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Revision as of 16:00, 27 August 2007
| John Porter Lucas | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Old Luke" |
| Service | United States Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | U.S. VI Corps 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, originally was in the cavalry, but transferred to field artillery. He served as a battalion commander during World War I, and was wounded.
He graduated from the U.S. Army Command and. General Staff School in 1924.
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.
To some extent Lucas' relief was a case of scapegoating. Winston Churchill's comment, "I had hoped we were hurling a wildcat into the shore, but all we got was a stranded whale." was disingenuous at best, since he played a major part in the planning of the campaign, against much military advice.
In the movie Anzio the character of the over-cautious "General Leslie" is based on John P. Lucas.
References
- Robert H. Berlin (1989). U.S. Army World War II Corps Commanders: A Composite Biography. Combat Studies Institute, Staff and Command College, U.S. Army. LCC D769.1.B48 1989.
- Roger W. Sassman (10 April 1999). Operation SHINGLE and Major General John P. Lucas (PDF). Army War College, U.S. Army. Report A357363. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
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- "Anzio Beachhead (22 January-25 May 1944)". American Forces in Action Series. Historical Division, War Department. 1947. Retrieved 2006-12-19.