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Collection Master of Military Art and Science Theses
Title Unit collapse: a historical analysis of two divisional battles in 1918 and 1944. Author McGinnis, Thomas M. Abstract This
study seeks to determine the potential causes for unit collapse in combat through a comparison and analysis of two American
divisions. The first, the 35th Infantry Division fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in September 1918, in World War I.
The second, the 28th Infantry Division, collapsed while attacking into the Huertgen Forest in November 1944, during World
War II. Each divisions' performance is examined from activation through disintegration using the available historical records.
The analysis of the battles focuses on the collapse of the separate infantry regiments and battalions. The study uses current
theories on unit collapse as a basis for this analysis. It concludes that current theory only partially explains the issues
involved. These units collapsed because of a number of interactive forces that began as the divisions prepared for combat.
The most important factors involved the interrelationship within the command, control and communications system. This included
leadership performance, stability in command, and key personnel casualties. In both cases the tactical employment of the divisions
and their communications breakdowns had major adverse impacts. Finally, the negative effects of terrain and the actions of
the enemy exacerbated the adverse conditions. Prior combat experience and excessive en1isted casualties were not the primary
causes in the majority of regiments analyzed. Keyword Unit collapse; Failure; Command and control; Military leadership; Command
stability; Command structure; Combat theory; Combat effectiveness; Military history; WWI; World War I; First World War; World
War, 1914-1918; 35th Infantry Division; Meuse-Argonne Offensive; 28th Infantry Division; Huertgen Forest Offensive; World
War II; World War, 1939-1945; WWII; Casualties; Terrain Series Command and General Staff College (CGSC) MMAS thesis
Publisher Fort Leavenworth, KS : U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Date, Original 1987-06-05 Date, Digital 2005-11-04
Resource Type Textual Format PDF; Adobe Acrobat Reader required; 128 p.; 5.03 MB. Call number ADA 184706 Release statement Approved
for public release; distribution is unlimited. Repository Combined Arms Research Library
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