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John H. Michaelis

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John Hersey Michaelis
Michaelis in 1969
Nickname(s)Iron Mike
Colonel Mike
Born(1912-08-20)August 20, 1912
Presidio of San Francisco, California, US[1]
DiedOctober 31, 1985(1985-10-31) (aged 73)
Clayton, Georgia, US[2]
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1931–1932, 1936–1972
RankGeneral
CommandsUnited Nations Command
United States Forces Korea
Eighth United States Army
Fifth United States Army
27th Infantry Regiment
502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment
Battles / warsWorld War II
Korean War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Silver Star (2)
Legion of Merit (4)
Bronze Star Medal (3)
Purple Heart (2)
Air Medal

John Hersey Michaelis (August 20, 1912 – October 31, 1985) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, United States Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth United States Army from 1969 to 1972.

Military career

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Michaelis enlisted in the Army on June 18, 1931 and was subsequently appointed to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point with a B.S. degree in 1936. Michaelis later graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1942.[3]

In World War II, Michaelis was executive officer of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, but took command of the unit after the commanding officer, George Van Horn Moseley Jr., broke his leg in the drop into Normandy. Later, Michaelis was severely wounded in the Netherlands.[4] He served as chief of staff of the 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of Bastogne and ended the war as a colonel.[5] Michaelis was awarded the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.[6]

Michaelis served as aide-de-camp to General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower from 1947 to 1948.[5] He graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in 1949.[3]

During the Korean War, Michaelis commanded the 27th Infantry Regiment (the "Wolfhounds") at the Pusan perimeter, for which he received a Distinguished Service Cross.[7] Early in the war, most American units were prone to breaking down and retreating. However his unit fared much better, General Matthew Ridgway believed, because Colonel Michaelis had been an airborne commander and therefore did not panic whenever his unit was in danger of being surrounded.[citation needed] For as long as his unit preserved unit integrity with interlocking fields of fire, then it could handle being surrounded and cut off as they could be resupplied from the air. It was to become an important template used by Ridgway in his conduct of the Korean War once he assumed command from General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.[citation needed] Ridgeway's policy was to become one of "No more retreat" and he sought to acquire many more commanders like Michaelis as the war continued.[citation needed] In fact, shortly after Ridgeway took command, he began to improve the Army's morale by sending the units north, starting with Michaelis's unit, under an offensive named Operation Wolfhound in their honor. Michaelis's unit began a new phase of the war that started a complete turnaround for U.N. troops. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1951.[5]

Michaelis described the Turkish Brigade's combat readiness in unflattering terms, according to American historian Clay Blair. Blair wrote that war correspondents were misled into thinking that the Turks were "tough" fighters by their "flowing mustaches, swarthy complexions, and fierce demeanors", while in fact Blair declared them "ill trained, ill led, and green to combat."[8][9] Blair quoted Michaelis as stating:

The Turks were commanded by an aged brigadier who had been a division commander at Gallipoli in 1916 fighting the British! He was highly respected, high up in the Turkish military establishment, and took a bust to brigadier to command the brigade. The average Turk soldier in the brigade came from the steppe country of Turkey, near Russia, had probably had only three or four years of school, was uprooted, moved to western Turkey, given a uniform, [a] rifle, and a little smattering of training, stuck on a ship, sailed ten thousand miles, then dumped off on a peninsula – 'Korea, where's that?' – and told the enemy was up there someplace, go get him! The Turk soldier scratches his head and says, 'What's he done to me?'[8][9]

Michaelis was also awarded a second Silver Star and the Air Medal.[6] In 1952, he returned to the United States and became commandant of cadets at the United States Military Academy.[5] Later Michaelis commanded the Fifth Army.[5] He was promoted to full general upon his retirement in 1972.[5]

Later life

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Michaelis died of heart failure on Thursday, 31 October 1985, in Clayton, Georgia. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

References

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  1. ^ United States Military Academy. Association of Graduates; West Point Alumni Association, Inc (1989). Assembly. Vol. 48. ISSN 1041-2581. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Los Angeles Times: Archives - Retired Gen. 'Iron Mike' Michaelis Dies". pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b U.S. Army Register: United States Army Active and Retired List. Vol. I. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1 January 1964. p. 362. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Personalities and Commanders | "Iron Mike"". 101airborneww2.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Retired Gen. 'Iron Mike' Michaelis Dies: Veteran of WWII, Korea Was Eisenhower Aide, West Point Chief". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1985.
  6. ^ a b "Class of 1936—Register of Graduates". Official Register of the Officers and Cadets. United States Military Academy. 1971. p. 455. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  7. ^ "TIME magazine article April 06, 1959". Time. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  8. ^ a b Blair 2003, p. 451.
  9. ^ a b Blair 1987, p. 451.
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