INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly firom the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from a iy ^pe of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quali^ of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and inq>roper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these wül be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note wiD indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the ori;pnal manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Roatj. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 THE RISE AND FALL OF U.S. ARMY DOCTRINE 1918 -1939 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By William O. Odom, B. A., M. A. X- * * X" * The Ohio State University 1995 DISSERTATION COMMITTEE: Approved by Allan R. Millett John F. Guilmartin A dviser David Stebenne Department of History ÜMI Number; 9534040 Copyright 1995 by Odom, William Ollen All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9534040 Copyright 1995, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by William Ollen Odom 1995 To My Family 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I express sincere appreciation to Dr. Allan R. Millett for his guidance and patient support in the research and writing of this dissertation and to the faculty of the Ohio State University Department of History for equipping me with the necessary tools to complete the endeavor. In particular, I thank Professors Williamson Murray, John F. Guilmartin, and Mark Grimsley for their steadfast support, encouragement, and guidance. I am especially grateful to Dr. Timothy K. Nenninger at the National Archives and Dr. Richard Sommers, Mr. David Keough, and Mrs. Pamela Cheney at the Military History Institute for their personal interest in and support of my research. On more than one occasion, they found important files in areas in which I would not have thought to look and provided helpful insights on the resources of the period. I acknowledge my mentors at the United States Military Academy — Colonels Robert A. Doughty, James M. Johnson, and Cole C. Kingseed — for their unwavering support and encouragement during the last and most difficult leg of the journey. I could not have completed this work without their positive support of the effort. Last, I offer sincere thanks to my wife and children, who endured my seemingly endless absences while conducting research and writing the dissertation. Ill VITA A ugust 1, 1957 ............................................ Born - Jonesboro, Arkansas 1979.................................................................B.A., P urdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 1990................................................................. M.A., Department of History, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1993.................................................................Assistant Professor, Department of History, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 1979 - Present............................................... Infantry Officer United States Army PUBLICATIONS "The Rudder In the Storm: George Washington As Senior Leader."Military Review 72 (June 1992): 54-66. "Destined For Defeat: An Analysis of the St. Clair Expedition of 1791." Northwest Ohio Quarterly 65 (Spring 1993): 68-93. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: History Specialization: American Military IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................................. iii VITA ..................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................................ix INTRODUCTION: DOCTRINE AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY............... 1 Doctrine and Change.........................................................................................1 Doctrine Manuals.............................................................................................5 United States Army Doctrine Between the World Wars.....................8 PART I: THE RISE OF ARMY DOCTRINE, 1918-1923 CHAPTER.....................................................................................................................PAGE I. TOWARD AN AMERICAN ARMY.............................................................. 14 Alternatives: Upton or Palmer..................................................................15 Compromise: The National Defense Act of 1920...................................19 Implementation of National Defense Act of 1920.................................22 n. TOWARD AN AMERICAN DOCTRINE......................................................32 Why a Doctrinal Review?..............................................................................32 Writing the Manual...................................................................................... 37 in. CONFIRMING THE LESSONS OF THE PAST...........................................57 Combat Principles...........................................................................................58 The Principal Principles: Objective and Offense...................................60 Open Warfare: Offense "American Style"............................................... 62 The Human Element.................................................................................... 65 Primacy of Infantry........................................................................................ 68 IV. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE...........................................................................74 O perations.........................................................................................................76 Infantry............................................................................................................... 80 Machineguns................................................................................................83 T an k s...............................................................................................................89 Accompanying Guns....................................................................................96 Artillery.............................................................................................................. 99 C avalry .............................................................................................................106 Air Service ........................................................................................................I l l Antiaircraft Defense.....................................................................................115 Chemical Warfare.......................................................................................... 117 V. THE RISE OF ARMY DOCTRINE.................................................................123 PART II: THE FALL OF ARMY DOCTRINE, 1923-1939 VI. THE ARMY IN THE TWENTIES..................................................................134 Army Schools ................................................................................................ 143 Army Air Corps ..............................................................................................147 Ground Mobility...........................................................................................151 Return to Darkness........................................................................................155 VII. THE ARMY IN THE THIRTIES.....................................................................166 The Twilight Years, 1930-1935................................................................... 167 Dawn of Recovery, 1936-1939.................................................................... 183 VIII. WRITING FIELD SERVICE REGULATIONS 1939.................................. 203 Manual for Commanders of Large Units.............................................. 204 Diverse Doctrines...........................................................................................208 Writing the Manual.................................................................................... 214 IX. FSR1939: DOCTRINE IN THE DOLDRUMS........................................... 234 Objective, Offense, and the Human Element.......................................235 O