-Eisenhower Aide, Dies”, Denver Post, March 3, 1985, https://infoweb-newsbank-com.du.idm.oclc.org/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=&sort=_rank_%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=charles%20S%20shadle&docref=image/v2%3A12C7581AC4BD0728%40WHNPX-16A128E4CFB0DB67%402446128-169F36A8D0710659%4031-169F36A8D0710659%40.

[27] Ibid.

[28] “US Newspapers.com, Obituary Index 1800s-current, entry for Charles S Shadle,” ancestry.com, accessed April 18, 2021, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/573196852:61843.