THE SECOND ARMORED DIVISION'S FORMATIVE ERA, 1940-1944 By DONALD EUGENE HOUSTON •l Bachelor of Science in Education Midwestern University Wichita Falls, Texas 1960 Master of Arts Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 1969 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY July, 1974 OKLAHOMA ST ATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY MAR 13 1975 Copyrite 1974 by Donald Eugene Houston All rights reserved; No part of this thesis may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. 902103 SECOND ARMKHffiffiID.:DNiB14RIIDHEI8EICD.N!ffillCR'fl.tffi.ED DIVISION'S /\ _14 j/ ~·~~) ~ .., - ~ ~ ''--~'1=P ~ 1 S ./ _if-==, / / College ii ii PREFACE Unknown to me, this dissertation had its beginnings in 1959, while I was a cadet attending the Reserve Officer Training Corps summer encamp­ ment at Fort Hood, Texas, home of the 2d Armored Division. The following year, as a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant, I was assigned to the First Howitzer Battalion, 14th Field Artillery, 2d Armored Division, where I spent six months waiting for-artillery school at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Little thought was given to the topic until ten years later, when searching for a dissertation project, I discovered that the 2d Armored Division did not have a detailed narrative concerning its existence. This was especially disappointing because of the relation­ ship of the 2d Armored Division and General George S. Patton, Jr., and the fact that the division served under this colorful individual in North Africa and Sicily. No writer has ever compiled a history without incurring debts. This is especially true of this effort. The author wishes to publicly acknowledge the' aid and support given by the 2d Armored Division Association, for many years under the able leadership of Colonel Redding F. Perry. He announced the project in the Association's Bulletin, which led to some favorable responses. Members of the "Hell on Wheels" Association agreed to be interviewed and spent many hours recounting their experiences. Especially valuable for the very large view were the conversations with Generals Jacob Devers and William H. Simpson. Former Division Commanders, Lieutenant General Willis D. Crittenberger, iii Major General Ernest N. Harmon, Brigadier General Allen F. Kingman, and General I. D. White, were extremely valuable for their detailed thoughts on the operations in which they participated. Others interviewed were most helpful in reliving experiences at division or lower levels. Major Generals Robert W. Grow, Harold Peckham:, and Lawrence R; Dewey, Brigadier Generals Sidney R. Hinds andWheelerMerrian:,·and Captains James M. Burt and Donald A. Chace helped to clarify many of the·questions raised. Archivists of various research libraries, including Dr. Richard Sommers, the United States Army Military History·Research Collection Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Timothy Nenninger, Charles Phillips, and especial­ ly Mrs. Gloria Wheeler of the National Archives, Washington, D. C.; and Mrs. Ann Turner, Reference Librarian at the Henry·Prescott Chaplin Memorial Library, Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont, were most valuable in their assistance. With their expert knowledge these dedi­ cated librarians often anticipated this researcher's needs. The Office of the Chd.ef of Military History, Washington, D. C., provided much assistance through its collection of unpublished materials, and extensive knowledge of the topic. Mrs. Mary Lee Stubbs and Stanley Russell Conner of the Unit History Section provided guidance on the formation of the 2d Armored Division. Mr. Detmar Finke and Miss Hannah Zeidlik of the Reference Section opened their collections to this researcher and helped him to find what was needed. The Deputy Chief Historian at the Office of the Chief of Military History, Mr. Charles B. MacDonald, was most helpful. As the author of several volumes in the United States Army in World War.!!, he was more than familiar with the role of the 2d Armored Division on the European Continent. He loaned me the Manuscript to the forthcoming volume, "The Last Offensive," iv which concluded the European phase of the War. The United States Armor School Library at Fort Knox, Kentucky, under the supervision of Brigadier General Robert W. Galloway and his succes­ sor, Brigadier General George S. Patton, loaned studies of 2d Armored Division actions done by advanced course students. Armor and its two able editors, Colonel 0. W. Martin, Jr., and Major Robert E. Kelso, also loaned materials and scheduled appointmentswithseveral of the men interviewed. On the Oklahoma State University campus,· the author is deeply indebted to the late Mrs. Marguerite Howland, and to Mr. Josh H. Stroman, who guided me through the documents section of the library. Mrs. Heather MacAlpine Lloyd and her assistants kindly secured the other needed materials on interlibrary loan. Special consideration is owed the· faculties of the Departments of History and Political Science. The author's graduate studies committee, composed of Drs. Harold F. Gordon and Harold V. Sare of the Department of Political Science; Drs. Douglas D. Hale, H. James Henderson, John A. Sylvester, and chaired by Dr. LeRoy H. Fischer, led me through the tangles of graduate study, rendering valuable advice and assistance along the way. A special tribute goes to Dr. Homer L. Knight, Professor and Head Emeritus of the Department of History, who provided a graduate assistantship which permitted me to pursue graduate· study. Dr. Fischer read, edited, and supervised the dissertation from the opening word to the final period; without his able directions, encouragement, and most of all friendship, this project may never have been completed. Special thanks have been saved for last. John and Carole Albright provided a home away from home while I was doing research in Washington, v D. C. John led me through the many mazes at the Office of the Chief of Military History, introducing me to those who aided my search for materials. Captain William K. Emerson, an enthusiastic student of history, read the manuscript, rendering invaluable.service and advice to clarify points which might have confused the reader. My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Truman P. Houston·,· a±ded and encouraged me in my entire graduate program, giving constant encouragement to finish the project. My son, Donald Jr., could not· understand why I did not stop to play with him, nor did he know that loud noises and concentration do not mix. My wife, Guyla,edited, typed, critiqued, and supervised the study from the selection of the topic to the last word, while serving as full-time serials librarian at·Oklahoma'State University. In spite of all the valuable assistance, advice, and aid, this is my work; I alone assume responsibility for any errors ·in factor interpreta­ tion. vi TABLE·OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. A FOREWORD VIEW. 1 II. CREATING AN IDEA: THE· INFANTRY ERA 6 III. CREATING AN IDEA:· THE- CAVALRY ERA 38 IV. FORT BENNING ERA: ACTIVATING AN-ARMORED DIVISION 71 V. FORT BENNING ERA: TRA1IN'ING AN· :AfilfORED DIVISION 96 VI. THE TENNESSEE MANEUVERS. 127 VII. THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS •• 149 VIII. THE CAROLINA MANEUVERS 178 IX. PREPARATION FOR WAR • 199 X. OPERATION TORCH: THE INVASION OF NORTH AFRICA 224 XI. NORTH AFRICAN INTERLUDE ••••• 250 XII. OPERATION HUSKY: THE INVASION OF SICILY 269 XIII. THE SICILIAN-ENGLISH INTERMISSION. 304 XIV. A BACKWARD GLANCE • • • • • 337 BIBLIOGRAPHY •. , ... .... 345 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. An Armored Division, 1940 •• 72 2. The Tennessee Maneuvers, 1941 128 3. The Louisiana Maneuvers, 1941 • 150 4. The Carolina Maneuvers, 1941 179 5. An Armored Division, 1942 200 6. North Africa, 1942 251 7. Sicily, 1943 ...• 270 viii CHAPTER I A FOREWORD VIEW A former chief of staff of the 2d Armored Division once commented that the only thing more difficult than fighting a war was attempting to write about it. Perhaps that comparison could be taken one step further to say that the only thing more difficult than writing about a war is attempting to write about one unit in that conflict. The American Tank Corps came into existence during World War I because of the stalemated situation in Europe. The armies had battled for almost two years with little change in the territory gained or lost. The tank was the technological answer to restore movement to the battle­ field. Once the war ended the Tank Corps returned to the United States and for a moment it appeared that it was to become a separate branch of the service. Unfortunately, Congress agreed with General of the Armies John J. Pershing that the tanks had been an infantry support weapon and should remain with that branch. With the assignment of the tanks to the infantry, Congress became the·author of a conflict which was to dominate military thinking for the following two decades. One group of officers wanted to use the tanks as cavalry, while the other group wanted to maintain the tanks in their traditional infantry support role. Inability to compromise the issue, together with branch jealousies, forced the Chiefs of Infantry and Cavalry to assume dogmatic positions which only served to slow the 1 2 development of tactics and vehicles for conducting mobile warfare. In spite of official barriers raised against the tank enthusiasts, a few far sighted officers began to write encouraging, thought provoking articles, advocating what they considered a new means of conducting warfare. These spokesmen reasoned that with the development of the tank, mobility had been restored to the battlefield. Since cavalry had traditionally been the branch of maneuver, they argued that cavalry should either have the tanks, or that, at the least, infantrymen. should be trained to use cavalry tactics.