Lieutenant-General Lesley J. McNair (1883-1944) 39 : Commandant Command & General Staff School 39-44: Commander in Chief Army Ground Force 41-44: Deputy Chief General Staff 44 : Killed by a Bomb, France General McNair was the highest ranking American General to be killed in action in WW2. He was killed by American bombs shortly after D-Day, when bad weather caused the bombers to drop their loads "blind". Lt. Gen. Leslie McNair was one of the highest ranking American officers killed in World War II. McNair had been commander of Army ground forces and was responsible for training of all components of the active Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard. He wanted a field command but never received one. As frequently as he could, he visited the fronts and was wounded in Tunisia. He was made commander of the mythical 1st Army Group, replacing General Patton McNair was observing the 30th Infantry Division’s preparations for deployment to St. Lo in 1944 when the Army Air Corps accidentally dropped bombs on his position and he was killed. He was posthumously promoted to full general in 1945. Ironically, his son, Colonel Douglas McNair, chief of staff of the 77th Division, was killed two weeks later by a sniper on Guam. Verndale's Most Famous Citizen - GEN. LESLEY J. MCNAIR
Was it highest or one of the highest? Infact, the highest ranking officer KIA was Buckner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bolivar_Buckner,_Jr.
Hello all, Just found this site. I'm looking for information on General Leslie McNair, the three-star that was killed during Operation COBRA during WWII. I have heard that he was very much against "specialized" units within the US Army (such as the British 79th Specialized Armored Division, Hobart's Funnies). Is there any truth to this? Does he have a biography? Can anyone give me some direction here? I'd appreciate it. Thanks. Mike Z.
I'm not quite sure what the purpose of this thread is, I'm just going to assume we are giving information about the general during WWII so here's something: McNair was Chief of Staff of GHQ, U.S. Army from July 1940 to March 1942. He was promoted to Major General in September 1940, and temporary Lieutenant General in June 1941. In March 1942, General McNair became Commanding General, Army Ground Forces. As such, he was responsible for the organization, training and preparation of the U.S. Army for overseas service. He was instrumental in preparing large-scale divisional and corps exercises to provide Army commanders with some experience in controlling large forces in simulated combat. However, McNair's emphasis on abbreviated basic combat training schedules for inductees, as well as his programs for the training and supply of individual replacements to combat units would later face widespread criticism after the U.S. Army invasion of North Africa in 1942, criticism that continued until the end of the war in Europe.
