Henry Kent Hewitt

Template:Short description Template:Infobox military person Henry Kent Hewitt (February 11, 1887 – September 15, 1972)<ref name="vahkh" /> was the United States Navy commander of amphibious operations in North Africa and southern Europe through World War II. He was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1907. His classmates included Patrick N. L. Bellinger, Willis W. Bradley, Robert C. Giffen, Jonas H. Ingram, George M. Courts, Claud A. Jones, and Raymond A. Spruance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Early career

Hewitt served aboard Template:USS in the Great White Fleet's circumnavigation of the globe from 1907–1909. His sea duty continued as a division officer aboard Template:USS and executive officer of the destroyer Template:USS. In 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant, married Floride Louise Hunt (1887–1973), and began three years of shore duty as a Naval Academy mathematics instructor. He returned to sea in 1916 commanding the yacht Template:USS in the Caribbean. Hewitt was awarded the Navy Cross commanding the destroyer Template:USS escorting Atlantic convoys during World War I. His citation reads:Template:Blockquote

Hewitt was an instructor of electrical engineering and physics at the Naval Academy from 1919 to 1921 before returning to sea as gunnery officer aboard Template:USS. After spending three years at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, he commanded Destroyer Division Twelve with the battle fleet from 1931 to 1933. He then chaired the Naval Academy mathematics department for three years while the Naval Academy developed the Keuffel & Esser Log Log Trig slide rule.<ref>Atkinson, Rick The Day of Battle, the war in Sicily and Italy, 1943–44 p.31</ref> He returned to sea commanding the cruiser Template:USS and transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Pan-American Conference at Buenos Aires following the 1936 elections.<ref name="loc">Template:Cite web</ref>

Flag rank during World War II

File:Major General Patton and Rear Admiral Hewitt on USS Augusta (CA-31), circa in November 1942 (80-G-30116).jpg

Major General George Patton with Rear Admiral Hewitt aboard USS Augusta, off the coast of North Africa, November 1942.

Hewitt was promoted to rear admiral in 1939, and commanded Atlantic Fleet Task Groups in neutrality patrols and convoys from 1941 until becoming Commander, Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, in April 1942. This force, also called Task Force 34, became the U.S. component of the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. Hewitt was then assigned as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Northwest Africa Waters or COMNAVNAW. His flagships included Template:USS while he commanded American naval forces at the Naval Battle of Casablanca,<ref>Sean Maloney, To Secure Command of the Sea, thesis, 1991, p. 25</ref> Template:USS while he commanded the western task force during the invasion of Sicily, and Template:USS while he commanded all Allied amphibious forces during the invasion of Italy<ref>Potter, E.B. & Nimitz, Chester W., Sea Power (1960) Prentice-Hall p.595</ref> and later Anzio landings and invasion of southern France.

Hewitt was awarded both the Army and Navy Distinguished Service Medals for his part in the invasion of North Africa. The Navy Distinguished Service Medal citation reads:Template:Blockquote

The Army Distinguished Service Medal citation reads:Template:Blockquote

File:80-G-702560 (cropped) - Henry Kent Hewitt.png

Henry Kent Hewitt, photographed while USS Missouri was visiting Piraeus, Greece, circa 10–14 April 1946.

Hewitt was awarded a second Navy Cross for his part in the invasion of Italy. The citation reads:Template:Blockquote

Hewitt was awarded a second Army Distinguished Service Medal for his part in the invasion of southern France. The citation reads:Template:Blockquote

Hewitt was awarded a second Navy Distinguished Service Medal as commander of the United States Eighth Fleet for the last two years of the war. The citation reads:Template:Blockquote

Post-war

Hewitt remained in this post until 1945, when he chaired a Pearl Harbor investigation. Following World War II, he commanded U.S. Naval Forces Europe, advised the Naval War College, and served as a Navy representative to the United Nations. Hewitt retired from active duty to Orwell, Vermont in 1949. and died at Middlebury, Vermont in 1972.<ref name="loc"/> Template:USS was named in his honor.

Personal life

Hewitt was married to the former Floride Hunt until his death. They had two daughters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Honors and awards

Template:Ribbon devices	Navy Cross with one gold award star
Template:Ribbon devices	Navy Distinguished Service Medal with one gold award star
Template:Ribbon devices	Army Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Template:Ribbon devices	Navy Expeditionary Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	Dominican Campaign Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	World War I Victory Medal with one bronze service star
Template:Ribbon devices	American Defense Service Medal with Atlantic "A" device
Template:Ribbon devices	American Campaign Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze service stars
Template:Ribbon devices	World War II Victory Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom)
Template:Ribbon devices	Legion of Honor, rank of Grand Officer (France)
Template:Ribbon devices	Croix de Guerre, 1939–45 with one bronze Palm device (France)
Template:Ribbon devices	Order of the Southern Cross, degree of Commander (Brazil)
Template:Ribbon devices	Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)
Template:Ribbon devices	Order of Kutuzov (1st class) (Soviet Union)

There is a display of Admiral Hewitt's orders, decorations and medals at the United States Naval War College Museum in Newport, Rhode Island.

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Hindley, Meredith (2017). Destination: Casablanca: exile, espionage, and the battle for North Africa in World War II (2017). New York, New York, U.S.A.: PublicAffairs/Hachette Book Group. Template:ISBN.
• Template:Cite book