THE OLD TRENCH OF THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS
BY RICKEY ROBERTSON
As the Louisiana maneuvers of 1941 were about to begin, thousands upon thousands of troops, trucks, tanks, and motorized vehicles began to move into the large maneuver area that became known as the Sabine Area. These maneuvers were the largest ever held by the US Army and to keep the soldiers and vehicles operational, supplies of all types were needed in very large quantities. Supplies were received at the rail depots at Leesville, Anacoco, Many, Zwolle, DeRidder, Hornbeck, Oakdale, Lake Charles, Natchitoches, Florien, Shreveport, and many other locations where there were railroad sidings. But have you ever stopped and thought of the massive supply problems that would be encountered just to keep the Red and Blue Armies in the field ?
Let's just look as just a few of the hundreds of food items that would be needed to feed the 470,000 men, and yes, the horses and mules. To begin with it took 2 ½ million dozen eggs to feed the troops. It would take 187,165 quarts of mayonnaise, 36,714 bunches of onions, 239,000 bunches of celery, and 700,000 pounds of tomatoes to go with over 286,000 heads of lettuce that would be used to make green salads. It would also take 9 ½ million pounds of potatoes, 14 million oranges, over a million pounds of bread, and 10 million apples. But let's look at the staples. 1 ½ million pounds of bacon, 2 ½ million pounds of sugar, and over 7 million pounds of both fresh and canned meat. Every day the troops needed 990 tons of food to go into their mess kits ! This averaged 6 pounds of food each day for each soldier ! And then there was a new food known as "FIELD RATION TYPE C" that consisted of 6 cans filled with various items, with either meat and beans, meat and hash as the entrees. But also remember there were thousands of horses and mules used by the US Cavalry. And when these animals began nickering for their 3 meals a day it would take 140,000 pounds of grain and 164,000 pounds of hay.
With over 30,000 vehicles, it took 450,000 gallons of gasoline each day.roughly that was 59 railroad tank cars of gasoline each day to keep the army rolling. And one thing that was rationed to civilians was gasoline. During the 1941 Maneuvers, my Dad and one of his brothers were talking to the crew of a broken down tank near their farm. The tank crew gave them a 5 gallon jerry can filled with precious gasoline. All of a sudden they heard an oncoming jeep. The crew said "run its officers and don't let them catch you with the gas". With a stick stuck through the handle of the gas can, they broke and ran with their precious cargo. My Dad said all of a sudden he found himself in the air and then he hit the back of a deep trench with his chest !Even though it knocked the breath out of him, he scrambled up and grabbed onto the can of gas with his brother. As they headed home he caught his breath and they proudly brought the gasoline home where it was used to fuel my grandfather's "school bus" that carried students to Plainview High School.
As a boy my Dad carried me to the old trench and told me the story about the can of gas. Recently my wife and I went back to the old trench. Yes, 74 years after the Louisiana Maneuvers the old trench can be identified due to the thinning of the timber. As I stood and looked around, I could just picture Daddy and my uncle running with a can of gasoline and ending up in this old trench. Precious memories of a day long past but a story my Dad loved to tell. What an impact the maneuvers made on the rural folks of this area. Do you remember the soldiers giving you some C-rations ? And remember when they moved out they would come and tell the rural folks where they were burying canned meats, fruit, sugar, coffee, and other precious items ? And remember them stopping by giving the kids all the unopened boxes of cereal they had not used ? And most of the kids had never eaten cereal in their lives! It was wonderful times and may we never forget the memories of these days 74 years ago.
Army Troops in a chow line during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Unused rations were often buried and local folks were told where to dig them up so they could be used. (Robertson Collection)
Soldiers purchasing items from the Mobile PX in the field during the Louisiana Maneuvers. (Robertson Collection)
Supplies and Supply trucks being unloaded at the railhead at Anacoco during the Louisiana Maneuvers. (Robertson Collection)
Portable water purification units were set up throughout the maneuver area to provide much needed fresh water to the troops. (Robertson Collection)
Convoy of light tanks during the Louisiana Maneuvers in Sabine Parish. A tank crew like this gave the author's father and uncle their precious can of gasoline. (Robertson Collection)
The author standing in the old trench of 1941 that his father ran off into with his precious can of gasoline. Sites such as this can still be found throughout the area. (Robertson Collection)
Early issue C-rations that were issued as field rations during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Remember the soldiers throwing these to you as a kid? (Robertson Collection)