Life and Career of General Jacob Loucks Devers.

General Jacob Loucks Devers, York County, Pennsylvania’s only World War II four-star general, was born to parents of Pennsylvania Dutch and Irish descent on September 8^th, 1887.1 His father, Philip, was a local jeweller and watchmaker who also had the distinguished honour of winding the clock at the York County Courthouse, a job which was passed on to young Jake when he was able.2 Devers’ mother, Ella Kate Loucks, along with his father, raised Jake and his three younger siblings at 254 West York Avenue, in York, Pennsylvania.¹ This street is known today as Roosevelt Avenue. Devers had this to say in an interview for The York Dispatch years later:

 “I was born in York, Pennsylvania, a very fine place to be born. I…like people from York. They help people. I believe York is a great place. I had fine parents with good moral standards. We didn’t have much to live on and we always had to do things the hard way. My parents encouraged me and gave me what tools they could”._.²  

Devers acquired his sense of culture from the teachings and influences of his parents and the greater York society. According to James Deetz, author of “In Small Things Forgotten,” culture is defined as the socially transmitted rules for behaviour. He learned his compassion and attitudes of hard work from his parents, which was a precedent to Devers future successes.

While attending York High School, Devers “excelled in academics and athletics”.3 He was president of the debate team, captained the varsity basketball team, and played at the quarterback position for the school’s football team. After campaigning for a friend in York High’s class president elections, Devers was surprised to learn that he was elected for the position himself, and he held the title for three years after the incident.4 In youth, Jake was described by friends as an "All-American," while reporters referred to him as "right guy." "He was a friendly boy who became a modest and compassionate man".⁵

Jake Devers was also very lucky. After graduation from high school in 1905, he “planned to study engineering at Lehigh University”.³ However, York county congressman, Daniel Lafean--a Republican, chose “to give his one annual West Point appointment to Devers, a Democrat’s son.” The former congressman “made his choice because he was angry with two Republican families who fought with each other to get their sons the covetous appointment”. At West Point he again captained the varsity basketball team, but his main interests lied in "armoured warfare and mobile artillery operations".5 “He was noted as ‘a tank and gun wizard’”.6

While at the distinguished military academy, Devers shared classes with such persons as George Patton, William Simpson, and Robert Eichelberger. These men would all become four-star generals for their actions in World War II. In an interview with The York Dispatch years later, Devers had this to say about General Patton:

“George Patton was a myth,” he replied. “People think nobody knew anything about the armoured force but Patton. That isn’t true. George Patton was a fine soldier in the field and an excellent commander…He had athletic ability and always had to be a winner…He had great qualities and would help anybody in trouble. He had the best publicity of any officer in the war. Unfortunately, he was temper-prone”. ²

When Devers graduated from West Point in 1909, he was a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery and ranked 39^th in his class of 103 cadets, ahead of the aforementioned generals.¹

The first assignment given to Devers was a post in the 4^th Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Russell, Wyoming from 1909 to 1912.

He was “passionately interested” in his field artillery post “because it combined firepower with mobility”.¹ While still a second lieutenant, he fell in love and married the niece of his battalion commander, Georgie Hays Lyon of Washington, D. C., in 1911. Together they had only one child; daughter Frances was born to the family in 1917 after Devers had been relocated to Hawaii.³

After his requirements were fulfilled in Wyoming, Jake Devers returned to West Point from 1912 to 1916 to teach mathematics and coach the baseball and basketball teams.³ When the United States entered the First World War, Devers was called to ready troops for action in France. By this time, Jake had been promoted to the rank of captain. Soon after he arrived in Europe in 1919, however, the war ceased and "he feared his career was over". ¹

Devers returned once again to West Point in 1919. This time he instructed field artillery tactics, commanded the school’s Artillery Detachment, and handled sports concerns for the academy’s “new Superintendent, Douglas MacArthur”.¹ In 1920, Captain Devers received his promotion to Major.¹

From 1924 to 1925, Major Devers attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.³ After graduation, he was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma until 1929 where he was the Director of the Department of Gunnery. Here he was responsible for developing the “firing techniques that made American field artillery the best the world had ever seen in World War II”.¹

In 1933, Jake “completed the Army War College” in Washington, D. C. “and commanded a field artillery unit at Fort Myer, Va. In 1936, he again returned to West Point, as an executive officer and graduate manager of athletics” and stayed in this position until 1939.³ After a promotion to Colonel, Devers was sent to Washington to arrange security for the President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR praised the services given by Devers in a letter sent to his commander.

The President wrote:

“My information and observation leads me to request you to commend…the services rendered by Colonel Jacob L. Devers”.⁵

Devers was on the move again. Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall sent him to the Panama Canal Zone in June, 1939.¹ In his position of Chief of Staff, it was Devers assignment to "strengthen the Canal’s defences" as a result of the German army’s invasion of Poland. “His superior, General Daniel Van Voorhis, rated Devers as one of the finest officers he had ever met”.¹

As a result, Devers was appointed Brigadier General by General Marshall in 1940, “bypassing 474 other Colonels” for the promotion.

Later that year, President Roosevelt chose Jake to travel to Great Britain to lease sea and air bases, and to return to the United States for expansion of the base at Fort Bragg, NC into a “major Army training post.” Following this command, General Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, named Major General Devers, Chief of the U. S. Army’s Armoured Forces in 1941.³ He was to establish a tank army of sixteen armoured divisions in this position at Fort Knox, KY. Devers was also faced with the challenge of designing a tank that could compete with German models, so he “developed the M-4 Sherman tank, of which fifty thousand were manufactured” before the end of World War II. “He also developed the 105mm self-propelled Howitzer…machine gun, which became standard weaponry of the armoured divisions. Devers also played a major role in developing the DUKW amphibious truck, which proved indispensable in the Allied invasions of Sicily, Italy, and France”.

Devers was then sent overseas to England in May 1943. His mission was to train one million men for the European invasion known as Operation Overlord. When training his troops, a reporter asked how Devers would accomplish this monumental task. He answered: “By getting out and talking right to the men and by personal example. You’ve got to let ‘em see you and talk to you and know what you’re thinking.”

As a result, his men described him as “a commander who was loyal to his troops as well as his supervisors.”

He was also known at this time to prefer to walk from his hotel to eat at one of the officer’s messes in London and fraternise with the men, rather than eat in his lush hotel accommodations.⁵

Unfortunately, Major General Devers never had the opportunity to carry out the operation. Dwight Eisenhower was sent to England and edged out Devers for the position. He was appointed instead to oversee “The Eighth Air Force’s strategic bombing campaign against targets in France and Germany” for Operation Overlord.

  General Devers bidding farewell to the crew of ‘Memphis Belle’ June 13^th 1943

as they head back to the US to promote War Bonds