Includes bibliographical references (p. [521]-533) and index.
Contents:
Foreword -- Preface -- 1: America Adopts The Tank -- Tank Corps -- Tank Corps' demise -- War department and the National Defense Act of 1920 -- Infantry tank development -- Reconsidering the tank's battlefield role -- Experimental mechanized force -- Bureau system versus mechanization -- Mechanized force -- 2: Early Development Of The Mechanized Cavalry -- Demise of the mechanized force -- Birth of the mechanized cavalry -- 1934 Fort Riley maneuvers -- Reorganization of the mechanized cavalry -- Bureau system and mechanized cavalry reorganization -- Mechanization of a second cavalry regiment -- Second army maneuvers of 1936 -- 3: Mechanization: The Chief Of Cavalry's Runaway Horse -- American cavalry in the 1930s -- Problem of the cavalry's image -- Office of the chief of cavalry and the bureau system -- Mechanized cavalry board -- Cavalry school and mechanization -- Chief of cavalry and cavalry modernization -- 4: Infantry And Mechanization -- Army doctrine in the 1930s -- Infantry motorization -- Division redesign -- Foundations of infantry tank doctrine -- Tank development and the infantry school -- Infantry tank organization -- Infantry tanks -- 5: View From Abroad -- Military intelligence division and its military attaches -- Army intelligence dissemination -- Confusion of British mechanization -- French mechanized development -- Military intelligence division and the Panzer division -- World mechanization -- 6: Cavalry At The Crossroads -- Mechanized cavalry development, 1936-1939 -- Mechanized cavalry maneuvers, 1937-1938 -- Cavalry field manual of 1938 -- War department and mechanization -- Case for horse cavalry -- Future of cavalry -- 7: New Beginning: The Armored Force -- Building a mechanized cavalry division -- Stepping back: the mechanized cavalry division rejected -- First army maneuvers, 1939 -- Mechanized cavalry division revisited -- Third army maneuver preparations -- Crucible of mechanization: third army maneuvers, 1940 -- Armored force and the centralization of mechanized development -- 8: Armored Force Development, 1940-1941 -- Building the training base -- Command climate -- New doctrinal base -- Early training activities -- Armored force and foreign experiences -- Armored division development -- Armored Corps? -- War department's army -- 9: Creating An Armored Force Nemesis -- Antitank development in the 1930s -- Building an antitank unit -- Antitank weapons -- Self-propelled antitank weapons -- Foreign antitank developments -- Problem of antitank doctrine, 1940-1941 -- Antitank the American way -- 10: Art Of Maneuver, 1941 -- Louisiana maneuvers -- Carolina maneuvers -- Assessing mobile operations -- Antitank operations -- Maneuver management -- Cavalry: a maneuver casualty -- 11: From Armored Force To Armored Center -- Armored force expansion and personnel shortfall -- Training challenges and accomplishments -- Question of separate branch status -- Demise of the armored corps -- Evolution of the armored division -- Combat operations in North Africa -- Armored division's new look -- Applying lessons learned in North Africa -- Armored materiel -- Sustaining combat capability -- Air support -- Branch status resolution -- Evaluating the armored wartime experience -- 12: Tank Destroyer Development -- Building a tank destroyer force, 1941-1942 -- Doctrine and organization -- First tank destroyers -- Combat debut -- Tank destroyer criticism -- Tank destroyer doctrine and training revisited -- Organizational and materiel development -- Tank destroyers -- Uncertain future -- 13: Armored Divisions In Battle, 1944-1945 -- Armored division doctrine -- Armored division organization -- Combat operations -- Armored division air support -- Armored materiel -- Armored maintenance -- 14: Armored Enablers: Mechanized Cavalry, Independent Tanks, And Tank Destroyers -- Mechanized cavalry -- Independent tank battalion readiness -- Independent tank battalion combat operations -- Rejection of independent tank battalion doctrine -- Armored group -- From tank destroyer to armored gun -- 15: Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Acronyms -- Index.
Summary:
From the Preface: The following pages provide a narrative analysis of the U.S. Army's development of armored organizations and their related doctrine, materiel, and training activities in the period 1917-1945. This period marked the emergence of clear principles of armored warfare that became the underpinning of the Armor Branch, influencing armored developments long after World War II ended. A unique style of mounted maneuver combat emerged that reflected a mix of tradition an innovation. In the process, American military culture changed, particularly through the adoption of combined-arms principles. Conversely, political actions, budgetary considerations, and senior leadership decisions also shaped the course of armor development. The emergence of an American armored force involved more than simply tank development. It included the creation of an armored division structure steeped in combined-arms principles, organizational flexibility, and revolutionary command and control processes. Parallel developments included the establishment of specialized units to provide antitank, reconnaissance, and infantry support capabilities. Several Army branches played a role in determining the precise path of armored development, and one of them-the Cavalry-became a casualty as a result.
Series:
CMH pub ; 30-23-1 United States Army historical series
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