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Maurice Rose was the son and grandson of rabbis from Poland. Rose was at the time the highest ranking Jew in the U.S. Army, though he was not especially religious, did not publicize his faith, and claimed in his Army records to be Protestant.

In his U.S. Army career, which spanned 1916 to 1945, Major General Maurice Rose served in both World War I & II. In France in WW I he saw combat as a 19-year-old first lieutenant with the 89th Infantry Division in the Meuse-Argonne and at St. Mihiel offencive. He was wounded (scrapnel and concussion). After the war he returned to civilian life as a saleman, but shortly after his marriage he returned to the military. He took his army reentrance examination in August, 1920, and won his commission Nov. 26 that year. he was commissioned a first lieutenant and captain the same day, permanent commissions. In December of 1920 he was assigned to Fort Douglas, where he became captant adjutant of the 38th infantry. In 1925 he went to Fort Benning, Georgia, where his son was born.

Major General Rose took command of the 3rd Armored Division in the midst of the Normandy break-through and galvanized it into a striking force that certainly had no superior anywhere.

A few miles south of the city of Paderborn in a rural forest area, General Rose was riding at the front of the Task Force Welborn column. The front of this column consisted of his own jeep, a jeep in front of him, a tank at the lead of the column, an armored car behind him, and a motorcycle messenger bringing up the rear. Suddenly they began taking small arms fire as well as tank and anti-tank fire. General Rose, along with the other men, jumped into a nearby ditch with his Thompson sub-machine gun as the lead tank took a direct hit and was destroyed. When they realized that they were being surrounded by German tanks they re-entered their jeeps and tried to escape. They drove off the road and through a nearby field before heading back towards the road. When arriving back at the road they realized it was occupied by numerous German Tiger tanks. The lead jeep gunned its engine and narrowly made it past the Tiger tanks and escaped to the other side. The driver of General Rose's jeep attempted to do the same but one of the Tigers turned to cut them off and as Rose's jeep was passing the Tiger tank wedged the jeep against a tree. The top hatch of the Tiger tank flung open and a German soldier appeared pointing a machine pistol at the group in the jeep. General Rose reached towards his pistol holster (either to throw it to the ground or in an attempt to fight back). The German soldier shot him several times with at least one round hitting Rose in the head. It is believed that the German tank crews never had any idea that the man they killed was a general because sensitive documents, as well as General Rose's body, were not removed from his jeep.