After the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, the
US Army established the Tank Corps to help break the deadlock of trench
warfare in France during World War I. The army envisioned having a large
tank force by 1919, but when the war ended in November 1918, only three
tank battalions had participated in combat operations. Shortly after,
Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach, Chief of the American
Expeditionary Forces (AEF) Tank Corps under General John J. Pershing,
issued a memorandum to many of his officers to write brief accounts of
their experiences that would supplement official records. Their
narratives varied in size, scope, and depth, and covered a range of
topics, including the organizing, training, and equipping of the tank
corps.
For the first time since these reports were submitted, Pershing's
Tankers: Personal Accounts of the AEF Tank Corps in World War I
presents an unprecedented look into the experiences of soldiers in the
US Army Tank Corps. The book provides fresh insight into the
establishment and combat operations of the tank corps, including six
personal letters written by Colonel George S. Patton, Jr., who commanded
a tank brigade in World War I. Congressional testimony, letters, and a
variety of journal, magazine, and newspaper articles in this collection
provide additional context to the officers' revealing accounts.Based on
completely new sources that include official US Army personnel reports
that were previously unknown to researchers, this illuminating work
offers a vivid picture of life and activities in the US Army Tank Corps
in France. Revealed is a rare glimpse into the thoughts and experiences
of a broad cross-section of men from the senior leadership down to the
platoon level, and a behind-the-scenes look into how this first
generation of "tankers" helped develop new war-fighting capabilities for
the US Army.
