“Getting Rid of the Line:” Toward an American Infantry Way of Battle, 1918-1945
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“GETTING RID OF THE LINE:” TOWARD AN AMERICAN INFANTRY WAY OF BATTLE, 1918-1945 ________________________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board ________________________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Earl J. Catagnus, Jr. May, 2017 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Gregory J.W. Urwin, Advisory Chair, Department of History Dr. Jay Lockenour, Department of History Dr. Beth Bailey, Department of History Dr. Timothy K Nenninger, National Archives and Records Administration ii © Copyright 2017 By _Earl J. Catagnus, Jr._ All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the development of America’s infantry forces between 1918-1945. While doing so, it challenges and complicates the traditional narrative that highlights the fierceness of the rivalry between the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. During the First World War, both commissioned and enlisted Marines attended U.S. Army schools and served within Army combat formations, which brought the two closer together than ever before. Both services became bonded by a common warfighting paradigm, or way of battle, that centered upon the infantry as the dominant combat arm. All other arms and services were subordinated to the needs and requirements of the infantry. Intelligent initiative, fire and maneuver by the smallest units, penetrating hostile defenses while bypassing strong points, and aggressive, not reckless, leadership were all salient characteristics of that shared infantry way of battle. After World War I, Army and Marine officers constructed similar intellectual proposals concerning the ways to fight the next war. Although there were differences in organizational culture, the two were more alike in their respective values systems than historians have realized. There was mutual admiration, and targeted attempts to replicate each other’s combat thinking and spirit. They prepared for battle by observing each other’s doctrine, and sharing each other’s conception of modern combat. When preparation turned to execution in World War II, they created solutions for battlefield problems that evolved from their near-identical way of battle. At the conclusion of the war, the common bonds between the Army and Marine Corps were all but forgotten. This, ultimately, led to increased friction during the Congressional defense unification battles in 1946. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A dissertation is the capstone project of a terminal degree that symbolizes the end of a journey as a student, and the beginnings of a scholarly life. For those who have never undertaken this endeavor, too often a dissertation is seen as an individual’s accomplishment, the culmination of one’s years of research, study, writing, revising, and editing. No dissertation, however, represents the achievement of an individual. Rather, it is the triumph of a group of people intimately connected to the dissertator. Friends, family, peers, colleagues, and professors, particularly my dissertation advisor, Dr. Gregory J.W. Urwin, all had a hand in making this project happen,. Within the lines below, I am supposed to thank all those who helped me along the way, and communicate how important their contribution was to the finished product. Unfortunately, nothing I write can come close to describing the debts I owe these people. I would like to thank the organizations and people who sponsored much of my research. Lou Namm, my vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Veterans Administration, proved instrumental in making sure that my financial obligations were taken care of at Temple University. Mr. Namm pushed the limits of the Veterans Administration to make sure that despite my disabilities they would continue to support my doctoral studies. The U.S. Army Center of Military History graciously awarded me a dissertation completion grant in 2013, an honor that few receive. I am indebted to Drs. Richard Stuart and Brian Newman who made sure that I worked through the bureaucracy, and actually received the funding. In that same year, I received Temple University’s Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy’s Jeffrey Bower Endowed Research Fellowship, another honor for which I am ever grateful. Next, I would like to thank Dr. v Charles Neimeyer and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for their awarding me a dissertation completion fellowship in 2012. Dr. Neimeyer’s skillful rhetoric and bureaucratic management created the opportunity for me to receive the funding, and I am humbled by his efforts. After receiving the U.S. Army’s Heritage and Education Center’s Robert L. and Robert C. Ruth Fellowship in 2012, Jeff Hawks, the Education Director, not only helped me navigate the vast holdings at Carlisle, but the town as well. His kindness toward my wife and daughter who met with me at lunch during the long days of research was truly heartfelt, and I thank him for making them feel welcome. At the very beginning of graduate school in 2010, Drs. Michael Lynch and Richard Sommers took a gamble and awarded me a U.S. Army Military History Institute General and Mrs. Matthew B. Ridgway Research Grant. Without this grant, I may not have pursued the project that ultimately led to my dissertation. Throughout this process, there were those who guided me through the hundreds of linear feet of archival material, telling me where to look, what to discard, and what was underused. There are too many of these archivists and historians to mention by name. Some have no idea of the impact they had on me, nor did I at the time. David Keough of the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle, Pennsylvania was the first archivist I ever met. His immeasurable knowledge of the archive’s holdings cannot be overstated. He guided me towards all the “right” sources, and, when he retired five years after I began my research, I was still referring to the notes I took when he spoke to me. Dr. Edgar Raines from the Center of Military History was another historian who sent me on a hunt to find original sources. He also sent numerous publications to me, and I am still honored that he invested his time in helping me. Dr. Timothy K. Nenninger, who is also vi the outside reader on my dissertation committee, sent me down all the right “rabbit holes” and shared information he compiled throughout his years of dedicated service at National Archives and Records Administration II in College Park, Maryland. Dr. Nenninger commented on a paper I presented at the 2011 Naval History Symposium, and from then on he has been one of my benefactors. The Marine Corps History Division and Marine Corps Archives personnel were no less instrumental in producing this dissertation. Chief Historian of the Marine Corps Chuck Melson and Reference Historian Annette Amerman were two of the people on whom I leaned the most. They answered my phone calls and emails, and sat with me for hours discussing my project. Annette sent me to Archivist Greg Cina of the Marine Corps Archives who guided me through the massive History Amphibious File Collection. Greg sent me digital copies of files when I had to leave my research trip early because my wife was sick. Although I did not know it at the time, it turned out to be morning sickness, signaling my wife’s second pregnancy, so Greg’s efforts made my stress level drastically lower. All of those, and many others who I did not mention, I owe an incredible debt. Dr. Urwin’s graduate students have a special bond. I do not know of any other graduate department where students could be competing for the same fellowship, grant, or award, and still help make each other’s proposals better. It was nothing for Dr. Martin Clemis and I to exchange helpful information while submitting for the same awards. When one of us finished the program and moved on, our friendship did not dwindle, and we always were ready to assist. Drs. Michael Dolski and Eric Klinek let me spend weeks with them free of charge in their hotel rooms to conduct research at National Archives and Records Administration II in College Park, Maryland. Dr. Dave Ulbrich has used vii every position he attained to help me advance my doctoral studies and professional life. Dr. Ulbrich is truly a selfless person, and I am grateful to call him my friend. Jean- Pierre Beugoms, Chris Golding, and Drs. Josh Wolf and Jason Smith have spent countless hours with me in cars and hotel rooms attending conferences, and endured my “type” of humor. We all brought our families together, attended each other’s weddings, dissertation defenses, parties, and have created lives together. I do not know where I would be without their support. Thank you. I was fortunate to be given a professorship at Valley Forge Military College while I was completing my doctorate. Dr. Kathleen Anderson took a chance on a young scholar who had a vision for creating innovative programs at the college. There are no words to describe the debt I owe her for bring me in as an assistant professor, and allowing me to stay in the field to complete my dissertation. Having a family and being a graduate student comes with a price, and if Dr. Anderson did not give me this position, I probably would have had to work outside academia, making my doctoral studies incalculably harder. My mentor and colleague at the college has been Dr. G. Patrick Murray, a Russell Weigley doctoral student. Dr. Murray walked me through many trying times when dissertation work conflicted with my professorial duties. Fortunately, he taught me how to become more efficient, freeing up more time for writing. Perhaps the most important thing Dr. Murray and his good friend Mr. Dennis Levitt did for me was to pay for a new air conditioning unit so I could write in my office when the heat was unbearable.