Papers (1939-1949) of a U. S. Marine Corps aviator in the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, and later rose to Lt. General in command of the Pacific Fleet Marine Force, 1962, consisting of course notes, handouts, maps, overlays, manuals, logistical data, exercises, military events.
Carson Abel Roberts was born in Lancaster, Wisconsin, in 1905. He received his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1929, and in that same year he was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. During World War II Roberts served as Operations officer in the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. After the war he entered the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, graduating in 1947. He next became Chief of Aviation Section of the Marine Corps schools and in 1949 became assistant chief of staff for the Marine Air Reserve Training Command at Glenview, Illinois. During the Korean Conflict, Roberts served as deputy chief of staff, then was promoted to chief of staff of the 1st Marine Aircraft Command. Roberts was promoted to Lt. General and became commanding general of the Pacific Fleet Marine Force in 1962.
The collection consists mainly of course material used by Roberts while he was in the Command and General Staff College. Course work is divided into three major schools: School of Combined Arms, School of Intelligence, and School of Logistics; and generally gives an overview of the subject, example situations, exercises, and questions.
Sample courses in the School of Combined Arms include: map reading, signal communications, protection against air attack, domestic disturbances, civil defense, and air defense. The course, attack of an island, contains the complete field orders, plans, and reports of the 7th Infantry Division in the 1944 attack on the Marshall Islands (Operation Flintlock). Another course details the historical situation involving the German counteroffensive in the Ardennes (December 1944 - January 1945). Course work in the School of Intelligence files include class notes, handouts, questions, and sample situations on various topics, including: prisoners of war, technical intelligence, interpretation of information, and security. The School of Logistics files contain course notes on topics concerning suppliers, casualty evacuation, and sanitation.
Also included in the collection are miscellaneous course schedules and programs, and manuals and drafts of manuals. Logistical Data for Staff Planners includes tables and charts required for logistical purposes. Drafts of a manual entitled Organization and Functions of a Joint Air Staff by Carson Roberts presents the functions of a joint air command and the major problems of coordination during military operations in the Central Pacific during 1944. Other manuals include Military Railroads and the Military Railway Service (1944), The Defense of Advanced Naval Bases (1948), Service Chemicals (1939), and Amphibious Command Post Exercises (May 1949).
The oversized folder contains maps of parts of Japan, France, Belgium, and the Southwest Pacific, and numerous map overlays and large handouts used in courses at the Command and General Staff college.
Gift of Lt. General Carson A. Roberts
Processed by V. Jones, September 1991
Encoded by Apex Data Services
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.