John Knowles Herr
Encyclopedia
John Knowles Herr was a career American soldier. Herr served forty years in the United States Cavalry and participated in the final battles of World War I
as chief of staff of the 30th Division, but is best remembered for being the last Chief of U. S. Cavalry in history. In March 1938 Major General
Herr was appointed Chief of Cavalry and became a fierce advocate of traditional horse cavalry troops. He defended cavalry as an independent branch of service and opposed conversion of mounted troops into mechanized or armored units. Herr's affection to horse, "somewhat quixotic" for the period, temporarily made him "a hero and a standard bearer" to generations of officers indoctrinated in cavalry tactics.
German blitzkrieg
in Poland and France compelled the military leadership in favor of armoured warfare
, and the United States cavalry was mechanized contrary to Herr's objections. General Robert W. Grow
wrote that "had General Herr, from the beginning, taken a strong stand to mechanization of the Cavalry Branch, the Armored Force would have never been created" (as an independent service). Instead, Herr "lost it all": his troops were gradually converted to armor, in February 1942 the office of Chief of Cavalry was disbanded and Herr retired. He continued to speak in favor of the horse and co-authored The Story of the U.S. Cavalry (1953).
Historians' assessment of Herr's four-year service as Chief of Cavalry range from "stubborn obstructionist" (Hofmann), "conservative and downright mossback" (Millett), "diehard proponent of the horse" (Winton and Mets) to "noble and tragic in his loyalty to horse ... and refusal to accept reality after Munich
." (Jarymowycz). and "gallant and highly regarded officer ... proof that outdated beliefs would die hard" (D'Este).
and Lafayette College
in Easton, Pennsylvania
. After the outbreak of the Spanish–American War he dropped out of Lafayette and enrolled at the United States Military Academy
(in 1942 Lafayette awarded Herr its honorary doctorate). In 1901 he and four other cadets were dismissed from the Academy after a hazing
incident, but Herr fought for his reinstatement, returned to the Academy and graduated in May 1902. He was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Regiment and served with this regiment in Chickamauga, Georgia
, the Philippines
, and Fort Riley
. In 1911 he was summoned back to West Point as an instructor, promoted to First Lieutenant
and then assigned to the 11th Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
. In 1916 he served in Hawaii
with the 4th Cavalry Regiment in the rank of captain.
. He turned down the offer to join the United States Tank Corps
and instead became Chief of Staff of the 30th Infantry Division. Like most of American cavalrymen of World War I, he never served in active cavalry combat. He remained in infantry until the end of the war. His action was rewarded with Distinguished Service Medal
citing that "Colonel Herr showed marked ability as Chief of Staff of the 30th Division in the capture of Voormezeele and Lock Eight in the Ypres section
in Belgium in September 1918, and in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line
at Bellicourt
, France, and the operations against the Selle River and the Sambre Canal from 29 September through 20 October 1918."
With the end of the war his rank decreased from temporary war-time colonel
to captain. Slowly, Herr advanced through the ranks. In the early 1920s he served in Coblenz, Germany; in 1923 he was a member of the "legendary" American polo
team that defeated the British team. He attended Army War College in 1926–1927 and served there as an instructor in 1928–1932. In 1934–1938 he commanded the 7th Cavalry Regiment stationed at Fort Bliss
.
, Chief of Cavalry, retired in the beginning of 1938. Kromer accepted mechanization of cavalry but the plans to deploy armored troops had not materialized yet. Cavalrymen expected promotion of Bruce Palmer (Senior) but instead Chief of Staff Malin Craig
selected Herr. Herr assumed the position of Chief of Cavalry on March 26, 1938 and held it for nearly four years, to March 9, 1942. He disposed with Kromer's liberalism and created his own environment where "only horse advocates had a voice." He re-introduced the saber, abolished in 1934. His stance towards mechanization, shared by Craig, was based on two assertions: that he will not give away a single man or trade a single horse to the mechanized units, and that the time for mechanization has not come yet. He enforced a formal policy that any increase in mechanized forces must be preceded by a proportional increase in horse cavalry; as a result the 7th Cavalry Brigade remained the only mechanized unit until 1940. Later, he had to admit the rising power of armor, but was just as unwilling to dismount his troops or "give away" officers.
After the outbreak of World War II Herr followed the European campaigns through attaché
reports that reinforced his belief in superiority of cavalry tactics. His chief of staff Willis D. Crittenberger
pre-screened these reports and jotted "cavalry mission" in the margins to attract Herr's attention. Herr's own interpretation of the intelligence was biased in favor of the horse. He believed that the Wehrmacht
relied on horses because of German operational doctrine when, in fact, it was a purely economic decision. He wrote that other Westerm European armies dismissed the horse because of shrinking horse and forage
stocks; the American situation, according to Herr was more akin to Poland
or the Soviet Union
, which still kept sizable horse formations. He assessed blitzkrieg
as a "typical cavalry mission" and suggested expanding the 7th Cavalry Brigade along German panzer division
standards, under full Cavalry control. The proposal, delivered at the War College
in September 1939, was bundled with the demand that new armored units should be formed from scratch rather than converted from horse troops.
In the first half of 1940 Herr embraced the concept of "horse-mechanized formations" and called for expansion of cavalry brigades into divisions. He alienated George Marshall
by insisting that mechanization should be an expansion of existing cavalry troops, rather than their replacement. He publicly rallied for more horse units through Cavalry Journal publications, and brought further tension inside his troops by asking each cavalry officer to choose his side: either for horse cavalry, or for mechanization. According to Bruce Palmer, Jr.
, the request forced officers of all grades to "cut their throats professionally": they had to bet their careers on obsolete war technology, or risk immediate reppressions from their Chief.
Herr lost control over the situation in May-June 1940. After the Louisiana maneuvers
of May 1940 the participating officers drafted the "Alexandria recommendations" calling for the establishment of an independent Armored Force. They chose Adna R. Chaffee, Jr.
to deliver the verdict to his long-time friend Herr. Herr objected: "not one more horse will I give up for a tank". Chaffee brought the case to Frank Andrews
and then to Marshall, who approved the proposal. The Armored Force was created July 10, 1940 with Chaffee in command, but as late as November 1940 Herr and Chief of Infantry George A. Lynch opposed creation of a separate combat arm. Capable officers left cavalry to pursue career in the Armored Force. Herr, seeing his numbers and influence shrinking, blamed it on the "conspirators" from General Staff. He chided dissenters like Ernest Harmon, Lucian Truscott
and Robert W. Grow
: "if you go to tanks, our friendship is over." He tried to recruit George S. Patton
back to horse cavalry and offered him a divisional command but Patton decided that "promotion will be better in the Tanks. I shall probably stay in the tanks."
During the Louisiana maneuvers of 1941 Herr tried to demonstrate the effectiveness of horse cavalry and had a moderate but short-lived success. He still preached that horse can be used en masse, but already realized that cavalry had irreversibly lost its prestige to armor.
Grow wrote that, had Herr supported complete mechanization of cavalry, there would be no independent Armored Forces but a strong, mechanized U. S. Cavalry. Herr did exactly the opposite; even in 1942 he still struggled for the horse, requesting Marshall for "an immediate increase in horse cavalry." This time Marshall, not constrained by peacetime regulations, chose to disband independent Cavalry and Artillery and dismiss their stubborn chiefs altogether. In March 1942 the office of Chief of Cavalry was shut down; at last, Herr admitted that "he had lost it all" and voluntarily resigned.
The stalemate of the Korean War
, wrote Herr, could be avoided had the U.S. military employed "... really mobile cavalry, mounted on horses and trained to fight on foot."
In 1953 Herr and historian Edward S. Wallace co-authored The story of the U.S. Cavalry, 1775-1942, a book intended "to light up, a little, the past glory and glamour of the men on horseback" rather than provide a comprehensive history of the service. Once again Herr wrote that cavalry had a place even in post-World War II combat.
John Herr, his wife Helen Hoyle (1882–1971) and daughter Fanny Debyssy Herr (1905–1995) were buried at the Arlington National Cemetery
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as chief of staff of the 30th Division, but is best remembered for being the last Chief of U. S. Cavalry in history. In March 1938 Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Herr was appointed Chief of Cavalry and became a fierce advocate of traditional horse cavalry troops. He defended cavalry as an independent branch of service and opposed conversion of mounted troops into mechanized or armored units. Herr's affection to horse, "somewhat quixotic" for the period, temporarily made him "a hero and a standard bearer" to generations of officers indoctrinated in cavalry tactics.
German blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
in Poland and France compelled the military leadership in favor of armoured warfare
Armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
, and the United States cavalry was mechanized contrary to Herr's objections. General Robert W. Grow
Robert W. Grow
Robert W. Grow was an US Army general during World War II. He was the commander the U.S. 6th Armored Division on the Western Front, fighting during the battles of Normandy and of the Bulge....
wrote that "had General Herr, from the beginning, taken a strong stand to mechanization of the Cavalry Branch, the Armored Force would have never been created" (as an independent service). Instead, Herr "lost it all": his troops were gradually converted to armor, in February 1942 the office of Chief of Cavalry was disbanded and Herr retired. He continued to speak in favor of the horse and co-authored The Story of the U.S. Cavalry (1953).
Historians' assessment of Herr's four-year service as Chief of Cavalry range from "stubborn obstructionist" (Hofmann), "conservative and downright mossback" (Millett), "diehard proponent of the horse" (Winton and Mets) to "noble and tragic in his loyalty to horse ... and refusal to accept reality after Munich
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
." (Jarymowycz). and "gallant and highly regarded officer ... proof that outdated beliefs would die hard" (D'Este).
Early years
John K. Herr was born in the family of a New Jersey judge. He attended Reading Academy in FlemingtonFlemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
and Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
. After the outbreak of the Spanish–American War he dropped out of Lafayette and enrolled at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
(in 1942 Lafayette awarded Herr its honorary doctorate). In 1901 he and four other cadets were dismissed from the Academy after a hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
incident, but Herr fought for his reinstatement, returned to the Academy and graduated in May 1902. He was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Regiment and served with this regiment in Chickamauga, Georgia
Chickamauga, Georgia
Chickamauga is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,245 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
. In 1911 he was summoned back to West Point as an instructor, promoted to First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
and then assigned to the 11th Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Fort Oglethorpe is a city in Catoosa County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,263. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. In 1916 he served in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
with the 4th Cavalry Regiment in the rank of captain.
World War I and interbellum
In August 1917 Major Herr returned to the United States to train soldiers for the Great War at Camp Dix. By the end of 1917 he sailed to Europe where he served with the British 19th Division and attended the French War College at LangresLangres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
. He turned down the offer to join the United States Tank Corps
United States Tank Corps
The Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Force was the mechanized unit that conducted American tank combat in World War I. An initial plan for 2,000 light Renault FT-17 tanks and 200 heavy British Mark VI tanks was changed to 20 battalions of 77 light tanks each and 10 battalions of 45 heavy...
and instead became Chief of Staff of the 30th Infantry Division. Like most of American cavalrymen of World War I, he never served in active cavalry combat. He remained in infantry until the end of the war. His action was rewarded with Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
citing that "Colonel Herr showed marked ability as Chief of Staff of the 30th Division in the capture of Voormezeele and Lock Eight in the Ypres section
Fifth Battle of Ypres
The Fifth Battle of Ypres is the unofficial name used to identify a series of battles in northern France and southern Belgium from late September through October 1918....
in Belgium in September 1918, and in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
at Bellicourt
Bellicourt
Bellicourt is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.It lies on the N44 road between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin and over the principal tunnel of the St. Quentin Canal....
, France, and the operations against the Selle River and the Sambre Canal from 29 September through 20 October 1918."
With the end of the war his rank decreased from temporary war-time colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
to captain. Slowly, Herr advanced through the ranks. In the early 1920s he served in Coblenz, Germany; in 1923 he was a member of the "legendary" American polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
team that defeated the British team. He attended Army War College in 1926–1927 and served there as an instructor in 1928–1932. In 1934–1938 he commanded the 7th Cavalry Regiment stationed at Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
.
Chief of Cavalry
Major General Leon KromerLeon Kromer
Leon Benjamin Kromer was a United States Army officer and American football coach. From 1934 to 1938, Major General Kromer was the Chief of U. S. Cavalry...
, Chief of Cavalry, retired in the beginning of 1938. Kromer accepted mechanization of cavalry but the plans to deploy armored troops had not materialized yet. Cavalrymen expected promotion of Bruce Palmer (Senior) but instead Chief of Staff Malin Craig
Malin Craig
Malin Craig was a United States Army general.-Biography:Malin Craig was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on August 5, 1875; Graduated from the United States Military Academy, 1898; was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 4th Infantry, April 1898;-Spanish American War:Served with the...
selected Herr. Herr assumed the position of Chief of Cavalry on March 26, 1938 and held it for nearly four years, to March 9, 1942. He disposed with Kromer's liberalism and created his own environment where "only horse advocates had a voice." He re-introduced the saber, abolished in 1934. His stance towards mechanization, shared by Craig, was based on two assertions: that he will not give away a single man or trade a single horse to the mechanized units, and that the time for mechanization has not come yet. He enforced a formal policy that any increase in mechanized forces must be preceded by a proportional increase in horse cavalry; as a result the 7th Cavalry Brigade remained the only mechanized unit until 1940. Later, he had to admit the rising power of armor, but was just as unwilling to dismount his troops or "give away" officers.
After the outbreak of World War II Herr followed the European campaigns through attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
reports that reinforced his belief in superiority of cavalry tactics. His chief of staff Willis D. Crittenberger
Willis D. Crittenberger
Willis Dale Crittenberger was a United States Army officer whose career served as a World War II combat commander of IV Corps during the later part of Italian campaign from 1944 to the end of the war....
pre-screened these reports and jotted "cavalry mission" in the margins to attract Herr's attention. Herr's own interpretation of the intelligence was biased in favor of the horse. He believed that the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
relied on horses because of German operational doctrine when, in fact, it was a purely economic decision. He wrote that other Westerm European armies dismissed the horse because of shrinking horse and forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
stocks; the American situation, according to Herr was more akin to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
or the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, which still kept sizable horse formations. He assessed blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
as a "typical cavalry mission" and suggested expanding the 7th Cavalry Brigade along German panzer division
Panzer Division
A panzer division was an armored division in the army and air force branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II....
standards, under full Cavalry control. The proposal, delivered at the War College
U.S. Army War College
The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...
in September 1939, was bundled with the demand that new armored units should be formed from scratch rather than converted from horse troops.
In the first half of 1940 Herr embraced the concept of "horse-mechanized formations" and called for expansion of cavalry brigades into divisions. He alienated George Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
by insisting that mechanization should be an expansion of existing cavalry troops, rather than their replacement. He publicly rallied for more horse units through Cavalry Journal publications, and brought further tension inside his troops by asking each cavalry officer to choose his side: either for horse cavalry, or for mechanization. According to Bruce Palmer, Jr.
Bruce Palmer, Jr.
Bruce Palmer, Jr., was a noted United States Army General and acting Chief of Staff of the United States Army from July to October 1972.-Career Summary:Palmer was born in Austin, Texas...
, the request forced officers of all grades to "cut their throats professionally": they had to bet their careers on obsolete war technology, or risk immediate reppressions from their Chief.
Herr lost control over the situation in May-June 1940. After the Louisiana maneuvers
Louisiana Maneuvers
The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over north and west-central Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston, in August and September 1941...
of May 1940 the participating officers drafted the "Alexandria recommendations" calling for the establishment of an independent Armored Force. They chose Adna R. Chaffee, Jr.
Adna R. Chaffee, Jr.
Adna Romanza Chaffee, Jr. was a major general in the United States Army, called the "Father of the Armored Force" for his role in developing the U.S. Army's tank forces.-Early years:...
to deliver the verdict to his long-time friend Herr. Herr objected: "not one more horse will I give up for a tank". Chaffee brought the case to Frank Andrews
Frank Maxwell Andrews
Frank Maxwell Andrews was a general officer in the United States Army and one of the founding fathers of the United States Air Force. In leadership positions within the Army Air Corps, he succeeded in advancing progress toward a separate and independent Air Force where predecessors and allies...
and then to Marshall, who approved the proposal. The Armored Force was created July 10, 1940 with Chaffee in command, but as late as November 1940 Herr and Chief of Infantry George A. Lynch opposed creation of a separate combat arm. Capable officers left cavalry to pursue career in the Armored Force. Herr, seeing his numbers and influence shrinking, blamed it on the "conspirators" from General Staff. He chided dissenters like Ernest Harmon, Lucian Truscott
Lucian Truscott
Lucian King Truscott, Jr. was a U.S. Army General, who successively commanded the 3rd Infantry Division, VI Corps, U.S. Fifteenth Army and U.S. Fifth Army during World War II.-Early life:...
and Robert W. Grow
Robert W. Grow
Robert W. Grow was an US Army general during World War II. He was the commander the U.S. 6th Armored Division on the Western Front, fighting during the battles of Normandy and of the Bulge....
: "if you go to tanks, our friendship is over." He tried to recruit George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
back to horse cavalry and offered him a divisional command but Patton decided that "promotion will be better in the Tanks. I shall probably stay in the tanks."
During the Louisiana maneuvers of 1941 Herr tried to demonstrate the effectiveness of horse cavalry and had a moderate but short-lived success. He still preached that horse can be used en masse, but already realized that cavalry had irreversibly lost its prestige to armor.
Grow wrote that, had Herr supported complete mechanization of cavalry, there would be no independent Armored Forces but a strong, mechanized U. S. Cavalry. Herr did exactly the opposite; even in 1942 he still struggled for the horse, requesting Marshall for "an immediate increase in horse cavalry." This time Marshall, not constrained by peacetime regulations, chose to disband independent Cavalry and Artillery and dismiss their stubborn chiefs altogether. In March 1942 the office of Chief of Cavalry was shut down; at last, Herr admitted that "he had lost it all" and voluntarily resigned.
Retirement
Herr retired to his home in Washington, D.C., which stood just one mile away from the White House, and remained informed of the military politics through correspondence with fellow officers. He regularly published his opinion in the press, with the same vigor and affection to horse. In 1945 Herr wrote that conversion of cavalry to armor was a mistake, an act of "robbing Peter to pay Paul": expansion of armor was necessary, but not at the expense of horse units. He blamed his fall on the alleged conspiracy of General Staff officers seeking promotions in the newly-formed Armored Forces. According to Jarymowycz, Herr indeed believed in "betrayal by plotters" like Chaffee.The stalemate of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, wrote Herr, could be avoided had the U.S. military employed "... really mobile cavalry, mounted on horses and trained to fight on foot."
In 1953 Herr and historian Edward S. Wallace co-authored The story of the U.S. Cavalry, 1775-1942, a book intended "to light up, a little, the past glory and glamour of the men on horseback" rather than provide a comprehensive history of the service. Once again Herr wrote that cavalry had a place even in post-World War II combat.
John Herr, his wife Helen Hoyle (1882–1971) and daughter Fanny Debyssy Herr (1905–1995) were buried at the Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Further reading
- Truscott, LucianLucian TruscottLucian King Truscott, Jr. was a U.S. Army General, who successively commanded the 3rd Infantry Division, VI Corps, U.S. Fifteenth Army and U.S. Fifth Army during World War II.-Early life:...
(1989). The Twilight of the U.S. Cavalry. University Press Of Kansas. ISBN 0700609326. - Herr, John and Wallace, Edward (1953). The story of the U.S. Cavalry, 1775-1942. Boston: Little, Brown.