![]() ![]() ![]() Being the 11th best in his class of 124, he earned a place in the artillery branch, which was considered the second most prestigious, right after engineering. McNair, nicknamed “Whitey” for his blond hair, was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1904. McNair originally aimed for a carrier in the Navy, but he was kept on the waiting list for so long that he first took some engineering and statistics courses, then competed for and won a place at West Point instead, becoming an Army man instead of a sailor. This article will try to take an unbiased look at General McNair’s heritage. McNair did not survive the war he helped prepare America for: he was killed by a mis-aimed American bomb in the first minutes of Operation Cobra (Read our earlier article – The Cobra strikes), the breakout from Normandy. His legacy is somewhat ambiguous: while some of his ideas are generally hailed as strengthening the Army Ground Forces for its trial against the Axis powers, others draw controversy or prevalent condemnation. His decisions had a fundamental effect on what the Army looked like and how it operated. He did not lead famous battles, but rather worked desk jobs to equip and prepare the U.S. He was an organizer and an engineer, not a battlefield commander. McNair (1883-1944) is one of the more easily forgotten American generals who shaped World War II.
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