Harold Francis Loomis

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Harold Francis Loomis
Officer of the Legion of Honor (France)
  • Croix de Guerre with palm (France)
  • Grand Officer of the Order of Nichan-Iftikar (Tunisia)
    • Signature

    Brigadier General Harold Francis Loomis (19 June 1890 – 21 October 1970) was a United States Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, he was ranked 50th in the class of 1914. During World War II he was in charge of the French rearmament program in the North African Theater of Operations (NATOUSA) and later at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). The French units he helped re-equip played an important role in the Italian and the Southern France campaigns.

    Early life

    At West Point in 1914

    Harold Francis Loomis was born in Rockville, Connecticut, on 19 June 1890.[1] On 1 March 1910, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York,[2] where he acquired the nickname "Loomy".[3] He graduated on 12 June 1914, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps on 8 July 1914.[2] His fellow graduates included future general officers such as Carl Spaatz, Brehon B. Somervell, Harold R. Bull, John B. Anderson, Jens A. Doe, James L. Bradley, Frank W. Milburn, Ralph Royce, Orlando Ward, Charles P. Gross, Vicente Lim, and Harry C. Ingles.[4]

    World War I

    Loomis's first assignment was in

    Hawaiian Department.[2]

    In April 1918, Loomis returned to United States, where he commanded a company at Fort Monroe, and then became an instructor in administration and

    non-commissioned officers school at the Coast Artillery School from 8 April 1919 to 11 June 1919. He served briefly with the American Expeditionary Forces in France until 6 October 1919, and then returned to the Coast Artillery School as an instructor.[2]

    Between the wars

    Loomis reverted to his substantive rank of captain on 11 February 1920, but was promoted to major again on 1 July. From 24 August 1920 to 1 July 1924 he was an instructor in modern languages at West Point. He attended the Advanced Course at the Coast Artillery School from 15 September 1924 to 15 June 1925, and served with the

    7th Coast Artillery from 17 June 1925 until 1 August 1927.[5]

    After attending the

    2nd Coast Artillery. From 1 August 1938 to 30 June 1939 he attended the Army War College at Fort Humphreys, DC.[6]

    World War II

    Now qualified as a general staff officer, Loomis was assigned to the War Plans Division of the War Department General Staff in Washington, D.C.[7] In this role he surveyed the coastal defences of the western hemisphere and chose sites for coastal defence guns.[8] He was promoted to colonel on 1 July 1941 and brigadier general on 5 November. On 22 November he assumed command of the Harbor Defenses of Portland. On 17 May 1942, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida, as the commanding general of the Southern Sector of the Eastern Defense Command.[7]

    On 10 October 1943, Loomis became the chairman of the Joint Rearmament Commission (JRC) in the North African Theater of Operations (NATOUSA). As such, he was responsible for the rearmament of French Army units to enable them to participate in subsequent campaigns.[9] There were doubts at the War Department about the reliability and efficiency of the French forces, but Loomis resisted proposals to equip them with cast off World War I-era weapons, and insisted on their being equipped to the same standard as American units.[3] At the same time, he struggled to persuade the French to cut back on combat units, and form a balanced force with sufficient logistical units to support itself.[9][10] In the latter he was less successful than he hoped, for despite frantic efforts, the French were unable to find sufficient skilled personnel.[11] However, the exemplary performance of the French Expeditionary Corps in the Italian campaign amply vindicated Loomis's faith in the French Army and the rearmament program.[3][12]

    For his services in NATOUSA, Loomis was awarded the

    Distinguished Service Medal. His citation read:

    [F]or exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility, as Chairman of the Joint Rearmament Committee, from 11 October 1943 to 4 October 1944, in North Africa. General Loomis was charged with the coordination of all rearmament matters with the French authorities, the Lend-Lease Administration, and other agencies concerned with the rearmament of the French Air, Navy, and Ground Forces. He was further responsible for furnishing advisory and instructive services for the operation, instruction in the use and maintenance of United States equipment, and, finally, to advise and make recommendations to the theater commander in rearmament matters. His successful solution of the unusual administrative problems involved in controlling equipment and supplies furnished under the rearmament program was a major contribution to the successful participation of the French Forces in the allied war effort. By untiring efforts and great diplomacy, he earned the respect and admiration of all his associates, and contributed in a large degree to the furtherance of friendly relations between the Allied Forces.[13]

    After the successful Allied invasion of Southern France, in which rearmed French Army units participated, the rearmament program officially ended, and the JRC was disbanded. Loomis moved to Paris, where he joined the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) as the head of its Rearmament Division. [14] He was able to establish an excellent working relationship with the reconstituted French General Staff, particularly Colonel Clément Blanc [fr], who had been a classmate at the École supérieure de guerre.[15] Loomis was subsequently awarded the Legion of Merit for his service at SHAEF.[13]

    Post-war

    After the war, Loomis was chief of the Budget and Fiscal Section at

    Officer of the Legion of Honor and Grand Officer of the Tunisian Order of Nichan-Iftikar.[7]

    Loomis retired from the Army with the rank of brigadier general on 30 November 1946. In retirement he was the director of American Aid to France, Inc.[7] Loomis lived in Washington, D.C., with his wife Elizabeth "Bessie" (Kimberly) Loomis. He died on 21 October 1970 of a cerebral hemorrhage at the Walter Reed Medical Center[16] and was interred in West Point Cemetery.[3]

    Dates of rank

    Insignia Rank Component Date Reference
    		Second lieutenant Coast Artillery Corps 8 July 1914 [2]
    		First lieutenant Coast Artillery Corps 1 July 1916 [2]
    		Captain Coast Artillery Corps 1 July 1917 [2]
    		Major (temporary) Coast Artillery Corps 10 September 1918 [2]
    		Lieutenant colonel (temporary) Coast Artillery Corps 19 October 1918 [2]
    		Captain (reverted) Coast Artillery Corps 11 February 1920 [5]
    		Major Coast Artillery Corps 1 July 1920 [5]
    		Lieutenant colonel Coast Artillery Corps 1 September 1935 [6]
    		Colonel Army of the United States 1 July 1941 [7]
    		Brigadier general Army of the United States 5 November 1941 [7]
    		Colonel Coast Artillery Corps 1 September 1942 [7]
    		Brigadier general Retired List 30 November 1946 [7]

    References

    1. ^ Ancell & Miller 1996, p. 193.
    2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cullum 1920, p. 1692.
    3. ^ a b c d e Assembly 1970, p. 98.
    4. ^ Cullum 1920, pp. 1666, 1667, 1683, 1685, 1696, 1697, 1707, 1711, 1712, 1718, 1721, .
    5. ^ a b c d Cullum 1930, p. 1023.
    6. ^ a b Cullum 1940, p. 279.
    7. ^ a b c d e f g h Cullum 1950, pp. 181–182.
    8. ^ Conn, Engelman & Fairchild 1961, p. 389.
    9. ^ a b Viongras 1957, p. 107.
    10. ^ Viongras 1957, pp. 146–147.
    11. ^ Viongras 1957, pp. 166–168.
    12. ^ Viongras 1957, pp. 178–180.
    13. ^ a b "Harold Loomis – Recipient". Military Times. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
    14. ^ Viongras 1957, pp. 189–193, 276.
    15. ^ Viongras 1957, p. 280.
    16. ProQuest 147776275
      . Retrieved 1 September 2022.

    Bibliography

    External links

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