POWER AT THE PENTAGON4y Jack Raymond $6.50

The engrossing story of one of the greatest power centers the world has ever seen-how it came into being, and the people who make it work. With the awesome expansion of military power in the interests of national security during the cold war have come drastic changes in the American way of life. Mr. Raymond says, "in the process we altered some of our traditions in the military, in diplomacy, in industry, science, education, politics and other aspects of our society." We have developed military-civilian action programs in he far corners of the globe. Basic Western military strategy depends upon decisions made in America. Uncle Sam, General Maxwell Taylor has said, has become a world-renowned soldier in spite of himself.

DIPLOMAT AMONG WARRI0R-y Robert Murphy $6.95

A brief conversation with President Roosevelt in 1940, transformed Robert Murphy from a conventional diplomat into a secret agent-the President's personal representative and General Eisenhower's political ad- viser in the no-man's land of French North Africa. Here he tells the inside story of his first special assign- ment and of subsequent missions from Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower, filling in the gaps that still remain in the official records of the U.S. government. An objective, first-hand account of history in the making.

WAR AS I KNEW I T 4 y General George 5. Patton, Jr. $6.95

From his childhood, George Patton had one absorb- ing interest-the military art. His life culminated in history's greatest opportunity for the practice of this art. His dominant belief was that a commander's place is at the front, where he can inspire the morale of his troops and keep aware of combat conditions. This belief he lived up to through days and nights of perilous fighting and breaking weariness, and his actions gave rise to many stories. This was not his only side. He was also the military student who, prior to D-Day, made a study of the Normandy roads used by William the Conqueror, since he deduced that the same roads would be useful today, and who, through- out the campaign, kept an Operations Room which was the envy of other commanders.

PATTON: Ordeal and Triumph-by Ladislas Farago Reg. $9.95. Christmas special $8.50

The Patton that emerges from a cacophony of sec- ond-hand evidence was a complex and justly con- troversial figure. In the popular mind, in particular, he survives as a great captain of war, to be sure, but mostly as the general who had slapped an enlisted man, then redeems himself by leading a dashing and dramatic campaign at the head of a competent and romantic army. Sicily, North Africa, the breakout at Avranches, the bungle at Falaise, the anguish of Metz, the prolongation of the war and the restraint prevent- ing total victory are but a few of the areas PATTON: ORDEAL AND TRIUMPH covers.

-

NIGHT DROP-The American Airborne Invasion of Normandy-by S. 1. A. Marshall Preface by Carl Sandburg $6.50

Hours before dawn on June 6, 1944, the American 82d and 1 Olst Airborne Divisions dropped in Normandy behind Utah Beach. Their mission-to establish a firm foothold for the invading armies.

What followed is one of the great and veritable stories of men at war. Although the German defenders were spread thin, the hedgerow terrain favored them; and the American successes when they eventually did come were bloody, sporadic, often accidential. Seldom before have Americans at war been so starkly and candidly described, in both their cowardice and their courage.

In these pages the reader will meet the officers who later went on to become our highest miliary com- manders in Korea and after: J. Lawton Collins, Matthew Ridgway, Maxwell D. Taylor, James Van Fleet, James Gavin, Anthony McAuliffe, and others who in the battles recounted here were shouldering the first major commands of their careers.

NEITHER FEAR NOR HOPE-by General von Senger und Etterlin $6.95

General Etterlin, German commander in W W II, sheds new light on the history of the campaigns in the European and Mediterranean theatres where the General fought, as well as a poignant expression of the antithesis between his duty as a professional soldier and his personal aversion to Hitler. At the head of the Senger Brigade in the Blitzkrieg invasion of France the General details the capture of Cherbourg.

A cultured and intelligent man, unlike the stereotype of the ruthless German military personality, and at the same time a cool and successful field commander, von Senger fought tenaciously, without fear, but olso without hope.

CAST A GIANT SHADOW-The Story of Mickey Marcus, who died to save Jerusalem-

On a somber afternoon in January of 1948, Colonel Mickey Marcus, U.S. Army boarded a plane for Israel to begin what was to be the most dangerous and challenging assignment of his life.

Mickey Marcus had never backed down from a challenge, especially where an issue of personal prin- ciple was at stake. Against six Arab countries out- numbering Israel in population by sixty to one, boast- ing a prodigious array of modern firepower, the Israeli forces had no tanks, no warplanes, negligible homemade artillery . . . not even enough rifles to go around. He dictated military manuals and outlined a drastic blueprint for Israel's survival. Appointed to Supreme Command on the Jerusalem front, he lifted the three-month siege of the bleeding Holy City, win- ning the sobriquet "Lafayette of Israel."

The first soldier since Biblical times to hold the rank of General in the Army of Israel. The only soldier interred at West Point who was killed fighting under a foreign flag.

by Ted Berkman $4.95

POWER AT THE PENTAGON-by Jack Raymond$6.50

The engrossing story of one of 'the greatest powercenters the world has ever seen-how it came intobeing, and the people who make it work. With theawesome expansion of military power in, the interestsof national security during the cold war have comedrastic changes in the American way of life. Mr.Raymond says, "in the process we altered some ofour traditions in the military, in diplomacy, in industry,science, education, politics and other aspects of oursociety." We have developed military-civilian actionprograms in he far corners of the globe. Basic Westernmilitary strategy depends upon decisions made inAmerica. Uncle Sam, General Maxwell Taylor hassaid, has become a world-renowned soldier in spiteof himself.

DIPLOMAT AMONG WARRIOR5-by RobertMurphy $6.95

A brief conversation with President Roosevelt in1940, transformed Robert Murphy from a conventionaldiplomat into a secret agent-the President's personalrepresentative and General Eisenhower's political ad-viser in the no-man's land of French North Africa.Here he tells the inside story of his first special assign-ment and of subsequent missions from Roosevelt,Truman, and Eisenhower, filling in the gaps that stillremain in the official records of the U.S. government.An objective, first-hand account of history in themaking.

WAR AS I KNEW IT-by General George S.Patton, Jr. $6.95

From his childhood, George Patton had one absorb-ing interest-the military art. His life culminated inhistory's greatest'opportunity for the practice of thisart. His dominant belief was that a commander'splace is at the front, where he can inspire the moraleof his troops and keep aware of combat conditions.This belief he lived up to through days and nights ofperilous fighting and breaking weariness, and hisactions gave rise to many stories. This was not his onlyside. He was also the military student who, prior toD-Day, made a study of the Normandy roads used byWilliam the Conqueror, since he deduced that thesame roads would be useful today, and who, through-out the campaign, kept an Operations Room whichwas the envy of other commanders.

PATTON: Ordeal and Triumph-by LadislasFarago Reg. $9.95. Christmas special $8.50

The Patton that emerges from a cacophony of sec-ond-hand evidence was a complex and justly con-troversial figure. In the popular mind, in particular, hesurvives asa great captain of war, to be sure, butmostly as the general who had slapped an enlistedman, then redeems himself by leading a dashing anddramatic campaign ,at the head of a competent andromantic army. Sicily, North Africa, the breakout atAvranches, the bungle at Falaise, the anguish of Metz,the prolongation of the war and the restraint prevent-ing total victory are but a few of the areas PATTON:ORDEAL AND TRIUMPH covers.

NIGHT DROP-The American Airborne Invasionof Normandy-by S. L. A. MarshallPreface by Carl Sandburg $6.50

Hours before dawn on June 6, 1944, the AmericanB2d and 101 st Airborne Divisions dropped in Normandybehind Utah Beach. Their mission-to establish a firmfoothold for the invading armies.

What followed is one of the great and veritablestories of men at war. Although the German defenderswere spread thin, the hedgerow terrain favored them;and the American successes when they eventually didcome were bloody.- sporadic, often accidential. Seldombefore have Americans at war been so starkly andcandidly described, in both their cowardice and theircourage.

In these pages the reader will meet the officers wholater went on to become our highest miliary com-manders in Korea and after: J. Lawton Col,lins, MatthewRidgway, Maxwell D. Taylor, James Van Fleet, JamesGavin, Anthony McAuliffe, and others who in thebattles recounted here were shouldering the firstmajor commands of their careers.

NEITHER FEAR NOR HOPE-by General vonSenger und Etterlin $6.95

General Etterlin, German commander in WW II,sheds new light on the history of the campaigns inthe European and Mediterranean theatres where theGeneral fought, as well as a pOignant expression ofthe antithesis' between his duty as a professionalsoldier and his personal aversion to Hitler. At thehead of the Senger Brigade in the Blitzkrieg invasion.of France the General detai,ls the capture of Cherbourg.

A cultured and intelligent man, unlike the stereotypeof the ruthless German military personality, and atthe same time a cool and successful field comr,nander,von Senger fought tenaciously, without fear, but alsowithout hope.

CAST A GIANT SHADOW-The Story of MickeyMarcus, who died to save Jerusalem-by Ted Berkman $4.95

On a somber afternoon in January of 194B, ColonelMickey Marcus, U.S. Army boarded a plane for Israelto begin what was to be the most dangerous andchallenging assignment of his life.

Mickey Marcus had never backed down from achaHenge, especially where an issue of personal prin-ciple was at stake. Against six Arab countries out-numbering Israel in population by sixty to one, boast-ing a prodigious array of modern firepower, theIsraeli forces had no tanks, no warplanes, negligiblehomemade artillery ... not even enough rifles to goaround. He dictated military manuals and outlined a'drastic blueprint for Israel's survival. Appointed toSupreme Command on the Jerusalem front, he liftedthe three-month siege of the bleeding Holy City, win-ning the sobriquet "Lafayette of Israel."

The first soldier since Biblical times to hold the rankof General in the Army of Israel. The only soldierinterred at West Point who was killed fighting undera foreign flag.

CONTENTS

HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? ............................................... 55U. S. Army Armor School Presentation

VEHICLE RECOVERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28By William W. Boston

EDITOR

M Sgt Roy F. MottSSG Wilfred A. Gileau

WarfareAlRY JOURNAL

" .................................... 63

EDITORLieutenant Colonel Eugene M. Dutchak

BUSINESS MANAGER ASSISTANTS TO THESFC John G. Portman

CIRCULATION MANAGERSFC Michael E. Kekker

REl\UNISCENSES ABOUT SYNGMAN RHEE 53By General Bruce C. Clarke, Ret.

U. S. ARMY ARMOR SCHOOL TRENDS ...................................... 57

NEWS NOTES ............................................................... 58

INDEX TO VOLUME LXXIV. 1965 .......................................... 61

ARMOR SCHOOL MARKS 25 YEARS' SERVICE: A Pictorial Feature 32

THE EVOLUTION OF THE ARMORED INFANTRY RIFLE SQUAD: Part II 34By Dr. Virgil Ney

ARMOR magazine is published under the auspices of the United States Armor Association,and is not an official publication. Contributions appearinc herein do not neeesaaril7relied official thought or indorsement. Articles appearin&, in this publication repre-sent the personal views of the author and are published to stimulate interest in, pro-voke thought on. and provide an open forum for decorous discussion of military altaira.

THE UNBALANCED RESPONSE .......................................... 23By Major Clinton E. Granger, Jr.

AREA FIRE: A Prime Consideration For Armor ............................... 46By Major Harold L. Larson

TANK PLATOON COMBAT READINESS CHECK ............................... 12By Captain Lewis M. Tuggle

LEGEND OF FIDDLER'S GREEN 7By Lieutenant Colonel Paul M. Crosby

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................................. 2

ARMOR IN THE AGE OF COEXISTENCE ..................................... 4By Major William V. Kennedy

Volume LXXIV NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, 1965 No.6

WILL THE CRY BE HEARD? .............................................. 25By Captain Stephen S. Leavitt

NOTES FROM ARMOR BRANCH CIDEF ...................................... 16

THE NEEDED MAN 17

MECHANIZED INFANTRY LIVE FIRE COURSE ............................. 18By l\lajor George B. Bartel

ANTITANK WARFARE 51By Colonel Hans von Uslar-Gleichen

SELECTED BOOKS

'[he United StatesArmor Association

(Established 1885)President

MAJ. GEN. D. W. MCGOWAN, RET.

Honorary PresidentMAJ. GEN. GUY V. HENRY, RET.

V ice PresidenlJMAJ. GEN. A. J. BOYLEMAJ. GEN. E. O. WOLFBRIG. GEN. 1. 1. STAHL

Honorary Vice PresidenlJGEN. BRUCE C. CLARKE, RET.GEN. JACOB 1. DEVERS, RET.GEN. H. H. HOWZE, RET.

GEN. CHARLES D. PALMER, RET.GEN. I. D. WHITE, RET.

GEN. W. G. WYMAN, RET.LT. GEN. E. H. BROOKS, RET.

LT. GEN. F. J. BROWNLT. GEN. CLOVIS E. BYERS, RET.

LT. GEN. JOHN H. COLLIER, RET.LT. GEN. WILLIS D. CRITTENBERGER, RET.

LT. GEN. HOBART GAY, RET.LT. GEN. THOMAS 1. HARROLD, RET.

LT. GEN. GEOFFREY KEYES, RET.LT. GEN. SAMUEL 1. MYERS, RET.LT. GEN. GEORGE W. READ, RET.

LT. GEN. GoRDON B. ROGERS, RET.LT. GEN. JOHN 1. RYAN, JR., RET.

LT. GEN. ARTHUR G. TRUDEAU, RET.MAJ. GEN. R. W. GROW, RET.

MAJ. GEN. E. N. HARMON, RET.MAJ. GEN. W. PAUL JOHNSON, RET.

MAJ. GEN. HENRY C. LODGE, RET.MAJ. GEN. JOHN S. WOOD, RET.

THE HON. W. G. BRAYTHE HON. JOHN J. FLYNT, JR.

THE HON. E. J. GURNEYTHE HON. GRAHAM PURCELLBRIG. GEN. S. R. HINDS, RET.

BRIG. GEN. W. A. HOLBROOK, JR., RET.BRIG. GEN. H. C. NEWTON, RET.

BRIG. GEN. P. M. ROBINETT, RET.BRIG. GEN. WILLARD WEBB, RET.

COLONEL ARTHUR W. ALLEN, JR., RET.COLONEL J. 1. HINES, JR., RET.

Executive CouncilGEN. CREIGHTON W. ABRAMS, JR.GEN. JOHN K. WATERSLT. GEN. CHARLES G. DODGELT. GEN. R. E. HAINES, JR.LT. GEN. W. H. S. WRIGHTMAJ. GEN. WILLIAM W. BEVERLEYMAJ. GEN. F. W. BoYE, JR.MAJ. GEN. MICH.AEL S. DAVISONMAJ. GEN. WELBORN G. DOLVINMAJ. GEN. WILLIAM R. DOUGLASMAJ. GEN. JOHN E. KELLYMAJ. GEN. WALTER T. KERWIN, JR.MAJ. GEN. CHARLES A. OTTMAJ. GEN. GEORGE RUHLENMAJ. GEN. A. D. SURLES, JR.MAJ. GEN. JAMES W. SUTHERLANDMAJ. GEN. COLLIN P. WILLIAMSBRIG. GEN. ALBIN F. JRZYKBRIG. GEN. WILSON M. HAWKINSCOL. WILLIAM W. COBBCOL. FRANK F. CARRCOL. TRACY B. HARRINGTONCOL. WILLIAM A. KNOWLTONCOl.. MORGAN G. ROSEBOROUGH

Publication and editorial offices: 1757 K Street, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20006. Copyright 1965, by the United States Armor Association. Secondc1ass postage paid at Washington, D. C. and at additional mailing offices. Terms: Individual subscriptions, includingAPO's, $4.75--one year and $8.5o-two years. Other domestic subscriptions, $6.50--0ne year and $12.00 two years. Foreign, including Canada & Pan America $8.00--0ne year and $15.0o-two years. Single copies $1.50.

LETTERStiTO THEEDITOR

AInerica's Forgotten Tanker76th Annual MeetingDear Sir:

I would like to congratulate the United States ArmorAssociation for a most enjoyable and enlightening AnnualMeeting this past June 10-12, 1965. It was the firstsuch meeting that I have attended and was my first tripback to Fort Knox since attending the Armor Officer'sOrientation Course in 1960.

The series of lectures on the morning of 11 Junewere very timely and covered the latest concepts veryadequately. The Armor School and Fort Knox are to becongratulated On the firepower demonstration CS-l, vastlyimproved and a far cry from what it was in 1960. Eventhough the time is short for such meetings, I feel thatan additional conference period should be included. Itshould last from four to eight hours and is outlinedbelow.

During the social functions of the Annual Meeting,many ideas, concepts, "war stories," and other valuableinformation passed hands. However, I feel that all mem-bers of the Association would benefit more if these dis-cussions were put on a more formal scale. For example,among company grade officers like myself, a great amountof discussion took place on the subject of the tank-infantryteam and its employment. A discussion leader from theArmor School or Combat Developments Command couldbe selected to guide the discussion and all interested per-sonnel could attend.

This proposal is certainly no less valid for field gradeofficers. The battalion commander has a most complexjob and what better way to express ideas and absorb theideas of others than a discussion of this type. Two ex-amples of likely subjects for discussion are the employ-ment of the reconnaissance platoon in a tank battalionand tank gunnery techniques.

A great deal of Armor experience is assembled onlyonce each year, and I propose that this experience beutilized for the benefit of all Armor personnel. Advancenotice of such discussions may well increase the numberof experienced Armor personnel attending the AnnualMeeting, especially those anxious to convey original ideasand concepts that have been tested by experience. Bydiscussing mutual problems, many ideas are developedand the complex situations of the modern battlefield aremore readily solved.

CAPTAIN EDWARD J. LAURANCEHq., 3d Brigade1st Armored DivisionFort Hood, Texas

2

Dear Sir:The July-August 1965 issue of ARMOR is attractive

and interesting and very well balanced.Captain Ciccarelli's article about Christie was very good

but he omitted an important point-in fact, two points.We did not buy five T-3 mediums as a last resort asinferred. They were the original purchase; the PoliSh andRussians purchases were later. As part of the contracthe was to furnish a set of prints but never did. Parts.were not interchangeable between the vehicles and Ord-nance made up a set by literally making the parts andcompromising on dimensions.

The second point is that, except for the T-3, hisvehicles-~ere ~either, armed nor armored. Ordnance didnot have- the funds to re-engineer them but asked himto do so and he refused to do so, claiming that he wasan idea man and that it was up to the military to developthe idea. "And because of his own fire-eating, hard toget along with nature," as the author says, things justnever worked out.

COLONEL ROBERT J. leKS, USAR, RET.438 May StreetElmhurst, Illinois 60126

Dear Sir:Captain Ciccarelli's article on America's For-

gotten Tanker in the July-August issue must have broughtback memories to the Cavalrymen who we-nt from the

ARMOR is published bimonthly by the United States ArmorAssociation.

Copyright: ARMOR is copyrighted 1965 by the United StatesArmor Association.

Reprint Righh: All Rights Reserved.Advertising: ARMOR is the professional magazine of the

United States Armor Association; a nonprofit, noncommercialeducational publication. We 00 NOT accept paid advertising.Such advertising as does appear in ARMOR is carefully selectedby the Editor and concerns only. those items which may beconsidered an adjunct to a professional career.

Manuscripts: All content of ARMOR is contributed withoutpay by those interested in furthering the professional quolificotion of members of the Armed Services. All manuscripts shouldbe addressed to the Editorial Office, 1757 K Street, N.W.,Washington, O. C. 20006.

Change of Address: All changes of address should be sentto Ihe Editorial Office in lime 10 arrive 01 least two weeksin advance of publication dote of each issue, which is Ihe25th day of the even months of the year: i.e., Dec 25 for Jon-Febissue, Feb 25 for the MorApr issue, etc.

Rates: See bottom of contents page.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

Mechanized Force, Camp Eustis, to Camp Knox in 1931.There are few of us still remaining.

In 1932, I went with Colonel Van Voorhis to NewJersey to witness the trials of Christie's idea of a tank tobe carried under an airplane and saw it run on wheelsat 100 miles per hour. Christie was a great man to talkwith and was certainly ahead of the Army's tank designersin many respects. As I remember, Christie had been anauto race driver and at one time had raced against HenryFord. I think he supplied anti-aircraft mobile guns for theUnited States in WWI. I am convinced that our failureto adopt the Christie suspension system in the late 20'sput us years behind other countries in tank design.

The Christie was called "Combat Car" in the Cavalryas tanks were the responsibility of the Infantry.

Christie sold some antiquated blueprints of his vehiclesto the Japanese in order to obtain money to continue hisdevelopments. I doubt that they were able to build any-thing from those blueprints. The blueprints which cameto us with our combat cars were of little value in buildingreplacement parts since each part was practically handbuilt and corrections did not show on the prints.

I remember that we had constant trouble with the gearboxes and gears. Christie was not a gear builder butlacked the finances to have gears built by those who knew.The Liberty engines with which our combat cars werepowered did right well for airplane engines used in ar-mored vehicles. Christie wanted a "pancake" Italian enginebut could not get funds or influence enough to get one tothis country.

In addition to Adna Chaffee, there were more officerswho were responsible for the development of Armor.H. H. D. Heiberg was the test driver of developmentvehicles and he led an interesting life. General Grow,Dave Barr, and Charlie Usger, have never in my opinionreceived the credit due them for their work with theMechanized Cav;ilry and Armor.

MAJOR GENERAL J. H. PHILLIPS, RET.Rancho Rio VistaRt. 3, Box 291Carmel, California 93921

New Armor PublicationsDear Sir:

I would like to call your readers' attention to two recentpublications in the Armor field which may have escapedtheir notice.

FIGHTING VEHICLES AND WEAPONS OF THEMODERN BRITISH ARMY by Stevenson Pugh waspublished by MacDonald, London, in 1962. Its five sec-tions offer details and photographs of British Army Equip-ment from the Chieftain and Conqueror tanks down tothe Browning 9mm Semi-Auto. These sections are entitledArmour, Missiles and Artillery, Infantry Weapons, ArmyAircraft, and Special Support Vehicles. The Introductiandiscusses the British Army Re-Equipment Program in termsof nuclear weapons and tactics, strategic and tactical airmobility, and sea mobility.

INTERAVIA Magazine published an International De-fense Supplement to its regular issue entitled THE MOD-

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

ERN ARMY WEAPONS AND TECHNOLOGY anddated Volume XX, No. 2/1965. Among the ten articlesof interest to readers of ARMOR are: "The ConceptBehind the Chieftain Tank," "European Tank Develop-ment," and "Countering The Tank By Guided Missile."

Copies of the Supplement may still be available fromINTERAVIA, 185 Madison Avenue, New York 16, NewYork, or 149 Fleet Street, London E. C. 4, England.

LEO GALLBNSTBIN1840 S. Street, S.E.Washington, D. C. 20020

Taschenbuch Der PanzerDear Sir:

I am looking for a book which is out of print. As it isa book about Armor, perhaps you can assist me.

The book that I would like to obtain is TASCHENBUCHDER PANZER, 1954 or 1957 edition.

P. DBCRoos-DELBECQ114 Rue SolferinoLille, France

NATO Versus Communist TanksDear Sir:

While reading the article in the May-June issue ofARMOR by Martin-Joseph Miller, it seemed to me herefuted his own theory of mobility by his statement,"Developments in armor-piercing projectiles have far out-paced progress in armor protection."

The facts of life for armor, for the present at least,seem to be armor without close infantry support is worsethan worthless; it is a danger in that it leads to thinkingin terms of "Blitzkrieg" warfare. It seems to me we needto think in terms of an "Infantry" tank rather than presentconcepts.

Mr. Miller indicates the ideal Western tank must be amatch for the T-54 or T-55. This is well and good asfar as it goes, but he has totally over-looked the JosefStalin III, T-lO, and the 122mm Assault Guns. Unlessthere has been a drastic change in Soviet thinking thereshould be quite a few of these types around for sometime to come.

The 122mm mounted on the JS/T-lO types shouldpunch rather neat holes in most Western tanks. TheseSoviet tanks are well-armored, and the armor well-arranged. The T-IO is an excellent design and presentsa low target with very few shot traps.

The Leopard and AMX-30 are doubtless fine tanks; Ifor one would not like to meet any of the larger Soviettypes in either of them.

If the Soviets see a need for these large (in gun sizeat least) tanks, we must have something to counter them.The experimental T-30 was a step in the right directionand which was unfortunately halted. Why not build a first-class "heavy."

CADBT CHARLBS McDONALDP. O. Box 92Lakeland, Florida

3

ARMORIN THE AGE

OF COEXISTENCE

The Armor soldiet' of the mid-1960's finds himself in a strange position. He is trained andequipped to fight a gigantic war of movement. But he hears it said on every side that such a

war "probably" never will occur.Much more "likely," it is said, are small "wars of national liberation," of which Vietnam is the-

current and the most pressing example.

By MAJOR WILLIAM V. KENNEDY

THE "WARS OF NATIONAL LIBERATION"are the product of the Communist doctrine of"peaceful coexistence"-the attempt to achieveworld domination by subversion and insurrection.This is a doctrine of frustration, imposed, in part,by the strategic aircraft and missiles of the U. S.Air Force; in part by the ships, aircraft and sub-marines of the United States and Allied navies; inpart by the U. S. Seventh Army-an Army of Ar-mor-and its Allied NATO formations in Europe,and in part by the increasing ability of the UnitedStates to deploy significant strategic reserve forceswithout an appreciable interim period of trainingand preparation.

In a sense, then, Armor already has exerted asignificant influence on the course of the strugglebetween freedom and Communism, by denyingCommunism the most direct and overt path to itsgoal of world conquest.

What now?That depends upon how one looks at those words

"probable" and "likely."Do they mean that the evidence is now so strong

of a "detente" between the United States and the

MAJOR WILLIAM V. KENNEDY, Armor, PARNG, served four yearsas liaison ond Intelligence Office in Heodquarters, lst Squodron, 104thArmored Cavalry and as Commanding Officer, Troop 0, l04th ArmoredCavalry (The Governor's Troop). He is a 1956 groduote of the AssociateCompony Officers' Course of the Armor School and a 19S8 graduateof the Combat Intelligence Officers' Course at the Intelligence School.Major Kennedy is presently serving on active duty in the Public AffairsOffice of the Notional Guard Bureau, the Pentogon.

4

Soviet Union and of a fundamental "mellowing"within the Soviet Union that a major war is im-possible?

If so, the storm has come and gone, and we canindeed, as so many in our colleges and universitiesare urging, set aoout converting tank productionlines to tractors.

But if the evidence is that strong, why are notsome more definite words chosen than "probably"and "likely?"

The choice of words brings to mind a proposi-tion once put to the rabbit in Walt Kelly's comicstrip, "Pogo."

"It seems a shame," said one member of theswamp menagerie, "that those electric rabbits inFlorida should be making all that money, andhere you are a real live expert on rabbitin' an' all.Why don't you go down there and get a job?"

"Sounds good," said the rabbit, "but do thosedogs ever catch up with the rabbits?"

"Oh no," said his erstwhile advisers, "the rabbitsalmost never gets caught."

"That word 'almost,' " said the rabbit, "has analarming ring

In short, to accept the "likelihood" of a seriesof small wars as a certainty that there can neveragain be a major war would be a gamble on thefuture of this Nation that no responsible officialor soldier can afford to take.

In evaluating the role of Armor in the presentworld situation we are confronted with a secondset of "likelies" and "probables."

This is the assumption on the part of a greatpart of the press and almost all of the academi-cians now writing on national defense that a full-scale nuclear war would be over in a matter ofdays, that it would not involve substantial landcombat forces and that "winning" or "losing"would be a matter of irrelevance.

This assumption is based on arithmetic, andonly arithmetic, i.e., th~ great powers now havex number of megatons at their disposal; these fig-ure out to y numbers of pounds TNT equivalentper each man, woman and child alive, and that,therefore, nuclear war is certain to be over in thetime it takes both sides to salvo their weapons.

The charming simplicity of this theory not with-standing, no man on earth can say with certaintythat this would be, in fact the outcome of such a"nuclear exchange." It can be said with certainty,however, that large numbers of human beings sub-jected in past history to conditions of chaos andslaughter approximating those of nuclear catas-trophe have shown a surprising capacity for re-newing and continuing a struggle.

The peoples involved in the Thirty Years War;China during the chaotic years of the T'ai P'ingRevolt, the armies on the Western Front in WorldWar I, all demonstrated the ability of humans notonly to survive, but to carry on military activitiesthat affected the future course of history.

The most valid indicator of possible Americanbehavior in the face of a comparable situation liesin the conduct of the Confederate States in 1864-65.

A similarly useful indicator of the character ofthe Russian people and of those other Soviet peoplesmost closely related to, and allied with them liesin the history of World War II.

In neither case was there the slightest indicationof a willingness to surrender until resistance hadbeen physically stamped out.

In both cases, the governments and the popula-tions concerned demonstrated a willingness to sacri-fice all that had been built up by all precedinggenerations.

The issues involved in the present conflict arecertainly no less clear cut, and no less chargedwith emotion and personal and national interestthan those of the Civil War and the war on theEastern front.

The basic issue involved in the present conflictis nothing less than the destiny of man, either asARMOR-November-December, 1965

a creature of the state and his own worst instincts,or as a creature with an innate, and eternal dignity.

Only those who never have seen the consequencesof military defeat, or who have forgotten the in-tensity of the struggle man has waged for freedomdown through the ages could believe that this issueis "irrelevant," no matter what the cost of resolvingit in favor of freedom.

From all of this, it seems reasonable to concludethat the United States cannot proceed on the as-sumption that a nuclear war is impossible, or thatsuch a war, if it does occur, will be limited to apredictable period of days, months or years, and toa predictable type or level of forces.

On the contrary, all of the evidence at handpoints to massive land, sea and air combat fromthe first moment of such a conflict, lasting untilone side or the other is no longer able to resist.

The Armor soldier is faced, therefore, with twomajor challenges:

a. The existence of Communist-inspired anddirected "wars of national liberation," requir-ing only fragmentary Armor forces;

b. The continued threat of a major nuclearwar, involving Armor forces on a scale exceed-ing that of any war to date.In regard to any form of conflict, it must be

recognized that Armor is a strategic rather than atactical arm, in the sense in which these two termscurrently are being used.

This does not rule out the employment of Armorin a significant role in the smaller conflict, any morethan such conflicts rule out use of the B-52 andother primafily "Strategic" weapons and weaponsdelivery systems.

But this is not the primary role of Armor in thepresent world situation, any more than droppinghigh explosives ordnance is the primary role of theB-52.

The primary role of both Armor and the Stra-tegic Air Command is to deter a major war, ifthat is possible, and to win such a war if deterrencefails, employing whatever combination of weaponsmay be necessary to complete that task in the short-est time possible.

In this, there is a closer correlation between Ar-mor and the big bombers and missiles than mostobservers have recognized, or, more accurately,have allowed themselves to admit.

In an intercontinental war, bombers and the longrange missles can stun, disorganize and disrupt.They cannot gain a lasting decision, one that willchange the course of history as effectively as didthe American and Allied occupation of Germanyand Japan.

Armor alone is capable of making the rapid,long-range penetrations that can give meaning to

5

that supports those populations. All this is possible because Armor alone offers

the means to operate and to achieve meaningful strategic results in the land environment produced by a nuclear catastrophe.

This environment will be identical to that en- countered in Joint Exercise DESERT STRIKE, in May 1964, regardless of the normal climate of the region involved. In this man-made desert, dis- mounted formations can survive only to the extent that they are able to occupy high, difficult terrain. Their effect on the armored forces that swirl around them will be about the same as that produced by isolated Japanese island garrisons by-passed during World War 11.

Airborne forces in battalion strength can be a valuable adjunct to operations of the Armor col- umns. But, as in DESERT STRIKE, it is difficult to believe that they can be employed in larger than battalion combinations. The susceptibility of troop and cargo aircraft operations to nuclear attack; the length of time required to marshal and execute large airborne operations; the likelihood of com- plete changes in the ground situation while the air- craft are enroute to the drop zone; the extreme sen- sitivity of such operations to the slightest vagaries of weather, and the almost complete tactical naked- ness of airdropped formations in an armored and mechanized infantry engagement all militate against operations that depend for their success upon air- dropped troops and equipment.

The air transport now required to support large airborne operations can be more profitably em- ployed in the logistic support of the more flexible and more powerful Armor striking forces. For, in the nuclear desert, these striking forces must operate without permanent land logistic links. For the same reason, combat and logistic ground vehicles alike must be able to operate over vast areas where roads, towns, farmland and forest have been reduced to a common base of dust, ashes and, in bad weather, mud.

Airmobile elements organic to the major Armor formations offer much greater promise of accom- plishing the missions originally assigned to air- dropped forces.

6

I n short, Strategic and Tactical air missile power need not and must not be used to attack the life of the enemy nation itself. Their primary purpose must be to disrupt command and control, communica- tions and transport and to gain absolute air su- premacy.

Once this has been achieved, on one side or the other, it will be possible for deep-striking Armor formations to seize their assigned strategic objec- tives. Upon this will depend the outcome of the conflict-and with that the future of mankind, in freedom or in slavery.

It can be concluded, therefore, that the Armor soldier must never allow his attention to be diverted from the transcending strategic role occupied by Armor in the present world conflict.

This is not to say that he can ignore, or dis- count the importance of the wars of national lib- eration. Such conflicts threaten the world strategic position of the United States. Each is a microcosm of the situation that will exist throughout Eurasia in the event of a total war. The methods being em- ployed to cope with them are substantially the same as those upon which the Armor commander must rely to secure his columns and his base areas against guerrilla attack. The airmobile forces involved are the same as those the Armor commander must em- ploy forward and to the flanks of his main columns.

So long as the use and employment of these forces is mentally fitted into the much greater panorama of strategic Armor operations, such training and ex- perience is valuable. It could become an obstacle were it to lead to the conclusion that limited, dis- mounted operations have now become the center rather than the periphery of the Armys role in the latter half of the 20th Century.

There is no escaping the reality of total indus- trial and mechanized warfare, even when such warfare is conducted by forces in being rather than by forces in action. Armor is the land power ex- pression of such warfare.

If all this has come to be obscured in the public mind by the concerns of more immediate emer- gencies, it must not be so obscured in the minds of those who are responsible for the present and the future strength of Armor.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

the destruction wrought by nuclear weapons.Armor alone offers the certainty of ending a

nuclear war, because Armor alone offers the meansto seize and hold the strategic areas from which theenemy's nuclear weapons are coordinated, aimedand fired.

To the extent that the Seventh Army and AlliedArmor formations in Europe and in strategic re-serve elsewhere are kept at or above their presentlevel of power and efficiency, the United Statesand its Allies will be able to refrain from directnuclear attack on populations and the economythat supports those populations.

All this is possible because Armor alone offersthe means to operate and to achieve meaningfulstrategic results in the land environment producedby a nuclear catastrophe.

This environment will be identical to that en-countered in Joint Exercise DESERT STRIKE, inMay 1964, regardless of the normal climate of theregion involved. In this man-made desert, dis-mounted formations can survive only to the extentthat they are able to occupy high, difficult terrain.Their effect on the armored forces that swirl aroundthem will be about the same as that produced byisolated Japanese island garrisons by-passed duringWorld War II.

Airborne forces in battalion strength can be avaluable adjunct to operations of the Armor col-umns. But, as in DESERT STRIKE, it is difficultto believe that they can be employed in larger thanbattalion combinations. The susceptibility of troopand cargo aircraft operations to nuclear attack; thelength of time required to marshal and executelarge airborne operations; the likelihood of com-plete changes in the ground situation while the air-craft are enroute to the drop zone; the extreme sen-sitivity of such operations to the slightest vagariesof weather, and the almost complete tactical naked-ness of air-dropped formations in an armored andmechanized infantry engagement all militate againstoperations that depend for their success upon air-dropped troops and equipment.

The air transport now required to support largeairborne operations can be more profitably em-ployed in the logistic support of the more flexibleand more powerful Armor striking forces. For, inthe nuclear desert, these striking forces must operatewithout permanent land logistic links. For the samereason, combat and logistic ground vehicles alikemust be able to operate over vast areas where roads,towns, farmland and forest have been reduced toa common base of dust, ashes and, in bad weather,mud.

Airmobile elements organic to the major Armorformations offer much greater promise of accom-plishing the missions originally assigned to air-dropped forces.6

It is this versatility of the tank, mechanized in-fantry, artillery and airmobile elements containedin the modem Armor corps and army-level strikingforce, joined in close concert with Strategic andTactical air power that gives to American foreignpolicy the option of avoiding a direct attack on thesociety of the Communist nations.

Obviously, we must avoid such an attack, in theevent we ourselves are attacked, if we are to separatethe peoples of these lands from the governments thathave been established over them by conspiracy,usurpation and terror.

In short, Strategic and Tactical air missile powerneed not and must not be used to attack the life ofthe enemy nation itself. Their primary purpose mustbe to disn~pt command and control, communica-tions and transport and to gain absolute air su-premacy.

Once this has been achieved, on one side or theother, it will be possible for deep-striking Armorformations to seize their assigned strategic objec-tives. Upon this will depend the outcome of theconflict-and with that the future of mankind, infreedom or in slavery.

It can be concluded, therefore, that the Armorsoldier must never allow his attention to be divertedfrom the transcending strategic role occupied byArmor in the present world conflict.

This is not to say that he can ignore, or dis-count the importance of the "wars of national lib-eration." Such conflicts threaten the world strategicposition of the United States. Each is a microcosmof the situation that will exist throughout Eurasia inthe event of a total war. The methods being em-ployed to cope with them are substantially the sameas those upon which the Armor commander mustrely to secure his columns and his base areas againstguerrilla attack. The airmobile forces involved arethe same as those the Armor commander must em-ploy forward and to the flanks of his main. columns.

So long as the use and employment of these forcesis mentally fitted into the much greater panorama ofstrategic Armor operations, such training and ex-periep.ce is valuable. It could become an obstaclewere it to lead to the conclusion that limited, dis-mounted operations have now become the centerrather than the periphery of the Army's role in thelatter half of the 20th Century.

There is no escaping the reality of total indus-trial and mechanized warfare, even when suchwarfare is conducted by forces in being rather thanby forces. in action. Armor is the land power ex-pression of such warfare.

If all this has come to be obscured in the publicmind by the concerns of more immediate emer-gencies, it must not be so obscured in the minds ofthose who are responsible for the present and thefuture strength of Armor.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

LEGENDOF

FIDDLER '8 GREENBy LIEUTENANT COLONEL PAUL M. CROSBY

According to The Cavalry Journal, the legend ofFiddler's Green "was inspired by a story told quitesome time back by Captain 'Sammy' Pearson ata campfire in the Medicine Bow Mountains ofWyoming.

"Having mentioned Fiddlers' Green andfound that no one appeared to have heard ofit, Pearson indignantly asserted that every goodcavalryman ought to know about Fiddlers'

LIEUTENANT COLONEL PAUL M. CROSBY, Armor, is a 1961 graduateof the Command and General Stoff College, Fort Leavenworth, and ispresently assigned as senior Armor instructor at the Artillery and MissileSchool, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

Green, and forthwith told the story."He said that about halfway down the trail

to Hell, there was a broad meadow, dotted withtrees and crossed by many streams (compara-ble, I suppose, to the Elysian Fields), andhere all dead cavalrymen were camped, withtheir tents, horses, picket lines, and campfires,around which latter the souls of the deadtroopers gathered to exchange reminiscencesand tell stories. There was also the old armycanteen store (where liquor was sold), longsince hounded from this mundane sphere bythe zealous efforts of the W. C. T. U.

"No other branches of the service might7

stop at Fiddlers' Green, but must continuethe march straight through to Hell: Thoughit was true that some troopers, feeling the callto eternal damnation, had packed their equip-ment, mounted, and set out to continue theirjourney, none had ever reached the gates ofHell, but having finished up their liquor hadreturned to Fiddlers' Green.

"I have never heard any explanation of thename of this 'bivouac of the dead,' but I be-lieve, as Captain 'Sammy' Pearson said, thatevery good cavalryman ought to know aboutFiddlers' Green."!L. M. Limpus, in a World War II book about the

Army, says:"It is 'Pistol attack! Follow mel-followed

by the leader's dash to victory or to the cavalry-man's proverbial resting place-'Fiddler'sGreen' "2The view that Fiddler's Green is a figment of

Cavalry tradition is supported by yet another source,"Sound Off! Soldier Songs From Yankee Doodleto Parley Voo," which gives the words and musicfor Fiddler's Green. The introduction reads:

"I am indebted to Lieutenant J. K. Mitchel,Cavalry, for the words of this old cavalrysong. In 1923 the Cavalry Journal publishedit as a poem, but the Cavalry Association didnot know whether or not it had ever beensung. I finally secured the tune from LieutenantJ. C. Hamilton, who told me that he heard itsung by old officers of the Seventh Cavalrywhen he was a small boy. An old soldier statesthat the song was a favorite with the SixthCavalry forty years ago. It is clearly anotherrelic of frontier days and should be classedwith 'The Wide Missouri' and the old FourthCavalry song, 'Old Arizona.' ''3But is Fiddler's Green clearly a "relic of frontier

days?"Webster's Third New International Dictionary

defines Fiddlers' Green as "a heaven reserved forsailors or soldiers, especially cavalrymen."4

Confusion as to the meaning of the legend ofFiddler's Green is evident, however, if one consultsthe second edition of Webster's and there reads thatFiddler's Green is "the imagined Elysian field ofsailors and vagabond craftsmen, where credit isgood and there is always a lass, a glass, and a song.":;Neither soldier nor cavalryman is mentioned in thisdefinition.

How did sailors and vagabonds get into thepicture?

All Hands, aU. S. Navy publication, offers sailorsthe following enticement:

"Imagine doing duty at a place where there's8

no reveille, lots to eat all day long, plenty ofshore duty, and everything is free.

"There is such a place, restricted to sailorsonly.

"Called Fiddler's Green, this ethereal para-dise is the sailor's traditional conception ofheaven. Fiddler's Green is believed to be theonly heaven claimed by an occupational groupas its own.

"You never wait in line at this gay place,where eveything is strictly non-regulation. Herethe main pastime is dancing with lovely ladiesand singing all day long.

"Every good seaman hopes to go to thishappy land when he dies."6Membership at Fiddler's Green isn't restricted to

sailors or soldiers or vagabonds. Vance Randolphwrites:

"My neighbors in the Ozarks don't believein Purgatory and they never heard of Limbo,but many of them refer occasionally to Fid-dlers' Green, which is seven miles the otherside of Hell. This place was originally set asidefor fiddlers only, but later regulations admitbanjo-pickers and story-tellers and balladsingers and other fellows with colorful accom-plishments, even if they can't scrape the fiddle.There are sailors and peddlers and tinkers inFiddlers' Green, and a few cowpokes, andmaybe a thin scatterin' of old soldiers. Somepeople say that the dance-hall girls from WestHell are allowed to come over on Saturdaynights, but there is a divergence of opinionabout thiS."7A further blow to the tanker's pride, since Armor

is the legitimate and proud successor to the Cavalry,is the inconsistency in the venerable Cavalry Jour-nal:

"So when the cavalrymen die, their soulsride away with full pack and arms down thelong dusty road to the Next World. But twomiles before the fork where the road turnsnorth to Heaven and south to Hell, they rideoff the road and dismount. They lead off to theright and past them march the infantry andthe artillerymen drive their guns and caissonspast, marching on to the fork of the Road tothe Next World. * * * And afar through theday and night, from the distant Road to theNext World, comes the muffled tramp of theinfantry and the rumbling of the guns (and oflate there has been the clangor of tanks andfrom overhead the hum of planes) marchingon to the South Fork of the Road to the NextWorld."8Thus there was a time when tankers, as well as

infantrymen, artillerymen, and aViators, were re-ARMOR-November-December, 1965

quired to travel the South Fork leading to Hell.The Oxford English Dictionary says that Fiddler's

Green is a nautical term meaning "a sailor's elysium,in which wine, women and song figure promi-nently."9 This famous reference work then lists thesesources of the term:

"My grannan ... used to tell me thatanimals, when they depart this life, weredestined to be fixed in Fidler's Green." (Sport-ing Magazine, XVI, p. 404, 1825).

"It is ... believed that tailors and musiciansafter death are cantoned in a place called'Fiddler's Green.''' (W. H. Maxwell, Capt.Blake, v. I, XV, 1836).

"We shape a course for Fiddler's Green."(Marryat, Dog-fiend, 1837).

"The pilotless narrows which lead to Fid-dler's Green, where all good sailors go." (J. D.J. Kelly, Harper's Magazine, pp. 441-2, Aug.,1883).Another early reference, Marryat's Snarley-Yow

(about 1837), gives this verse:"At Fiddler's Green, where seamen true,When here they've done their duty,With bowl of grog shall still renew,And pledge to love and beauty."loDefinitions given in three encyclopedias show

how the definition of the term "Fiddler's Green"was expanded during the years from 1881 to 1955:

"A sailor's paradise, where dance housesand kindred amusements abound."11

"A name given by sailors to their dancehouses and other places of frolic on shore;sailors' paradise."12

"The Elysium of sailors; a land flowing withrum and lime juice; a land of perpetual music,mirth, dancing, drinking, and tobacco; a sortof Dixie Land . . ."13Even the Canadians have their versions of the

origin of the legend. The dedication of MargaretWiddemer's poem, "Fiddlers' Green," is "for Anna,who told me the story of the place 'where the soulsdo be going that was too bad for Paradise and toocharming for Hell . . .' "14

And Theodore G. Roberts, also a Canadian poet,prefaces his "Fiddler's Green" with the claim that"at a place called Fiddler's Green, there do allhonest Mariners take their pleasure after death; andthere are Admirals with their Ladies and Captains oflost voyages with the sweethearts of their youth,and tarry-handed Sailormen singing in cottagegardens."15

At least two books have the title "Fiddler'sGreen." Wetjen's book, although fictional, dealswith old legends of the sea. He writes: "I have beenARMOR-November-December, 1965

unable to discover the origins of many of the legendsand beliefs, but they are all undoubtedly very old,probably going back to pagan times . . ."16 ErnestK. Gann's novel is dedicated to "those rugged in-dividualists, the commercial fishermen." Except foran abbreviated definition of Fiddler's Green, whichis very nearly the same as that found in Webster'sSecond Edition, Gann's book contains nothing thathelps unravel the background of the legend. 17

It should be apparent at this point that the originof the Fiddler's Green legend is uncertain. There isno agreement among poets and writers as to whatcreatures are privilege4 to go there. The list shouldinclude (in no particular order or rank) animals,tailors, musicians, sailors, vagabond craftsmen,soldiers, cavalrymen, fiddlers, banjo-pickers, story-tellers, ballad singers, tinkers, peddlers, cowpokes,and "souls ... too bad for Paradise and too charm-ing for hell."

Even the spelling of the name of this legendaryplace varies from author to author. Is it FiddlersGreen, Fiddler's Green, Fiddlers' Green, Fiddlers'-Green, or Fidler's Green?

There seems to be no doubt that Fiddler's Greenis an imaginary place, free of care, and that it is thefigment of very old legends. One of the oldest refer-ences to be found (1825) describes it as the placewhere animals go when they die. Tailors and musi-cians early occupied a place of honor, if the dateof the references is the only consideration. Otherfairly old sources mention sailors (of all ranks).Certainly, most references allude to the prioritygiven to seafarers.

The earliest written source referring to theCavalry is Colonel Stodter's verse, published in TheCavalry Journal in 1923. Of the origin of the storyand the introductory remarks in Dolph's book,Colonel Stodter writes:

"I do claim authorship for the Cavalry ver-sion. It my recollection that I wrote theverses in 1910 or 1911 at Fort Russell (nowFt. Warren) Wyoming, where my father ...was then stationed. I first heard the prose storyof Fiddler's Green as a place where all goodCavalrymen go when they die, from Captain'Sammy' Pearson, 9th Cavalry, over a campfirein the Medicine Bow Mts. where he, my father,and a Captain Love had taken their families ona hunting and fishing trip. We all gatheredaround a central campfire in the evening andCaptain Pearson asked if anyone knew whereCavalrymen went when they died. No one did,and Captain Pearson proceeded to enlightenus about Fiddler's Green. He was a good storyteller and made the most of it. I was much im-pressed and upon our return to the post Iproceeded to put the story into verse. Thiseffort I sent into the Cavalry Journal where it

9

YOU stop a bullet clean, 10

sonal CommumcatIon, 23 Apnl l Y 6 3 .

ARMORAovember-December, 1965

was published, I believe, for the first time insome issue of the year 1911, as I remember.Unfortunately I have been unable to find inthe Library of Congress the issue in which myverse was first published ...

"I bought the book Sound Off shortly afterpublication and was most surprised at theintroduction to Fiddler's Green. 1 had knownLieutenants Mitchel and Hamilton at FortRiley, Kansas, 1928-1929, and had neverheard of Fiddler's Green in verse, preced-ing mine. It would indeed have been possiblethat after publication in the Cavalry Journalin 1911 old officers of the Seventh Cavalrymight have sung Fiddler's Green within Hamil-ton's hearing while he was yet a boy. The restof the introduction appears to be mostly un-founded supposition.

"The story (not my verses) is doubtless veryold and I agree with you that Fiddler's Greenwas probably first associated with sailors, alongwith 'Davy Jones Locker' and other yams.Unfortunately Captain Pearson never told uswhere he got the story and I must have as-sumed that he made it up on the spot, for ourentertainment. "18

In the face of the foregoing information, theCavalry and Armor have a very weak basis forany exclusive membership at Fiddler's Green. How-ever, even those readers who agree with La Roche-foucauld that "one of the tragedies of life is themurder of a beautiful theory by a brutal gang offacts" may enjoy Colonel Stodter's verse in full.

Halfway down the trail to Hell,In a shady meadow, green,Are the Souls of all dead troopers campedNear a good old-time canteen,And this eternal resting placeIs known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell,The Infantry are seen,Accompanied by the Engineers,Artillery and Marine,For none but the shades of CavalrymenDismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Through some go curving down the trailTo seek a wanner scene,No trooper ever gets to HellEre he's emptied his canteen,And so rides back to drink againWith friends at Fiddlers' Green.

And so when man and horse go downBeneath a saber keen,Or in a roaring charge of fierce meleeYou stop a bullet clean,

10

And the hostiles come to get your scalp,Just empty your canteen,And put your pistol to your headAnd go to Fiddlers' Green.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND REFERENCESBibliographic assistance was provided by G. & C.

Merriam Company, The Library of Congress, and TheChief of Military History. Valuable assistance was alsofurnished by Col. John H. Stodter (USA, Retired),Brig. Gen. C. A. Symroski, and Mrs. Marjorie M.Nelson and the staff of the USAAMS Library, Fort Sill,Oklahoma. The music used with Col. Stodter's words isfrom Dolph's book, "Sound Off."

1. Stodter, John H. Fiddlers' Green and Other Cav-alry Songs. In The Cavalry Journal, April, 1923,pp. 196-197.

2. Limpus, Lowell M. How the Army Fights. (NewYork. D. Appleton-Century Co., 1943). p. 162.

3. Dolph, Edward A. Sound Off: Soldier Songs fromYankee Doodle to Parley V00. (New Yark.Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1929). pp. 25,26.

4. Webster's Third New International Dictionary.(Springfield. G. & C. Merriam Co., 1961). p. 944.

5. Webster's New International Dictionary. 2nd edi-tion. (Springfield. G. & C. Merriam Co., 1959).p.940.

6. All Hands. (U. S. Navy publication, 1949). p. 51.7. Randolph, Vance. We Always Lie to Strangers:

Tall Tales from the Ozarks. (New York. ColumbiaUniversity Press, 1951).

8. C. S. C. Fidler's Green in Prose. In The CavalryJournal, January, 1925, p. 46.

9. The Oxford English Dictionary. (Oxford. Claren-don Press, 1933). Vol. IV, p. 189.

10. Farmer, J. S. and W. E. Henley. Slang and ItsAnalogues, Past and Present. 1891.

11. A Naval Encylopedia. (Philadelphia. L. R.Hamersly & Co., 1881). p. 276.

12. The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. (NewYork. The Century Co., 1903). Vol. III, p. 2201.

13. The Reader's Encylopedia. (New York. Thoma-sY. Crowell Co., 1955). p. 378.

14. Widdemer, Margaret. Fiddlers' Green. In Yester-day and Today, A Comparative Anthology, editedby Louis Untermeyer. (New York. Harcourt,Brace and Company, 1926).

15. Roberts, Theodore G. Fiddler's Green. In OurCanadian Literature, chosen by Bliss Carman andLome Pierce. (Toronto. The Ryerson Press,1935).

16. Wetjen, Albert R. Fiddlers' Green, or The StrangeAdventure of Tommy Lawn. A Tale of the GreatDivide of the Sailormen. (Boston. Little, Brownand Co., 1931). p. xvi.

17. Gann, Ernest K. Fiddler's Green. (New York.William Sloan Associates, Inc., 1950).

18. Stodter, John H., Col., U. S. Army, Retired. Per-sonal communication, 25 April 1965.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

FIDDLERS' GREEN

I am indebted to Lieutenant J. K.Mitchel, Cavalry, for the words ofthis old cavalry song. In 1923 theCavalry Journal published it as apoem, but the Cavalry Associationdid not know whether or not it hadever been sung. I finally secured thetune from Lieutenant J. C. Hamilton, who told me that he had heardit sung by old officers of the SeventhCavalry when he was a small boy.An old soldier states that the songwas a favorite with the Sixth Cav.airy forty years ago. It is clearlyanother relic of frontier days andshould be classed with "The WideMissouri" and the old Fourth Cavairy song, "Old Arizona."

:B:.-

souls of all d~d

-

the

.

old-time can - teen,good

Half - way down the trail to hell, In a

-

shad - y mea - dow, green,

.... -.T .....troop - ers camped Near a

11

Fiddlers' Green.

known' as Fid- diers'

nt.

to your head And go to

rest - ing place

(C~ of"'" _ ...z,)

And put your pis - tol

And this e - ter - nal

Green.And so when man and horse go downBeneath a saber keen,Or in a roaring charge or fierce mCleeYou stop a bullet clean,And the hostiles come to get your scalp,Just empty your canteen,And put your pistol to your headAnd go to Fiddlers' Green.

Though some go curving down the trailTo seek a warmer scene,No trooper ever gets to Hel1Ere he's emptied his canteen,And so rides back to drink againWith friends at Fiddlers' Green.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

Marching past, straight through to Hel1,The Infantry are seen,Accompanied by the Engineers,Artil1ery and Marine,For none but the shades of CavalrymenDismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Tank Platoon

Combat Readiness Check

By CAPTAIN LEWIS M. TUGGLE

COMBAT READY - NOTCOMBAT READY - EXCEL-LENT - SATISFACTORY-UNSATISFACTORY. It is easyto obtain a definition far theseterms, but what do they actuallymean to unit commanders whenevaluating a tank platoon's Com-bat Readiness? Would a tank pla-toon rated Excellent in the 3dArmored Division receive the rat-ing of Excellent for the same per-'formance in the 4th ArmoredDivision? It may, or it may not,

CAPTAIN LEWIS M. TUGGLE, Armor, enteredthe service in 1945. He served with variousunits as an enlisted man and as a platoonsergeant with the 3d Inlantry Division, Korea,during the Korean conflict. In 1955, he wascommissioned, Armor, Irom the Inlantry School,Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon graduatingIrom the Armor Officer Basic Course in 1956,he was assigned to the lst Squadron, 11thArmored Cavalry Regiment, Germany, wherehe served as a platoon leader, troop executiveofficer, maintenance officer, and troop com-mander. He was assigned to the 3d ArmoredCavalry Regiment from 1960 to 1964, wherehe served as the lst Squadron Howitzer BatteryCommander, Reconnaissance Troop Commander,Squadron S-2, and Regimental HeadquartersTroop Commander. In 1964, he returned toCONUS and attended the Associate ArmorOfficer Course. He is currently assigned as anArmor Advisor to the Pennsylvania NationalGuard's 104th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

12

using our present subjective scor- many commanders would revealing for Tank Platoons. However, that they are of the opinion mostall units have the equal responsi- of our training is lacking inbility to achieve and maintain realistic combat situations, andhigh standards of Combat Readi- there is a need for more fieldness. A failure of any item in training exercises. The distinctCombat Readiness' is a serious possibility of future conflicts in-matter for a commander and dicates that nothing can be sub-item(s) failed must receive im- stituted to obtain the best resultsmediate remedial attention. from this training. To ensure

The purpose of this article is highly effective Combat Readinessto point out to the commanders which is the finished product wethe need for objectively scoring achieve from all training, we mustindividuals, tank crews, and tank have an effective system to detectplatoons. This information will be and indicate to the commanderbased upon a Research Memo- specific weaknesses within his or-randum, "The Development and ganization.Evaluation of the Tank Platoon Presently, commanders offerCombat Readiness Check," pre- considerable debate over the ade-pared by the U. S. Army Armor quacy and the reliability of theHuman Research Unit (Hum- evaluation in the resulting scoresRRO), Fort Knox, Kentucky. of our platoons tested. Often, theOur present formal .platoon and unit is judged and scored as acompany ATI's afford the com- whole. The duties and skills of in-mander flexibility, however, they dividuals and tank crews are over-lack comprehensiveness, objec- looked and not fully examined.tivity, and standardization. Too often when the individuals.

Every year a great deal of and tank crews are evaluated, themoney, time, and arduous effort evaluation is based on the opinionis spent on training and annual of a scorer, with such subjectivetraining tests. A discussion with remarks as, "range card improp-

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

erly prepared," "radio proce-dure inadequate," etc. These re-marks are not specific and offerlittle to a retraining program.

It is most difficult to assign ad-ditional weight to items withoutestablished criteria as to theirimportance. Fully recognizingthat some items of individualduties, tank crew'duties, and pla-toon actions are more importantthan others, we must also recog-nize that all items of individualduties, tank crew duties, and pla-toon actions have their impor-tance. All items reveal their im-portance only when they areneeded to properly complete asituation. The platoon is only asstrong as its weakest individualor crew. This weak link must bedetected and isolated so imme-diate remedial action may betaken.

Subjectively scoring these itemsof individual duties, tank crewduties, and platoon tasks whendifferentially weighed only broad-ens this opinion margin of scorersin evaluating Combat Readiness.Armor Doctrine and conceptshave moved toward combiningthe platoon and company annual

. trainin'g tests. The writer agreeswith this doctrine and concept;however, he is of the opinion thata high standard of Combat Readi-ness must be obtained beforecombined platoon/company train-ing begins. With the tank platoonbeing the basic combat elementwithin our Armor units, we mustconcentrate lind ensure that highstandards of Combat Readinessare maintained.

The Tank Platoon CombatReadiness Check evaluated byHumRRO will ensure that' thishigh standard of Combat Readi-ness has been obtained and willpoint directly at the specificweaknesses of the individuals andtank crews. To evaluate the skillsand duties as individuals, as atank crew, and as a platoon, thetest is divided in three phases.

Phase I of the test is the in-dividual crew member and in-

dividual order phase (day), andcovers the following operations:

a. Before-operations main-tenance and stowage checks.

b. Communications andat-halt maintenance checks.

c. Selection and occupa-tion of a firing position.

d. Preparation of a rangecard.

e. Preparation of the in-dividual tank to withstand afriendly nuclear burst.

f. Cross-country move-ment 'using a strip map.

g. Range firing (main gun,coaxial, and caliber .50 ma-chineguns) at simulatedtargets.

h. After-operations main-tenance checks.

To perform Phase I, it is di-vided into four stations. Stationswill be separated and out of sightof one another.

Station l: This is the assemblyarea, where the test begins. Here,before-operations maintenancechecks and stowage will be tested.The driver, loader, and gunnerof the tank crew will be taken tothe tank individually and be re-quired to perform liis duties ofbefore-operations maintenance.The tank commander may bepresent to observe, however, hewill not be allowed to superviseor make corrections..

After the before-operationscheck, the gunner, loader, anddriver will pe checked on OEMstowage. Each crewman will berequired to show or tell the scorerwhere the items of OEM forwhich he is responsible are stowedon the tank. As an example, thegunner will show.or tell the scorerthe location of the elevationguadrant, flashlight, lens tissue,etc. Check sheets win conform tounit SOP stowage plan and ve-hicle OEM.

Station 2: Here the communi-cations check and at-halt main-tenance will be tested. Have theloader put the radio set intooperation on prescribed frequen-

cy(s) . He will be checked onproper procedure for each set (s) .This accomplished, the gunnerand loader will be required tocheck in to the tank commander.They will be checked on proce-dure such as Control Box switchto INT position" volume adjustedproperly, etc.

Once the crew members havecompleted the communicationscheck, they will be sent to a posi-tion out of sight. Each memberwill then be called back individ-ually to perfoJ;lIl an at-halt main-tenance check. When the crewhas finished the check, the tankcommander will be given locationand told to move to Station 3.

Station 3: At Station 3, thetank commander will be assignedthe area of responsibility for afiring position. The tank. com-mander will be given 5 minutes toselect and prepare his primary .position. After the primary posi-tion has been scored, the tankcommander will be required toselect and point out his alternateposition. He will not be requiredto mo\te the tank.

The next requirement at thisstatIon will be the preparation ofa range card. The tank com-mander and gunner will be scoredseparately on each one's responsi-bility in preparing the range card.. After the range card has been

completed and scored, the tankcommander will be ordered toprepare for a nuclear blast thatwill have an effect on his position.Also, he will be given 5 minutesto prepare for the detonation.When the crew has been scoredon the preparation for the nucleardetonation, Station 3 will becompleted. The tank commanderwill be given a strip map andordered to move to Station 4. Thetank commander will be scoredon his actions. The driver will bescored on his driving ability tonegotiate obstacles and rough ter-rain properly.

Station 4: This station will belocated on a range which will ac-commodate firing all weapons.

13

,

"GUNNERItem Weight Score

1. Index HE on the Com-puter .

2. Lay on the REFER-ENCE POINT 1

3. Zero the azimuth in-dicator .

4. Request the range toTarget A, or was itgiven by the TC? .

5. Set range on computer?6. Record (or announce to

TC) the correct deflec-tion (R or L)? .

7. Record (or announceto TC) the correctelevation (+ or -)? ..

8. Record (or announceto TC) correct range?

9. Request range to Tar-get B, or was it givenby the TC? 1

10. Record (or announceto TC) the correct de-flection (R or L)? .

11. Record (or announceto TC) the correctelevation (+ or -)? ..

12. Record (or announceto TC) correct range? 1

13. Was all data enteredon the range card? .

14. Was Target A shownon the range card asA? 1

15. Was Target B shownon the range card asB? .

16. Was the tank positionshown on the rangecard? .

17. Was the range shownas 'Rg __'? .

18. Was the quadrant ele-vation shown as (QE+__ or - __)1..

19. Was the deflectionshown as 'Defl~__(R or L)'? .

20. Was a straight linedrawn from the tankto Target A? .

21. Was a straight linedrawn from the tankto Target B?" (l :30) ..

Extract, Phase II. Night MovementUsing Infrared Equipment (Cross-Country) :"I. The infrared equip-

ment was not turnedon too soon. 1 __

2. The tank was on theinfrared trail when theequipment was turnedon .

3. The tank commanderassigned specific dutiesto the gunner. .

4. The gunner performedhis assigned duties .

5. The TC assigned spe-cific duties to the driver.

6. The driver performedhis assigned duties .

7. The TC assigned spe-

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

a. Night movement to anassembly area and attackposition.

b. Occupation of the as-sembly area.An extract will now be shown

from each phase of the test. Thescorer scores one (l) point ifthe item was performed; a zeroif the item was not performed.The score sheet offers little or nomargin for opinion. The checksheets may be modified to con-form to the unit's equipment.

Extract, Phase I, Range CardPreparation:

Here the tank commander willbe given a sketch of the area ofresponsibility showing two desig-nated target areas. The crew willbe given illumination and be re-quired to prepare a range card.

When the range card has beenprepared, it will be checked bythe OIC to ensure that it is with-in firing limits of the range. Thenthe OIC will inform the tankcommander that the aggressor isapproaching through target 1and that the tank will fire fiverounds. When the ammunitionhas been expended on target 1,the tank commander will be in-formed that aggressor armor ve-hicles are in the vicinity of target2. He will be informed that he hasavailable three rounds of ammuni-tion. He will use only the am-munition required to obtain targetdestruction. He has two illuminat-ing flares available to use uponhis command.

On completion of firing thearmored vehicle exercise, the tankwill fire a coaxial and caliber .50machinegun exercise. In this ex-ercise, the tank commander willbe informed of two aggressorteams approaching his position.The tank commander may havetwo flares upon his command.However, he will gain points if heneeds only one. This exercisecompletes Phase II.

Phase III of the test is the tankplatoon phase (day and night)and consists of the following:

The crew will be required to per-form the prepare-to-fire checks.Each crew member will be calledupon to perform his portion indi-vidually, only calling upon othermembers when their assistance isrequired for the individual tocomplete his portion of the be-fore-firing check.

When the tank crew has com-pleted the before-firing check, itwill be issued ammunition to zerothe main gun, coaxial, and caliber.50 machineguns. When zeroingis completed, a required exercisewill be fired using the main gun.Upon completion of the main gunexercise, the crew will fire a cali-ber .50 and coaxial exercise on amoving tank course. This exercisecompletes Phase 1.

Phase IT is the individual tankcrew phase (night) and coversthe following operations:

a. A night movement a-long paved roads and cross-country using partial andcomplete blackout (includ-ing the use of infrared driv-ing equipment).

b. Preparation of rangecards using flares.

c. Repelling an aggressornight attack using live am-munition and all tank weap-ons and flare illumination.

Phase II will begin by the issu-ing of a strip map to the tankcommander. The strip map willinclude the route, no light lines,blackout distance, cross-countryusing infrared equipment, cross-country blackout, and location ofa firing position. This march willbe made without the assistance ofguide, directional arrows, or otherartificial direction devices.

Upon arriving at the designatedlocation, the tank commander willselect and occupy the best avail-able position. If the tank positionselected needs to be adjustedbefore crew can fire tank forsafety reasons, the Officer inCharge (OIC) will direct thetank commander to make neces-sary adjustments.14

r

cific duties to the loader. 18. The loader performed

his assigned duties. 19. The tank did not at any

time follow the wrongroute. I

10. The TC (or crewmember) located a de-pression. . .

11. The TC (or crewmember) located thespecific depression. 1

12. The TC (or crew mem-ber) recognized thedepression as the spe-cified depression .

13. No member of thecrew used an unfilteredlight, in violation ofthe SOP .

14. No member of thecrew lighted a matchor cigarette lighter inviolation of the SOP... 1

15. No crew membersmoked 1

NOTE: Items 10 through 12 shouldbe modified to reflect theactual physical referencepoints in the local terraincomplex." (l: 63)

Extract,. Phase III, Attack of theSecond Objective:"I. All tank commanders

traversed their guntubes toward the ent:.my. 1 __

NOTE: Deletion of inappropriatequestions will not affect thetotal score. . . .

2. The platoon attackedthe platoon objective inLINE, WEDGE, ECH-ELON, COLUMNformation. (Selectone.) 1 __

3. The platoon leader setup a base of fire anda maneuvering elementwhen fired on. 1

4. The platoon leader des-ignated the route ofmaneuver. .

5. The platoon leader des-ignated areas of firefor the base-of-firetanks 1

6. The platoon leader des-ignated specific targetsfor the base-of-firetanks. 1

7. The platoon leader at-tacked by bounds. .... 1

8. The platoon used AL-TERNATING, SUC-OESSIVE bounds.(Select one) 1

9. The maneuvering ele-ment used the avail-able cover and con-cealment. 1

10. The base of fire joinedthe maneuvering ele-ment in the assault. .... 1

11. The tanks participat-ing in the assaultcovered the objectivewith area fire. 1 __

12. The platoon leader re-ported seeing aggressortanks on the objective,to the OIC. 1 __

13. The platoon leaderordered the base of fireto shift its fire (or toCEASE FIRE) whenthe maneuvering ele-ment began the as-sault. 1 __

14. The platoon leader or-dered the base of fireto join the maneuver-ing element on the ob-jective. 1 __

IS. The platoon leaderpositioned his tank onthe objective, so hecould best control allthe tanks in his platoon.

16. Each tank took up adefensive firing posi-tion when the assaultwas completed. 1

17. The platoon leader des-ignated areas of re-sponsibility for eachtank to observe forenemy counterattack. 1

18. The platoon leader re-ported the seizing ofthe objective to theOIC 1 __

19. The platoon leader re-quested a report fromeach tank regarding

PROSPECTIVE AUTHORS

their continued state ofcombat readiness. ...... 1

20. The platoon took uppositions on the farside of the objective. .. 1

21. Each tank had onecrew member designat-ed as AIR ALERTobserver. (If this dutywas previously as-signed, give credit.) .... 1 __

22. The people designatedas AIR ALERT ob-servers actually did thejob; that is, they stayedon the tank and ob-served 1 __

23. All tank commandersreconnoitered for, andselected, alternate posi-tions. . .

24. An attempt was madeto camouflage thetanks. . 1

25. The platoon leaderknew what his missionwas while on the ob-jective. (The scorerwill ask.) 1 __

26. All TC's knew the pla-toon's mission whileon the objective. (Thescorer will ask.) 1

NOTE: Mission is to be the base offire for the company attack."

Using check sheets prepared indetail and objectively scoring thetest, we isolate and identify thespecific weaknesses and areaswhere additional training is re-quired for the individuals, tankcrews, and platoons to be combatready.

Once the commander is awareof these specific weaknesses andareas, it is a simple task forhim to accomplish this addi-tional training ill the minimumtime. Now we will have achievedour ultimate goal-COMBATREADY.

It is requested that all officers and enlisted men on active duty,National Guardsmen, and Reservists, forwarding articles to AR-MOR with a view toward publication, submit their articles intriplicate, double spaced, with a minimum margin on each side ofat least an inch and a half. One copy of all articles submitted forclearance is retained by Security Review, Department of Defense.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965 15

Notes Frolll Armor Branch ChiefARMOR BRANCH

Chief Colonel Morgan G. RoseboroughPH-OX 68502

II I I

Personnel Actions Assignment Section Administration& Education Section SectionPH - OX 71210 PH - OX 68507 PH - OX 68756OX 68529

Section Chief and DeputyBranch ChiefLt Colonel Robert J. Baer

Personnel ActionsMajor Jack W. NielsenMajor John P. Prillaman

Military and CivilianEducationMajor Earle L. DentonMajor George L. Bernard

Section ChiefLt Colonel Charles L Phillips

Overseas field gradeassignmentsMajor Thomas P. Lynch

Overseas company gradeassignmentsMajor Walter F. Ulmer

CONUS field gradeassignmentsMajor J. Godfrey Crowe

CONUS company gradeassignmentsMajor Richard A. Miller

PREFERENCE STATEMENT

Section ChiefMiss Edna M. Bayless

16

1. All officers are encouraged to review their preference state-ment and to ensure they are up-to-date.

2. Officers who are overseas are reminded that they shouldsubmit a new preference statement approximately nine monthsprior to their return to the United States.

3. Upon return to CONUS, a new preference statement shouldbe completed and forwarded to Department of the Army notlater than 90 days after arrival on your new duty station.

4. All preference statements should be filled out completelyshowing both principle choices of duty and geographical area.A general order of preferences for all CONUS Anny areas andoverseas theaters should be established.

S. Recent developments in the world situation have made itnecessary for Armor Branch to contact officers at home and in aleave or travel status. Therefore, all officers should include thefollowing infonnation on their preference statements: Duty andhome telephone numbers and their leave address and telephonenumber, if known, or the name of the individual in which tele-phone number would be registered.

6. Officers on unaccompanied tours should list the address andtelephone number of their dependents.

7. Number of dependents and personal desires should belisted under personal considerations.

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

THE NEEDED MANBy ARMOR BRANCH

THE RETENTION of young officers on activeduty beyond their periods of obligated service con-tinues to be a matter of utmost importance to theArmy. Many studies have been made of the situation,and many programs initiated, still much remains tobe done by all if the quality and quantity of theofficer corps is to maintain pace with ever increasingdemands being placed upon it by the events of ourtime.

Each year many talented young officers join theranks of Armor. We must encourage those who arequalified to remain in the service in an indefinitestatus, and integrate the best of them into the Reg-ular Army. Concurrently, we must make every effortto retain the young Regular Army officer. It is onlyas a result of such efforts that we can assure aquality corps of Armor officers to meet the chal-lenges which we face.

An analysis of the reasons for resignation or dec-lination of extension submitted by junior officersover several years discloses that lack of job satisfactionis the predominant factor in their decisions. Otherreasons commonly cited are lack of family stability(including housing and separations) , dissatisfactionwith the quality of their superiors, the handicap to acareer as a result of an unfavorable efficiency report,and inadequate pay. Most of these objections havebeen isolated and discussed in realistic detail in DAPamphlet 600-4, Commander's Guide for CareerCounselling. As discussed in the pamphlet the reasonsgiven the Army by those leaving the service are thosewhich appear to be the most acceptable. They mayor may not be the real reasons for leaving.

It is recognized that many of the areas of indicateddissatisfaction would require action by agencies atthe highest levels to eliminate. However, we believethat our mutual interest and endeavors can do muchto improve the picture and it is to this end thatthese remarks are being directed. Armor Branch op-erations have -been tailored to give officers the per-sonalized attention they can justifiably expect. Wecarefully consider personal problems in making as-signments; counsel officers through visits, by lettersand by telephone; identify potential RA officers forconsideration by commanders; write numerous lettersencouraging officers to improve their performance andqualifications; and publicize retention efforts in ar-ticles such as this. The real key to retention, however,has been, and will continue to be, the commanderwho is in daily contact with the young officer. DAPamphlet 600-4, Commander's Guide for CareerCounselling has been prepared to assist the com-mander in presenting to the young officer a factual,logical, and objective evaluation of a military career.When combined with the commander's imagination,knowledge, and personal experience it is an excep-tional retention tool. Above all, it deals directly withthe reasons given for leaving the service by acknowl-edging those areas requiring improvement, but at thesame time emphasizing the Army's strengths. Onesquadron commander, in addition to personal inter-ARMOR-November-December, 1965

views, invited his junior officers to participate in aseminar to discuss the pros and cons of an Armycareer. This seminar was held in an informal at-mosphere in an attempt to allow each young officerto freely express his personal views. This discussionwas profitable. The young officers appreciated theopportunity to be heard and the commander acquireda better insight into the problems of his officers andin some cases was able to dispel doubts and clear upmisconceptions. After listening to their young officers'views, many other commanders have suggested andadopted some of the following practices aimed atincreased retention. We feel they are worthy of yourconsideration:

a. Attempt to lessen pressures by providingcompensatory time and requiring that periodicleaves be taken.

b. Revise policies which may tend to degradedignity. For example, PX and club check cashingpolicies, post clearances, business practices ofconcessionaires, automobile registration, and as-signment of quarters procedures.

c. Curtailment of command emphasis of in-voluntary contributions to permit a net increasein take home pay. This is not to be confused withcommand emphasis on meeting one's moral ob-ligations to society and his community.

d. Expediting personnel actions.e. Establishment of a formal program of fam-

ily services, and publication of periodic news-letters to keep the distaff side informed ofpolicies, social opportunities, and other materialof current interest designed to satisfy their needs.

f. Rapid identification and separation of of-ficers who do not show the promise of meetingthe highest standards of integrity, duty, personalmorality, social, and physical demeanor.

g. Consideration of the financial obligationto be incurred by officers when selecting the typeand frequency of command social functions.

h. Selection of those exceptional officers forcommand positions who will take the time totrain their subordinates.

i. Insure that officers are not selected for de-tails or extra duties which debase their rank andposition. On the other hand, the importance ofan essential job that lacks glamor should neverbe played down. The officer who understandsthat his success will be geared to how he performsan assigned task rather than what that task maybe is frequently the producer of outstanding re-sults.These are positive actions which have been im-

plemented by commanders in various degrees thatwe believe have been responsible for the retention ofsome young officers. They are by no means a com-plete solution to the problem, but they do considerthe young officer's criticisms and are a step in theproper direction to retention of the needed man.

17

' ' '-'--tV Division, was Sector Advisor, MAAG, Vietnam, and is currently higade, 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Infantry ran thi course first to develop range opera-

ARMOR-November-December, 1965

Mechanized InfantryLiveFireCourse

By MAJOR

GEORGE B. BARTEL

A LIVE FIRE COURSE for mechanized infantrysquads has been developed at Fort Hood. Thecourse is designed primarily to train squads to applytheir fire power from a moving personnel carrier.The "Mechanized Infantry Squad Combat Profi-ciency Course" is the brain child of Colonel ArthurN. Whitley, CO, 3d Brigade, 2d Armored Division,who conceived the idea while serving with the ArmyConcept Team in Vietnam. While serving there hewatched Vietnamese Cavalry Squadrons employ thePC effectively as a fighting vehicle, firing rifles,M79's, AR's and LMG's from the M-l13 while itmoved across the rice paddies of the Mekong Delta.

Upon his return to the U. S. and subsequentassignment to the 2d Armored Division ColonelWhitley decided to test the feasibility of a range totrain the U. S. Mech Infantryman to fight from thisvehicle before he gets into combat situations.

The 3d Brigade's Mechanized Battalion, 1/50thInfantry, received the project. The CO, Lt. Col. F.E. Shelton and his S3, Ca