THE
FORGOTTEN
TANK
ACE
Staff Sergeant
Lafayette G. Pool
An American To
Remember
By
Dean and Nan Kleffman
March 1998
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This
story is about a tank commander who destroyed 258 enemy vehicles, but he
never was awarded the Knights Cross. He was never presented to Hitler,
he never wore a fancy black uniform with death heads and S.S. runes, and
he never commanded a Panther or Tiger. The reason? He was an American GI and he set the above record in a Sherman tank! Contrary to popular
belief other countries besides Germany were capable of producing tank
aces too.
Staff Sergeant Lafayette G. Pool was typical
of some of the fine tankers produced by the U.S. Army during World War
II. Pool was born on July 23, 1919, on a farm in Odem, Texas. He
graduated from high school in Taft, Texas in 1938. Pool tried to enlist
in the Navy. He was turned down due to an eye injury, although his twin
brother was accepted. he then enrolled in an all boys Catholic Academy
where he graduated as class valedictorian. Afterwards, he enrolled in
Texas, A and I College, as an engineering major.
He quit to enlist in the Army on June 13,
1941. He took basic training at San Antonio, Texas, and then was sent to
Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, to the newly forming Third Armor Division.
Pool joined the Third Battalion, 32nd Armored Regt, when the division
was reorganized in January of 1942. He took time out from training to
get married to Evelyn Wright in December of 1942.
Pool had been a boxer in college and he
joined the division's golden gloves team. He became regional champ in
his weight class and was to go to the national meet in Chicago, Illinois
in the spring of 1942. He turned down the opportunity because the
division had gotten a shipment of new M-4 Sherman Tanks and Pool wanted
to start training with his men on the M-4 immediately.
Pool was a tall, lanky 6'3" Texan, who
drove his men and himself and trained them rigorously. He always wanted
things done right and would not tolerate slipshod methods, whether in
maintenance, gunnery, or driving. He demanded the best out of his men
and he got it.
The 3rd Bn, 32nd Armor moved to the Desert
Training Center near Victorville, California, followed by final training
at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.
Before sailing to England in September, 1943,
Pool was promoted to Staff Sergeant in Company I. He was also given the
opportunity to go to OCS, but he turned it down as he was later to turn
down a battlefield commission stating "I just want to have one
of the best tank crews in the division."
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His
crew consisted of driver, Wilbert "Baby" Richards, one of the
best drivers in the ETO according to Pool; Bert "Schoolboy"
Close who was just seventeen years old and was his bow gunner. Given the
choice of prison on a manslaughter rap or the Army, Del
"Jailbird" Boggs elected to be Pool's loader. Willis
"Groundhog" Oller was the gunner. Pool said of Oller "He
could shoot the eyebrows off a gnat at 1500 yards." He was very
quick and alert. One time near Origny in France it was getting dark when
the order came down to halt and coil up for the night. Pool opened his
mouth to say "Driver, Halt," but found himself looking down
the barrel of a German 88mm in the gloom ahead. He said "Gunner,
Fire!" and Oller, without hesitation, holed the enemy gun
before its crew could recognize the Sherman Tank.
While in England Pool did some more boxing.
In Liverpool in early 1944 he boxed against Joe Louis. It was ment to be
an exhibition bout, but Pool got a little too enthusiastic and rapped
Louis a few good ones. Louis then put his arm around Pool and said
"White man, I'm going to teach you a big lesson." He then
proceeded to give Pool a good going over, although there was no
knockout.
Pool is what we would call today a "hard
charger." He was also inclined to have things his own way. He
believed that the quickest way home was to smash the German Army to
pieces, and he believed that he was the guy with the crew and the tank
that could do it. He made friends easily and also made enemies. He had a
quick temper and was not above ignoring orders when they didn't suit
him.
Pool landed at Normandy in June, 1944. His
battalion fought its first engagement on June 29, 1944 near
Villierfossard, northeast of St. Lo.
The loss of Pool's first tank "In The
Mood," (all succeeding tanks were called "In The Mood!")
was to a Panzerfaust at the village of Les Forges not far from the
beach-head. Pool's crew survived and got a new Sherman, and pushed on
undauntedly against the Panzers.
Falaise Gap on August 7, 1944, was the big
battle and Pool was, as usual, right up front. As the 3d Armored
Division was near to closing the ring with the British forces around the
Germans, Lt. Col. Walter B. Richardson, commanding task force Y of CCA,
32nd Armored heard Pool say over the radio "Ain't got the heart
to kill um," meaning the Germans. The rattle of machinegun fire
came over thr radio followed by Pool's Texas drawl "Watch those
bastards run, - give it to 'em Close."
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