A Guide to the United States Military in Normandy
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A Guide to the United States Military in Normandy Troops wading ashore on Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944. Photo 26-G-2343. Courtesy Naval History and Heritage Command. By Michael Kern Program Assistant, National History Day 1 “You are now a member of the Army of the United States. That Army is made up of free citizens chosen from among a free people. The American people of their own will, and through the men they have elected to represent them in Congress, have determined that the free institutions of this country will continue to exist. They have declared that, if necessary, we will defend our right to live in our own American way and to continue to enjoy the benefits and privileges which are granted to the citizens of no other nation. It is upon you, and the many thousands of your comrades now in the military service, that our country has placed its confident faith that this defense shall succeed should it ever be challenged.” - Soldier’s Handbook, Field Manual 21-100, 1941 2 What is National History Day? National History Day is a non-profit organization which promotes history education for secondary and elementary education students. The program has grown into a national program since its humble beginnings in Cleveland, Ohio in 1974. Today over half a million students participate in National History Day each year, encouraged by thousands of dedicated teachers. Students select a historical topic related to a theme chosen each year. They conduct primary and secondary research on their chosen topic through libraries, archives, museums, historic sites, and interviews. Students analyze and interpret their sources before presenting their work in original papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites, or performances. Students enter their projects in contests held each spring at the local, state, and national level where they are evaluated by professional historians and educators. The program culminates in the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest, held on the campus of the University of Maryland at College Park each June. In addition to discovering the wonderful world of the past, students learn valuable skills which are critical to future success, regardless of a student’s future field: • Critical thinking and problem solving skills • Research and reading skills • Oral and written communication and presentation skills • Self-esteem and confidence • A sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process Participation in the National History Day contest leads to success in school and success after graduation. More than five million NHD students have gone on to successful careers in many fields, including business, law, and medicine. NHD helps students become more analytical thinkers and better communicators, even if they do not choose to pursue a career in history. 3 What is the Normandy Scholars Institute? Established in 2011, the Normandy Scholars Institute is a program which teaches high school students and teachers about D-Day and the fighting in Normandy during World War II. The program is a partnership between National History Day and The George Washington University made possible by the generosity of Albert H. Small. Mr. Small is a veteran of the U.S. Navy who served in Normandy during World War II. He is passionate about history education and wants to ensure that the sacrifices of World War II veterans are honored and remembered by America’s youth. Each winter National History Day selects a group of teachers from across the country to participate in the program. Each teacher selects a student to work with during the institute. The teacher and student work as a team, learning side-by-side, making the institute a unique educational experience. Starting in spring, the team reads books on World War II and on D-Day, giving them a better understanding of the history and historical context of the campaign. Each student selects a soldier from their community who was killed during the war and who is buried at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. The team works with a research mentor to learn about the life of their soldier. In June, the teams travel to Washington, DC for several days of program events before flying to France to visit the historical sites where the teams’ soldiers fought and died. The trip culminates with a trip to the American cemetery where the student reads a eulogy in front of their soldier’s grave. After returning to the United States, the students and teachers share their experience with others by making a website about their soldier and giving presentations at their schools. In addition to getting to experience Normandy firsthand, students and teachers will: • Learn the true cost of war and the meaning of freedom and sacrifice • Improve research and problem solving skills • Attain a deeper understanding of America’s participation in World War II • Establish relationships with peers and colleagues from across the country 4 Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………….6 Military Organization and Units…………………………..7 The Men……………………………………………………18 The Things They Carried…………………………………..25 Combat in Normandy………………………………………26 Military Phonetic Alphabet………………………………....30 Glossary……………………………………………………..31 Bibliography……………………………….………………..34 5 Introduction This guide provides a short introduction to the United States military during World War II. Using this guide will help Normandy scholars select a soldier that he or she wants to research for the fallen soldier portion of the Normandy Scholar’s Institute’s curriculum. In this guide, you can learn about how the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard were organized. You can also learn about the roles that officers and enlisted men played in the military, and get an idea of what each type of military unit did in Normandy. The guide also has a short section on military induction and training, to give the reader an idea of how their soldier was assigned to his or her particular job and unit. Finally, I have provided a few thoughts on combat in Normandy, to give the reader an idea of what your soldier experienced and how he or she felt about those experiences. Once the team has selected a soldier to research, you will be provided with another guide giving specific details of how the soldier’s unit was organized and what role they played in the campaign in Normandy. Lt. Col. James E. Rudder’s command post at Ponte du Hoc, June 8, 1944 Army Signal Corps Photo 111-SC-190240. Courtesy Center of Military History. 6 Military Organization and Units Military Organization During World War II the United States had an Army, a Navy, a Marine Corps, and a Coast Guard. The Army was divided into three parts. The Army Ground Forces (AGF) were what we would think of as the Army today – units of soldiers, tanks, and artillery cannons. The other two branches of the Army were the Army Service Forces (ASF), which contained the technical branches of the Army, and the Army Air Forces (AAF), which became the United States Air Force in 1947. The ASF included the corps of engineers, medical corps, signal corps, ordinance corps, quartermaster corps, chemical corps, and transportation corps. The Commander in Chief of the United States military was President Franklin Roosevelt. The top military men in the United States during the war were General George C. Marshall and Admiral Ernest J. King. General Marshall was the Chief of Staff of the Army; he commanded the Army Ground Forces, Army Service Forces and the Army Air Forces. Admiral King was the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He was in command of the United States Navy. These two men reported directly to President Roosevelt.1 To be successful, the military needed to be subdivided into a number of separate parts, each reporting to a particular officer. They conformed to a rigid hierarchy so that everyone knew what their job was and what they were supposed to do to win the war. Let us consider the Army first: United States Army – General of the Army George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff Army Ground Forces Army Air Forces (Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair) (General Henry A. “Hap” Arnold) Army Group (500,000+ men) Air Force (1,000-2,500 airplanes) Army (150,000+ men) Air Division or Command (300-700 airplanes) Corps (40,000+ men) Wing (90-120 airplanes) Division (9,000-14,000 men) Group (36-75 airplanes) Regiment (2,000-3,000 men) Squadron (12-25 airplanes) Battalion (500-700 men) Flight (4 airplanes) Company (200 men) Element (2 airplanes) Platoon (40 men) Squad (12 men) 1 Organization and higher command of U.S. Military, Andrew Mollo, The Armed Forces of World War II: Uniforms, insignia and organization. New York: Crown Publishers, 1981, 150. Also Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, U.S. Navy at War, 1941-1945: Official Reports to the Secretary of the Navy. Washington: United States Navy Department, 1946, i, and John D. Millet. The Organization and Role of the Army Service Forces. Washington: Center of Military History, 1998. 7 Military units in World War II tended to be ‘triangular.’ In other words, there were three units at each level of organization. For example, a Parachute Infantry Regiment had three battalions. Each battalion had three companies. Of course, there were exceptions to this, because otherwise it would be too easy to understand. A guide for your soldier’s particular unit will be provided after you select your soldier. Understanding this military hierarchy may seem daunting, but the school system you are familiar with is divided in a similar way. Teachers report to the school’s principal. The principal reports to the county school board and the school board reports to your state’s department of education, which, in turn, looks to the national Department of Education.2 The Army also used an organization called a ‘brigade’ during World War II.