Louisiana Maneuvers
Encyclopedia
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. The exercise was designed to test US troop training, logistics
, doctrine
, and commanders.
invaded Poland
in 1939, starting World War II
, the United States military began preparing for eventual war in Europe. The very small peacetime U.S. Army, with far fewer troops than most European Armies, sought large bases in which to train an expanded force. Thousands of acres of unused land in Louisiana were selected by General Leslie McNair and Colonel Mark Wayne Clark
as a good place for large-scale maneuver training. The area they used extended from the Sabine River
all the way east to the Calcasieu River
and up north to the Red River
.
The U.S. Army in 1939 was largely an infantry
force with supporting artillery, engineers, and cavalry, as well as combat support and combat service supporting arms. Few units were motorized or mechanized. As war approached, there was a need both to modernize the force and to conduct large-scale maneuvers to test all aspects of a fast-growing, inexperienced force.
Around 400,000 troops were divided into two equal armies of two made-up countries. The countries' names were Kotmk (Kansas
, Oklahoma
, Texas
, Missouri
, Kentucky
) and Almat (Arkansas
, Louisiana
, Mississippi
, Alabama
, Tennessee
). The armies were also called the Red Army and the Blue Army. These armies were fighting over navigation rights for the Mississippi River
.
at the Kinder High School and there is a roadside marker at the location.
successfully massed combat power where it was needed in a series of campaigns aimed at the heart of Confederate strength. These two legacies informed U.S. doctrine in the period leading up to World War II, and were tested in the maneuvers.
The first U.S. Armored Division was tested in the maneuvers. Built around a nucleus from Chaffee's 7th Mechanized Cavalry, the armored division tested the ability of a very large combined-arms mechanized unit to move long distances, maintain troops and vehicles in combat conditions, and affect the outcome of tactical and operational-level problems. The armored division concept was considered sound and led to the formation of 16 U.S. Armored Divisions during World War II.
U.S. defensive doctrine was based on the perceived need to defeat German blitzkrieg
tactics
, and U.S. units expected to be faced with large numbers of German tanks attacking on relatively narrow fronts. The maneuvers tested the concept of the tank destroyer
. This concept, originating with artillery officers, consisted of large numbers of highly mobile guns to be held in reserve. Upon an enemy tank attack, the towed or self-propelled tank destroyers would be rapidly deployed to the flanks of the penetration with the intent of taking a heavy toll of attacking tanks. Tank destroyers were supposed to employ aggressive, high-speed hit-and-run tactics against tanks. The use of these guns was distinct from the forward placement of towed antitank guns assigned as a normal part of the Infantry Regiment. The Louisiana Maneuvers' data showed that the Infantry's AT guns actually took a much higher toll of 'enemy' tanks than did the tank destroyer battalions' guns. However, the conclusion drawn was that a tank destroyer force of independent tank destroyer battalions should be raised.
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. 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.
This exercise also led to the creation of Fort Polk
. It got its name from the Confederate General Leonidas Polk
. Fort Polk remains a United States Army post to this day.
A roadside memorial is erected on the property of the Beauregard Regional Airport
that was then called the DeRidder Army Airbase.
, Mark Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower
, Lesley J. McNair
and George Patton
.
General Omar Bradley later explained how the local population 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 noted that a few of the troops were disrespectful towards the residents' land and crops. They would tear down crops for extra food. But for the most part, residents and soldiers established good relations.
North Louisiana
North Louisiana is a region in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The region has two metropolitan areas: Shreveport-Bossier City and Monroe-West Monroe....
and west-central Louisiana, including Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
, Camp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres ....
and Camp Livingston
Camp Livingston
Camp Livingston was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located on the Rapides Parish and Grant Parish line in north Louisiana, north of Pineville, Louisiana.- History :...
, in August and September 1941. The exercise was designed to test US troop training, logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
, doctrine
Military doctrine
Military doctrine is the concise expression of how military forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements.It is a guide to action, not hard and fast rules. Doctrine provides a common frame of reference across the military...
, and commanders.
Background
When Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded 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...
in 1939, starting World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States military began preparing for eventual war in Europe. The very small peacetime U.S. Army, with far fewer troops than most European Armies, sought large bases in which to train an expanded force. Thousands of acres of unused land in Louisiana were selected by General Leslie McNair and Colonel Mark Wayne Clark
Mark Wayne Clark
Mark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army...
as a good place for large-scale maneuver training. The area they used extended from the Sabine River
Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)
The Sabine River is a river, long, in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. In its lower course, it forms part of the boundary between the two states and empties into Sabine Lake, an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. The river formed part of the United States-Mexican international boundary during...
all the way east to the Calcasieu River
Calcasieu River
The Calcasieu River is a river on the Gulf Coast of southwestern Louisiana, U.S.A.. Approximately long, it drains a largely rural area of forests and bayou country, meandering southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The name "Calcasieu" comes from the Native American Atakapa language katkosh, for...
and up north to the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
.
The U.S. Army in 1939 was largely an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
force with supporting artillery, engineers, and cavalry, as well as combat support and combat service supporting arms. Few units were motorized or mechanized. As war approached, there was a need both to modernize the force and to conduct large-scale maneuvers to test all aspects of a fast-growing, inexperienced force.
Scope
The Louisiana maneuvers involved half a million men, in 19 Army Divisions, taking place over 3400 square miles (8,800 km²) of Louisiana during August to September 1941.Around 400,000 troops were divided into two equal armies of two made-up countries. The countries' names were Kotmk (Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
) and Almat (Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
). The armies were also called the Red Army and the Blue Army. These armies were fighting over navigation rights for the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Blue Army
The Blue Army set up headquarters in the town of Kinder, LouisianaKinder, Louisiana
Kinder is a town in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,148 at the 2000 census.The Lieutenant Douglas B. Fournet Memorial Park , an American Legion enterprise, was dedicated on June 11, 1988, in Kinder to remember those who died in military service to the nation.Kinder was...
at the Kinder High School and there is a roadside marker at the location.
Lessons learned
U.S. Army fighting doctrine was based around two fundamentals: mass and mobility. The constabulary-type Army of the frontier days was based on a very high level of mobility. However, the Army that won the U.S. Civil War was based on mass. The Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
successfully massed combat power where it was needed in a series of campaigns aimed at the heart of Confederate strength. These two legacies informed U.S. doctrine in the period leading up to World War II, and were tested in the maneuvers.
The first U.S. Armored Division was tested in the maneuvers. Built around a nucleus from Chaffee's 7th Mechanized Cavalry, the armored division tested the ability of a very large combined-arms mechanized unit to move long distances, maintain troops and vehicles in combat conditions, and affect the outcome of tactical and operational-level problems. The armored division concept was considered sound and led to the formation of 16 U.S. Armored Divisions during World War II.
U.S. defensive doctrine was based on the perceived need to defeat 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,...
tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
, and U.S. units expected to be faced with large numbers of German tanks attacking on relatively narrow fronts. The maneuvers tested the concept of the tank destroyer
Tank destroyer
A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
. This concept, originating with artillery officers, consisted of large numbers of highly mobile guns to be held in reserve. Upon an enemy tank attack, the towed or self-propelled tank destroyers would be rapidly deployed to the flanks of the penetration with the intent of taking a heavy toll of attacking tanks. Tank destroyers were supposed to employ aggressive, high-speed hit-and-run tactics against tanks. The use of these guns was distinct from the forward placement of towed antitank guns assigned as a normal part of the Infantry Regiment. The Louisiana Maneuvers' data showed that the Infantry's AT guns actually took a much higher toll of 'enemy' tanks than did the tank destroyer battalions' guns. However, the conclusion drawn was that a tank destroyer force of independent tank destroyer battalions should be raised.
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. 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.
This exercise also led to the creation of Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
. It got its name from the Confederate General Leonidas Polk
Leonidas Polk
Leonidas Polk was a Confederate general in the American Civil War who was once a planter in Maury County, Tennessee, and a second cousin of President James K. Polk...
. Fort Polk remains a United States Army post to this day.
Casualties
Realisitic military training can lead to injuries and death due to safety risks incurred through various factors including lack of sleep, enervation, the presence of heavy equipment, traffic accidents, the presence of firearms, and airplane accidents. During the Louisiana Maneuvers, 26 men died. Most men lost their lives from drowning in the Sabine River and vehicle accidents. One died from getting struck by lightning, and one had a heart attack at age 24.A roadside memorial is erected on the property of the Beauregard Regional Airport
Beauregard Regional Airport
Beauregard Regional Airport is a public use airport in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by Beauregard Parish and is located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of De Ridder, Louisiana...
that was then called the DeRidder Army Airbase.
Personnel
Many Army officers present at the maneuvers later rose to very senior roles in World War II, including Omar BradleyOmar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
, Mark Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, Lesley J. McNair
Lesley J. McNair
General Lesley James McNair was an American Army officer who served during World War I and World War II. He was killed by friendly fire when a USAAF Eighth Air Force bomb landed in his foxhole near Saint-Lô during Operation Cobra as part of the Battle of Normandy.McNair, Frank Maxwell Andrews and...
and George 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...
.
General Omar Bradley later explained how the local population 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 noted that a few of the troops were disrespectful towards the residents' land and crops. They would tear down crops for extra food. But for the most part, residents and soldiers established good relations.