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Bracketing the Enemy: Forward Observers and Combined Arms Effectiveness during the Second World War

Walker, John R.

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2009, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History.

The hallmark of the twentieth-century battlefield was the increasingly effective practice of “combined arms” warfare-the combining of various “combat arms” (infantry, cavalry, armor, artillery) to accomplish the mission. In the vanguard of this development was the use of artillery to support the mission of infantry on the battlefield. Although artillery bombardment was responsible for most deaths on the battlefield, armies rarely paired infantry and artillery in the assault. Between the two world wars the U.S. Army concluded that field artillery had an important role to play in its evolving combined arms doctrine. The new doctrine emphasized mobile, mechanized warfare and the crucial importance of artillery firepower in support of infantry. The most satisfactory arrangement for providing close artillery support was to locate artillery observers in the air over the battlefield and on the ground to accompany maneuvering infantry.

The pairing of American infantry and artillery reached fruition in the European and Pacific Theaters of the Second World War. What is missing from the historical literature on combined arms, however, is the study of how that togetherness evolved. This dissertation will argue that the establishment of forward observer teams at the battle’s front line that provided the vital link between infantrymen and the artillery batteries supporting them. To assess these developments in the union of combined arms theory and practice, this dissertation will be organized in three parts. The first will trace the inception of indirect fire and the evolution of field artillery tactical doctrine through 1941. The second section, which will be the heart of the study, will follow the experiences of forward observer personnel from tow U.S. Army Divisions in the Second World War. The 87th Infantry Division in Europe and the 37th Infantry Division [Ohio National Guard] in the Pacific will be examined as case studies. By studying one division from both theaters of the war, a more balanced evaluation of the forward observer’s contribution to achieving combined arms effectiveness can be made. The last section will consist of a brief discussion of forward observation has changed since World War II and a “Conclusion” assessing the findings of this research project in its entirety.

National Archives records will provide the core of the primary materials used for this study. To reconstruct forward observer experiences within the 87th and 37th Divisions, select military records will be used, most importantly those of the divisional field artillery battalions that include: Intelligence Reports, Journal and File Reports, S-3 (Operations Sections) Reports, (monthly) Unit Reports. Also a series of Division Artillery Records for each of the two units provides additional important information. In addition, this study will utilize Record Group 177: Records of the Chief of Arms, and the divisional records of the Secretary of War, Special Reports File, 1940-1945 which holds material about the evolution of mobilization policies and their effect on Field Artillery. Other key repositories include the Morris Swett Technical Library at Fort Sill, OK, the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, PA, the Combined Arms Research Library at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the University of Florida World War II veterans’ oral history collection.

Clarence Wunderlin, PhD (Advisor)
Kevin Adams, PhD (Other)
Leonne Hudson, PhD (Other)
Lesley Gordon, PhD (Other)
John Gargan, PhD (Other)
362 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Walker, J. R. (2009). Bracketing the Enemy: Forward Observers and Combined Arms Effectiveness during the Second World War [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1248041184

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Walker, John. Bracketing the Enemy: Forward Observers and Combined Arms Effectiveness during the Second World War. 2009. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1248041184.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Walker, John. "Bracketing the Enemy: Forward Observers and Combined Arms Effectiveness during the Second World War." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1248041184

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)