John P. Lucas
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| John Porter Lucas | |
|---|---|
| January 14, 1890 – December 24, 1949 (aged 59) | |
| Nickname | "Old Luke" |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | U.S. VI Corps (Sep 43-Feb 44) Fourth United States Army Fifteenth United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
John Porter "Old Luke" Lucas (January 14, 1890 - December 24, 1949) was a General and the commander of VI Corps (1943-1944) during World War II.
Lucas, a graduate of West Point, class of 1911, originally was in the cavalry, but transferred to field artillery. He served as a battalion commander during World War I, and was wounded.
He spent a year at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School in Leavenworth, Kansas, and graduated in 1924, he finished 78th out of 247 in his class.[1]
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On January 22, 1944, from the deck of the cruiser USS Biscayne, Lucas oversaw Operation Shingle, the amphibious landing at Anzio. Lucas was highly critical of the plans for the Anzio battle, believing his force was not strong enough to accomplish its mission. His confidence was not reinforced when the mission was scaled back by last-minute orders and advice from his commander, Clark, who told him not to "stick his neck out". Lucas was criticized both for leadership faults and tactical errors. His leadership was faulted for never visiting the front line, and for living in an underground bunker throughout the battle. He made no attempt to understand British methods, and was not respected by any of his subordinate Division commanders. In terms of tactics, Lucas erred in not taking the Factory and Cisterna early in the assault phase when these two towns could easily have been taken and held. Instead, they had to be taken later, at great cost. Lucas was replaced by General Lucian Truscott as the commander at Anzio; Truscott immediately improved morale by visiting every unit in the beachhead within 24 hours.
Winston Churchill summarized Operation Shingle by remarking: "I had hoped we were hurling a wildcat on the shore, but all we got was a stranded whale."[2][3] Since Churchill himself had played a major part in the planning of, and pushing forward, the campaign, against much military advice, this statement was disingenuous.[4][5]
In the movie Anzio the character of the over-cautious "General Lesley" is based on John P. Lucas.[6][7]
[edit] References
- ^ Berlin, Robert H. "U.S. Army World War II Corps Commanders: A Composite Biography". - Combat Studies Institute. - U.S. Army Staff and Command College. - 1989. LCC D769.1.B48 1989.
- ^ Chamberlain, Ward B., Jr. "Churchill and the Italian Campaign" - The Churchill Centre - 3 November 1991
- ^ Trevelyan, Raleigh. Rome '44, The Battle for the Eternal City. New York: The Viking Press. 1982. ISBN 0670606049
- ^ D'Este, Carlo. Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome. New York: HarperCollins. 1992. ISBN 0060158905
- ^ Weigley, Russel F. - Arts: "Someone Had Blundered". - New York Times. - July 21, 1991. - Retrieved: 2008-05-29
- ^ Vaughan-Thomas, Wynford. Anzio. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1961. OCLC 276480
- ^ "Sbarco di Anzio, Lo" - at IMDb
[edit] Further reading
- Blumenson, Martin. Anzio, The Gamble that Failed. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. 1963. ISBN 0313200939
- Roger W. Sassman (10 April 1999). Operation SHINGLE and Major General John P. Lucas (PDF), Army War College, U.S. Army. Report A357363. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- Anzio Beachhead (22 January-25 May 1944). American Forces in Action Series. Historical Division, War Department (1947). Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
