Organization and Markings of United States Armored Units 1918-1941

Organization and Markings of United States Armored Units 1918-1941 by Charles Lemons, Schiffer Military History, Atglen, PA, September 2004, 224 pp., $59.95 (hardcover)

This work addresses the tactical organization and marking schemes used by American tank and mechanized units throughout the interwar period. In this era, unit organizations underwent numerous and sometimes confusing changes. Lemons clearly charts these developments and traces the parallel shifts in vehicle marking. The unique nature of this subject makes his work a valuable complement to the existing body of literature regarding America's interwar armored developments, which tends toward analysis of the tank's role in the context of doctrine, technology, and force structure. Moreover, Lemons provides a comprehensive approach to his subject through parallel coverage of Regular Army, National Guard, Marine Corps, and mechanized cavalry units.

The book's straightforward, chronological organization enhances its reference value, and it offsets the absence of an index. Principal developments are presented in sixteen chapters. Each begins with an overview of key organizational trends, followed by a detailed depiction of related marking schemes, camouflage patterns, and their roots in Army or Marine Corps policies. All chapters are heavily illustrated with color diagrams and photographs. The first chapter addresses the Tank Corps and Tank Service from their establishment in World War I through passage of the National Defense Act of 1920. Chapters two through five focus on the infantry tank force in the 1920s and early 1930s, including Regular Army and National Guard tank regiments, battalions, and companies. Chapter six discusses the early mechanized cavalry experience, and chapters seven through eleven address infantry tank and mechanized cavalry units through the 1930s to the creation of the Armored Force in 1940. Chapters twelve through fifteen focus on the first four armored divisions in the period 1940 to 1941. The final chapter addresses Marine Corps tank units throughout the interwar period.

The author currently serves as the curator of the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor, Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he has worked since 1986. Through years of studying armor-related artifacts, Lemons accumulated a detailed knowledge of his subject, which is manifested in the meticulous attention to detail throughout this work. His familiarity with the Patton Museum's extensive collection of technical materials related to tanks provides the basis for much of the text.

This book constitutes an excellent reference for American armor and mechanized units. It chronicles organizational and armored vehicle marking changes, linking them with the broader evolution of American tank use during the interwar era. This work benefits from clarity and readability. The large number of photographs included also offers a pictorial history of American armor, clearly showing the evolutionary stages in tank design. These photos depict nearly every tank model used by the American military, often in field conditions, and provide clear depictions of the unit markings and camouflage patterns described in the text. Many of these images are part of the Patton Museum's photograph collection, which this book showcases. Color organizational diagrams, which are accurate, attractive, and easy to understand, complement the photos.

Organization and Markings of United States Armored Units 1918-1941 is not a stand-alone history of American armored development. No attempt was made to chronicle the key discussions and tactical experimentation that shaped the Army's use of the tank. However, Lemons has captured vividly an important and often overlooked dimension of the early development of American armor. His book will complement any study of period doctrine and tactics, which were influenced by the unit organizations adopted.

DR. ROBERT S. CAMERON

Armor Branch Historian

U.S. Army Armor Center

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Army Armor Center
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group