The Tank Corps, National Army, was the stateside

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful ...

unit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

during and after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Preceded by the Tank Service of the National Army of 15 February 1918 in the 65th Engineers at

Camp Meade Camp George G. Meade near Middletown, Pennsylvania, was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish–American War. History Camp Meade was established August 24, 1898, and soon thereafter was occupi ...

, the service was removed from the Engineer Corps and organized as the Tank Corps, National Army, with command transferring from Col H. H. Ferguson to Col

Ira Clinton Welborn Ira Clinton Welborn (February 13, 1874 – July 13, 1956) was a United States Army colonel who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor in action on July 2, 1898, at Santiago, Cuba. Early life and Spanish–American War Ira C. Welbo ...

on 9 March.

Training facilities

On 6 March 1918, a

Camp Colt, Pennsylvania Camp Colt was a military installation near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania used for Tank Corps recruit training prior to deployment in World War I. The camp used the Gettysburg Battlefield site of the previous Great Reunion of 1913 and the preceding 19 ...

, for training tank recruits, was established on the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first sho ...

at the former " Camp, United States Troops,

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to ...

." On 15 July 1918, Col William H Clopton Jr, arrived in the US and subsequently formed the 2nd stateside tank training center at

Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania Tobyhanna is an unincorporated community in Coolbaugh Township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Despite its name, it is not located in Tobyhanna Township. History "Tobyhanna" is derived from an American Indian word meaning "a stream whose banks ...

. Approximately 2000 Camp Colt men transferred to Tobyhanna, e.g., the 302nd & 326th Battalions), and Tobyhanna had 2 tanks and ~2200 men. Another tank training center was opened at Camp Polk in September 1918 (a heavy battalion from Camp Colt transferred to "form the nucleus"). At Camp Colt in October the 310th Tank Center was established as were the 338th, 339th, & 346th Tank Battalions (John Montgomery Mahon was the commander of Camp Colt's 310 Brigade Headquarters.) On 11 November 1918, the Tank Corps had 483 officers and 7700 enlisted men, and the consolidation of tank training had begun at

Camp Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

when Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived from Camp Colt on 24 December 1918 (he remained until 15 March 1919, and about 250 Camp Colt soldiers were transferred to Camp Benning after the armistice.) On 26 December 1918, a portion of the Camp Polk tank school was transferred to

"to work in conjunction with the Infantry school". Camp Benning tank troops were moved to Camp Meade from 19 to 21 February 1919; and Clopton was ordered to

on 24 February 1919). The "Office of Director of the Tank Corps" was absorbed by the command of Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach on 15 August 1919 after Rockenbach returned from Europe on 19 July 1919 (he had arrived in Europe in June 1917).

Post-war disbandment

In 1919, General John J. Pershing, "appearing before a joint session of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

Committee on Military Affairs, suggested that the A.E.F. Tank Corps become an adjunct to the Infantry." The

National Defense Act of 1920 The National Defense Act of 1920 (or Kahn Act) was sponsored by United States Representative Julius Kahn, Republican of California. This legislation updated the National Defense Act of 1916 to reorganize the United States Army and decentral ...

disbanded the National Army and the remaining two heavy and four light tank battalions became part of the infantry.

References

{{Authority control Tank units and formations of the United States Army Training units and formations of the United States Army Army units and formations of the United States in World War I