John C. H. Lee
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| J. C. H. Lee | |
|---|---|
| August 1, 1887 to August 30, 1958 | |
| Nickname | Jesus Christ Himself (see initials) John "Court House" Lee |
| Place of birth | Junction City, Kansas |
| Place of death | York, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Years of service | 1909-1947 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | U.S. 2nd Infantry Division Nov '41 to May '42 Services of Supply (ETO) U.S. Army forces, Mediterranean theatre |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
John Clifford Hodges Lee was a U.S. Army General. He was a 1909 graduate of the United States Military Academy. He served in World War 1, World War 2 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.
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[edit] World War I
In World War 1, Lee was a Colonel and Chief of Staff, 89th Infantry Division, earning a Distinguished Service Medal.
[edit] Between wars
Lee's training was as a military engineer. He was treasurer of the Society of American Military Engineers, 1924.
In 1927 the previous winter's rains were so great, the Mississippi River's tributaries forced great quantities of into the river system causing great flooding in Mississippi and New Orleans. Lee was the Army district engineer at Vicksburg. He wired a message to the chief of the Corps of Engineers "Levee broke...crevasse will overflow entire Mississippi Delta."
Between 1934 to 1938, as a Lt. Colonel, he was Commander of the Philadelphia District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
From 1940 to 1941 he was Commandant of the Fort Mason California Port of Embarkation. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1940.
[edit] World War 2, Services of Supply (SOS)
Gen. Lee was commanding officer of U.S. 2nd Infantry Division Nov '41 to May '42 until the reoganization of the U.S. Army.
He was promoted to Major General in 1942.
In May 1942, Lt. Gen. John C.H. Lee was put in charge of SHAEF’s Services of Supply (SOS), (COMZ). This operation ran from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.
He was considered a martinet, and due to the impression that he had a high opinion of himself and strong religious fervor, (Eisenhower compared him to Oliver Cromwell) he was often called "Jesus Christ Himself" based on his initials, J.C.H. He also became known as General John "Court House" Lee.
The Services of Supply headquarters was consolidated with headquarters, ETOUSA (European Theater of Operations, United States of America), of which Gen. Eisenhower was Supreme Commander.
Besides his role as commanding general of Services of Supply, Lee was also the deputy theater commander for supply and administration, which was co-located with the ETOUSA.
For the North African campaign, 50,000 tons of cargo was needed in November 1942. The Service of Supply organization was responsible to ship between 700,000 and 1,000,000 separate categories of supplies for the advancing Armies into France. For example, one regiment of troops could need up to 50 different types of ammunition. According to the Center for Military History, the stock pile for invasion -- over and above basic loads and equipment -- was 2,500,000 tons.
In January 1944 Lee was made deputy commander of U.S. Forces in the ETO, second in command t Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in February 1944.
[edit] Lee's challenge to Army policy
Although he may have suffered a bad reputation as a Quartermaster who was a strict disciplinarian, he was the first to challenge the Army segregation policy. Lee offered all physically fit Negro soldiers within the Services of Supply Corps, providing their jobs could be filled by limited-duty personnel, could be allowed to volunteer for infantry duty and be placed in otherwise white units, without regard to a quota but on an as-needed basis. Many African Americans in the U.S. military were in service organizations and not allowed to fight. Lee wrote: "...It is planned to assign you without regard to color or race to the units where assistance is most needed, and give you the opportunity of fighting shoulder to shoulder to bring about victory.... Your relatives and friends everywhere have been urging that you be granted this privilege..."1 [1] 2
Lt. Gen. Walter B. Smith disagreed with Lee's plan (because it was in conflict with War Department policy) and his opinion was that a one-for-one replacement should not be done, only replacements as full platoons of black soldiers. As a result of the directive 2,253 volunteers were organized into thirty-seven rifle platoons and sent to the front, to be distributed as needed to companies.
[edit] German prisoners
Late in World War II, Lee and Omar Bradley tried to release significant numbers of German P.O.W.'s but a SHAEF Order signed by Eisenhower countermanded them 15 May 1945. Some have charged that German P.O.W.'s were kept in terrible conditions and the release would have prevented some deaths.
[edit] Post war career
Lee continued in the military and served as Commander of the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations in post-War Europe. There was some controversy to his command, when in August 1947 newspaper columnist Robert C. Ruark claimed that General Lee misused enlisted men under his command in occupied Italy. Said Ruark "I am going to blow a loud whistle on Lieut. General John C. H. Lee". Some evidence suggests Ruark was unhappy because a journalist's train had left him behind and Lee would not provide transportation for him.
Lee asked to retire from the Army in February 1947 and he retired late in 1947.
Lee was an Episcopalian and kept a bible with him at all times. In retirement he planned to work as a layman in his church.
Lee died in 1958.
[edit] Lee anecdotes
(to be added)
[edit] References
- Note 1: Letter, Lt Gen John C. H. Lee to Commanders of Colored Troops, come, 26 Dec 44, sub: Volunteers for Training and Assignment as Reinforcements, AG 322X353XSGS
- Note 2: http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/topics/afam/VolInfRpl.htm African American Volunteers as Infantry Replacements]
