Louisiana Maneuvers
The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of major U.S. Army exercises held from August to September 1941 in
Many Army officers present at the maneuvers later rose to very senior roles in World War II, including Omar Bradley, Mark Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Walter Krueger, Samuel E. Anderson, Lesley J. McNair, Joseph Stilwell, and George Patton.
Background
When
Exercises
Around 400,000 troops were divided into equal armies of two fictitious countries: Kotmk (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kentucky), also called the Red Army; and Almat (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee), or the Blue Army. The troops were organized into a total of 19 divisions.
From August to September 1941, the war game was conducted over 3,400 square miles (8,800 km2) of Louisiana. The area was bounded on the west by the
Omar Bradley, who participated in the exercises, later said that Louisianans welcomed the soldiers with open arms. Some soldiers even slept in some of the residents' houses. Bradley said it was so crowded in those houses sometimes when the soldiers were sleeping, there would hardly be any walking room. Bradley also said a few of the troops were disrespectful towards the residents' land and crops, and would tear down crops for extra food. However, for the most part, residents and soldiers established good relations.[6]
During the exercises, 26 men died, most from drowning in the Sabine River or in vehicle accidents. One died when struck by lightning, and one had a heart attack at age 24.[7]
This exercise also led to the creation of Fort Polk, named for the Confederate General Leonidas Polk, which was renamed to Fort Johnson on June 13, 2023.
Order of battle
Source:[8]
Louisiana Phase I
Red Force
- Second Army (Lieutenant General Ben Lear)
- 5th Division (Brigadier General Cortlandt Parker)
- 35th Division (Major General Ralph E. Truman)
- VII Corps (Major General Robert C. Richardson)
- 107th Cavalry Regiment (horse-mechanized)
- 6th Division (Major General Clarence S. Ridley)
- 27th Division (Major General William N. Haskell)
- 33rd Division (Major General Samuel T. Lawton)
- I Armored Corps (Major General Charles L. Scott)
- 4th Cavalry Regiment (mounted)
- 2nd Cavalry Division (Major General John Millikin)
- 1st Armored Division (Major General Bruce Magruder)
- 2nd Armored Division (Major General George S. Patton)
- 2nd Air Task Force (Major General Millard F. Harmon)
- 17th Bombardment Wing
- 6th Pursuit Wing
Blue Force
- Third Army (Lieutenant General Walter Krueger)
- 1st Cavalry Division (Major General Innis P. Swift)
- 56th Cavalry Brigade (mounted)
- 1st Antitank Group
- 2nd Antitank Group
- 3rd Antitank Group
- 1st Tank Group
- Company A, 502nd Parachute Battalion
- IV Corps (Major General Jay L. Benedict)
- 6th Cavalry Regiment (horse-mechanized)
- 31st Division (Major General John C. Persons)
- Daniel I. Sultan)
- 43rd Division (Major General Morris B. Payne)
- V Corps (Major General Edmund L. Daley)
- 106th Cavalry Regiment (horse-mechanized)
- 32nd Division (Major General Irving A. Fish)
- 34th Division (Brigadier General Russell P. Hartle)
- 37th Division (Major General Robert S. Beightler)
- VIII Corps (Major General George V. Strong)
- 113th Cavalry Regiment (horse-mechanized)
- 2nd Division (Major General John N. Greely)
- 36th Division (Brigadier General Fred L. Walker)
- 45th Division (Major General William S. Key)
- 3rd Air Task Force (Major General Herbert A. Dargue)
- 2nd Bombardment Wing
- 10th Pursuit Wing
Louisiana Phase II
Red Force
- Second Army (Lieutenant General Ben Lear)
- 2nd Cavalry Division (Major General John Millikin)
- 4th Cavalry Regiment (mounted)
- 1st Antitank Group
- 2nd Antitank Group
- 5th Division (-) (Brigadier General Cortlandt Parker)
- 6th Division (Major General Clarence S. Ridley)
- 1st Armored Division (Major General Bruce Magruder)
- Company A, 502nd Parachute Battalion
- VII Corps (Major General Robert C. Richardson)
- 2nd Air Task Force (Major General Millard F. Harmon)
- 17th Bombardment Wing
- 6th Pursuit Wing
Blue Force
- Third Army (Lieutenant General Walter Krueger)
- 1st Cavalry Division (Major General Innis P. Swift)
- 56th Cavalry Brigade (mounted)
- 3rd Antitank Group
- 1st Tank Group
- IV Corps (Major General Jay L. Benedict)
- V Corps (Major General Edmund L. Daley)
- VIII Corps (Major General George V. Strong)
- I Armored Corps (Major General Charles L. Scott)
- 3rd Air Task Force (Major General Herbert A. Dargue)
- 2nd Bombardment Wing
- 10th Pursuit Wing
Lessons
Built around a nucleus from Chaffee's
U.S. defensive doctrine was based on the perceived need to defeat German
In actual practice during World War II, such massed enemy tank attacks rarely happened; indeed, throughout the war only one TD battalion ever fought in an engagement quite like that which had originally been envisaged, at the Battle of El Guettar.[9] The tank destroyer command eventually numbered over 100,000 men and 80 battalions equipped with 36 tank destroyers or towed anti-tank guns each. Immediately after the war, the force was disbanded and the anti-tank role was formally taken over by the Infantry, Engineer and Armor branches.
The exercise was also notable for the first wide-scale testing of the new
References
- ^ a b "The Louisiana Maneuvers: The National WWII Museum New Orleans".
- ^ Gilbert, Martin:"The Second World War: A Complete History", 2004
- ^ "Next Week May See Nazis Attempt British Invasion". St. Petersburg Times. 3 August 1940. p. 1. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ^ "Local National Guard Unit Off for Giant War Games". St. Petersburg Times. 3 August 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ^ "The Louisiana Maneuvers". State of Louisiana National Guard. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
- ^ Bradley, Omar N.:Omar N. Bradley: A Soldier's Story, 1951
- ^ "Battlefield of Louisiana". Velmer Lenora Smith, DeRidder Historian. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
- ^ Gabel, Christopher (1991). The U.S. Army GHQ Maneuvers of 1941 (PDF). Washington: United States Government Printing Office. p. 197-199.
- ^ American Tank Destroyers at El Guettar, Warfare History Net
- ^ Holt, Thaddeus. "Relax-It's Only a Maneuver". historynet.com. historynet.com. Retrieved 3 October 2018.