Школа бронетанковых войск (англ. Armored Force School)
Школа была основана 1 октября 1940 г. Организатором и первым командующим был Стивен Генри (на тот момент — подполковник Армии США) под патронажем бригадного генерала Адны Чаффи (Adna R. Chaffee). Располагалась на базе Форт-Нокс (штат Кентукки). Первый набор рекрутов начал обучение в школе 4 ноября 1940 г. Подготовка велась на семи специализированных отделениях: Танковая техника, Колесная техника, Мотоциклы, Связь, Тактика, Артиллерийское вооружение и Полевая инженерия. За первые четыре года своего существования школа подготовила 80 тыс. военнослужащих. |
The Armored Force School and the Armored Force Replacement Center were officially established at Fort Knox on December 1, 1940. The school trained armored force soldiers in military fundamentals and in specific areas such as tank gunnery, armor tactics, communications and maintenance. As the armored force grew and the U.S. entered World War II, the school expanded proportionately. From an initial cadre of 155 officers and 1,458 enlisted men in October 1940, the school grew to more than 700 officers and 3,500 enlisted men by May 1943. The school alone used more than 500 buildings, many of them "temporary" wooden structures built to meet the expansion of the post. Many of these "temporary" buildings are still in use today!
The Armored Force School, at the peak of its operation during the war, operated on two daily shifts to satisfy the demand for qualified armor soldiers. The training reflected the rapid evolution of armored warfare doctrine, which changed constantly in the face of battle experience and in the alterations to the force structure and its tables of organization and equipment. Some of the buildings used by the school reflected these new doctrines and techniques. Building 1538, just off First Avenue (now Eisenhower Avenue), was built in the shape of a Landing Ship Tank (LST) to train soldiers how to load and unload armored vehicles for transport at sea. The building still stands today and is used by the Patton Museum for storing historical armored vehicles. By 1943, Fort Knox had expanded to 106,861 acres and had 3,820 buildings, compared to 864 buildings in 1940. |
Barkeley, Camp (Abilene, Tex) Armored Division camp and Medical Replacement Training Center
Bowie. Camp (Brownwood, Tex) Armored Division camp
Campbell. Camp (Hopkinsville, Ky) Armored Division camp
Chaffee. Camp (Fort Smith. Ark) Armored Division camp
Knox, Fort (Louisville. Ky) Armored Replacement Training Center and School
Polk, Camp (Leesville, La) Armored Division camp |