What is the "Reserve Mallet" during WWI?

[TLHSS]

A quick question .... what were "Reserve Mallet" troops?

 

Thanks,

Tim

[hmm161-78/82]

A quick question .... what were "Reserve Mallet" troops?

 

Thanks,

Tim

 

Tim,

Here is a link to a New York Times article from May 11, 1919 that give some background info.

Reserve Mallet

[Croix de Guerre]

Here is an example of a Reserve Mallet 10 BAR Victory Medal. It belonged to Fred Kurth formally an American Field Service volunteer camion driver with TMU 537; later a Sgt. on the HQ staff of the Reserve Mallet.

 

To clarify "Mallet" is pronounced like chalet not like the hammer. It was a french thing.

[Croix de Guerre]

Here is an example of a Reserve Mallet 10 BAR Victory Medal. It belonged to Fred Kurth formally an American Field Service volunteer camion driver with TMU 537; later a Sgt. on the HQ staff of the Reserve Mallet.

 

Here is a good explanantion of what the Reserve Mallet was, at least in regards to its connection with the American Field Service. I posted this over on my topic about a Reserve Mallet group I own, but I thought it might help here as well.

 

THE T.M.U. UNITS

OF THE

AMERICAN FIELD SERVICE

 

The French Automobile Service (Motor Transport Corps) was a transportation supply formation of the French Army. This organization was divided into ten Reserves. (The Reserve Mallet being Number Three.) This system was designed to allow for allotting a certain amount of transports to be available for the normal needs of the army but all other transportation was grouped into organizations known as Reserves, which could be used whenever and wherever there was heavy fighting which consequently required a need for increased transportation. Thus the Reserves were a sort of auxiliary combat unit, moved from front to front as the occasion required.

 

A Reserve was organized as follows; a central headquarters whose function was purely administrative. Below the Headquarters there were three Groupements, each of which were in turn were divided into three groupes and each groupe was divided into four sections.

 

The Reserve was known by the name of its commander as were the groupements and groupes. The total personnel of a Reserve were about 2500 men, with 700 trucks and support vehicles.

 

 

When the American Field Service volunteers began to serve as camion (truck) drivers, they took over Number Nine or Groupement Perisse. This consisted of three Groupes; Groupe Genin, Groupe Erhardt and Groupe Meyer.

 

Groupe Genin

T.M.U. 526

 

Section “A” was formed of men from Cornell University.

 

Section “B” was mostly Andover College men.

 

Section “C” was mostly composed of volunteers from Dartmouth College.

 

Section “D” was made of a miscellaneous men from various schools.

 

Groupe Erhardt

T.M.U. 133

 

Section “E” was formed mainly from volunteers from California

 

Section “F” was mostly Princeton men

 

Groupe Meyer

T.M.U. 184

 

Section “G” was mostly men from Dartmouth.

 

Section “H” was Tufts College

 

Section “I” was from Marietta College

 

Section “M” was made up from a unit from Buffalo, NY

[mccooper]

Been quite awhile since this topic was active; however, I ran across some data on the Reserve Mallet I wanted to add, hoping it has not appeared elsewhere. In their 1943 brief history and roster, the authors addressed the issue of VM battle clasps, indicating that the large number of clasps were indeed authorized. Just wanted to share that info with you.

 

mccooper