David Ford - Fort Hood in World War II

IMAGES
of America

FORT HOOD IN
WORLD WAR II

This 1942 diagram shows the street design for the original cantonment of Camp Hood. This cantonment would soon be called the South Camp, after the construction of the north cantonment eight months later. (From the authors collection.)

ON THE COVER: A tank destroyer crew takes part in mobilization training at Camp Hoods dry railroad. Part of the emphasis of tank destroyer training is mobility in the field. This training included the tricky loading and unloading of heavy equipment from railcars that were barely wider than the vehicles. An M10 gun motor carriage is shown here. (From the authors collection.)

IMAGES
of America

FORT HOOD IN
WORLD WAR II

David Ford

Copyright 2015 by David Ford
ISBN 978-1-4671-3471-2
Ebook ISBN 9781439653777

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015950706

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To all the soldiers and civilians who worked and trained at Camp Hood.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The idea for this book was born with the discovery of Charles M. Thirlkelds personal photo album. Thirlkeld was a steady force at Camp Hood during World War II as the post commander. He saw several commanding generals come and go as he kept the camp running smoothly. Without his collection, this book would not have been possible.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the people at Tank Destroyer.net for all the hard work, dedication, and effort they put into scanning the many Camp Hood newspapers that provided me with all kinds of great details I would have never found otherwise. Thanks also to Rob Haldeman and Lori Trill.

All photographs in this book are from my personal collection unless otherwise noted.

INTRODUCTION

Army recruits quickly learn in basic training that a camp is a semipermanent base meant to be disbanded when it is no longer needed, and that a fort is an Army base with a permanent status. Fort Hood officially began as Camp Hood on September 18, 1942. Camp Hood was one of many Army camps that sprang up across the United States at an incredible rate as the military expanded fortyfold to prepare for World War II. Camp Hood was born out of a need to create tank destroyers, an answer to the German Panzer divisions that were so effective in the blitzkrieg across Europe.

Prior to the official opening of Camp Hood in September 1942, soldiers began arriving in the Killeen, Texas, area in early spring of that year. There was no real post or base to house the soldiers, so they bivouacked in tents and in any available space as the camp was built around them. The camp was symbolically opened in September with the raising of the giant garrison flag, measuring 20 feet by 38 feet. The flag was raised over a neat grid of gravel and dirt roads that connected a vast complex of quickly constructed, whitewashed, wood-frame buildings. Even after the official opening, many soldiers continued to live in tents and hotel rooms as the last of the barracks were being constructed. The camp opened with much fanfare, and Secretary of War Robert Patterson delivered the opening address. Patterson presented the official black-and-orange tank destroyer emblem, depicting a panther crunching a tank in its jaws. He also introduced the official tank destroyer motto, Seek, Strike, and Destroy. This motto emphasized the notion that speed and mobility were key in tank warfare. During battle, tank destroyers would remain behind the lines in reserve. When a Panzer attack became evident, they would rush to the scene at high speed and destroy the Panzers in a fast-moving battle.

The Department of War named the camp after Gen. John Bell Hood. Hoods name was short, easily remembered, and had a strong local connection, as General Hood was the commander of the famed Civil War Texas Brigade. His son John B. Hood Jr. was present during the opening ceremonies. With the newly conceived Tank Destroyer Tactical and Firing Center beginning operations, the antitank doctrine and training quickly evolved. Antitank doctrine for the US Army was a concept that was as fresh and new as the white paint on the Camp Hood buildings.

The German armys blitzkrieg across France in the spring of 1940 stunned the worlds military planners. Germanys infantry and armored divisions easily pushed through the French army and the British Expeditionary Force. As the Allied forces were regrouping in England in June 1940, US Army leadership sensed the growing possibility of facing the German army and its elite armored tank divisions. The Army hosted an antitank conference on April 15, 1941, to address the issue of the German armor threat. The conference failed to establish a consensus, due to the continued division of branch authority over antitank matters. Army chief of staff Gen. George C. Marshall took matters into his own hands and assigned Lt. Col. Andrew D. Bruce to be in charge of a small group to address the matter. Bruce would quickly become the Armys voice on all things antitank. It became evident that America was not ready for the German tanks, as very few artillerymen charged with antitank defense had ever seen a real tank in action. After many tests and deliberations, on November 27, 1941, a War Department letter ordered the activation of 53 tank destroyer battalions under the direct control of general headquarters. To help consolidate the antitank effort, the War Department issued a directive on December 3, 1941, to all commanding generals of all armies and groups concerning the inactivation of all antitank platoons, batteries, and troops in cavalry, infantry, and artillery units. The eight infantry antitank battalions were designated tank destroyer battalions. With this decree, the tank destroyer was born. The same letter also specified the creation of a Tank Destroyer Tactical and Firing Center. The creation of a new quasi-branch of the Army greatly expedited the development of antitank doctrine. The search was on for a fitting location for the tank destroyer home. There was to be little respite for the newly formed tank destroyers, as they would receive their baptism by fire in North Africa against Gen. Erwin Rommels combat-hardened and experienced Afrika Korps in a few short months.

The soldiers assigned to the antitank mission were going to need to learn how to maneuver tank destroyers over difficult terrain in all types of hazardous conditions. Large training grounds were needed to allow the armored vehicles to roam and be able to fire at targets hundreds of yards away. Texas provided the ideal locale, with its wide-open spaces and gently rolling hills. On December 20, 1941, a contingent led by Lieutenant Colonel Bruce toured the Killeen, Texas, area. By January 10, 1942, barely one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Killeen was announced by Bruce as the location of the new tank destroyer training center. There was no time for hesitation; the new tank destroyer advance echelon moved quickly to establish the camp. On April 2, 1942, the 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion arrived at Killeen from Fort Meade to begin training. By September 18, 1942, Camp Hood was officially opened. Local community members of Bell, Coryell, and Lampasas Counties met with military officers to discuss the impact on the area. The county officials helped in determining housing issues, rents, and the all-important acquisition of land. In only eight months, 108,000 acres were purchased and one of the most innovativeand, at times, controversialcombat training centers in the Army had been created. This acquisition of land was not without difficulties. To obtain the land, approximately 300 family homesteads and ranches were uprooted and moved. Some families gave up land that had been in the family for many generations. Many communities, such as Clear Creek, Elijah, Sugarloaf, and Antelope, vanished as the camp was created. Killeen swelled as the influx of workers quickly overwhelmed the small town. Extra bedrooms, porches, attics, chicken coops, and any other spaces that could provide a semblance of privacy were rented out. As the local cotton gins disappeared, a new industry sprang up around Killeen, Gatesville, and Copperas Cove: the Army.