# What (military) tanks, if any, were in Louisiana in the late 1920s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839 "2016-08-24T18:17:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839/1 "2016-08-24T18:17:39Z")
A military/historical question for a story I’m working on, that hits a blind spot in my knowledge…what and how many tanks (the armored military vehicles) would have been in Louisiana—or the New Orleans metropolitan area in particular, if possible—in the late 1920s? My interest is primarily in _operational_ vehicles, but on consideration, any tanks that were serving as museum pieces or park displays would count, too. With the state of the US military at the time, it actually wouldn’t surprise me if the answer was “none,” but I just don’t know for sure. Can anyone better informed fill me in? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839/2 "2016-08-24T18:57:05Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > A military/historical question for a story I’m working on, that hits a blind spot in my knowledge…what and how many tanks (the armored military vehicles) would have been in Louisiana—or the New Orleans metropolitan area in particular, if possible—in the late 1920s? > > My interest is primarily in _operational_ vehicles, but on consideration, any tanks that were serving as museum pieces or park displays would count, too. > > With the state of the US military at the time, it actually wouldn’t surprise me if the answer was “none,” but I just don’t know for sure. Can anyone better informed fill me in? Having checked various sites for the history of the early Tank Corps (which changed names several times), I’d have to say zero. Armored cars? Possible, but no actual tanks. It was fairly common to convert a car to being a "armored car’ by a few modifications. Usually the armament was just a machinegun. > **[White Armored Car (Armored Motor Car No.2) Infantry Support Vehicle](https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=816)** > > Detailing the technical specifications, development, and operational history of the White Armored Car (Armored Motor Car No.2) Infantry Support Vehicle including pictures. I am not even sure if there was any significant US Army in LA in 1920, Camp Beauregard having been turned over to the State National gd in 1919. It’s not impossible that some LA State National gd had a few armored cars in 1920. ---
**Author:** ![Enilno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@Enilno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enilno)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839/3 "2016-08-24T19:17:24Z")
Interesting that you mentioned museum, because I was able to find [this:](http://www.geauxguardmuseums.com/featured-tank) > [@](#): > > The Renault light tank on display at the Jackson Barracks Museum was received in 1920 by the State Museum of Louisiana as a gift from the Republic of France. No mention whether it was operable or not, but there was at least one tank in the area. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839/4 "2016-08-24T21:04:41Z")
You might want to try asking the [National Armor and Cavalry Heritage Foundation.](http://www.armorcavalrymuseum.org/contact.html)They are the group working on creating a new museum at Fort Benning after the move of the Armor/Cavalry branch to the Maneuver Center of Excellence. There’s still a museum located at Knox. It’s no longer the Patton Museum of Armor and Cavalry. The gave up the history of the branch piece, lost some knowledgeable people, and became exclusively about Patton. It still might be worth asking them for [help.](http://www.generalpatton.org/) Overall it’s an ugly period for armored vehicles. The National Defense Act of 1920 put all armor forces under the infantry. It was a support weapon distributed among infantry formations. The Cavalry was still mostly thinking horse. It wasn’t till late in the decade, 1928, that the Cavalry created the [Provisional Platoon](http://www.dcmilitary.com/pentagram/commanders_column/mechanization-and-reorganization-a-history-of-innovation-part-of/article_f1a551b8-b6c7-59c3-b1a4-e1900d92e8fb.html), First Armored Car Troop (not in LA) to experiment with mechanizing the Cavalry. 1928 also saw the creation of a short lived experimental mechanized brigade. To start digging on your own look for infantry units assigned in LA during the period. That will neck down the units to check for the existence of armor within their equipment. I’d still start by asking the museums. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839/5 "2016-08-25T00:17:39Z")
Didn’t every town in America have an Armory? _…There’s a band playing down at the armory… I want to rock with you baby, all night long…_ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-tanks-if-any-were-in-louisiana-in-the-late-1920s/763839/6 "2016-08-25T00:54:41Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > Didn’t every town in America have an Armory? _…There’s a band playing down at the armory… I want to rock with you baby, all night long…_ Not even close. Most armories in the early part of the 20th century were in big cities. Later the National Guard spread units out into smaller armories. I know in my state the big armories date from around the 20s and 30s and a lot of the smaller ones were built in the 70s. Armories are where National Guard units are stationed. The National Guard isn’t big enough for that. And there wouldn’t be any tanks at the armory unless it was a tank unit. I doubt there were any NAtional Guard tank units in the 20s. There were barely any on active duty. Fort Polk wasn’t opened until 1941 and Camp Beauregard was in transition in the 20s after being an active duty post in WWI. I would be surprised if there were any tanks there in the 20s. I actually have some resources to check so let me make sure. A little background and context might help. Stationed there? In transit through the state? On display?