Lesley J. McNair

Lesley J. McNair

Lesley James McNair (born May 25, 1883 in Verndale , Wadena County , Minnesota , † July 25, 1944 in Saint-Lô , France ) was an American officer in World War I and World War II .

Life

McNair grew up as the son of a trader. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point at the age of 21. He then served as an officer under General John J. Pershing, first in Mexico and then in World War I with the 1st US Infantry Division on the Western Front .

From 1939 to 1940, McNair served as commandant of the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth and made a contribution to the renewal of the training rules for officers. In July 1940, McNair was appointed Chief of Staff to the newly established General Headquarters, United States Army (under the nominal command of Chief of Staff George C. Marshall ), which was housed in the Army War College building in Washington . In this role he was initially responsible for reorganizing the entire military training of the army. In July 1941, the tasks and competencies of the GHQ were expanded to include command of the active troops in the continental defense zones and the planning of their deployment. McNair also carried out the major army maneuvers in Louisiana and the Carolinas that year. In March 1942, the War Department was finally reorganized , in which McNair was appointed Commanding General, Army Ground Forces , the predecessor organization of today's FORSCOM . As such, he was responsible for all questions of mobilization and training in the home war zone as well as the organization and doctrine of the land forces and their branches of service. In the same year the first African Americans were admitted to the combat troops. McNair, who was a vehement opponent of racial discrimination in the army, had brought about this change of policy through years of personal commitment.

McNair, who carried out various inspections in the war zone, was wounded during Operation Torch in late 1942. He died on July 25, 1944 near the French town of Saint-Lô due to fehldirigierten bombing by B-17 -Bombern the US 8th Air Force by friendly fire when he attack American troops during Operation Cobra wanted to watch. Since he was nominally commander in chief of the feigned 1st US Army Group at this time , his death was initially kept secret until his "successor" John L. DeWitt had arrived.

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of Military Awards :

• Army Distinguished Service Medal
• Purple heart
• Member of the French Legion of Honor (expression unknown)

In his honor, the Washington Barracks , the former headquarters of his Washington DC headquarters, were renamed Fort Lesley J. McNair in 1948 . A US Army barracks in West Berlin ( McNair Barracks ) and Frankfurt-Höchst was also dedicated to him. Ten years after his death in 1954, he was promoted posthumously to general by the United States Congress, along with Simon B. Buckner, Jr. , who had also died in combat as a lieutenant general.

Web links

• Biography McNair ( English )