Attachment 007 3.5.1_Interwar Tank Development, 1919-1940 MEDIA PIECE.docx

3.5.1_Interwar Tank Development, 1919-1940 PAllie – 23JUN20

Description:

Touchscreen, media interactive will allow visitors to explore early tank history and the history of tank development at Rock Island Arsenal in the interwar period (1919-1940). Focusing on historic images of tanks to demonstrate the breadth of tanks manufactured and developed at the Arsenal, the interactive groups tanks by type, which can be explored by scrolling through captioned images.

The interactive will be displayed on a 40” touchscreen, inset into a wall in Section 3.5.

Interactive Map:

Armor Development at Rock Island Arsenal (1919-1939) [Home Screen]

1.0 Early History of Tanks, 1915-1918 [Section Button]

1.1 Breaking the Stalemate [Sub-Button]

1.2 Early British Tank Development, 1914-1918 [Sub-Button]

1.3 Birth of the U.S. Army Tank Corps, 1917-1918 [Sub-Button]

1.4 Early American Tank Development, 1917-1918 [Sub-Button]

2.0 Rock Island Arsenal Armor, 1919-1939 [Section Button]

2.1 Mark VIII “International” Tank [Sub-Button]

2.2 M1921 Tank [Sub-Button]

2.3 M1922 Tank [Sub-Button]

2.4 Medium Tank T1 [Sub-Button]

2.5 Armored Cars, 1931-1933 [Sub-Button]

2.6 Light Tanks and Combat Cars, 1933-1938 [Sub-Button]

2.7 Medium Tanks, 1935-1939 [Sub-Button]

2.8 Other Projects [Sub-Button]

3.0 Profiles [Section Button]

Copy:

Armor Development at Rock Island Arsenal (1919-1939) [Home Screen] Rock Island Arsenal played key roles in the development of the U.S. Army Armored Forces in the Interwar Years from 1919 to 1939. The Arsenal’s work ranged from building and assembling tanks, training mechanics and uniformed ordnance personnel, designing vehicles, and refurbishing or rebuilding tanks for continued service.

The Arsenal also conducted development and recommendations on supportive aspects of tanks including storage standards, standards for petroleum and lubricants, and metallurgical standards. Other developmental work across the arsenal on tractors, artillery, machine guns, radios, navigation and optic systems were also applied to the development of tanks in the interwar period.

[Graphic] Shop M

1.0 Early History of Tanks, 1915-1918 [Section Button]

1.1 Breaking the Stalemate, 1914-1918 [Sub-Button]

[Graphic] “Over the Top,” American soldiers answering the bugle call to “charge,” ca. 1918 Library of Congress

LC-USZ62-75153

[Page 2] Early advocates of tracked movers were the British Artillery. The British purchased many American tractors from Holt Manufacturing Company of Peoria, Illinois and Stockton, California for moving artillery. Holt later became the Caterpillar Company in 1925.

[Graphic] Moving a 6-inch howitzer by hand, 1916 zps1823b466

[Graphic] Holt 75 tractor pulling a British heavy gun, ca. 1917 Caterpillar Company Archive

[Page 3] The British sector, in the Northern part of France and portions of Belgium covered the most difficult areas for infantry to attack across due to low lying areas and poor drainage. The French sector to the South was more elevated and better drained.

The British solution to crossing their area were tanks of large size, with trench crossing capabilities. The French settled on much lighter tanks that could more easily get through breaks in the trench lines.

[Graphic] British Tank at the Battle of Passchendaele, 1917 Canada Department of National Defense A002195

[Graphic] FT17 French Tank

1.2 Early British Tank Development, 1914-1918 [Sub-Button]

[Page 1] As early as July 1914, British Lieutenant Colonel E.D. Swinton witnessed an American caterpillar-type tractor towing an artillery piece. This inspired Swinton to propose a tracked combat vehicle or “tank.”

With the support of then-First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, Swinton would go on to work with the Landship Committee and Holt Company, later the Caterpillar Tractor Company, on the development of the tank.

By October 1916, A British Mark V Tank appeared in a parade in Peoria, Illinois before a crowd of 10,000.

[Graphic] Mark V Tank Delivered Peoria, Illinois Caterpillar Company Archives 5386 385

[Page 2] In March 1918, Major General E.D. Swinton visited Rock Island and spoke at Augustana College:

“…it will specially interest the American reader to learn that it was on this occasion inspired by an invention from the country which new ideas are supposed always to be welcome. In July 1914, it became known that there was in existence an automobile for agricultural purposes, propelled on the caterpillar principle, which was possessed of quite unusual powers of crossing rough and traversed obstacles .This was the Holt tractor, made" in Peoria, Ill, U. S. A. The accounts of the performances of this machine, constructed for hauling and not specialty for climbing, suggested that one similarly designed especially to travel across country would, except in speed, have all the value of the existing armored motor cars without the limitations.”

[Graphic] Image of MG E.D. Swinton

[Page 3] The British first deployed tanks during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, expanding their use through 1917. During the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 more than 400 tanks were used in a mass attack with much success.

[Graphic] Tanks at Cambrai

1.3 Birth of the U.S. Army Tank Corps, 1917-1918 [Sub-Button]

[Page 1] When America entered the war on April 6, 1917 it studied the tactics developed by the British and French, including the use of tanks. Then a young officer, George S. Patton would intensively study the use of tanks for the Army Expeditionary Force (AEF) and write the Original Tank Report. The Basis of the U.S. Tank Corps. The report would serve as the foundation of the U.S. Army Tank Corps which was established in December 1917 and outfitted with British and French tanks.

[Graphic] Treat Em’ Rough, Join the Tanks Library of Congress LC-DIG-ds-07446

[Page 2] By the end of the war, the Army had established two Tank Corps Training Camps, Camp Colt at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Camp Polk in Raleigh, North Carolina. Soldiers were trained on Mark V heavy tanks by the British and FT17 Renault light tanks by the French.

[Graphic] Tank Corps Training Camp

[Page 3] The U.S. Army Tank Corps saw action during the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives of 1918. They were equipped with a combination of British and French tanks including the FT17 Renault. A major allied offensive was being planned for 1919 and plans to field an American tank were underway when the Armistice ending the war was signed on November 11, 1918.

[Graphic] American troops going forward to the battle line in the Forest of Argonne. France, September 26, 1918.

National Archives 530748

1.4 Early American Tank Development [Sub-Button]

[Page 1] Soon after the arrival of American Forces in France, and the founding of the U.S. Army Tank Corps, the United States and Britain agreed to produce a tank together, the “International Tank”. The British produced armor plate, the body, and the tracks. The United States provided the power train and other parts of the tank. This tank would become known as the Mark VIII Heavy Tank. It was planned to be fielded in 1919, but the war ended before any were produced. Rock Island Arsenal produced the Mark VIII through 1920.

[Page 2] Several U.S. companies responded to the wartime need for tanks including Ford who developed the M1918 Ford 3-ton tank. Ford was contracted for 15,000 tank and tractors to pull artillery, and by the end of the war had only delivered 15.

[Graphic] Ford 3-ton Light Tank National Archives 45508444

[Page 3] The M1917 was adapted from the French FT17 Renault to use American standards and modifications. The U.S. ordered, 4,400 for the war, but the first tanks were not produced until October 1918, and only ten made it overseas and none saw action.

The M1917 was produced by three American contactors, the Van Dorn Company of Cleveland, the C.L. Best Tractor Company of Stockton, California, and the Maxwell Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan. The M1917 remained in the Army inventory until the 1940s as a trainer and target.

[Graphic] M1917 Light Tank

2.0 Rock Island Arsenal Armor, 1919-1939 [Section Button]

Between 1919 and 1939, Rock Island Arsenal was a major hub of tank development. Starting with the Mark VIII “International Tank” through the M2 Tank, Rock Island Arsenal developed and refined many of the tanks the United States would put into combat in the early years of World War II.

[Graphic] Shop M

2.1 Mark VIII “International Tank” [Sub-Button]

Designed by American and British staff in 1917 and 1918 using combined American and British technology and parts, the Mark VIII heavy tank was scheduled to be ready for a major Allied offensive in 1919. The Armistice on November 11, 1918 eliminated the need for the tank and only 100 of the tanks would be produced.

Based on the British Mark V tank, the Mark VIII heavy tank was more than 34 feet long and 11 feet wide, and weighed nearly 40 tons. It was armed with two 6 pounder Hotchkiss and either seven Hotchkiss machine guns or five M1917 Browning Machine Guns. It was powered by a V-12 Liberty Engine and had a maximum speed of just over 5 miles per hour.

Rock Island Arsenal assembled and finished the 100 Mark VIII heavy tanks from 1919 to 1920.

[Graphic] Mark VIII tanks being shipped from Rock Island Arsenal to Ft. Meade, 1920

[Page 1] [Graphic] Cross section of Mark VII tank, July 17, 1920

[Page 2] [Graphic] Mark VIII tank No. 6 assembly at Rock Island Arsenal, December 5, 1919

[Page 3] [Graphic] Mark VIII tank interior showing driver's seat, and front ammunition storage, April 13, 1920

[Page 4] [Graphic] V-12 Liberty Engine that powered the Mark VIII tank

[Page 4] After completing the run of Mark VIII tanks in 1920, the Arsenal began developing handbooks and maintenance manuals. Then-Colonel Patton led the drafting of the final Preliminary Handbook for the Mark VIII tank a process that included several visit to Rock Island Arsenal.

[Graphic] Title page of the Mark VIII Handbook, 1925

[Page 5] Training in the interwar period was conducted across the country including at Ft. Meade, Maryland. Locally, a tank test track in Peoria, Illinois was provided by Caterpillar for use by the U.S. Army.

[Graphic] 6th Tank Company at Peoria Tank Training Center Illinois circa 1932

[Graphic] Mark VIII Tank demonstration at Camp Meade, 1922

2.2 M1921 Medium Tank [Sub-Button]

Designed and built at Rock Island Arsenal, the M1921 medium tank was developed to be a U.S.-produced tank with no reliance on foreign technology. The tank weighed 22 tons and had a max speed of 9 miles per hour, but suffered from underpowered and unreliable engines during its testing at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. The M1921 was armed with a 57 mm gun and two machine guns, and had armor up to one inch thick. The tank was abandoned in 1926.

[Graphic] M1921 medium tank driving under Rock Island Arsenal viaduct, November 14, 1922

[Page 1] [Graphic] M1921 medium tank under construction at Rock Island Arsenal, June 1921 1955801

[Page 2] [Graphic] M1921 medium tank in climbing test, October 1925

[Page 3] [Graphic] M1921 medium tank engine room, June 24, 1921

2.3 M1922 Medium Tank [Sub-Button]

M1922 medium tank was a variant of the M1921 medium tank with an experimental suspension system. Despite the improve suspension, the tank was plagued by the same power and reliability issues as the M1921 medium tank. The tank was used to develop improvements in tank radio communication and tank navigation. Both the M1921 and M1922 tanks were the direct predecessor to the T1 Medium Tank also developed at Rock Island Arsenal.

[Graphic] M1922 medium tank at Rock Island Arsenal

[Page 1] [Graphic] M1922 medium tank at Aberdeen Proving Grounds

[Page 2] [Graphic] M1922 medium tank climbing out of trench 28 OCT 1925

[Page 3] [Graphic]

2.4 Medium Tank T1 [Sub-Button]

In 1926, the development of two tanks, a light tank and a medium tank was approved. The medium tank would become the Medium Tank T1, based primarily on the M1921 and M1922 medium tanks. Key features of the Medium Tank T1 was an improved suspension system, and side armor plating to protect the sides of the tracks. Like its predecessors it was initially armed with a 57 mm gun.

Rock Island Arsenal completed the T1 in 1927 and it was sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland for testing. It performed well and was recommended for standardization and production by the Ordnance Committee in January 1928 as the Medium Tank M1. This recommendation was withdrawn shortly after, and the tank was used as an experimental platform fitted with various weapons systems and engines.

[Graphic] Medium Tank T1 at Rock Island Arsenal, June 8, 1927 608-37778

[Page 1] [Graphic] Medium Tank T1 at Rock Island Arsenal, June 8, 1927 608-37782

[Page 2] [Graphic] Medium Tank T1 at Rock Island Arsenal, June 8, 1927 608-37783

[Page 3] [Graphic] Medium Tank T1 engine compartment, June 8, 1927 608-37788

2.5 Armored Cars, 1931-1933

[Page 1] M1 Armored Car / T4 Armored Car, 1931-1932 Between 1931 and 1932, Rock Island Arsenal produced 18 six-wheeled armored cars. Developed as the Model T4 Armored Car, it would be standardized as the M1 Armored Car. The M1 Armored Car was operated by a crew of four, armed with a M2 machine gun, and powered by an 8-cylinder engine with a top speed of 55 miles per hour

[Graphic] T4 Armored Car at Rock Island Arsenal, 1931

[Page 2] M2 Armored Car Four-wheeled armored car built at Rock Island Arsenal between 1931 and 1932.

[Page 3] T5 Convertible Armored Car, 1931-1932 Built at Rock Island Arsenal between 1931 and 1932, the T5 Convertible Armored Car was designed to operate with full tracks, half-tracks, or fully wheeled.

[Graphic] T5 Convertible Armored Car at Rock Island Arsenal, June 3, 1931

[Page 4] T1E1 Half-Track Cars, 1933 In 1933 Rock Island Arsenal began production of the T1E1 half-track car.

[Graphic] T1E1 half-track car, 1933 1955763

2.6 Light Tanks and Combat Cars, 1933-1938

Rock Island Arsenal was among the primary developers of what were known as light tanks and combat cars in the interwar period.

The Tank Corps, formed during World War II, was dissolved by the National Defense Act of 1920, that declared, “all tank units shall form a part of the Infantry.” Other branches, including the Cavalry, were not allowed to have tanks despite the quickly evolving technology. To work around this, the Cavalry branch developed tanks under the name “combat car.”

Rock Island Arsenal was called upon to develop light tanks for both the Infantry and Cavalry branches through the interwar period and experimented with differnt configurations and technologies.

[Page 1] T2E1 Light Tank, 1933-1934

[Graphic] T2E1 Light Tank, December 13, 1934

[Page 2] T4 Combat Car, 1933-1935 The T4 Combat car was produced in at least three variants by Rock Island Arsenal between 1933 and 1935. They were designed to be convertible, able to run on tracks or wheels.

[Graphic] T4 Combat Car, July 11, 1934 705-39867

[Page 3] T5 Combat Car, 1934

[Graphic] T5 Combat Car, March 24, 1934 726-39718

[Page 4] M2A1 Light Infantry Tank

[Graphic] M2A1 Light Infantry Tank

[Page 5] M2E2 Light Infantry Tank, 1934

[Graphic] M2E2 Light Infantry Tank, 1934

[Page 6] T5E2 Cavalry Combat Car Rock Island Arsenal produced fort T5E2 Cavalry Combat Cars

[Page 7] T3 Light Tank

[Graphic] T3 Light Tank

[Page 8] M2A2 Light Tank

[Graphic] M2A2 light tank, November 22, 1937

[Page 9] T5E2 Experimental Combat Car, 1935

[Graphic] T5E2 Experimental Combat Car

[Page 10] M1 Combat Car

[Graphic] M1 combat car demonstration at Rock Island Arsenal, 1936

[Page 11] M2A2E2 Light Tank

[Graphic] M2A2E2 Light Tank

[Page 12] M1A1 Combat Car

[Graphic] M1A1 combat car, June 28, 1938 810-42463

[Page 13] M2A3 Light Tank

[Graphic] M2A3 light tanks ready to ship in Shop M, November 30, 1936 nr30407 30410

[Page 14] M2 Combat Car

[Graphic] M2 Combat Car

[Page 15] M2A3 Light Tank

[Graphic] M2A3 Light Tank, September 1938

[Page 16] M2A2 Light Tank, 1937

[Graphic] M2A2 light tanks and M1 combat cars, Shop M, Rock Island Arsenal, December 17, 1936

[Page 17] M2A4 Light Tank

[Graphic] M2A4 Light Tank

2.7 Medium Tanks, 1935-1939

[Page 1] T4E1 Medium Tank

[Graphic] T4E1 Medium Tank

[Page 2] T5 Medium Tank

[Graphic] T5 Medium Tank, Phase 1, November 16, 1937 805-41904

[Page 3] T4 Medium Tank

[Graphic] T4 medium tank, June 19, 1936 735-41037

[Page 4] M2 Medium Tank

[Graphic] M2 Tank Production in Shop M, Rock Island Arsenal, ca. 1940

[Page 5] M2A1 Medium Tank

[Graphic] M2A1 medium tank, September 3, 1940

[Page 6] Medium Tank, 37 mm 1940

Medium Tank, 37 mm

2.8 Other Projects [Sub-button]

[Page 1] Experimental Squad Car, 1935

[Graphic] Experimental Squad Car, 1935

[Page 2] T3E Experimental 3-1/2 ton Tractor

[Graphic] T3E Experimental 3-1/2 ton Tractor

[Page 3] T5 Experimental Light Tractor

[Graphic] T5 Experimental Light Tractor

3.0 Profiles [Section Button]

3.1 MG E.D. Swinton [Sub-Button]

Major General Swinton was a British officer who played an instrumental role in the adoption and development of tanks during World War I and after. He created the first British tank units and developed tactics for armored warfare.

Swinton made several trips to the United States to meet with companies that produce tracked vehicles used for moving artillery, but also served as the basis of the tracked tank. These companies included the Holt Company from Stockton, California that would later become the Caterpillar Company based in Peoria, Illinois.

After World War I, Swinton would serve as the Commandant of the Royal Tank Corps from 1934 to 1938 and as a professor at Oxford University.

[Graphic] MG Swinton at Holt Company, Stockton, California, April 22, 1918 Caterpillar Company Archives

3.2 LTC George S. Patton [Sub-Button]

Best known for his World War II service, General George S. Patton, Jr. was instrumental in the adoption of tanks in the U.S. Army. His first combat was during the 1916 Punitive Expedition, known best as the first use of motor vehicles in a major military action. During World War I, he served in the newly formed U.S. Tank Corps where he commanded the American Expeditionary Forces Light Tank School in France, and command tank brigades during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Patton was a prominent figure in the adoption and integration of tanks into U.S. Army doctrine. He spent the interwar period developing manuals for new tanks, including the Mark VIII heavy tank made at Rock Island Arsenal. Despite budgetary constraints, Patton pushed for more tank development and the establishment of a tank branch, separate from the Infantry and Cavalry. The Armor Branch was established on July 10, 1940.

Brevet Colonel George S. Patton at Camp Meade, Maryland, ca. 1919