military training and preparedness exercises in American History--the Louisiana Maneuvers.
The purpose?
General George Marshall called these maneuvers a"combat college for troop training"a testing ground to evaluate leadership skills of bothcurrent and rising officers, and a "field laboratory" to testnewer modernized weapons, artillery, and tanks.
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this training.
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| Convoy on way to Louisiana Maneuvers, August 1941, Army photo |
During the early days of
August 1941, troops from 19 Divisions
and 10 Army-Navy Air Groups
set out for the
Louisiana Maneuvers.
Nearly half a million men
were accompanied by tens of thousands
of army tanks, trucks, jeeps,
weapons, ammunition, and food supplies.
Of the seemingly endless convoys
and trainloads of soldiers,
John Edward and his Company
were just a handful.
Marshall personally observed many of the maneuvers and explained:
“I want
the mistakes made in Louisiana, not made in Europe.
If it doesn’t work,
find out what we need to do to make it work”
 |
| Small tanks cross a pontoon bridge built by the Army engineers, 1941, Army photo |
In mid-July Army engineers built roads and bridges,
depots to store the millions of tons of ammunition (blanks), flour,
and coffee, and barracks to accommodate many of the troops.
Thousands of Louisianans assisted, contributing to depression relief throughout the state.
 |
The maneuvers covered 20 million acres
that the government secured from
almost 100,000 landowners.
A
week before the maneuvers began,
a hurricane caused havoc
for the
engineers,
who continued their work along
slippery and muddy roads.
And
the exponential
increase
of chiggers, ticks, and
other biting insects
tortured the
already hot,
sticky, sweaty soldiers
all around the 40 by 90 mile area.
Every aspect of the maneuvers was designed to be intense
and physically demanding.
Arriving at camp, the troops continued preparation begun by the
Army engineers. "We dug garbage pits and drainage pits (6 x 6 x 6) in
the hardest clay you ever saw. It takes 3 men all day to dig one of them." (10 Aug)
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| Letter home, Louisiana Maneuvers, August 10, 1941, family scan |
For John Edward, physical exhaustion was compounded
by the Army's unrelenting disregard of him because of his stuttering. With
every letter written during July we saw an escalation of
deep discouragement and utter frustration.
John Edward referred to this, and to the recent extension of military service by Congress,
when he wrote: "it's enough to make a man want to 'go over the hill.'"
This new slang term was a protest made by soldiers who
threatened desertion when their original one-year commitment of service ended.
 |
| Field Artillery, Louisiana Maneuvers, 1941, Army photo |
"Goody, goody, hot dog, we won the war." (20 Aug)
It was the first of two mock battles,
one in August and one in September.
Troops were trained in offensive and defensive
combat, infantry tactics, and battlefield situations
designed to address increasingly difficult
tests and specific "problems," such as
how to move troops across a river, how to seize a specific target, or how to move an armored force
over extremely rough terrain.
for those who had weapons, and others held signs to indicate a weapon.
Some trucks had "TANK" painted on the sides, and drainpipe was
attached to others to simulate anti-tank guns.
"Rules governing
engagement and 'casualties' were established. Battles took place
on
lawns, in private yards, on town streets, and in surrounding forests.
Truces were declared at lunchtime so that soldiers could eat. Hundreds
of 'umpires,'
armed with clipboards and armbands, assessed units and
leaders
according to a complex grading system and ruled on how many
soldiers
were 'killed or injured.' Monitoring the time it took medical
units to
transfer the 'wounded' to combat hospitals was also important."
(Sharp School online curriculum guide for the Louisiana Maneuvers)
continued with whimsical reflections on nearby towns,
on ham for breakfast, dinner, supper, and snacks,
and on the rescue attempt of a piglet.
"If you can think up a good way
to get me out of the Army,
wire, don't write.
2 1/2 years is at least 2 1/2 years too long to
spend in the Army--as a pvt." (20 Aug)
John Edward has been passed over for promotion at every point.
stunning successes and recognition in younger years.
"The Army's extreme prejudice to this affliction
brought him to one of his lowest periods."
John Edward II, September 2024
