Tank Corps, National Army

Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Force

Patton in France in 1918
Active established March 9, 1918 [1]
Country USA
Branch Army
Part of National Army
Commanders
Commander Colonel Ira Clinton Welborn
For the United States tank unit in Europe in World War I, see Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Force.

The Tank Corps, National Army,[2] was the stateside tank unit of the United States during and after World War I. Preceded by the Tank Service of the National Army of 15 February 1918 in the 65th Engineers[1] at Camp Meade,[3] the service was removed from the Engineer Corps and organized as the Tank Corps, National Army, with command transfering from Col H. H. Ferguson to Col Ira Clinton Welborn on 9 March.[1]

Training facilities

On March 6, 1918, a tank recruit training camp was established on the Gettysburg Battlefield[4] at the former "Camp, United States Troops, Gettysburg, PA."[5] On 15 July 1918, Col William H Clopton, Jr, arrived in the US[1] and subsequently formed the 2nd stateside tank training center at Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania.[6] Approximately 2000 Camp Colt men transferred to Tobyhanna,[7][8] e.g., the 302nd[2] & 326th[3] Battalions), and Tobyhanna had 2 tanks and ~2200 men.[4]

Another tank training center was opened at Camp Polk in September 1918[9] (a heavy battalion from Camp Colt transferred to "form the nucleus").[7] At Camp Colt in October the 310th Tank Center was established as were the 338th, 339th, & 346th Tank Battalions[10] (John Montgomery Mahon[11] was the commander of Camp Colt's 310 Brigade Headquarters.)

On November 11, 1918, the Tank Corps had 483 officers and 7700 enlisted men,[7] and the consolidation of tank training had begun at Camp Benning when Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived from Camp Colt on December 24, 1918[5] (he remained until March 15, 1919,[6] and about 250 Camp Colt soldiers were transferred to Camp Benning after the armistice.)[12] On December 26, 1918, a portion of the Camp Polk tank school was transferred to Camp Benning "to work in conjunction with the Infantry school".[7] Camp Benning tank troops were moved to Camp Meade from February 19-21, 1919;[7] and Clopton was ordered to Camp Meade on February 24, 1919).[13]

The "Office of Director of the Tank Corps" was absorbed by the command of Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach on 15 August 1919[7] after Rockenbach returned from Europe on 19 July 1919[14] (he had arrived in Europe in June 1917).[15]

Post-war disbandment

In 1919, General John J. Pershing, "appearing before a joint session of the Senate and House Committee on Military Affairs, suggested that the A.E.F. Tank Corps become an adjunct to the Infantry."[16] The 1920 National Defense Act disbanded the National Army and the remaining two heavy and four light tank battalions became part of the infantry.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Committee On Public Information, United States (28 March 1919). "Organization of the Army Tank Corps". The Official U.S. Bulletin. http://books.google.com/books?id=rkbmAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA66#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 17 January 2011. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ "Old Camp Colt Adjutant, Now US Alaskan Official, Recalls Birth of Armor". August 27, 1954. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ECkmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E_4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=890,1442534&dq=camp-colt+gettysburg&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-01-23. 
  4. ^ Report of the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission, 1918 (Report). http://www.gdg.org/Research/Authored%20Items/BCRReports/1918.html. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
  5. ^ Annual report of the Secretary of War, Volume 8, United States War Department, 1918, p. 998, http://books.google.com/books?id=cpIsAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA998, retrieved 2011-01-12 
  6. ^ "Army Orders and Assignments" (pdf). The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FA0D15F93F5A11738DDDAE0A94DF405B888DF1D3. Retrieved 22 January 2011. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f Rockenbach, Samuel D (13 October 1919). "Report of the Director of the Tank Corps for the year ending June 30, 1919". Congressional serial set, Issue 7688. http://books.google.com/books?id=xq4qAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&dq=tobyhanna+%22tank+corps%22&source=bl&ots=E3Q3GgC5hL&sig=tlu1tMptZ2j5y8ACUanHftr_Xn0&hl=en&ei=u2A0TcXXGsaAlAfEiJ3ECg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDMQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q=tobyhanna%20%22tank%20corps%22&f=false. Retrieved 17 January 2011. 
  8. ^ "----" (pdf). The New York Times. 1918-09-16. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F30F17F83C5F15738DDDAF0994D1405B888DF1D3. Retrieved 2011-01-22. 
  9. ^ http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/the_builder_1919_april.htm
  10. ^ Rinaldi, Richard A. The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle (Report). http://books.google.com/books?id=vsoh_fBkAtwC&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-01-17. 
  11. ^ United States committee on public information
  12. ^ Perret G, Eisenhower
  13. ^ "Amry Orders and Assignments" (pdf). The New York Times. 1919-02-25. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00914F73A5D147A93C7AB1789D85F4D8185F9. Retrieved 2011-01-22. 
  14. ^ "3,642 of A.E.F. return" (pdf). The New York Times: p. 8. 31 July 1919. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B05E6DF1738E13ABC4950DFB1668382609EDE. Retrieved 21 June 2008. 
  15. ^ "Samuel D. Rockenbach Papers". VMI Archives. Virginia Military Institute. http://www.vmi.edu/archives.aspx?id=5579. Retrieved 23 January 2011. 
  16. ^ http://www.jstor.org/pss/1986566
  17. ^ Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth A. Steadman (21 April 1982). "The Evolution of the Tank in the U.S. Army". Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/steadman2/steadman2.asp. Retrieved 11 October 2008.