He is most remembered for being the commander of VI Corps during the Battle of Anzio (codenamed Operation Shingle) in early 1944 during the Italian campaign of World War II.

John Porter Lucas was born on January 14, 1890, to the former Frances Thomas Craighill and her husband, Dr. Charles C. Lewis, in Kearneysville, Jefferson County, West Virginia.

[2] After education in the local schools, he attended the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, from where he graduated with the class of 1911.

His fellow graduates included numerous men who would later rise to the rank of brigadier general or higher in their military careers, such as Charles P. Hall, Herbert Dargue, Paul W. Baade, Ira T. Wyche, William H. H. Morris Jr., Frederick Gilbreath, John R. Homer, Jesse A. Ladd, Thompson Lawrence, Alexander Surles, Raymond A. Wheeler, Karl S. Bradford, Gustave H. Franke, Harold F. Nichols, James R.N.

On March 9, 1916, Lucas distinguished himself in action against Pancho Villa's raiders during the Battle of Columbus, fighting his way alone and bare-footed through attacking Villistas from his quarters to the camp's guard tent.

There he organized resistance with a single machine gun until the remainder of his unit and a supporting troop arrived, then maneuvered his men to repel the attackers.

He served during the Mexican Punitive Expedition, as an Aide de Camp to Major General George Bell Jr. at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Evacuated to a hospital in England, he was later sent back to the United States on convalescent leave, where he recovered from his wounds in the Washington, D.C., area.

[1] He then entered the one-year program at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, graduating in 1924 and finishing 78th out of 247 in his class.

Churchill was angry and furious, bewildered by the slow reactions of the American commander: "I had hoped we were hurling a wildcat onto the shore, but all we got was a beached whale.

On February 16 General Eberhard von Mackensen deployed 6 divisions of his 14th Army in a full-scale counterattack in an attempt to push the British and Americans back into the sea.

The German counterattack was eventually held, particularly with the use of overwhelming firepower: from the air, ground artillery and offshore ships batteries.

His confidence was not reinforced when the mission was scaled back by last-minute orders and advice from his commander, Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, who told him, "Don't stick your neck out, Johnny.

[7] After nine days of preparation to reinforce his position and four weeks of extremely tough fighting, Lucas was relieved by Clark and replaced with Major General Lucian K. Truscott as the commander of VI Corps at Anzio.

His thorough planning, extensive experience, and excellent cooperation made possible the successful execution of this difficult and hazardous amphibious assault despite a short preparatory period of less than thirty days.

His personal courage, determination, and outstanding leadership were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Armed Services.

[11] After the war, he was made Chief of the US Military Advisory Group to the Nationalist Chinese government, led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (1946–1948).