Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 11, Ed. 1, July 2010 Page: 19 of 24
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July 2010
HELLCAT NEWS
Page 19
th
ARMORED
DIVISION
HELLCAT £12
HISTORY
Edward Waszak, Historian
4222 Drake Drive, Crystal Lake, IL 60012-2018
Phone 815-455-2446 E-mail: EDZAK44@aol.com
John Nugent and the Tennessee Maneuvers
Before we get into the continuation of John Nugent's
story of the second month of the 56th Armored Infantry
Regiment's activities in the Tennessee Maneuvers, we have
a little information on the maneuvers in general.
In the autumn of 1942, the War Department decided to
resume the field maneuvers in Middle Tennessee. Large scale
war games had been held in an area around Camp Forrest,
near Tullahoma, TN, the previous summer. General George
Patton had developed the armored tactics in those games
that he would use in all armored units and in Europe against
the German enemy. Oddly enough, between the wars Erwin
Rommel visited Nashville and central Tennessee to study
and follow the cavalry campaigns of Confederate General
Nathan Bedford Forrest to help him develop a pattern for the
use of tank units as cavalry in the German Army.
The U.S. Army, on reviewing the topography of the
Cumberland River Valley and the hilly country to the north
and to the south, perceived that it was similar to the Rhine
River Basin and western Europe. They decided that this
was the time and place to resume the Maneuvers. Between
September 1942 and March 1944, nearly one million
soldiers passed through the Tennessee Maneuvers in Middle
Tennessee, as part of the "Blue Army" or the "Red Army" as
the last preparation before the units went into actual combat.
Over the hills and valleys of 21 counties, the two Armies
engaged in weekly strategic problems.
Between September1942 and March 1944,
nearly one million soldiers passed through
the Tennessee Maneuvers in Middle Tennes-
see, as part of the "Blue Army" or the "Red
Army" as the last preparation before the
units went into actual combat
Maneuvers paused at noon on Friday, when a light
plane would fly over the mock battle lines sounding a loud
siren. Then thousands of soldiers could do the chores, write
letters, and seek entertainment in Nashville or other of the
larger towns. The large mass of soldiers would overtax the
USO, the Red Cross, movie theaters, cafes, and Army PXs.
Churches opened their doors and set up lounges and snack
counters, schools opened up their gymnasiums for week-
end dancing, and many civilians pitched-in to welcome the
soldiers. Sunday night, it was back to the bivouac area.
And now back to John Nugent's dissertation on the last
half of the Tennessee Maneuvers:
October 5, early Monday morning, very cold. Rolled along
for about 25 miles, dismounted and moved forward on foot.
Mounted up and moved out again. Roared up and down the
hills, 40 miles an hour. Cumberland River, the first objective,
way down below. Took off again, then stopped 5 miles from
the River.
Started out for the River, 2200 hours Tuesday night.
Left the halftracks behind. Had C rations and our raincoats
in our musette bag. Marched quite a distance to the river.
Divided up into boats, 12 men to a boat. Tried to be quiet,
but equipment was noisy. When the boats reached the other
shore, the Reds were waiting. Sgt. Sohl, Elder and Nugent
jumped to the shore and took off through the woods. The
others in the boat were captured. Sgt. Sohl, et al, got back
with the rest of H Company about daylight when the next
attack started. The 1st Platoon went around one side of the
hill, the 2nd around the other. We thought the Reds were
surrounded, but the umpires let them withdraw.
Very cold at night, but hot during the day.
Children in the area have been selling us
cake, pop, and chocolate milk. (The troops
are not supposed to buy things from the
locals).
Fought in the hot sun most of the day. The umpires made
H Company retreat. Five men from the 2nd Platoon, on a hill,
waiting to attack. Suddenly surrounded by Red paratroopers,
then taken to their CP. They had chased H Company back
to the River. About 2000 hours D Company, 2nd Battalion
56th, took the territory we were in and we returned to H
Company. Stood guard all that night. Resumed the attack the
next day. For two days - only 3 cans of "C" rations to eat,
no rest or sleep.
Saw a movie the last rest period. Nugent and Rice off
to Nashville and took in another movie. Cleaned weapons,
equipment, the halftrack, and washed clothes.
On October 12, Lubin, Sutkaitus, and Nugent on outpost
manning the 37mm anti-tank gun, guarding the road
leading to the 12th's gasoline and oil dump. 2nd Platoon of
H Company guarding the dump for 2 days while the 94th
Infantry Division tries to punch a hole in the Red Army lines.
The 56th is then supposed to drive through and knock out the
rear installations.
Very cold at night, but hot during the day. Children in the
area have been selling us cake, pop, and chocolate milk. (The
troops are not supposed to buy things from the locals). The
2nd Platoon has a new 2nd Lt., right out of OCS. Sunday
night the Colonel told the Battalion that ten days from now,
all our halftracks and other vehicles would be loaded on
fiatcars, we climb aboard the trains and the Division would
move to Camp Barkeley, Texas, near Abilene. He said it
would take ten days to move and twenty days to reorganize
after we got there. We are supposed to be reorganized by
December 1st.
This week spent pulling guard duty day and night. Moved
out Monday morning from Gallatin to Nashville, then down
to Murfreesboro and then a ways east of there. Wednesday
morning the Company traveled northeast through Tennessee
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 11, Ed. 1, July 2010, newspaper, July 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410312/m1/19/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.