Valor Friday

Lafayette Pool, 1949

For fighter pilots, downing five enemy aircraft makes one an “Ace.” During World War II, the tank became a major fixture of land warfare. Though introduced in World War I to power over trenches and through the obstructions erected in No Man’s Land, the tank faced significant growing pains. By the time of the Second World War, the tank was the ultimate fighting machine, and pivotal in the Blitzkrieg (lit. “Lighting War”) the Nazi Reich waged on Europe.

So it should be little surprise that there are “Aces” in other contexts. We have submarine aces (for submarine skippers taking a large number of enemy surface ships), submarine hunter aces (for sub commanders taking a large number of enemy submarines), and tank aces (a tank commander/crew that kills a large number of enemy tanks).

Only fighter aces have a hard line to pass (five kills). In the other categories, being called an “ace” is usually just reserved for those with exceptional success records. The “ace of aces” in the context of a fighter pilot means one is the highest scoring pilot for their country and/or branch of service (i.e. Richtofen, the “Red Baron”, of WWI fame was Ace of Aces of the war and of Germany), in the other categories an “ace of aces” is usually reserved for the preeminent man in his type of warfare. For example, the submarine hunter ace of aces of all time is British Royal Navy Captain John Walker, who as a WWII submarine skipper hunted down and sunk a record 12 German U-boats.

The American tank ace of aces from World War II comes down to two men. One of them has a familiar name, and the other you might never have heard of. The former was future 4-star General Creighton Abrams. Abrams would ultimately be Army Chief of Staff from 1972 to 1974 (his death), but earned the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, and a Bronze Star Medal for valor among many other awards across a long career. He became the namesake for the M1 Abrams tank, which has been the American main battle tank for decades now.

The other in the running for tank ace of aces is a man who was known by the nom de guerre “War Daddy,” and was such a colorful character that he was the model for Brad Pitt’s character of Don “Wardaddy” Collier in the 2014 fictional WWII tank film Fury. In a march across Europe that started at the end of June 1944 and ended less than three months later, our non-fictional War Daddy commanded a series of three M4 Sherman tanks to destroy at least 12 enemy Panzers, 258 armored vechiles, kill more than 1,000 enemy troops, and took 250 prisoners.

Born in 1919 in Odem, Texas, Lafayette Pool was one half of a set of twins. His brother John would serve in the Navy during World War II. They had one sister. The Pool boys graduated high school in 1938, and Lafayette started college. While studying engineering he competed successfully as a boxer. His education was interrupted when he was drafted in to the Army in the summer of 1941, before American entry into the war.

The Pool Twins, in a post-war photo

Assigned to the 3rd Armored Division, Pool was soon made an NCO and commanded his tank. While on training maneuvers in 1943, it was noted that Pool was an aggressive leader. He demanded a lot from his men, but was eager to fight himself. He refused a slot at officer candidate school (and thus a commission) as he wanted to remain close to the front. Pool would also later turn down a battlefield commission, saying “I just want to have one of the best tank crews in the division.” He was made a staff sergeant before the 3rd Armored Division (3AD) deployed for Europe in September 1943.

The division arrived in England where they began preparations for the invasion of fortress Europe. While in England, boxer Joe Louis was doing a tour visiting the troops. Louis was a household name and a former champion. His rematch with Germany’s Max Schmeling in 1938 (which Louis handily won) was closely watched by both countries. Louis had enlisted into the Army in January 1942, and was initially assigned to a segregated cavalry unit. He was soon enough re-assigned to the Special Services Division entertaining troops.

Visiting men of the 3AD to raise morale, part of Louis’s shtick was to offer to get into the ring with any man who’d challenge him. Pool stepped up to the challenge. While it was supposed to be a light-hearted bout, Pool was always driven and determined. He landed a few solid blows on Louis, to which the boxing champ responded by hugging Pool and telling him, “White man, I’m going to teach you a big lesson.” Louis started to fight back and turned Pool, “every which way but loose” in Pool’s estimation.

Pool’s division was not tapped to be part of the initial D-Day Invasion, but arrived in France at Normandy in mid-June. They were pressed into action on 29 June 1944. Pool was commanding an M4A1 Sherman tank he named “IN THE MOOD.” His crew (for the bulk of the war) consisted of;

•  Corporal Wilbert “Red” Richards was the driver
• Private First Class Bertrand “School Boy” Close the assistant driver and bow gunner
• Corporal Willis “Ground Hog” Oller the gunner
• Technician Fifth Grade Delbert “Jailbird” Boggs the loader

As part of the division’s first foray into combat at Villiers-Fossard, France, Pool lost his tank during his first battle. They were hit by a German Panzerfaust (lit. “tank fist”), a man-portable anti-tank weapon. Their tank destroyed, the crew was forced to bail out.

Within a couple of days they were given a new tank, a slightly improved M4A1(76)W model. This version was fitted with a 76mm main gun, a bit larger than the regular 75mm. It was a tank in shorter supply, and Pool’s was the only one for his platoon.

Photo believed to be Pool’s IN THE MOOD, either the second or third version, with Pool and his driver both sticking their heads out

Naming the new hull “IN THE MOOD” as well (with no letter or number to differentiate it from the previous one), it survived a bit longer. He had this one until it was taken out on 17 August by friendly fire from an American P-38 Lightning fighter plane, but none of his crew were harmed. His final tank, another M4A1(76)W model, would last until his final battle in September. He named the third “IN THE MOOD” again.

Pool received the Distinguished Service Cross for action on 29-31 August in France. While leading the tank forces from the front, alone the award citation notes, he cut a swath of enemy down. He’s credited with four enemy tank kills in this one action. What’s more, he tallied up approximately 50 unarmored vehicles destroyed and killed or wounded scores of enemy troops. His aggressiveness in the face of the enemy was credited with helping his task force advance with a minimum of casualties.

Pool was also awarded a Silver Star for “gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life” during this time. He was also made a knight in the French Legion of Honour and received a French Croix de Guerre with bronze star (indicating a citation in orders at the regimental or brigade level).

This photo is believed to show Pool, sitting on the turret of his Sherman (upper left), advancing near Liege, Belgium.

Pool’s tank was typically found at the front of any movements, and Pool (mimicking George Patton) could usually be spotted riding atop his armored steed. Unexpectedly for a tanker, Pool was claustrophobic and preferred to be riding on top or at least outside of his hatch.

His driver, Richards, said Pool preferred to be at the front. He told a war correspondent, “The men would draw straws to see who would lead the spearhead the next day. Pool would just say ‘Ah’m leading this time,’ and stand there grinning while we cussed him out. But we’d go along just the same. By God, I think we were more scared of Pool than of Jerry!” Richards also told the reporter, “All Pool wanted was to get out ahead of the other tanks so he could kill more Jerries.”

In Pool’s final battle, 19 September, they were attempting to break through the Seigfried Line at Münsterbusch, southeast of Aachen, Germany. Pool’s battalion commander know that this stellar tank crew was to be rotated back to the US to sell bonds. “No spearheading today, Pool,” He told them, purposely assigning them to the side. “You guys are heroes and I want you going home to momma safe and sound. You take the flank.”

Moving along that flank, Pool remembered his colonel’s words as he watched a garage door rise. He thought to himself, it “seems he forgot to tell the German troops with the 88 hidden behind the garage door.” IN THE MOOD was hit by a direct shot from the German gun. Pool’s driver, Red Richards, was trying to back the stricken tank up when they got perched precariously on a ditch. The German Panther got a second shot off on the Americans, toppling the tank and silencing it permanently.

The second strike on the Sherman killed Pool’s gunner, Private First Class Paul Kenneth King. Pool’s regular gunner Oller had been transferred back to the States. The other men survived. Pool was sitting in the commander’s hatch. The force of the blast and the tank’s rolling into the ditch tossed him out of the hatch. He moved to run, but his right leg immediately failed him. His leg was riddled with shrapnel. By one account, he injected himself with morphine before trying to cut the leg off with his own pocket knife.

With the tank knocked out, miraculously, only one other man had been wounded. Oller also took some shrapnel to his leg, but all the other men were able to crawl out of the wrecked hulk of the final IN THE MOOD.

Oller was the first to discover his tank commander’s wounds, and gave him another shot of morphine. Medics soon arrived and gave him a third shot and attended to both mens’ wounds. A disorientated Pool was loaded up on a stretcher and said, “Somebody take care of my tank.” Pool’s right leg was so mangled that it would have to be amputated above the knee.

Because of his wounds, Pool’s war was over. I’m sure the Germans breathed a collective sigh of relief. He spent 22 months in rehabilitation before he was mustered out of service. The rest of his surviving crew became the personal crew for the regiment’s commanding officer, most likely a fair bit safer than being at the apex of any advance as Pool had led them.

The 3rd Armored Division fought on without Pool; at the Battle of the Bulge as part of Patton’s Third Army, across the Roer river, the Rhine, and helped capture Cologne. They fought at the Ruhr Pocket, liberated the Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp, and finally participated in the Battle of Dessau. Pool’s Distinguished Service Cross is one of just 17 awarded to men of the 3AD throughout these many storied battles.

Post-war, Pool started a filling station and auto mechanics shop in his hometown of Sinton, Texas. He seems to have been unable to find direction, as he started a couple of other businesses before re-enlisting into the Army in 1948. One source says that he was called back to active duty along with seven other amputees with critical skills. In any case, he was returned to the 3AD and served as an instructor.

He taught tank mechanics until he was promoted to warrant officer in 1952. This was the time before the E-8 and E-9 grades came into existence. Warrant officer was a rank frequently given to long-serving and distinguished enlisted men as a reward. His missing leg kept him from being deployed outside the US, so he spent his remaining Army years as an ordnance inspector.

Pool later in life

Pool retired from the Army in 1960 as a Chief Warrant Officer 2. He went to business school but ultimately ended up a teacher and minister. In the late-80s, men of the 32nd Armored Regiment of the 3AD (the regiment of the division that Pool had served in) reached out to him. Touched that they remembered him, he came and spoke to the young men about his experiences in tank combat.

Pool died in his sleep in 1991 at the age of 71. He was survived by his wife Evelyn (1925-2017), four sons, and four daughters.

In a sad note to this story, Pool was predeceased by a son. Jerry Lynn Pool had been born 2 April 1944, so he wouldn’t have even had a chance to meet his father until after he returned from the war. Jerry had joined the Army, becoming an officer in the Green Berets with the 5th Special Forces Group. He was listed as missing in action while being evacuated from a secret mission in Cambodia on 24 March 1970. The UH-1 helicopter he was flying on caught fire and exploded. His remains were recovered in 1995 and identified in 2001. Jerry left behind a wife and two children. His wife Darlene (1945-2011) was also a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served from 1964-1966.

Category: Army, Distinguished Service Cross, Historical, Valor, We Remember, WWII