Hellcats: The 12th Armored Division in World War II (Military History of Texas Series)

Product Description

During the course of the Second World War, the United States Army raised and maintained eighty-nine combat divisions, including sixteen armored divisions. Most of those units were created during the war and served only for the duration of the conflict. After going overseas and fighting to achieve victory, most of the World War II divisions were disbanded and faded into obscurity.

This heavily illustrated narrative is the story of one of those units, the 12th Armored Division, which trained on the plains of West Texas at Camp Barkeley near Abilene. From its initial action, to the liberation of Nazi death camps, to the ultimate victory and peace, the division’s story serves as a vehicle to study the many temporary army units that served our country during its most trying time.

Review

“Highly recommended for military history collections in all university libraries and public libraries in the West Texas area.” —
Review of Texas Books

“well written . . . superb illustrations . . . the heritage and fighting spirit of the stalwart Hellcats lives on in this excellent unit history.” —
WWII History Magazine

About the Author

JOHN C. FERGUSON is the volunteer services coordinator at the San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship Texas State Historic Sites. His duties include training staff and volunteers in the art of historical interpretation, and presenting educational and historical programs to the public. John is the author of three books dealing with U.S. military and Texas history including
Texas Myths and Legends (McWhiney Foundation Press, 2003).

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

In September of 1940 the United States Army began inducting National Guard divisions from the states into national service to quickly increase the size of the Army. But the National Guard of 1940 consisted of only eighteen divisions and, America’s war planners believed that a much larger Army was necessary to engage in any type of offensive action overseas in either Europe or Asia, or certainly both. So new divisions had to be created.
Most of the new divisions created by the Army were infantry divisions, as it is the infantry soldier who had historically fought and won battles and wars. But it was evident to observers that the shockingly sudden collapse of France in May 1940 was brought about largely as a result of German armor. The impact of massive formations of tanks on the battlefield was unmistakable, and the United States Army determined to have sufficient numbers of armored units.