Pershing's Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I

by Lawrence M. Kaplan (Editor), Dale E. Wilson (Foreword by)

Overview

After the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, the US Army established the Tank Corps to help break the deadlock of trench warfare in France during World War I. The army envisioned having a large tank force by 1919, but when the war ended in November 1918, only three tank battalions had participated in combat operations. Shortly after, Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach, Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) Tank Corps under General John J. Pershing, issued a memorandum to many of his officers to write brief accounts of their experiences that would supplement official records. Their narratives varied in size, scope, and depth, and covered a range of topics, including the organizing, training, and equipping of the tank corps.

For the first time since these reports were submitted, Pershing's Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I presents an unprecedented look into the experiences of soldiers in the US Army Tank Corps. The book provides fresh insight into the establishment and combat operations of the tank corps, including six personal letters written by Colonel George S. Patton, Jr., who commanded a tank brigade in World War I. Congressional testimony, letters, and a variety of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles in this collection provide additional context to the officers' revealing accounts.

Based on completely new sources that include official US Army personnel reports that were previously unknown to researchers, this illuminating work offers a vivid picture of life and activities in the US Army Tank Corps in France. Revealed is a rare glimpse into the thoughts and experiences of a broad cross-section of men from the senior leadership down to the platoon level, and a behind-the-scenes look into how this first generation of "tankers" helped develop new war-fighting capabilities for the US Army.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813176055
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Series:	AUSA Books
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Lawrence M. Kaplan is a professional military historian who has worked for both the US Army and the Department of Defense. He is the author of Homer Lea: American Soldier of Fortune, and the editor of The Artillery Service in the War of the Rebellion, 1861–65, and The Purge of the Thirtieth Division.

Lawrence M. Kaplan is the historian for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations x

Foreword xi

Editors Introduction 1

I Historical Summary of US Army Tank Corps Operations 3

II Tank Corps Senior Leader Commentary 11

Colonel Ira C. Welborn, Report of the Director of the Tank Corps 11

Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach, Congressional Testimony 13

Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach, Infantry Journal Article 26

III Official Tank Corps Personal-Experience Reports 37

302d Tank Center

Colonel George S. Patton Jr., Commander, 304th Tank Brigade 37

Second Lieutenant John G. Heming, Headquarters (HQ), 302d Tank Center 44

Private First Class Joseph T. Angelo, HQ, 302d Tank Center 45

First Lieutenant Paul S. Edwards, HQ, 302d Tank Center 46

Captain Maurice H. Knowles, Reconnaissance Officer (RO), HQ, 302d Tank Center 48

First Lieutenant Donald C. Wilson, Salvage and Repair Company, 302d Tank Center 49

Captain Elgin E. Braine, HQ, 302d Tank Center 52

326th/344th Tank Battalion

Major Sereno E. Brett, Commander, 344th Tank Battalion 63

Second Lieutenant Donald M. Taylor, HQ, 344th Tank Battalion 67

First Lieutenant Julian K. Morrison, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion 71

First Lieutenant Leslie H. Buckler, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion 73

First Lieutenant Gordon M. Grant, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion 77

First Lieutenant Raymond P. Pennoyer, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion 78

Captain Newell P. Weed, Company B, 344th Tank Battalion 80

Captain Harry G. Borland, RO, Company B, 344th Tank Battalion 83

First Lieutenant David M. Bowes, Company B, 344th Tank Battalion 86

Second Lieutenant Stephen L. Conrey, Company B, 344th Tank Battalion 88

Second Lieutenant Donald M. Call, Company B, 344th Tank Battalion 88

First Lieutenant Henry C. Jennings, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion 91

First Lieutenant Edwin A. McCluer, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion 93

First Lieutenant Loyall F. Sewall, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion 96

Second Lieutenant Harlow A. Wood, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion 97

Second Lieutenant Arthur Snyder, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion 98

Second Lieutenant George B. Heilner, RO, 344th Tank Battalion 99

327th/345th Tank Battalion

First Lieutenant William C. Louisell, HQ, 345th Tank Battalion 104

First Lieutenant Theodore J. Sledge, HQ, 345th Tank Battalion 106

Second Lieutenant William A. Dietz, Company A, 345th Tank Battalion 109

Second Lieutenant Lester W. Atwood, Company A, 345th Tank Battalion 112

Captain Ernest A. Higgins, Company C, 345th lank Battalion 117

First Lieutenant Harry E. Gibbs, Company C, 345th Tank Battalion 122

First Lieutenant Harvey L. Harris, Company C, 345th Tank Battalion 124

Second Lieutenant Harry M. Mayne, Company C, 345th Tank Battalion 127

Second Lieutenant Harold H. Neff, Company B, 330th Tank Battalion 128

301st Tank Battalion

Captain Franklin V. Tenkonchy, HQ, 305th Tank Brigade 129

Major Roger B. Harrison, Commander, 301st Tank Battalion 134

First Lieutenant Thomas N. Miller, Company A, 301st Tank Battalion 151

Second Lieutenant Hugh S. Taylor, Company A, 301st Tank Battalion 153

Second Lieutenant Kenneth P. Watts, Company A, 301st Tank Battalion 154

Second Lieutenant Roland T. Adams, Company A, 301st Tank Battalion 156

Captain Carleton Reynell, Company B, 301st Tank Battalion 158

Second Lieutenant Roy M. Lester, Company B, 301st Tank Battalion 162

Second Lieutenant David E. Heaphy, Company B, 301st Tank Battalion 165

Second Lieutenant Claude E. Cans, Company B, 301st Tank Battalion 167

Second Lieutenant Paul S. Haimbaugh, Company B, 301st Tank Battalion 168

Captain Ralph de P. Clarke, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion 170

Second Lieutenant Harry M. Woods, RO, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion 173

Second Lieutenant John A. Logan, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion 176

Second Lieutenant R. E. Hughes, 301st Tank Battalion 178

IV Unofficial Personal Accounts 181

George S. Patton Jr., Personal Correspondence

George S. Patton Jr., letter to his wife, Beatrice, June 13, 1918 181

George S. Patton Jr., letter to his wife, Beatrice, September 16, 1918 181

George S. Patton Jr., letter to his wife, Beatrice, September 19, 1918 184

George S. Patton Jr., letter to his father, September 20, 1918 185

George S. Patton Jr., letter to his wife, Beatrice, September 26, 1918 188

George S. Patton Jr., letter to his wife, Beatrice, September 28, 1918 188

302d Tank Center

"New Jersey Boy Bravest Man in American Army" [Private First Class Joseph T. Angelo-Headquarters, 302d Tank Center] 189

344th Tank Battalion

Excerpt from "Only One of Us Can Get Out-And Out You Go" [Sergeant Virgil L. Morgan, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion, letter to John A. Roberts, the father of Corporal Harold W. Roberts, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion] 191

"Many Times over the Top in Tanks" [Corporal James O. Chambers, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion, letter to William S. Livengood] 192

"Hot Cakes, Hot Shot and a Hot Old Time Chasing the Huns out of Argonne Forest" [Corporal James O. Chambers, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion, letter to William S. Livengood] 194

"A Tanker's Experience in Clearing Hun Army out of Argonne Forest" [Corporal James O. Chambers, Company A. 344th Tank Battalion, letter to William S. Livengood] 196

"Plunging Onward toward Victory" [Corporal James O. Chambers, Company A, 344th Tank Battalion, letter to William S. Livengood] 198

"A Hero of the Tanks" [Lieutenant John W. Castles Jr., Company B, 344th Tank Battalion, letter to his mother, Mrs. John W. Castles, New York City] 201

"Lieut. Arthur Snyder Aims to Make Army Life Career" [Lieutenant Arthur Snyder, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion] 201

Arthur Snyder, "The Five of Hearts at Exermont" [Lieutenant Arthur Snyder, Company C, 344th Tank Battalion] 203

"Steering a Baby Tank" [Private Alfred Truitt, Company C, 344th Battalion] 208

"U.S. Tank Corps Did Good Work in Every Big Fight" [344th Tank Battalion] 209

345th Tank Battalion

"Brave under Fire: Lieutenant Guy R. Chamberlin Never Flinched in Face of Danger" [Lieutenant Arthur N. Chamberlin about Lieutenant Guy R. Chamberlin, HQ, 345th Tank Battalion] 211

Light Tank Battalions

C. H. Gaudy, "Story of the Tank Man" [Unnamed soldier from a light tank battalion] 212

"Life in Tank Corps Not for Mollycoddles but It Has Many Attractions, Nevertheless: Sergt. Joseph A. W. Appleby and His Pet, Ermentrude" [Sergeant Joseph A. W Appleby, unnamed light tank battalion] 215

301st Tank Battalion

"Riding a Tank into Mouths of Machine Guns Is Real Sport" [Second Lieutenant Paul S. Haimbaugh, Company B, 301st Tank Battalion] 218

"Decorated Vet Recalls Tank Battles on Hindenburg Line More Than Half Century Ago" [Sergeant Carl E. Rosenhagen, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion] 220

"Rosenhagen, Dunning Won Decorations from British in Field for Tank Exploits" [Sergeant Carl E. Rosenhagen, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion] 225

The National in the World War

[First Lieutenant William M. Rosborough, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion] 228

"8 Vessels Bring in 12,000 US. Troops" [Lieutenant Earle B. Dunning, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion] 231

"Tomcat of the Tanks Wins 3 War Crosses" [Lieutenant Earle B. Dunning, Company C, 301st Tank Battalion, letter to his mother] 232

"American Heavies in France" [301st Tank Battalion] 233

"Tank Corps Men Suffered Heavily from Artillery" [Private Frank Halvey, 301st Tank Battalion] 235

H. J. Buxton, "Daredevils of War" [Sergeant Hugh J. Follette, 301st Tank Battalion] 238

V Unofficial Tank Corps Operational Summaries 241

"Tanks Stood Gaff from Belgium to Argonne Battle" [301st, 344th, and 345th Tank Battalions] 241

Major General John F. O'Ryan, The Story of the 27th Division [301st Tank Battalion] 247

Appendix A Description of the Mark IV tank; Description of British Mark V through Mark IX Series Tanks 251

Appendix B Tank Corps Organization Chart 253

Appendix C Tank Corps Organization, July-November 1918 259

Appendix D The St. Mihiel Offensive 263

Appendix E The Meuse-Argonne Offensive 265

Appendix F The 27th and 30th Infantry Divisions in the Somme Offensive, September 29, 1918 267

Appendix G The 27th and 30th Infantry Divisions in the Somme Offensive, October 6-21, 1918 269

Appendix H The British advance in the Somme Offensive by October 23, 1918 271

Appendix I Chart, "United States' Tank Program in Progress Just Before War Ended" 273

Notes 275

Index 279

What People are Saying About This

Robert S. Cameron

"Personal Experiences from the U.S. Army Tank Corps in World War I immerses the reader in the world of the American tanker during the Great War. Through a compilation of reports, personal experiences, correspondence, and press stories, Dr. Kaplan brings alive the challenges and accomplishments of these soldiers, making this work a must have for scholars and casual readers alike."

Patrick Osborn

"Larry Kaplan has done a great service to those interested in the First World War or in the United States' first foray into armored warfare. Through the compilation of colorfully written narratives from nearly fifty Tank Corps officers, letters written home by a young George Patton, and a selection of contemporary newspaper accounts, Kaplan has captured the flavor of what it was like for Americans to serve in the newest, and shortest-lived, branch of the US Army. Anyone fascinated by how individual servicemen and journalists interpreted the American military experience during the Great War should have this volume on their shelf."

Jonathan Casey

"The individual experience reports in Pershing's Tankers add an interesting and compelling firsthand context, and the letters and newspaper excerpts—especially those from General George S. Patton—greatly contribute to this engrossing historical narrative."

From the Publisher

" Personal Experiences from the U.S. Army Tank Corps in World War I immerses the reader in the world of the American tanker during the Great War. Through a compilation of reports, personal experiences, correspondence, and press stories, Dr. Kaplan brings alive the challenges and accomplishments of these soldiers, making this work a must have for scholars and casual readers alike." — Robert S. Cameron, author of To Fight or Not to Fight?: Organizational and Doctrinal Trends in Mounted Maneuver Reconnaissance from the Interwar Years to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM

"The individual experience reports in Pershing's Tankers add an interesting and compelling firsthand context, and the letters and newspaper excerpts — especially those from General George S. Patton — greatly contribute to this engrossing historical narrative." — Jonathan Casey, Director of Archives and the Edward Jones Research Center, National World War I Museum and Memorial

"Larry Kaplan has done a great service to those interested in the First World War or in the United States' first foray into armored warfare. Through the compilation of colorfully written narratives from nearly fifty Tank Corps officers, letters written home by a young George Patton, and a selection of contemporary newspaper accounts, Kaplan has captured the flavor of what it was like for Americans to serve in the newest, and shortest-lived, branch of the US Army. Anyone fascinated by how individual servicemen and journalists interpreted the American military experience during the Great War should have this volume on their shelf." — Patrick Osborn, archivist and coauthor of The Hindenburg Line

Editorial Reviews

[A] well-rendered and comprehensive account of the heroic exploits of the AEF under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing. Expertly distilling a combination of interviews and first-hand reminiscences, private correspondence, and official reports, Pershing's Tankers is a thorough chronicle of America's involvement in World War I.

YES! Weekly

The individual experience reports in Pershing's Tankers add an interesting and compelling firsthand context, and the letters and newspaper excerpts—especially those from General George S. Patton—greatly contribute to this engrossing historical narrative.

Jonathan Casey

This work consists of over 80 letters, after action reports, citations, and the like from some scores of soldiers or journalists, with George S. Patton prominent among them. While these constitute the raw materials of history, they do offer often excellent snap shots not only of the combat experience of the Tank Corps, but also of the evolution of the Army's thinking on the proper ways to organize and employ tanks. A valuable read.

NYMAS Review

Larry Kaplan has done a great service to those interested in the First World War or in the United States' first foray into armored warfare. Through the compilation of colorfully written narratives from nearly fifty Tank Corps officers, letters written home by a young George Patton, and a selection of contemporary newspaper accounts, Kaplan has captured the flavor of what it was like for Americans to serve in the newest, and shortest-lived, branch of the US Army. Anyone fascinated by how individual servicemen and journalists interpreted the American military experience during the Great War should have this volume on their shelf.

Patrick Osborn

A fascinating and valuable collection. Beginning with a concise but informative overview of tank corps history, it continues with a clearly organized series of personal accounts describing the formation, deployment and combat history of this unique unit.

AUSA

Lawrence Kaplan has pieced together a remarkable collection of thoughts from America's first group of tankers on their experiences in that conflict. Kaplan has organized Pershing's Tankers well, walking the reader from the broad context of the war and the advent of the tank on the battlefield down through the organization of the US Tank Corps and, ultimately, to the experience of the individual crews. Kaplan has provided a window into the thoughts, struggles, fears, and triumphs of these soldiers from a century ago as they fought the Germans while mastering the most advanced technologies of their modern world. These personal reminiscences of service in the tanks illustrate the fortitude required to fight the enemy, bureaucracy, and non-believers in fielding the capabilities needed to win on the modern battlefield.

Strategy Page

The book gives a very personal look at the dawn of armored warfare and the men who brought it forward.

Military Heritage

Pershing's Tankers immerses the reader in the world of the American tanker during the Great War. Through a compilation of reports, personal experiences, correspondence, and press stories, Dr. Kaplan brings alive the challenges and accomplishments of these soldiers, making this work a must have for scholars and casual readers alike.

Robert S. Cameron

Kaplan has assembled a most compelling story of American tank combat in World War I. His compilation was an eyeopener for this reviewer and is highly recommended to students of the Great War or of armored force development.

The Journal of America's Military Past

"[A] well-rendered and comprehensive account of the heroic exploits of the AEF under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing. Expertly distilling a combination of interviews and first-hand reminiscences, private correspondence, and official reports, Pershing's Tankers is a thorough chronicle of America's involvement in World War I." — YES! Weekly

"Lawrence Kaplan has pieced together a remarkable collection of thoughts from America's first group of tankers on their experiences in that conflict. Kaplan has organized Pershing's Tankers well, walking the reader from the broad context of the war and the advent of the tank on the battlefield down through the organization of the US Tank Corps and, ultimately, to the experience of the individual crews.Kaplan has provided a window into the thoughts, struggles, fears, and triumphs of these soldiers from acentury ago as they fought the Germans while mastering the most advanced technologies of their modern world. These personal reminiscences of service in the tanks illustrate the fortitude required to fight theenemy, bureaucracy, and non-believers in fielding the capabilities needed to win on the modern battlefield." — Strategy Page

"This work consists of over 80 letters, after action reports, citations, and the like from some scores of soldiers or journalists, with George S. Patton prominent among them. While these constitute the raw materials of history, they do offer often excellent snap shots not only of the combat experience of the Tank Corps, but also of the evolution of the Army's thinking on the proper ways to organize and employ tanks. A valuable read." — NYMAS Review

"The book gives a very personal look at the dawn of armored warfare and the men who brought it forward." — Military Heritage

"A fascinating and valuable collection. Beginning with a concise but informative overview of tank corps history, it continues with a clearly organized series of personal accounts describing the formation, deployment and combat history of this unique unit." — AUSA

"Kaplan has assembled a most compelling story of American tank combat in World War I. His compilation was an eyeopener for this reviewer and is highly recommended to students of the Great War or of armored force development." — The Journal of America's Military Past

From the Publisher