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The Illustrated History of the American Soldier, His Uniform and His Equipment

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The Illustrated History of the American Soldier, His Uniform and His Equipment THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER, HIS UNIFORM AND HIS EQUIPMENT THE G.I. SERIES The War in Europe: • Fixed Bayonets: From the Kasserine Pass to Berlin, 1942-1945 The U.S. Infantry from the AmericanCivil War to the Surrender of Japan Bluecoats: The U.S. Army in the West, 1848-1897 • Grunts: U.S. Infantry in Vietnam Longknives: The U.S. Cavalry and Other Mounted Forces, • Hell on Wheels: 1845-1942 The Men of the U.S. Armored Forces, 1918 to the Present Billy Yank: The Uniform of the Union Army, 1861-1865 • The Fall of Fortress Europe: From the Battle of the Bulge to the Cross- Johnny Reb: ing of the Rhine The Uniform of the Confederate Army, 1861-1865 • Terrible Swift Sword: Union Artillery, Cavalry and Infantry, The War in the Pacific: 1861-1865 From Pearl Harbor to Okinawa, 1941-1945 • American Indians: Over There! In the U.S. Armed Forces, 1866-1945 The American Soldier in World War I • Custer and his Commands The U.S. Army Today: From West Point to Little Bighorn From the End of the Cold War to the Present Day • The Marines in World War II: The U.S. Marine Corps From Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay Patton's Third Army • Uncle Sam's Little Wars: The Spanish-American War, Philippine Redlegs: Insurrection and Boxer Rebellion, The U.S. Artillery from the Civil War to the Span- 1898-1902 ish-American War, 1861-1898 • Screaming Eagles: Sound the Charge: The 101st Airborne Division from D-Day The U.S. Cavalry in the American West, to Desert Storm 1866-1916 •* A tank helps members of the 44th Infantry Division cross the Danube with dry feet. The two tank crewmen are distinguish- able from the infantrymen by their winter combat jackets and wool-knit caps. The crew are carrying additional personal equipment in boxes secured to the rear of the tank. THE G.I. SERIES THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER, HIS UNIFORM AND HIS EQUIPMENT Hell on Wheels The Men of the U.S. Armored Forces, 1918 to the Present Christopher J. Anderson AL BR UA30 • A53 2002 Chelsea House Publishers Philadelphia First Chelsea House hardback published 2002. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr John Langellier for his help Copyright © Lionel Leventhal Limited, 1999 in the preparation of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may All the images in this book are U.S. Army pho- be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or trans- tographs, unless credited otherwise. mitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without the written permis- Design and layout by David Gibbons and sion of the publisher. Anthony A. Evans, DAG Publications Ltd Edited by Proof Positive Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Printed in China (on file) HELL ON WHEELS THE MEN OF THE U.S. ARMORED FORCES, 1918 TO THE PRESENT At 5a.m. on 12 September 1918, Lieutenant that the Americans were first equipped with Colonel George S. Patton led the attack of the would become the inheritor of the American United States Army's 344th and 345th Tank Bat- army's long mounted tradition. In describing talions during the first day of the St Mihiel offen- what he intended the role of the armored forces sive. The attack was the fruition of nine months to be, Patton wrote, 'If resistance is broken and of effort on the part of pioneering American offi- the line pierced the tank must and will assume cers like Patton and Colonel S.D. Rockenbach, the the role of pursuit cavalry and "ride the enemy to latter of whom had been named American Tank death".' The organization that Patton proposed, Corps' first commander on 26 January 1918. and the army adopted, was for tank battalions of With no precedent to guide their efforts, they laid seventy-seven tanks to support infantry the foundation for the armored forces. As Patton advances by deployment in large enough num- wrote when ordered to report on the French bers to breach enemy defensive positions. armored forces, 'The job I have tentatively pos- Patton embraced the possibilities of armor to sessed myself of is huge, for everything must be break the stalemate of trench warfare, and was created and there is nothing to start with.' determined to see the new branch succeed. While Not only was there no doctrine, there were no developing the doctrine that the American vehicles. Despite the industrial might of the armored forces would use, Patton also sought a United States, at the time of its entry into World means of instilling the esprit de corps that had War I its army was so small and inadequate to the long been a part of America's mounted tradition. task of fighting in a major European conflict that It was Patton, and the other officers of the first the bulk of its heavy equipment, including tank school at Langres, France, who fostered the artillery, aircraft and tanks, was provided by its idea among America's first armored soldiers that allies. The primary tank used by the American they were members of an elite corps within the army in France was the French-built Renault army. To foster this sense of pride, Patton FT17, a light, two-man tank armed with a 37 mm instructed his officers to develop an insignia that cannon and with a road speed of 5.5 miles per the men could wear as a distinguishing feature. hour. Additional American tank units were According to Will G. Robinson, one of Patton's equipped with the British Mark V heavy tank, a officers, 'I want you officers to devote one silhouette of which was later adopted as the first evening to something constructive. I want a insignia of the American Tank Corps. While shoulder insignia. We claim to have the firepower American industry produced copies of the of artillery, the mobility of cavalry and the ability French and British tanks under license, none of to hold ground of the infantry so whatever you the American-built tanks arrived in France before come up with it must have red, yellow, and blue the armistice. The early armored officers famil- [branch of service colors for the three branches] iarized themselves with their new vehicles in it.' The design that Robinson and his room- through learning from their allies. mate Lieutenant Howard came up with was the It is no coincidence that after observing the triangular insignia worn by all armored soldiers French, Patton, a cavalry officer, wrote a doctrine to the present day, which Patton paid for out of for the Tank Corps that emphasized speed and his own pocket. mobility. Although it seemed unlikely, the pon- All the training and preparation of the early derous and lightly armored French Renault tanks pioneers paid off during the St Mihiel offensive 7 HELL ON WHEELS THE MEN OF THE U.S. ARMORED FORCES, 1918 TO THE PRESENT when the armored forces aided the advance of modern war, trained with World War I era American infantry divisions. Although unable Renault tanks and canvas-covered cars. Military to advance as rapidly as they hoped because of planners began to consider the need for a more the slowness of their tanks and the broken ter- modern, mobile army. rain, the Americans were able to score consid- After the fall of France in 1940, a shocked erable success against heavily defended American Congress began to pour money into its German positions. During the remaining two much-neglected armed forces. In July 1940, the months of the war, American armored forces War Department issued orders that called for the would continue this record of success. re-creation of an armored force; in September, While much thought had been given to the doc- Patton was appointed as commander of the 2d trine and potential of tanks during the war, the Armored Division and in October the army's innovation that had created the tank did not armor school was opened at Fort Knox, Kentucky. extend to the uniforms of the men expected to In addition to reviving the armored forces as operate them. Armored warfare was so new that an independent branch of service, the army very little consideration had been given to the finally began to replace World War I era tanks. In development of specialized clothing and equip- late 1941, the M3 medium tank began to reach ment. Although tank crewmen had a distinctive the newly created armored divisions. Although insignia by the end of the war, little else had been incapable of performing on a modern battlefield, developed that would set the armored soldier the M3 did allow armored units to train in apart from his compatriots in any other branch. armored doctrine. In 1942, the M4 Sherman tank, The American tankers of World War I wore the named in honor of the famous Union Civil War high-collared model 1912 wool coat, wool general, came into use. Often criticized for its breeches, overseas caps and puttees that were inability to go toe to toe with its more heavily standard amongst the doughboys. For added armed opponents, the M4 was nevertheless an warmth the men were issued with long Ml 91 effective and versatile weapon that became the wool overcoats, which extended well below the work horse of the Allied war effort. American knee. It was quickly realized that they were armored forces were also equipped with the M3 impractical inside the confines of the tiny Stuart light reconnaissance tank, named for the Renaults, and Patton ordered them to be cut Confederate cavalry general, which also saw ser- down to knee length with a belt added to the vice throughout the war.
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