| Major General Henry Balding Lewis | |
|---|---|
| File:File:HBLcolor.jpg | |
| Born | May 8, 1889 |
| Died | May 21, 1966 (aged 77) |
| Place of birth | Liberty Island, United States |
| Place of death | San Fransisco, California, United States |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1908 to 1949 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands held | Assistant Chief of Staff and Adjutant General, 12th Army Group in Europe in WWII under General Omar Bradley, Adjutant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Adjutant US Military Academy West Point, Adjutant General US Forces China |
| Battles/wars |
World War I War with Mexico Boxer Rebellion World War II Normandy Invasion Western Front Central Europe Campaign Ardennes-Alsace Rhineland Campaign |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Honorary Commander Order of the British Empire Legion of Honor Bronze Star American Defense Medal World War I Victory Medal Croix De Guerre - France with Palm Order of Leopold II Mexican Service Medal Order of Abdon Calderon Army of Occupation Medal (Germany) European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 5 Battle Stars Commander Order of Orange-Nassau Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945 Commander Order of Adolphe of Nassau Luxembourg War Cross Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal Fundacion Internacional Medal (Ecuador) |
Major General Henry Balding Lewis, CBE, (May 8, 1889 – May 21, 1966) was a United States Army officer who served in the War with Mexico, The Boxer Rebellion, World War I and World War II. In 1923, he served as Adjutant, United States Military Academy at West Point, Adjutant 1st Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. In WWII he was Assistant Chief of Staff to General Omar Bradley for the 12th Army Group and later served with General Bradley in the Veterans Administration.
Biography[]
Henry Balding Lewis was born May 8, 1889, at Fort Wood, New York site of the newly installed Statue of Liberty. He was the first child born at the hospital there, the son of Major General Edward Mann Lewis and Harriet Russell Balding. He entered the United States Military Academy in September 1909 and graduated in July 1913. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and served in the War with Mexico, World War I, The Boxer Rebellion and World War II rising to Deputy Chief of Staff and Adjutant General of the 12th Army Group under General Omar Bradley, the largest group ever constituted by the US Army. After the war he served with General Bradley in the Veterans Administration.
Early life[]
Henry Balding Lewis, the son of Major General Edward Mann Lewis spent his early years with his family at The Presidio in San Francisco, Fort Huachuca in Arizona, and Chicago Illinois. Following in the footsteps of his father, he was selected to enter the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1909.
Military Service[]
After graduation, he joined the 20th Infantry Division and served with that unit when they were transferred to El Paso Texas, to defend the border with Mexico. He served as Assistant Provost Marshall and Aide to Brigadier General George Ball Jr. until 1917. At the outbreak of World War I he was serving with the 1st Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in the Hawaiian Territory. The 1st Infantry Division was then moved to Camp Lewis in Washington, where Major Lewis served as Adjutant. In 1919 they returned to the Territory of Hawaii, where he served as Adjutant of the Hawaiian Department. After a short stint at Fort Pike, Arkansas with the 3rd Division in 1921, he served as the Assistant Adjutant of the 2nd Division at Camp Travis, Fort Sam Houston, Texas in 1921 to 1922. While there he served with his father, Commander of the 8th Corps area Major General Edward Mann Lewis.
On the 16th of May, 1922 Lewis was transferred to the United States Army Adjutant General's Corps. His next duty station was at the United States Military Academy where he was Adjutant of the Academy, only 10 years after his graduation. After spending 4 years there, he joined the 15th Infantry Regiment in China, serving as Adjutant US Forces from 1926 to 1929. He was then assigned as Adjutant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia until 1935, when he was transferred to Fort Leavenworth Kansas to attend the Command & General Staff School (now called the Army War College). In 1940 he was promoted to Adjutant-General, Western Defense Command (4th Army Group) at The Presidio of San Francisco until 1942. From 1942 to 1943 he served as Assistant Adjutant - General of the Army in Washington DC, before joining the 12th Army Group in Europe to help plan operation Overlord, the Normandy Invasion in 1944. He served as Omar Bradley's Deputy Chief of Staff and AG until the end of the war.[1] In 1946, He was Appointed Director of Organization, Coordination and Planning at the Veterans Administration, under General Omar Bradley. His last duty station was also in Washington DC, serving as the Assistant Adjutant General of the Army, and Chief of Personnel Bureau, Office of the Adjutant General. He retired on May 31, 1949, serving has nation for 41 years of his life. He passed away on May 21, 1966, in San Francisco, CA and was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery with his wife, Sarah Clitz Anderson.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 12th Army Group Report of Operations Volume VII Section VI Adjutant General's Section (page 33)
- The Benning Herald Friday, June 14, 1935, article on Henry Balding Lewis
- [1] Military Times Citations and Awards Henry Balding Lewis
- [2] WWII Generals Website Page Detailing the Service of General Henry Balding Lewis in WWII
- [3] Official 12th Army Group Operations in WWII see pages 33–39 for General Lewis
The original article can be found at Henry Balding Lewis and the edit history here.