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Mark  CLARK

 

 Mark Wayne Clark (Madison Barracks, 1º maggio 1896 – Charleston, 17 aprile 1984) è stato un generale statunitense.

 Frequentò l'accademia militare di West Point, da dove nel 1917, uscì ufficiale di fanteria.

 Durante la prima guerra mondiale, combattendo sul fronte francese, (1918) fu gravemente ferito.

 Nel corso della seconda guerra mondiale, divenne comandante della 5ª armata americana (United States Army North) in Tunisia (1942); nel 1942, arrivato segretamente in Algeria, negoziò la convenzione franco-americana, entrando in contatto con gli elementi della resistenza francese (accordo "Clark-Darlan").

 Guidò gli sbarchi americani a Salerno nel settembre del 1943 e ad Anzio (22 gennaio 1944). Dopo aver diretto la battaglia per la conquista di Montecassino (vedi la voce, Battaglia di Monte Cassino), nel giugno del 1944, Clark entrò vittoriosamente a Roma.

 Nell'aprile del 1945, ricevette a Caserta la capitolazione delle milizie tedesche operanti in Italia.

 Appassionato di bridge, durante la guerra fu visto spesso giocare con Eisenhower.

 Dopo la guerra, dal 28 aprile 1952 al 30 ottobre 1953, sostituì il generale Matthew Ridgway, quale comandante in capo delle forze delle Nazioni Unite in Corea.

A Salerno gli è stata intitolata una via per ricordare il famoso sbarco facente parte della Operazione Avalanche nel 1943.

Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general (three-star general) in the U.S. Army.

During World War I, he commanded a company of soldiers in 1917 and was seriously wounded by shrapnel. After the war, Clark’s abilities were noticed by General George Marshall. During World War II, he was the USA´s Commander in Italy. He is known for his triumphal entry into Rome in 1944, the first major Axis city to fall. Some detractors say he ignored the orders of his British superior officer, and they blame him for the escape of the German 10th Army which he let slip in his pursuit for the glory of entering Rome first. The German 10th Army joined with their countrymen at the Transimene Line. Clark became the youngest American to be promoted to general in 1945.
Both Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower considered him a brilliant staff officer and trainer. Clark won many awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross for extreme bravery in war, subordinate only to the Medal of Honor.

Clark was born in Madison Barracks, Sackets Harbor, New York, but spent much of his youth in Highland Park, Illinois, while his father, a career Infantry officer, was stationed at Fort Sheridan. His mother was the daughter of Romanian Jews but Clark was baptized Episcopalian while a cadet at West Point.
Clark, known as "Contraband" by his classmates because of his ability to smuggle sweets into the barracks, graduated from West Point in April 1917, with a class ranking of 110th in a class of 139, and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant of Infantry. He had gained an early appointment to the military academy at age 17, but lost time from frequent illnesses. In the rapid expansion of the United States Army during World War I he rose rapidly in rank, promoted to 1st lieutenant on May 15 and captain on August 5, 1917. He served in France during World War I in the U.S. 11th Infantry, part of the 5th Infantry Division, and was wounded in action in the Vosges Mountains. As a result of his convalescence, Captain Clark was transferred to the General Staff Headquarters of the First United States Army until the end of hostilities, then served with the Third Army in its occupation duties in Germany.

Between the wars, Clark served in a variety of staff and training roles. From 1921 to 1924 he served as an aide in the office of the Assistant Secretary of War. In 1925 he completed the professional officer's course at the Infantry School, then served as a staff officer with the 30th Infantry at The Presidio in San Francisco, California. His next assignment was as a training instructor to the Indiana National Guard, in which he was promoted to major on January 14, 1933, more than 15 years after his promotion to captain.

Major Clark served as a deputy commander of the Civilian Conservation Corps district in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1935-36, between tours at the Command and General Staff School in 1935 and the Army War College in 1937. Assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington, Clark was selected to instruct at the Army War College in March 1940, where he received a promotion to lieutenant colonel on July 1. Clark and General Leslie McNair selected the thousands of acres of unused land in Louisiana for military maneuvers at Louisiana Maneuvers.

On August 4, 1941, Clark was promoted two grades to brigadier general as the United States Army geared up for entry in World War II, and made Assistant Chief of Staff (G-3) at General Headquarters, United States Army, in Washington, D.C.

In January 1942, a month after the American entry into the war, General Clark was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Army Ground Forces, and in May 1942, became its chief of staff as staff officers were rapidly moved to newly created commands by General Gage Michael Miller.
In June 1942, he went to England as commanding general of II Corps, and the next month moved up to Commanding General, Army Forces European Theater of Operations, promoted to major general on August 17, 1942. In October 1942, Clark became deputy commander in chief of the Allied Forces in the North African Theater. Clark's duties in this succession of assignments was to plan and direct the training of units for the invasion of North Africa known as Operation Torch. Part of the preparation for the invasion involved spiriting him into North Africa by the British submarine Seraph weeks before the invasion (Operation Flagpole) to negotiate the surrender or cooperation of the Vichy French at Cherchell on October 21–22, 1942.

After the negotiations, Clark was promoted to lieutenant general on November 11, 1942. When the United States created its first field army overseas, the U.S. Fifth Army, Clark was made its commanding general and given the task of training units for the invasion of Italy (Operation Avalanche) in September 1943. According to Montgomery, Clark was subsequently criticized by British historians and critics, for the near-failure of the landings at Salerno, as a result of perceived poor planning.
Clark gave orders for the bombing destruction of the Abbey of Monte Cassino based on direct orders from his superior during the Battle of Monte Cassino, February 15, 1944. Clark and his chief of staff Major General Alfred Gruenther remained unconvinced of the “military necessity”. When handing over the U.S. II Corps position to the New Zealand Corps, Brigadier-General Frederic Butler, deputy commander of U.S. 34th Division, had said "I don't know, but I don't believe the enemy is in the convent. All the fire has been from the slopes of the hill below the wall".[citation needed] The commander of the 4th Indian division urged the bombing of the entire massif with the heaviest bombs available. Clark pinned down the Commander-in-Chief Allied Armies in Italy, General Sir Harold Alexander: “I said, 'You give me a direct order and we’ll do it,' and he did."
Clark's conduct of operations remains controversial, particularly his actions during the Battle of the Winter Line, which evidence suggests were motivated by a desire for glory that would come from his entering Rome as a conqueror. Possibly also with the focus of the war about to swap to France. Here, ignoring orders from his Army Group Commander, the British General Harold Alexander, Clark sent U.S. VI Corps towards Rome. The British divisions at Anzio were sent to Ostia in the west and the French to the east, leaving the undefended capital (first declared an "open city" in August 1943) to the US component of the Allied force. This left only the 3d Division and 1st Special Service Force to try and close the trap on the German forces at Valmontone. Clark made a well-photographed entrance on June 4, 1944. As a result, he failed to exploit the gap in the German positions that had opened up following the capture of Monte Cassino, allowing a substantial number of German units to escape and reinforce what became the Gothic Line.

Pope Pius XII thanked Clark for liberating Rome. The American military historian Carlo D'Este described Clark's decision to take Rome as militarily stupid as it was insubordinate". Although Clark described a "race to Rome" and released an edited version of his diary for the official historians, his complete papers became available after his death.

Passionate about bridge during the war was often seen playing with Eisenhower.

During the Korean War, he took over as commander of the United Nations Command on May 12, 1952, succeeding General Matthew Ridgway.
From 1954 until 1965, after retiring from the Army, General Clark served as president of The Citadel, the prestigious military college located in Charleston, South Carolina. He wrote two memoirs: Calculated Risk (1950) and From the Danube to the Yalu (1954).

Clark's rapid rise through general officer ranks after a 24-year career as a relatively obscure officer has been attributed by a U.S. Army biography in part to his professional relationship to General George Marshall and friendship with Dwight Eisenhower.

  Mark Wayne Clark, né à Sackets Harbor (New York) le 1er mai 1896 et mort à Charleston (Caroline du Sud) le 17 avril 1984, est un général américain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et de la guerre de Corée.

Clark était un descendant du général révolutionnaire George Rogers Clark et un cousin du général George Marshall. Après avoir passé une grande partie de sa jeunesse dans l'Illinois, il fut diplômé à l'Académie militaire de West Point en 1917. Nommé capitaine dans l'infanterie, il fut envoyé en France en 1917, où il fut blessé.
Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il fut le commandant en second de l'opération Torch, l'invasion alliée de l'Afrique du Nord. Il fut débarqué par le sous-marin britannique HMS Seraph plusieurs semaines avant l'opération afin de négocier avec les forces de Vichy à Messelmoun, près de Cherchell, sur la côte algérienne, les 21 et 22 octobre 1942.
Clark obtint le commandement de la 5e Armée des États-Unis peu de temps avant la prise de Salerne, en Italie, en septembre 1943. En décembre 1944, il prit le commandement du 15e groupe d'armées, contrôlant ainsi toutes les troupes en Italie. Sa conduite des opérations pendant la bataille de Monte Cassino fut contestée, comme le furent la lenteur de la reconquête de l'Italie et son incapacité à capturer les unités allemandes de la ligne Gustave, où Clark hâta ses unités afin d'être le premier à entrer dans Rome plutôt que d'exploiter une faille dans les positions allemandes. Du fait des choix de Clark, la ligne Gustave ne fut brisée qu'un an plus tard.

Passionné de bridge pendant la guerre a été souvent vu jouer avec Eisenhower.

Pendant la guerre de Corée, Clark prit le commandement des forces des Nations unies, en avril 1952, à la suite du général Matthew Ridgway. Ce fut Clark qui signa l'accord de cessez-le-feu avec la Corée du Nord en 1953.

Après sa retraite de l'armée, le général Clark occupa de 1945 à 1966 le poste de président de l'académie militaire The Citadel à Charleston. Il publia ses mémoires en deux volumes, Calculated Risk (1950) et From the Danube to the Yalu (1954).

Le promotion rapide de Clark jusqu'au grade de général fut attribuée à ses relations avec les généraux George Marshall et Dwight Eisenhower.

Il reçut plusieurs décorations, dont le Distinguished Service Cross, le Distinguished Service Medal et la Grand Croix de la Légion d'honneur.

Mark Wayne Clark, nacido el día 1 de mayo de 1896 en Madison Barracks, población del el estado de Nueva York, y fallecido el 17 de abril de 1984 en Charleston (Carolina del Sur), fue un militar estadounidense, que alcanzó el rango de general del Ejército de los Estados Unidos , y que participó en la Primera Guerra Mundial, la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la Guerra de Corea, teniendo una destacada participación en estos dos últimos conflictos bélicos.
Clark era descendiente del general de los tiempos de la Guerra de la Independencia de los Estados Unidos George Rogers Clark, a la vez que era primo del general George Marshall. Nacido en Madison Barracks, una población del estado de Nueva York, pasó la mayor parte de su juventud en el estado de Illinois. Mark Wayne Clark se diplomó en la Academia Militar de West Point en 1917, siendo rápidamente ascendido a capitán de Infantería y enviado a Francia para participar en la Primera Guerra Mundial, siendo herido en combate contra los alemanes.

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, fue el segundo al mando durante la Operación Torch, la invasión por los Aliados del norte de África. Varias semanas antes de la invasión desembarcó clandestinamente de un submarino, con la misión de negociar con las tropas francesas allí destacadas, que reconocían la autoridad de la Francia de Vichy y la política colaboracionista del mariscal Philippe Pétain. Mantuvo negociaciones con los franceses en Cherchell los días 21 y 22 de octubre de 1942.
Mark W. Clark fue nombrado para tomar el mando del 5º Ejército estadounidense poco antes del desembarco en Salerno en Italia en septiembre de 1943. En diciembre de 1944, asumió el mando del 15º Grupo de Ejércitos, con lo que quedó al mando de todas las tropas de los Aliados en la campaña de Italia. Su forma de conducir las operaciones militares aliadas en la zona resultó controvertida, ya que se le reprochó la forma en que condujo el desembarco en Salerno y la inactividad que le siguió, el modo de conducir la batalla de Montecassino, la lentitud del avance hacia el norte de las tropas aliadas en el teatro de operaciones italiano, así como su incapacidad para capturar a las unidades de la Wehrmacht que protegían la llamada Línea Gustav, combate en el que Clark metió prisas a sus tropas para logran ser el primero en entrar en Roma, cuando lo que debería haber hecho era explotar los posibles fallos en las posiciones alemanas. Debido a la elección hecha por el general Clark, la Línea Gustav no pudo ser superada por las tropas aliadas hasta que no hubo transcurrido un año más de combates.

Apasionado por el puente durante la guerra fue visto a menudo jugando con Eisenhower.

Durante la guerra de Corea, el general Mark Wayne Clark estuvo al mando de las tropas de las Naciones Unidas, en abril de 1952, cargo en el que sucedió al general Matthew Ridgway. Desde ese cargo, fue Clark quien firmó el acuerdo de alto el fuego con los representantes de Corea del Norte en 1953.
Tras su retirada del Ejército estadounidense, el general Clark ocupó hasta el año 1966 el cargo de presidente de la Academia Militar The Citadel en Charleston. Publicó unas memorias en dos volúmenes: Calculated Risk (1950) y From the Danube to the Yalu (1954).
El rápido ascenso de Clark hasta el empleo de general se atribuyó a sus excelentes conexiones con los generales George Marshall y Dwight Eisenhower.
A lo largo de su carrera recibió diversas condecoraciones, entre las que pueden mencionarse las siguientes: Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Gran Cruz de la Legión de Honor

El general Mark Wayne Clark falleció el 17 de abril de 1984 en Charleston, Carolina del Sur, siendo enterrado en el cementerio de la Academia Militar The Citadel, de la que había sido presidente.

Mark Wayne Clark (* 1. Mai 1896 in Madison Barracks, New York; † 17. April 1984 in Charleston, South Carolina) war ein US-amerikanischer General während des Zweiten Weltkrieges und des Koreakrieges.

Clark war ein Nachfahre des Revolutionsführers George Rogers Clark. Er wurde 1896 in New York geboren und verbrachte einen Großteil seiner Jugend in Chicago, US-Bundesstaat Illinois. Clark besuchte die Militärakademie in West Point und schloss seine Studien 1917 ab. Er konnte im Alter von 17 Jahren einen frühen Zugang nach Westpoint erlangen, verlor aber krankheitsbedingt Zeit im Studium. Danach wurde er Leutnant in der Armee.
Er wurde 1917 zum Hauptmann der Infanterie befördert und diente während des Ersten Weltkrieges in Frankreich, wo er verwundet wurde. Im Dezember 1929 wurde Mark Wayne Clark ein Mitglied im Bund der Freimaurer, seine Loge Mystic Tie Lodge No. 398 ist in Indianapolis ansässig.
Zwischen den Kriegen hatte er verschiedene Funktionen inne und bekleidete unterschiedliche Posten im Verteidigungsministerium; auch war er stellvertretender Personalchef des Civilian Conservations Corps (einer amerikanischen Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahme, vergleichbar dem Reichsarbeitsdienst). Er absolvierte 1935 die Generalstabsschule und besuchte 1937 das Army War College.

Im Herbst 1942 war er stellvertretender Befehlshaber der Operation Torch, der alliierten Invasion in Nordafrika. Er landete mittels des britischen U-Bootes HMS Seraph Wochen vor der Invasion, um mit Vertretern des Vichy-Regimes in Nordafrika zu verhandeln. Im April und Juli 1943 nahm Luis Orgaz Yoldi der Alto Comisario de España en Marruecos auf eine offizielle Einladung von Clark, an Manöverbeobachtungen der 5. US-Armee teil. Clark war 1943 der jüngste US-Offizier, der zum Generalleutnant befördert wurde.
1943 wurde ihm kurz vor der Landung alliierter Truppen bei Salerno (Operation Avalanche) das Kommando über die 5. US-Armee übertragen. Seiner Armee gelang am 5. Juni 1944 die Einnahme der italienischen Hauptstadt Rom. Im Dezember 1944 erhielt er das Kommando über die 15. britisch/amerikanische Armeegruppe, was ihn zum Oberbefehlshaber aller Bodentruppen in Italien machte. Seine Operationsführung bleibt umstritten, so der Angriff auf Monte Cassino, die geringen Fortschritte bei der Besetzung Italiens und die misslungene Einschließung und Gefangennahme deutscher Truppen. Am Ende des Krieges war Clark Befehlshaber der alliierten Truppen in Italien.
Nach dem Krieg war Clark 1945 bis 1947 US-Hochkommissar für Österreich. Nach seiner Rückkehr in die USA kommandierte er die 6. US-Armee.

Passionate about Bridge, war während des Krieges oft gesehen spielt mit Eisenhower.

Clark übernahm am 12. Mai 1952 das Kommando über die UN-Truppen im Koreakrieg von General Matthew Ridgway und unterschrieb am 27. Juli 1953 das Waffenstillstandsabkommen mit Nordkorea.

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