Pair of Dog Tags to a WWI Meterologists:Small Unit with Big Impact

[Gator]

Hello,

 

First a big thanks to Tony75 for offering these interesting pair of dog tags to a little know unit within the Signal Corps in WWI. First, a little history.

 

Little thought was given by the British Army at the onset of World War I. However by 1915 this mindset changed and the value of meteorological data began to be recognized for it's importance in relation to the operation of Zeppelins, the deployment of poison gas, troop movements, flying operations, and artillery as well. As for artillery, meteorological data was used in computing shell trajectories of which the Germans later attested to their accuracy. The data from the various meteorological stations was also used in the timing of gas releases and for issuing warnings of attacks. The weather forecast could also play a big role in the deployment of smoke screens and the use of flame throwers.

 

*When the U.S. Entered World War I on April 3, 1917 the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) was formed under General "Black Jack" Pershing. In July Pershing requested Meteorologists be sent to France. Robert A. Millikan (1868-1953, Physicist, Nobel Physics Prize in 1923) was put in charge of forming the Signal Corps Meteorological Service. His planning committee recommended a staff of 21 officers and 156 enlisted men for the A.E.F. and another 15 officers and 200 enlisted men for the domestic U.S.. This was later changed to a total request for 27 officers and 475 enlisted men. The Signal Corps Meteorological Service was formed in late August, 1917 under Major Millikan's command. Major William Blair was put in charge of the A.E.F. forces and Captain Bertram Sherry was in charge of the domestic meteorologists.

 

125 of the 475 requested enlisted men were obtained from the Weather Bureau either by volunteers or by the draft. Other meteorologists were trained at the Signal Corps School at Camp McArthur, TX which was moved after one month to Texas A&M University at College Station, TX. In total the Signal Corps Meteorological Service sent 15 officers and 300 enlisted men to the A.E.F. and another 200 were kept stateside working on research and to support Army Airfields, Ordnance and Gas Warfare Proving Grounds, and Coast Artillery Stations.

 

The first of the Signal Corps meteorologists trained in the US arrived in France in March of 1918 and Major Blair ran a Meteorology School at Langres, France from March 24 until August 4 to provide on-the-job training of the meteorologists in the use of the French and British meteorological equipment and data. The first 5 Signal Corps Weather Stations in France were established on May 2, 1918 and by war's end 22 weather stations had been set up. They supported A.E.F. Headquarters, aviation, balloon, artillery, gas, and engineering units. Most were only 4-6 miles from the front lines.

 

The distribution of stations of the Meteorological Section, Signal Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, was on the regional plan and practically ideal. Six stations served the entire front from the Moselle River to the Argonne forest. These stations each observed every 4 hours of the 24. Data obtained in each observation were immediately transmitted by radio to air, artillery, and sound ranging units in the vicinity. Special observations were made when called for by any unit. Observations for gas units have been made as frequently as four times an hour during critical periods. Data were transmitted to gas units by telephone. These front-line stations were located from 8 to 18 kilometers back of the front trenches. They operated in pairs, the hours of observation being staggered, thus avoiding interference in sending by radio and making data available every two hours in the sector served by a pair of stations. The first pair observed in even hours, the second in odd, and the third in even hours again.

 

Eighteen stations of the type "Observation stations S. 0. S." served all fields and ranges used for training. Their distribution, however, was such that no squall got through to the American sector undetected and for which due warning was not given all units concerned. These stations were also well placed from the forecasters' point of view.

 

A "field headquarters" and "forecast station Z of A" combined was located about one-half mile east of Colombey-les-Belles. This station was fully equipped for its work in every way, including a 24-hour telegraph and telephone service as well as a "listening" radio station by means of which the work of the front line stations could be followed and reports regularly received from German stations on the other side of the line. The 24 observing stations reported into the headquarters station by telegraph or telephone. These reports, together with reports from French and British sources received in exchange, formed the basis of the forecasts issued four times daily, and on special occasions as called for, by the headquarters station.

After the war ended on November 11, 1918 the U.S. Government dismantled the Armed Forces and by April 1919 the Signal Corps Meteorological Service had only 11 officers and 49 enlisted men at its 11 U.S. Weather Stations.*

(*) This information was obtained from an original online posting by a Paul A Roales

 

As for the tags, 2nd Lt Scott graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in Geology. He was an assistant at the University of Missouri prior to the US involvement in WWI. According to records that have been discovered he was stationed at or near St. Mihiel and Defensive Sector. It appears that after the war that Scott left his educational experiences behind and went into business for himself as a real estate investor in Oklahoma. Or did he use that geological degree for real estate in relation to oil and coal?? Hmm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gator]

Lucky enough to find a photo of him and service.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Mark

[muddyboots]

Great set of tags and I believe a first for me. Congratulations.

[Gator]

A first for me as well and thanks for replying muddyboots

[bellasilva]

Very nice write up and a great set of tags! I recently sold a pair to a WWII meteorologist

[Gator]

Thanks Phil. Im always fascinated at the new things I learn from these tags. I never thought about Meteorology and war aspects prior to this.

 

Mark

[Vincennes]

I loved the WW1 Meteorologists dog tags.

 

I stumbled upon this post when I was searching for something else, but since I am quoted in the opening post (I am Paul A Roales) I thought I should comment. The quotation comes from my WW1 page which is one of my 10 pages on Army meteorologists. The opening page is located at http://www.ionet.net/~paroales/93E2H.HTM

 

I was an Instructor at the Meteorological Observation School at Ft. Monmouth, NJ from 1964-1966.

 

Paul