THE BATTLE OF GOOD HOPE CHURCH
BY RICKEY ROBERTSON
Located in the midst of the Kisatchie National Forest in Natchitoches Parish, La. is a small Baptist Church that has sat in the same location for decades. Right in the midst of the forest is Good Hope Baptist Church. A peaceful little chapel in the forest that is still conducting services a couple of times each month. But 74 years ago, Good Hope Baptist Church and the little community located there was right in the midst of one of the largest maneuver battles of the 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers.
On September 18, 1941 General George Patton's Red 2nd Armored Division was in a running battle at the little community of Mount Carmel. While this action was going on the Blue 38th Infantry Division and attached units were attacking northward up the Alexandria to Natchitoches Highway in an attempt to capture the Red Army headquarters in the town of Natchitoches. To counter this attack General Ben Lear, commander of the 2nd Red Army, ordered the 1st Armored Division and its attached units to counterattack and stop the Blue Army advance. General Orlando Ward let the units of the 1st Armored Division and they attacked early on the morning of September 18, 1941. In a fast surprise attack the tanks of this division scattered the Blue 38th Infantry Division and they retreated south towards Alexandria. But to stop the attack of the 1st Armored, the 38th Blue Infantry Division deployed their antitank units near Cypress, La. and stopped the advance. Due to this halt in his advance, General Ward received new orders from General Lear to change his attack plan. His new orders advised him to break off this attack and change course southwest through the Kisatchie National Forest to the main objective of Kisatchie, La. If the 1st Armored could get through the National Forest they could break through the Blue Army lines and attack Peason Ridge and possibly go all the way to Leesville, La.
Looking on their maps, General Ward and his units saw a very small road that went through a little community known as Good Hope. Little did they know that the road they were looking at on the map was little more than a one lane muddy dirt road running through some of the worst terrain for an armored division to advance through. On either side of the small road were steep hills, very heavily forested and thick, and on either side of the road were low swampy lands, filled with slough's and bay-galls that would prevent the tanks from fanning out from the road. One unit, the 69th Armored Regiment, attempted to meet up with the 13th Armored Regiment and other units by cutting through the woods from Bellwood. As these units began their advance, their route ran right in front of the Blue 31st Infantry Divisions front. When the 31st Blue Infantry heard the rumbling and roaring of the tank units, they immediately moved to counter this advance. As fast as they could go the anti-tank and infantry units of the 31st Blue Infantry Division moved out and set up defensive positions at Good Hope Church. The 1st Armored was advancing into a trap.
The light and medium tanks of the 1st Armored became strung out on this narrow muddy road, and the medium tanks actually began to bog down. These large tanks eventually dropped out of the advancing column. As the tanks reached Good Hope Church the Blue 31st Division antitank units opened fire. The battle began to rage all around the church and little community. Tanks tried to maneuver through the forest lands but were stopped by the swampy areas. The battle became so intense that infantrymen of the Blue 31st Division began to throw rocks, bottles, sticks, and anything that was handy at the tanks ! As the battle raged the commanders of the various units began to argue with umpires and the decisions they were making as far as casualties and vehicles that were declared knocked out. One Colonel in charge of a tank unit became so mad that it was said that umpires ruled him a casualty so they could get him off the battlefield !
As darkness began to fall, General Ward ordered his units to assemble near Good Hope Church for the night. But as darkness fell Blue 31st Infantry Division troops surrounded the assembly area, cut the Red Army supply line to the tank units, and captured the convoy bringing gasoline to the armored units. The 1st Armored disintegrated as a fighting force at Good Hope Church. General Ward and his units were advised by Red Army Headquarters to cut their way out of the forest and try to make their way and join up with friendly units located near Many and Mount Carmel.
September 18, 1941 was supposed to be the day that the Red 2nd Army Armored Divisions would tear through the Blue Army units and would advance through Peason Ridge where they could then attack and capture Leesville and the maneuver headquarters at Camp Polk. But this never happened due to General Krueger and his able assistant, Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower, using the antitank and infantry units to stop the armored advance. Many times during World War II these same tactics would stop the German and Japanese advances. And they were learned in the maneuver battles here in Louisiana.
Today Good Hope Baptist Church and the little cemetery in the church yard sit peacefully in the same spot as it did during this great maneuver battle of years past. My wife and I went and explored this old battlefield and found cartridge cases, cans and broken bottles, pieces of cable, and rubber from the tank tracks all through the area along with tank ruts where the armored vehicles turned and wheeled during the battle. The forest has taken over most of the area, but the old road is still visible. As I stood there looking toward where the 69th Armored advanced, I could just imagine seeing the mighty tanks coming right toward me, rumbling and roaring, and of the rifles ,machine guns, and antitank cannons firing. Stop and think, these men and army units who trained in Louisiana were the core of the United States Army that defeated our enemies during World War II. And remember, Natchitoches, Sabine, and Vernon Parishes throughout the history of Louisiana have contributed to the training of these many units that have upheld our freedom in America and continue to do so in the Global War on Terror by the training conducted in the lands of these parishes located on Peason Ridge Military Reservation by rotational units of the Joint Readiness Training Center. But remember, freedom comes at a cost.
1st Armored Division halftracks and vehicles changing their route of advance at Cypress, La. towards Good Hope Church. (Robertson Collection)
Picture of the front of Good Hope Baptist Church as it looks today. (Robertson Collection)
Good Hope Baptist church and its church yard and fence as it looks today. (Robertson Collection)
The road leading to Good Hope Church used by the 1st Armored Division units. (Robertson Collection)
At this corner of the churchyard of Good Hope Church the tanks of the 69th Armored Regiment ran into antitank gun positions of the 31st Blue Infantry Division. And the battle was on ! (Robertson Collection)
Map of unit dispositions on September 18, 1941. The 1st Armored Division is located at Good Hope Church. (Robertson Collection)
Medium tanks known as General Grant tanks such as this were involved in the Battle of Good Hope Church. (Robertson collection)
Young boy standing by a light tank near his home in a rural part of the maneuver area. (Robertson Collection)