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 battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

unit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during and after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Preceded by the Tank Service of the National Army of 15 February 1918 in the 65th Engineers at Camp Meade, 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 on 9 March.

Training facilities

On 6 March 1918, a Camp Colt, Pennsylvania, 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 in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot & at Knoxlyn Ridge ...

at the former " Camp, United States Troops, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania." 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. 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 when

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

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 Camp Benning "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 Camp Meade 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 c ...

Committee on Military Affairs, suggested that the A.E.F. Tank Corps become an adjunct to the Infantry." The National Defense Act of 1920 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