Where Do Guderian, Rommel Belong in Tank Warfare History?

By JIM PURCELL

I am the son of a U.S. World War II European combat veteran. My uncle, a 19-year-old LST driver for the U.S. Navy, was killed by the Germans at the Anzio Beach landings, in 1944. Most of my uncles fought the Germans during World War II. And, my family lived with my Dad's undiagnosed PTSD all our lives before he passed. During my early years, I was an intelligence analyst with the 4th Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division (Forward), in Garlstedt, Federal Republic of Germany in the 1980s. I wanted to qualify this up front, before i offered commentary about where German tank masters belong in history.

Erwin Rommel (circa World War I)

  I have biases, of course. But, I have stated them honestly: so, we can begin, I suppose.

  In important ways, Germany was a leader in the development of armor, armor tactics and combined arms tactics using armor as a centerpiece.

  I believe if you had to boil everything down to two central figures in German tank history, it would come down to understanding the contributions of two German Army officers: Generalfieldmarschall Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (1891-1944) and Generaloberst Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (1888-1954).

  During World War I (1914-1918), Rommel was an infantry lieutenant in France and Romania. While in this capacity, Rommel developed his own style of combat which involved covering fires with rapid troop advances. He also innovated the use of penetrating attacks, the doctrine of which were later used by the German Army as well as Allied Forces. This stylized approach amounted to the genus of the idea of "Blitzkrieg tactics" in the next war. Rommel did not play a role in the adoption of Blitzkrieg by the German Army of the late 1930s, but he certainly laid down the gospel of attack from which later leaders would place the tank at its center. These ideas were published by Rommel in 1935, in his book "Infantry Attacks." This work appeared after, the year before, he had written a  manual for infantry attacks for the German Army.

  It was Guderian who would go on to refine Rommel's ideas of attack, and codify them in a technique known in World War II as Blitzkrieg, or "Lightning War." During World War I, Guderian was a communications officer who commanded a radio station. Certainly, this must have given him an appreciation for close communications of units that he would remember later. However, when he was promoted to captiain, young Guderian was placed in command of an infantry company. Later during the war, Guderian would serve as a General Staff officer.

  Aster the war, Guderian became an admirer of World War I tank ace Ernest Volckheim (1898-1962). Guderian began to consume whatever he could about armored development and combat. In addition, he wrote scholarly military articles about the subject. By 1928, Guderian was considered the voice of Germany's armored development. And, by 1938, Guderian was promoted to the rank of colonel-general and placed in command of Germany's motorized forces and armored development. And it was during this time that Guderian brought together Rommel's concepts of attack with his own insights into armored development and the use of combined air into the Blitzkrieg strategy, which created a new doctrine in armored warfare, but heralded the darkest of times for Europe during World War II (1939-1945).

Guderian (circa World War II)

  During the war, Rommel learned a great deal from Guderian's insights. And, he applied them with vicious efficiency as a tank force commander. Rommel used armor so well, in fact, that for many of his enemies he was considered the armored warfare leader of the day.

  Well, after this bit of history, let's get into it about where these men belong in the history of armor. We can start with the elephant in the room: they fought for an unholy cause under the most evil leader in the history of humanity. Despite attempts by Rommel and Guderian apologists of the past half-century, the fact remains that no one became a field marshal or a general in Hitler's army by being against him. These men were pro-Nazi, whether or not they agreed with all the things Nazis believed in. Should someone get a pass if they say, "I was a Nazi, but I never believed in..."? In my view, one is either a Nazi or they are not a Nazi and both Rommel and Guderian were Nazis. Yes, later in the war Rommel did try to kill Hitler as part of a failed coups. But, whether or not the coups succeeded, Rommel was a Nazi. So, when I go forward from here there will be some words missing from my description of either of them. Some of these words will be 'good,' 'great,' or 'well-intentioned.' These men were master's of death and evil. But, their 'contributions,' such as they were, led to the advancement of armored theory. This cannot be denied, in my opinion.

  During the Interwar Years between World War I and World War II, perhaps Guderian was the most important figure in the development of the production and use of armor. In the United States, later advocates of armor like General George S. Patton Jr. had happily reverted to horse vavalry ways. At least, this was so until the world got a taste of what armor could do during the late 1930s.

  To be honest, Rommel and Guderian laid the bedrock of the use of the tank as the focus of a combined arms attack. Without them, perhaps the opening days of World War II would have started with ancient cavalry attacks waged against protagonists. In many ways, the combined arms theories used by modern armies have their origin in Blitzkrieg. It's probably not popular to say, but it is true that modern tank warfare's unlikely fathers were Rommel and Guderian. But, even after more than 70 years, it galls me to have to credit these guys with anything remotely relevent. But, even the Devil gets his due sometimes, and that is a very adequate saying to apply to this discussion.
 

Blue- and Gold-Star Flags Represent Service, Sacrifice

By JIM PURCELL

Every now and again, you might see a service banner in the window of a home. It will be white with a bold red border, and in the center of the white field will be blue stars or gold stars, or some combination of them. One might even see a silver star in that white field, now and again.

Blue Star Banners note how many family members currently serve

   It is a tradition that spans a century in the United States that such banners are displayed to represent family members who are serving in the military (blue), have paid the ultimate price for that service (gold), or were disabled due to their military service (silver). If a family member died during a military operation, the gold star would be accompanied by a blue wedge on the bottom of the banner, within the white field.

   Service flags became a tradition in 1917, when U.S. Army Captain Robert L. Queisser created a service flag in honor of his two sons who were serving in World War I. This practice was quickly adopted locally and, after being endorsed by an Ohio congressional representative, it was endorsed by the United States Congress. 

Gold Stars connote fallen family members

   Though these are only flags showing family members’ service, there are official rules about the display of these by the U.S. Armed Forces. Though the Silver Star Banner can be found, it is not officially recognized by the Armed Forces.

   Blue stars should only be displayed for family members who are currently serving in one of the uniformed services. Gold stars can be displayed for any family member who died in any military operation from World War I or II, or any subsequent period of armed hostilities the U.S. took part in.

Gold Star family eligibility includes criteria for those who have died in the service. This criteria stipulates that the fallen service member have died while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. It further includes that the service member must have fallen in an action against a foreign force. This also includes when U.S. service members are killed while serving with allied forces in conflict with an enemy of the United States.

As time went on, the qualifying criteria for fallen service members’ families was expanded. Today, Gold Star families are also those who have lost their service member during an international terrorist attack, recognized by the secretary of defense, and in military operations as part of a peacekeeping force.

There is a national organization for Gold Star Mothers, which can be found online at: https://www.goldstarmoms.com/.

The MRE Continues To Be Improved Over The Years

By JIM PURCELL

The Meal-Ready-To-Eat (MRE) was under development beginning in 1963, by the Department of Defense. It would not be until 1981, though, that the ration would become standard field rations for the uniform services. In fact, it was during the development of the MRE that the Department of Defense came up with the Long-Range Patrol (LRP) ration, in 1966, for use by some units during the Vietnam War (1955-1975).

   Each MRE contains about 1200 calories. One of the big advantages of the MRE over its predecessor, which was the canned MCIs, Meal, Combat, Individual Rations (a.k.a. C-Rations), was that the military was getting away from using cans. By moving away from cans, soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines were able to carry more food while in the field, due to the lightweight packaging of the MREs. Every MRE was designed to weigh between 18 and 26 ounces. And, they have a shelf life of at least three years.

   In 1990, MREs incorporated a flameless ration heater, a water-activated exothermic reaction that emits heat and allowed for servicemen and women to have hot meals in the field. Then, in 1994, commercial graphics were included into MRE rations, to make packets more user-friendly and appealing. Biodegradable packaging was also incorporated at that time. Throughout this process, surveys were taken to identify popular and unpopular meal selections among the services. So, in 1981, there was a menu of 12 entrees; by 1996, there were 16 entrees; by 1997, there were 20 entrees; and, by 1998, there were 24 selections for entrees. That number remains the same today, though there are 150 additional items within MREs that make them more palatable.

MREs replaced C-Rations

   Some things worked with MREs and some did not. Case in point: during 2009, 6300 dairy shake packets were recalled because of the presence of Salmonella contamination. Meanwhile, the HOOAH! Bar was developed for specialized units and it has proved to be quite popular.

   Work on dehydrated meals stored in a retort pouch took place during 1975. And, it was so successful that the scientist associated with that work, Dr. Abdul Rahman, would receive a Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his efforts.

   These days, MREs include: an entrée; side dish; dessert or snack; crackers or bread; cheese, peanut butter or jelly spread; powdered beverage mix; utensils; a flameless ration heater; beverage mixing bag; and an accessory pack, which contains chewing gum, a matchbook, napkins, toilet paper, moist towelette, seasonings and dried coffee powder.

   My experience with MREs began in 1983, on a weapons qualification range at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Usually, C-Rations were handed out when the unit was going to have a long day at the range. This time, though, first-generation MREs were handed out. I happened to draw Chicken-Ala-King and the result was violent illness. Some entrees were better than others.

Rations used during World War I

   Fast-forward four years, though, when I was in an infantry battalion in Germany, and the Meatballs in Barbecue Sauce entrée had become a prized acquisition for any soldier seeking a meal.

   Don’t get me wrong, after sampling French field rations, it became very apparent that their entrees just tasted better. While MREs have been designed for an expressed purpose and are good at what they do, there are European countries whose rations are far more palatable than MREs. Still, MREs can go anywhere and feed anyone in any situation. They provide nutrition for many thousands of servicemen and women that keep them healthy and active.

RATIONS THROUGH THE YEARS

   The first ration ever established for use by the military was authorized by Congress during the Revolutionary War. It consisted of enough food to sustain one man for one day and was largely comprised of beef, peas and rice. It was not until the Civil War (1861-1865), though, that the U.S. military would begin its long love affair with canned rations. But, Civil War rations were very basic and were comprised of meat, bread, coffee, sugar and salt.

   During World War I, the latest innovation was the use of salted or dried meats. This made the rations lighter than previously. But, it was during World War II that the world of military rations opened up to a broad spectrum. Not only were foods incorporated into C-Rations, but so was toilet paper and cigarettes.

   In addition, during World War II, Mountain and Jungle rations were also developed for units that were operating in those regions.

MYTH-BUSTING AND THE MRE

   Through the years, some urban legends have surrounded MREs. One of those myths was that the gum in MREs is, in fact, a laxative. It is not. Some people are under the impression that the MRE is diet food….it is not. MREs contain 1200 calories, which is intended to be consumed by persons in a physical environment, who burn a great deal of calories every day.

   One true myth is that MREs contain high dietary fiber, and this could lead to constipation: That is true.

   Since the introduction of the MRE, variants of MREs have been created, among them the Aircrew Build to Order Meal Module (ABOMM). Vegetarian meals, Kosher meals and other changes have been included in MREs also.

   With a substantive history of success behind it, the MRE continues to serve the uniform services. And, there has even been a secondary market, in the civilian world, that has been created for MREs.

   The MRE is an evolution of rations for the U.S. military that has been carefully developed for decades, and continues to be updated and improved for soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines throughout the world.

  

The Legend Begins: LEWIS 'CHESTY' PULLER (1898-1941)

LTG Lewis "Chesty" Puller enlisted in 1918

By JIM PURCELL

Lewis "Chesty" Puller is a United States Marine Corps legend. 

Through the course of his storied, 37-year in the Corps, Puller rose from the rank of private to lieutenant-general. He joined the Marines after World War I, but was already a combat-hardened commander by the outbreak of World War II.

During his career, Puller won five Navy Crosses; a Distinguished Service Cross; a Silver Star; the Legion of Merit twice, once with "valor" device; the Bronze Star, with "valor" device; the Purple Heart; and three Air Medals, among other decorations. But, Puller's character wasn't measured in the medals he won, but the men he trained, led and inspired during some of America's darkest chapters.

During the first of this two-part series on the most celebrated United States Marine in our nation's history, Puller's early life and participation in what has come to be called the "Banana Wars" will be examined. With an eye toward looking at how his participation in these campaigns impacted his later, better-publicized career as a Marine combat leader, this segment looks at young Chesty Puller and the people, times and events that shaped him.

Puller was born on June 26, 1898 in little West Point, Virginia. Puller's hometown was incorporated only 37 years before its most famous scion was born. Puller was born to parents Matthew and Martha Puller. During his early life, young Lewis was brought up on stories of the Civil War -- its battles, leaders, sacrifices and causes.

In 1862, Puller's hometown itself was a strategic objective for Major-General George B. McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac. During his failed Peninsula Campaign of 1862, McClellan tried, unsuccessfully, to secure its key railroad intersection that led to the rebel stronghold of Richmond. Richmond became the South's capital city on February 22, 1862 after it was moved from Montgomery, Alabama.

Tragedy struck the Puller household, though, when young Lewis was only 10 years old. That year, Matthew Puller died.

The Mameluke Sword is worn by Marine officers

Few people know that Puller had a famous relation that would, himself, make his mark in American military history. Indeed, Puller and U.S. Army Gen. George Smith Patton were second cousins.

During America's Border War with Mexico (1910-1919), Puller tried to enlist in the United States Army to go fight. However, his mother, Martha, refused to give her permission for her son to enlist. Accordingly, Puller would have to wait to see the action he so eagerly sought.

The Border War was comprised of a number of military engagements that took place along the border of the United States and Mexico between Mexican revolutionaries, led by the infamous Pancho Villa, and the American Expeditionary Force, led by General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing.

A year after Puller's abortive attempt to enter the Army, he did gain entrance to the Virginia Military Institute, which is a state-supported military college in Lexington, Virginia. It had been established in 1839 and its alumni includes three of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson's four commanders during the Civil War: James Lane, Robert Rodes and Raleigh Colston. Meanwhile, Jackson himself had taught at VMI before the outset of hostilities between the North and South.

However, eager to march to the drums of war, and with America still in the thick of World War I (1917-1918) in August, 1918, Puller left VMI. At VMI, Puller and his fellow cadets were training to become officers. By enlisting, Puller began his military career in the far more humble role of private. Impressed by the grit and determination the United States Marines displayed during World War I's Battle of Belleau Woods (June 1-26, 1918), Puller signed on and went through Boot Camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, in South Carolina. 

Nicaraguan Sandinista rebels (circa 1927)

Soon after Puller graduated from Boot Camp, and with the Marine Corps being in flux with its staffing need due to World War I, he received orders to attend the Non-Commissioned Officer School at the island. Surprisingly, after he graduated from NCO School, Puller was selected to attend Marine Corps Officer's Candidate School, in Quanitco, Virginia. It was from OCS that Puller received his commission as a second lieutenant on June 16, 1919 in the Marine Corps Reserve.

However, though the need for the Marine Corps' wartime expansion assisted Puller in getting to OCS, the draw-downs in the force after the war's end left his commission converted to inactive status and him receiving the active rank of corporal.

Puller did not have a common experience as a junior non-commissioned officer. Perhaps because of his inactive commission, Corporal Puller received orders from the Marine Corps to serve in the Gendarmerie d'Haiti as a lieutenant. At the time, Haiti had a treaty with the United States that allowed for military personnel from the U.S. working closely with local military and law enforcement. So, Corporal Puller became Lieutenant Puller in Haiti and participated in more than 40 engagements as such for the next five years against Caco rebels on the island nation.

Lieutenant Lewis Puller (center) in Nicaragua with the National Guard detachment he led

During his time in Haiti Corporal/Lieutenant Puller attempted to regain an active commission as a second lieutenant in the Active Duty Marines. In 1922, Puller was assigned as an adjutant to Major Alexander Vandergrift in Haiti. Later in his career, Vandergrift would go on to become a future commandant of the Marine Corps.

It was not until Puller returned from the war in Haiti that, on March 6, 1924, he was officially recommissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines. Subsequently, he was assigned to the Marine Barracks in Norfolk, Virginia and then at The Basic School, in Quantico, Virginia. His assignment at Quantico changed midway through and he was assigned to the 10th Marine Artillery Regiment.

By the time Puller was assigned to the 10th Artillery, he was already an expert at unconventional warfare, in modern language. Due to the nature of low-intensity conflict against a rebel adversary, artillery probably did not play as large a role as it might in other kinds of conflict. So, in a manner of speaking, his assignment to the 10th Artillery allowed Puller to gain some necessary doctrinal uses of artillery that he was not as clear about before that assignment. However, after about two years after being recommissioned, Puller came up on orders for Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, and then, in 1928, he was ordered to San Diego, California.

Crest for the 10th Marine Arty Regt.

Puller's service in Haiti, though, was not forgotten by the Marine Corps. And, in December, 1928, the Corps wanted to use the skills he had honed there and sent him to another Third World nation, this time Nicaragua, to fight yet another low-intensity conflict. In Nicaragua, Puller led a Nicaraguan National Guard Detachment against Sandino rebels in that country. Again, he led his soldiers against an unconventional opponent. He was effective at this as he won his first Navy Cross for his actions between February 16 to August 19, 1930. Puller led the Nicaraguan Guardsmen, and some U.S. Marines, in a major action that included five successive engagements against the enemy, which outnumbered Puller's troops.

At this point, Puller received orders to return to the U.S. and attend the year-long Company Officers Course, at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Afterward, he returned to Nicaragua. Once there, for his combat leadership in actions between September 20 to October 1, 1932, Puller won his second Navy Cross.

Finally, the battlefield for his last engagement in Nicaragua turned out to be the last of the Sandinista rebellion (of that era) and occurred near El Sauce, on December 26, 1932. Following this decisive fight, the back of the Sandinista rebellion was broken.

Puller won two Navy Crosses before World War II

The Marines did not allow Puller to rest on his laurels for very long following his second "Banana War." Rather, soon after the conclusion of hostilities, Puller was send to the Marine Detachment at the American Legation in Beijing, China. Once there, he commanded a unit of the 4th Marine Regiment until he received orders to command the Marine Detachment aboard the cruiser USS Augusta, commanded by then-Captain Chester W. Nimitz.

While he was the Marine Detachment commander aboard the Augusta, he was sent back to the States in June, 1936 to serve as an instructor at The Basic School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of note, some of Puller's students included Ben Robertshaw, Greg "Pappy" Boyington and Lew Walt.

However, in 1939, Puller received orders to return to the Augusta. After serving several months in this position, during May, 1940, Puller disembarked at the Port of Shanghai, where he would command the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment until August, 1941. After his command in Shanghai, Puller was finally ordered back to the United States, where he was given command of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at New River, North Carolina (later to be re-christened as "Camp Lejeune").

It is from there, with war clouds mounting in Asia and Europe, that then-Major Puller would wait for the inevitable conflict. He trained his Marines for a war he knew was coming, which was unlike the rebellions he had helped put down in the past. This war would not span a small country, but oceans and continents as it raged between vast land and sea-going forces.

The 77th Division's 'Lost Battalion' of World War I

The "Lost Battalion" was part of the 77th Div.

By JIM PURCELL

The "Lost Battalion" from the 77th Division during World War I was a popular name given to elements of nine companies from that division that took part in a failed offensive in the Argonne Forest during October, 1918. The infantryman from the 77th Division would begin their trial by fire on October 2nd and not be rescued from the German Imperial Army by the Allies until October 8th.

In all, there were about 554 American soldiers that took part in the offensive, which included: A, B, C, E, G, and H companies from the 308th Regiment; K Company from the 307th Regiment; and C and D companies from the 306th Machine-gun Battalion. The men of the 77th Division would go through six days of hell behind German lines and their actions, though distinguished, would result in 197 of their number being killed, 150 missing or captured and 194 rescued.

Major Charles White Whittlesey

Though the battlaion, led by Major Charles White Whittlesey, would undergo many hardships during their time ahead of Allied lines, they would tangle with the German Empire's 5th Army and inflict approximately 600 casualties on the enemy.

When the attack began, it was never planned that the force commanded by Whittlesey would become trapped, of course. The 77th Division, along with elements of the American 92nd Division were supposed to be supporting the right flank of advancing French forces. The aim was to break the dead-lock trench warfare lines that had defined the 77th Division's war until that point.

Communications were haphazard in those days and, when the French attack stalled, the Americans received no news about this. So, Whittlesey's unit moved well past the German lines and became cut-off from Allied forces.

The battalion was not equipped to deal with the kind of fight they happened into across the small, dangerous space of the battlefield. They were short of food and water. In fact, the only way the 77th's soldiers were able to fill their canteens was by crawling through enemy fire to a nearby stream. Whittlesey attempted to send runners to find out what the friendly situation was, but all of those were either killed or captured by the Germans.

Soldiers from the 308th Regiment, 77th Division

To add to the 77th's problems, as if they did not have enough, friendly artillery fire began falling on their position. With it plain by that time that the unit's runners would not be seen again, Whittlesey resorted to using a carrier-pigeon to send a report to division. In the communication, he said: "We are along the road parallel [sic] 276.4. Our artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake stop it."

Luckily for Whitttlesey and his men, where runners had failed their pigeon, named Cheri Ami, was successful. And, the deadly rain of steel from the sky stopped.

The soldiers of the 77th Division mostly came from the City of New York. The division's distinctive blue and yellow patch even featured a graphic of the Statue of Liberty. It is an emblem the men from the unit chose for themselves and it was adopted by the command.

During the course of the war, the Argonne Forest had been someplace the Germans held since the early days of the conflict. There were vast enemy tunnel networks throughout the forest, which made the Lost Battalion's job even more complicated. Throughout the Argonne, the Germans had spread nearly 100 miles of barbed wire, channelizing potential attacking forces.

When the offensive had begun, the main objective of the 77th Division was to secure the Binarville-La Viergette road. The kick off for the attack was 0700, to allow ground fog to clear-up some. Whittlesey left two companies (D and F) to be a covering force on a nearby ridge-line, while the rest of first and second battalions, led by Whittlesey, would engage the enemy on "Hill 198," as it was known then. In general, it was a flanking maneuver intended to surprise the German occupiers.

The modern 77th Div. patch

At the point where Whittlesey and his infantry were securing Hill 198, the French met with a massive counter-attack by the German Army, driving them back to their lines. Though the hill was under the control of the 77th Division, it was the only thing that was -- now that the until was cut-off from any help. And, the Lost Battalion was surrounded by the Germans.

The soldiers and leaders from the 77th Division had to know something was wrong. They dug in as fast and deep as they could. Then, the Germans attacked from all sides. With grim determination, the men from the 77th Division held their ground. The next day, patrols were sent out to try and determine the enemy's situation.

Between the fifth through the eighth of October, the Germans brought the fight to the defenders of Hill 198. They sent offers of surrender, but Whittlesey would not respond to them.

Though German attacks were regular, the pocket that Whittlesey and his men made was firm. With almost no food or ammunition left, it was fortunate that, on October 8th, at about 1500, the Allies finally broke through the German line to relieve Whittlesey and his men.

For actions during the offensive, Whittlesey, Captain George G. McMurtry and Captain Nelson M. Holderman received the Medal of Honor, most notably among others. Meanwhile, Whittlesey was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Sgt. Benjamin Kaufman from K Company of the 307th Regiment, and Private Archie A. Peck, from A Company, 308th Regiment also received the Medal of Honor. Distinguished Service Crosses were also awarded to 31 other officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the famed "Lost Battalion."

Meanwhile, for their heraldry in the face of grim odds, the story of the "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Division is one that remains prominent in that unit's history, and the history of the American contribution to World War I.

America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918

One of the most terrible pandemics in modern history was 1918 Influenza, which killed about 675,000 people in the United States and between 50 and 100 million worldwide. The virus was very from January of 1918 through December, 1920.

The H1N1 virus associated with 1918 flu.

About 500 million people around the world were infected with the H1N1 influenza virus. Regions as far as the Pacific islands and the Arctic. While the disease was active, it killed between three and five percent of the world's population at that time.

Many times, 'normal flu' would strike those who are weakest physically -- elderly people, children, those with existing health conditions. In contrast, though, 1918 Influenza tended to strike at people who were previously very healthy. Young adults were typical victims of this kind of flu.

The 1918 Influenza outbreak devastated Europe, especially during World War I. During the outbreak, the virus was given the nickname of the "Spanish flu."