Patton assigned to establish AEF Light Tank School

On 10/11/1917, Captain George S. Patton Jr. was officially assigned to establish the American Expeditionary Forces Light Tank School in France. The assignment came as the U.S. Army began forming its first tank units following America’s entry into World War I earlier that year. Patton’s orders placed him in charge of organizing training for American crews who would operate French supplied Renault FT light tanks. This responsibility made him the first American officer detailed to the newly forming U.S. Tank Corps. Following the assignment, Patton traveled in France to coordinate with French tank authorities and select a suitable training location. The Light Tank School was established at Bourg, where instruction covered driving, gunnery, maintenance, communications, and cooperation with infantry units. Patton supervised curriculum development and oversaw the training of early American tank personnel, forming the nucleus of U.S. armored forces that would later participate in the Saint Mihiel and Meuse Argonne offensives in 1918. His work in November 1917 marked the beginning of organized American tank training during World War I.