301 US Tank Battalion 17 October 1918
The Battle of the Selle. 17th October 1918
301st US Battalion with 59th Brigade, 30th Division, II American Corp, 4th British Army
301st US battalion had 25 tanks in action on 17th October 1918. (WWvets)
Presumably some of the following which were in action on 29th September and probably rallied undamaged, roughly half the survivors were lost on the 8th October:
A Company
958?, “ Watts
9389, “ Taylor
9397, “ Colburn
9892, “ Dean
9004, “ Webb
9593, “ Hart
9890, “Gutkowistu
B Company
9592, Lt Elingwood
9117, Sgt Killingen
9352, “ MacDonald
9047, “ Hamdraught
9429, “ Jones
C Company
9279, Lt Willard
9390, “ Shanks
9396, “ Latham
9111, “ Budd
9017, “ Brown
9043, “ Dinsmore
9088, “ Logan
9376, “ Vernon
9027, “ Holmes
Notes:
The official history states 20 tanks were used, WWVets says 25.
The tanks listed above are those that survived the 29th September action undamaged, some ditched or broke down on the 29th and may not have been recovered. Some, unidentified, tanks had not attacked on the 29th and thus probably attacked on the 8th. Half of the 20 tanks which attacked on the 8th failed to rally.
Orders
The Selle was not thought to be an obstacle to tanks, it was to be crossed and the tanks were to support the attack. (OH) “The tank commanders were able to view the battle field prior to engagement, and made note of the best routes and river crossings. Twenty five tanks were available. “Quoted verbatim from WWvets site (WWvets)
Account of Operations
The tanks were photographed moving up:
IWM Q 49398: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205084664
The Selle did prove to be an obstacle for the tanks. One ditched therein, the others were delayed in crossing and then by the thick fog. They were of little material use to the infantry. Nine were lost (OH)
“In spite of the excellent planning, on the day of the battle the visibility was very poor, a light breeze now blowing the smoke over the Doughboys, and communication was even poorer. By the time the visibility cleared, most tanks were lost and out of gas [petrol]. Of the 25 tanks that started, eight had mechanical trouble, two tanks ditched in the Selle River, a couple had direct hits, and one caught fire. Only one tank reached the objective”. Quoted verbatim from WWvets site (WWvets)
The attack was mostly successful. (OH)
Summary
Total Tanks: 25
Failed to Start: 5
Engaged enemy:
Ditched / Broke Down: 2
Hit and Knocked out: 3
Rallied: 11
Notes
Failed to start is based on the discrepancy between the official history which states 20 tanks were used and WWVets which says 25.
The rallied total is based on the statement in the Official history that nine of the twenty tanks were lost.
Aftermath
Only twelve tanks were serviceable. (WWvets)
The battalion was next in action on 23rd October 1918 (W6)
Sources
H6 – 6th Battalion War History, (1919) Naval and Military Press
OH – Official History, 1918, Vol. 5, pg.306
WWvets - A (brief) account of the action can be found here: http://www.wwvets.com/WW1_Tanks.asp