Brown served on the War Department staff at the start of World War II, and subsequently served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Training at Headquarters, Army Ground Forces. During the U.S. Army's huge wartime expansion he was accused of encouraging Regular Army officers to have National Guard senior officers replaced by writing negative performance evaluations on them, enabling Regular Army officers to fill these positions and receive promotions and command assignments. In 1942 he became the assistant division commander of the 102nd Infantry Division as a temporary brigadier general. In February 1943 he was promoted to temporary major general as commanding general of the 28th Infantry Division, an Army National Guard formation, succeeding Major General Omar Bradley, who had been assigned as Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower's personal representative in the North African Theater of Operations. Brown led the division during training in the United States and left for the United Kingdom in October 1943, arriving in South Wales soon afterwards. The division trained there until late July 1944 when it was sent to Northern France to take part in the Allied invasion of Normandy, and saw its first combat in Operation Cobra, in an attempt to break out of the Normandybeachhead and end the temporary stalemate. He served until being relieved in August 1944 over concerns that his division was not progressing rapidly enough against German defenses. Brown's performance and subsequent reputation were mixed. Major General Charles H. Corlett, then commanding the XIX Corps, thought Brown needed a medical leave because he was sick and "rundown." One of Brown's battalion commanders thought Brown was not up to the challenge of commanding large units in combat and described him as "frantic." Bradley, now a lieutenant general, commanding the U.S. 12th Army Group, and Eisenhower believed Brown was personally brave, but not an inspirational leader, and that his soldiers under performed as a result. Unlike several other division commanders who were relieved and later received second opportunities to command, such as Terry Allen and Orlando Ward, in Brown's case Eisenhower recommended to George Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, that he not be given another command, and Marshall concurred. Brown was replaced by James Edward Wharton, who was killed by a sniper while visiting his front line units soon after he took command. Wharton was replaced by Norman Cota. Brown reverted to his permanent rank of colonel and served in various staff assignments, including Director of Training at the U.S. Army Infantry School, until retiring on 31 December 1948. Upon retirement, he was promoted to major general on the retired list.
Death and burial
Brown died in Washington, Georgia on February 17, 1950, and was buried at Resthaven Cemetery in Washington.
Legacy
His home in Washington, Georgia, the Leitner-Norris Home, was built circa 1814. It is still a privately owned residence, and a local historic landmark. Lloyd Brown Hall at Fort Benning was named for him.
Awards
Silver Star
Legion of Merit
World War I Victory Medal with four campaign clasps
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one campaign star
Lloyd Brown's first wife was Benita Allen, whom he married in 1919. In 1929 he married Katherine Green Brown. With his first wife he had a son, Allen Davidson Brown.
