Although thought highly of by many officers, Dawley had been moved on by Patton in Sicily (although this was mainly due to Patton wanting an experienced corps commander) and his suitability for high command had been questioned by the Supreme Allied Commander in the MTO, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and British General Sir Harold Alexander, the 15th Army Group commander, who described Dawley as a "broken reed". After the problems at Salerno, during which Clark brought in Major General Matthew Ridgway, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, to act as the VI Corps deputy commander, Dawley was replaced by Clark after Salerno, as he was judged to be "worn out". Many, including both Walker and Middleton, along with Colonel James Gavin, commander of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, believed Clark used Dawley as a scapegoat to cover his own failures and thought Clark should be the one to go. Dawley was replaced as VI Corps commander by Major General John P. Lucas, who was also replaced in February 1944 during Operation Shingle.