A command post at war : First Army headquarters in Europe, 1943-1945

378 Pages·2000·35.955 MB·English

by  David W Hogan, Center of Military History

A Command Post at War
First Army Headquarters
in Europe, 1943- 1945
by
David W Hogan, ),:
CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
UNITED STATES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C. . 2000
Library of Congr·ess Cataloging-in-I)ublication Data
Hogan, David W.
A command post at war: First Army headquarters 111 Europe,
1943- 1945 I by David W. Hogan, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
I. World War, 1939- 1945-Regimcntal histories- United Slalcs
Army, First. 2. United Stales. Army. Army, lSI- History. 3. World War, 1939-
19 45- Campaigns- Europc. 4. Command of troops- His lory. I. Title.
0769.25 .11642000
940.54'21- dc21
00-029448
eMH rub 70- 60
First Printing
Foreword
World War II remains the defining experience for Ihe U.S. Army in the
twentieth century. It has had a lasting impact on the nation and its place in
the world and on the Army and the way it organizes and fights. Although
historians have written numerous volumes concerning this global conflict,
some gaps in the literature remain. In particular, the subject of an American
field army headquarters and ils organization and role have attracted liltlc
attention. Studies on Ihe personal ities and styles of individual commanders
exist, but the command posts themselves- the ways in which they were struc
tured and operated and the functions they performed- have not been much
explored.
With A COII/II/olld Posl al War: First Army Neadqll(/I"Iers ill Europe. 1943-
1945, the Center of Military History attempts to redress this shortcoming. This
study addresses the First Army headquarters in the European theater from its
activation in October 1943 to V- E Day in May 1945. Under Generals Omar N.
Bradley and Courtney H. Hodges, the First Army headquarters oversaw the
American landings on D-Day, the breakout from the Normandy beachhe<ld, the
battle of the Hlirtgen Forest along the German frontier, the defense of the north
ern shoulder during the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine River
at Remagen prior to the rinal American drive into central Germany. In exam
ining the First Army headqmmcrs' role, this volume shows the army head
quarters of World War I [ as a complicated organization with functions rang
ing from the immediate supcrvision of taelieal operations to long-range
operational planning and the sustained support of frontline units. The COIll
mander and staff faced the problem of coordination with Allied couillcrparts
as well as with headquarters and units from other services. Inadequate infor
mation and the limitations of technology added to their challenges. The
human dimension was always important, and at times critical, in affecting the
work of the hcadquarters undcr the stresses of a difficult campaign against
an obstinatc and resourceful foe.
Although times have changcd and the modern Army focuses more on
regional eonnicts and contingencies than on global w<lrfarc, we can still
learn 111uch frolll the experience of the First Army headquartcrs. The Gulf
War reemphasized the role of an army headquarters in a thel.lIcr of opera
tions as a pertinent issue for today's military professional. By examining
'"
the experience of soldiers in past connicts we gain the deeper perspectives
and understandings necessary to meet the challenges fucing the Army today
and in the future.
Washington, D.C. JOI-IN S_ BROWN
21 June 2000 Brigadier General, USA
Chief of Military History
IV
The Author
David W. !-Iogem, Jr., is .1 historian in the Histories Division, U.S. Army
Center of Military History. A native of Michigan. he graduated from Dartmouth
College in 1980 and received his Ph.D. from Duke University in 1986. After
leaching American military history at Elon College, he joined the Center of
Military History in 1987. He is the author of Raiders or Elife fl(fallflY? The
u.s. u.s.
Changing Role of fhe Arlll)' Ral/gers Frolll Dieppe (0 Grenada and
Army Special Opera/jolls ill World H1u' II and has contributed to Theodore A.
Wilson. ed., D Da),. 1944, and Frank N. Schubert and Theresa L. Kraus, cds.,
The Whirlwi"d H~/": The Unired SIMes Army ill Opera/iolls DESERT SfIIEI.D alld
DESERT STORM. He has received grants from the Center of Military History. the
U.S. Army Military History Institute, and the U.S. Military Academy. At the
University of Maryland in College Park, he tcaches an honors course on Ameri
can attitudes toward warfare and the military, and he is currcntly preparing an
article on that subject.
v

Preface
Since the early nineteenth century, the command slrUClUrcs for controlling
armies in the field have become increasingly complex. Early military organi
zations could combine command functions in one individual as long as their
forces remained small and occupied a limited area for a short period. With the
emergence of the mass armies of the nation-state and of corps operating over
broader fronts, however, commanders had to adopt morc decentralized com
mand structures and more specialized stilfTs iflhey wished to remain effective.
As the size, complexity, mobility, and dispersion of military forces increased,
the challenges of obtaining and disseminating information and of maintaining
control increased as well. Expanded staffs, improved organization and proce
dures, and new technology- including the telegraph, telephone, radio, airplane,
and automobile- could alleviate some of these difficulties, but they also cre
ated new problems for commanders to solve.
This study examines the response of the First U.S. Army headquarters to
the challenge of command at the army level from its activation in England in
October 1943 to the collapse of Nazi Germany in May 1945. 11 focuses on the
role of Ihe First Army headquarters at what current Army doctrine calls the
"operational level of war," the level between the grand strategy of nations and
theaters and the tactical combat of corps and smaller units. More specifically,
it analyzes the operations, intelligence, logistical, and administrative functions
of an army-level headquarters, the procedures evolved to earry out those func
tions, and the impact of the personalities of the commander and staff chiefs on
the inner workings and style of the organization. Although the U.S. Army has
taken great pains over the years to ensure that final responsibility and authority
rest with the commander, deeisionmaking within military organizations has
become increasingly complex and diffuse, and the lines of influence bhlrrcd,
by the involvement of individuals other than the commander, who may not even
be the dominant character in his own headquarters. A true command study,
therefore, must go beyond doctrinal descriptions to mke into account the inter
play of personalities and style in the operation of a headquarters.
For all the vast literature on World War I I, the perspective of an army head
quarlers has received little attention. Among the American army headquarlers
of that eonniet, only General George S. Patton, Jr.'s Third U.S. Army has found
much of a place in the literature, and studies of the Third Army tend to focus
VH
more 011 the striking personality of Patton than 011 the operation of his com
mand pOSI. The subject of an army headquarters in World War 11 may seem
archaic in an age of more limited wars and smaller military forces. Yct the
issues of command at echelons above corps remain a subject of great interest
in the current Army, especially given the intermittent need for an army-level
ground component headquarters that can handle support,joint, combined, and,
occasionally, operational functions in a theater of operations- as was the case
in the Persian Gulf War. As an example of an army headquarters during World
War II, the First Army is especially well suited. Perhaps no other American
army of that war faced as many difTerent conditions and challenges on as great
a scale as the First Army.
In thc course of preparing this work, the author <lccumlilated numerous
debts of gratitude. Five individuals in p<lrticular deserve special mention. LI.
Col. Roger Cirillo, USA (Rcl.), brought to bear his cxtensive knowledgc of
World War II, his background as an instructor at thc U.S. Army Command and
Gcneral Staff Collegc, and his familiarity with thc tcrrain to go over scveral
drafts of the manuscript and makc countless invaluable suggestions on content
and sources for furthcr research. G. Patrick Murray of Valley Forge Military
College generously shared materials, including many essential interviews that
he had collected during his research for a biography ofGcneral Courtney H.
I-lodges. Ann L. Brownson, secretary of the First Army headquarters vcterans
association, helped me contact several First Army veterans whose recollec
tions and support were indispcnsable for this project. Col. William T. Bowers,
USA (ReL), the chief of the Historics Division during most of the prepamtion
of this work, and Graham A. Coslllas, my branch chief for most of the process,
made numerous helpful suggestions and showed great patience with the tra
vails cncountered while simultaneously nudging the projcet along to comple
tion.
Those unsung heroes of historical work, thc archivists, deserve special
thanks for their efforts. At thc National Archives and Records Administration,
Richard L. Boylan, Wilbert B. Mahoney, Timothy K. Nenninger, Mitchell A.
Yockclson, the late Edward J. Reese, and the capable staffs in the Still Picture
and Cartographic and Architectural Branches spared no effort to ensure that I
received the materials that I needed. Richard J. Sommers, David A. Keough,
Pamela A. Cheney, Randy W. Hackenburg, Louise Arnold-Friend, and John J.
Slonaker did the samc al the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle
Barracks, Pennsylvania. AI the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in
Abilene, Kansas, David J. Haight guided me through thc extensive collections
on World War II in Europe, while Kathleen A. Struss pcrformed yeoman work
with the photographs. Those who visit the special collections at the U.S. Mili
tary Academy Libmry will be assured of a friendly reception from Alan C.
Aimone, who, along with Judith A. Sibley, assisted me with several collections
of essential papers. At the Command and General Staff College archives at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Karla C. Norman helped me locate numerous cur
ricular materials on the school during the interwar ycars. Essential tables of
organization for an army headquarters during World War II were supplied by
Susan Canedy of Training and Doctrine Command in Fort Monroe, Virginia.
viii
M.llthew Priewe of the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University in
Clemson, South Carolina, provided copies of photographs from Senator
Thurmond's collection, tilld the George C. Marshall Library at the Virginia Mili
tary Institute in Lexington, Virginia, sent copies of photographs of Colonel
Marshall during World War I. And, at the U.S. Army Center of Military History,
Geraldine K. I-Iarcarik, Donald A. Carter, Mary L. Haynes, and 0111' indefati
gable librarian, James B. Knight, rendered vital assistance with my countless
searches and interlibrary loan requests.
Several individuals read all 01' portions of the manuscript and provided hclp
ful suggestions. JetTrey J. Clarke, the Chief Historian at the Center of Military
History, fo[lowed the project from its inception and painstakingly reviewed the
rinal product. The panclthat reviewed the manuscript, including noted World
War [I historian Martin Blumenson, G. Patrick Murray, Lt. Col. Roger Cirillo,
Graham A. Coslllas, Col. Clyde L. Jonas, and John W. Elsberg, was kind in its
praise and discerning in its criticisll1. Others at the Center who read the manu
script and otTered many helpful comments included Edgar F. Raines, Jr.; Tho
mas A. Popa; Col. Robert H. Sholly; and John B. Wilson.
The support from the "Fusaliers," the vetcrans association ofthc First Army
headquarters, has becn overwhelming. Many- including Dempscy E. Allphin;
William A. Carter, Jr.; Edward M. Dannemiller; Arthur Garson; Peter C. Hains
[II; Chester B. Hansen; William B. Kunzig; Andrew T. McNamara; Roger Ray;
J. Strom Thurmond; and Walter W. Wendt- not only consented to often lengthy
interviews but also went over the transcripts of thosc discussions and grace
fully acquiesced to follow-up inquiries. Another veteran, General William C.
Westmoreland. USA (Ret.), provided insight on a particu[arly controversial in
cident in the First Army story. Ralph G. Atkinson and Anthony J. "Bo"
Bochicchio also supplied helpful insights, and Bo, despite a serious illness,
helpcd put me in touch with readers for the manuscript. In the end, several
veterans of the First Army staff agreed to review the manuscript and add their
suggestions. These included Dempsey E. Allphin; Robert M. Blanchard;
Frederick C. Bold, Jr.; George W. Crawford; Lincoln M. Cummings; Edward
M. Dannemiller; Arthur Garson; Petcr C. Hains III; Chester B. Hansen; Fred
W. Jacks; William B. Kunzig; Elmer L. Littcll; William B. Patterson; MillerO.
I)crry; John and Roger Ray; Robert A. Riesman; Eugene R. Wood, Jr.; and W.
H. Sterling Wright. Others, such as Dempsey E. Allphin, Robert M. Blanchard,
Joseph S. Dickenson, Louis Furgiuele, Arthur H. Klobe, George H. Melvin,
Stuyvesant Wainwright [I, and Eugene R. Wood, supplied photographs for lise
in this study. Upon short not icc, Stuyvesant Wainwright invited me to his Long
Island home and allowed me to borrow his cxtensive albums of his service with
the First Army for usc in thc project. Frances F. Myers, Col. Peter C. Hains, and
Colin and William D. S. Dickson kindly supplied pcrmission for the usc of
interview transcripts and other materials.
In the Ccnter's Production Services division, John W. Elsberg shephcrded
the project to publication with the assistance of Catherine A. I-ieerin. chief of
the Editorial Branch. Diane Sedore Arms, my manuscript editor, patiently navi
gated through 111y prose and endnotes and otherwise preparcd the manuscript
ror publication. The manuscript is the bctter for her diligent etTorts. Susan Carroll
IX