Jacques Littlefield, Armor Aficionado Leaves Lasting Legacy

Master collector and restorer of armored vehicles and longtime supporter of the Patton Museum, Jacques Littlefield died at age 59 from cancer on January 7, 2009. He’d served as Trustee, Chairman of the Board and Chairman Emeritus for the Patton Museum Foundation. “We will miss his humor, his dedication to perfection and his passion for technical excellence in restoration,” said Major General Richard Chegar, U.S. Army (ret), Chairman of the Board of the Patton Museum Foundation.

Littlefield’s passion for tanks was celebrated in a December 2001 Forbes Magazine article that called him the General George S. Patton of the military vehicle collecting world.

His efforts yielded the country’s largest private collection of tanks and other military armored vehicles. He also created the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation located at his estate in Portola Valley, California. The nonprofit foundation works to preserve the legacy of armored vehicles through the collection and to make the collection available to contractors, designers, modelers, and students for study.

The Littlefield collection includes more than 200 pieces of military equipment, including self-propelled Soviet artillery, a British Rapier missile launcher, and 65 tanks. Working with a small staff of mechanics, Littlefield restored vehicles and displayed them in a specially designed football-field-size facility at his ranch, which welcomed about 5,000 visitors annually.

The facility includes 5,000 square feet of garage and work space and a 15-ton overhead crane to take out turrets and remove engines. The pride of his collection was a German Panzer V Panther from World War II. Recovered from a Polish river, it is one of only a handful of working Panzer V's in existence. The tank underwent a five year renovation and received its finishing touches mere weeks after Littlefield's death. Littlefield started the collection in 1976 with the purchase of an unrestored World War II era M3A1 Scout Car, which cost $3,500 at that time.

Jacques came from a distinguished family, his great-grandfather founded the Utah Construction Co., which helped build the Hoover and Grand Coulee dams. His father oversaw a 1976 merger with General Electric Co. that made him a member of the Forbes 400 Richest People in America.

As a child, Littlefield fostered his love of technology by making models. An article about him in the New York Times detailed the evolution of his interest in restoration. He started with Erector sets at the age of 10, built radio-controlled boats for the swimming pool, and moved on to building radiocontrolled tank models from a kit.

When the kits no longer challenged him, he began engineering miniature tanks from scratch. He started with a one-eighth-scale M-48A3, a Patton tank used in Vietnam, outfitted with a radio-controlled turret, elevated cannon and a gun firing .22-caliber pellets.

“My idea of a fun vacation was to look at factories – a refrigerator factory in Louisville, a Cessna plant in Wichita,” Littlefield told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007.

He earned a bachelor's degree and a master's in business administration from Stanford and worked for Hewlett Packard for five years as a manufacturing engineer.

In the mid-1970s, he devoted himself full time to managing his investments and began his collection of military vehicles. Littlefield bought his first tank for $20,000 in 1982 – an M5A1 Stuart, rushed into production in 1942 as America rearmed.

As the world changed, his collection grew. Littlefield capitalized on the Soviet-bloc armaments made available by the end of the Cold War. He worked with other collectors and agents to import hardware and vehicles. In the restoration process, the parts he couldn’t find, he had made to precise specifications often using original blueprints housed in his large library. His goal was to be true to the original specifications, down to the nuts and bolts.

“I always assumed that everyone could look at a vehicle and know what was missing,” said Littlefield told The Patton Saber in 2006.

The restoration process required extensive research, looking at photographs and measuring original vehicles, and time spent acquiring the correct parts. Each stage of the restoration was carefully documented.

Littlefield said the end result was a collection of vehicles that are highly operable, restored to a superior level, and preserved for study.

He displayed his trademark humor in an earlier article for The Patton Saber. “As close as we can, we restore the vehicles to exactly the way they would have been. There are no modern radios or rubber tires. We use wiring and nuts and bolts from the era. Of course we have to make some compromises, we don’t use lead paint or asbestos,” said Littlefield.

His desire for precision spilled over into other interests as well. “While I could speak for an hour about what I observed of Jacques' passion for the precise restoration of armor vehicles, the penultimate example of his attention to detail is the "three story organ" built in one of the rooms of his home at Pony Trax Ranch,” noted Chegar, “Jacques fell in love with the organ in the Stanford Memorial Church and was associated with the organists at Stanford throughout his life.

Wanting one for himself, he traveled in Europe for a year with an expert researching every type of organ. The result resides in his home in Portola Valley, California, an example of Jacques' lifelong quest for perfection in all that he did. All of us are privileged to have known a man whose quest to leave behind perfect examples of complex instruments was literally beyond comprehension.”

Littlefield told The Patton Saber that although he consulted with model makers and the entertainment industry, he was most proud of the feedback he got from veterans.

“They are always amazed at the work we do. They thank us because they know that this history will be preserved for future generations to see.”

Indeed, the legacy of Jacques Littlefield will live on.

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Come And See:
Patton’s Short Snorter Dollar Bill

In January of 1943 Major General George S. Patton was tasked with the responsibility of billeting, feeding, and keeping secure the attendees of the Casablanca Conference. The purpose of the conference was to decide the global strategy for the Allies. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill were in attendance, but Josef Stalin was unable to attend.

Sometime during the ten days of the meeting, General Patton had the opportunity to meet with most of the participants and, in some cases, have them sign a dollar bill creating what was commonly known as a “Short-Snorter.” A “Short-Snorter” was a single or series of bank notes upon which friends and acquaintances wrote their names as a remembrance. This tradition was relatively widespread during the late 1930s with trans-ocean airline pilots, and the military, and continued into the World War II period. It was occasionally connected with a drinking game at which the person who had lost or forgotten their “Short- Snorter”, or who had the least number of names on it, bought the first round of drinks. Although Patton didn’t secure the signatures of Roosevelt and Churchill, the signatures he had represented a number of the important attendees. Patton’s “short snorter” was found in his effects after his death and was donated to the Patton Museum in the late 1990s.

Front of Bill

1. George C. Marshall
U.S. Army Chief of Staff

2. Henry H. Arnold
LTG in command of the USAAF

3. Elliott Roosevelt
Lieutenant, US Army Aide de Camp to FDR

4. Lord Louis Mountbatten
Head of Combined Operations

5. Harry Hopkins
Diplomat, Advisor to the President

6. W. Averill Harriman
Diplomat

7. Michael F. Reilly
Chief of White House Secret Service Contingent

8. John G. Dill
Field Marshall Chief of Imperial British Staff

9. Unknown

10. Eddy, (first name unknown)

11. Ned Dickson

12. Omar N. Bradley,
Major General (probably signed after the fact in late 1943)

Back of Bill

1. E. F. Van Doren
Captain Trans-World Airlines

2. Peter Ross
Grenadier Guards British Army

3. Unknown

4. Wilber Kaslow

5. N.W. Cota

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A Legacy of Leadership
Reflecting on Patton: A Country Boy Goes Soldiering

In his book “Country Boy Gone Soldiering,” George H. Waple III tells an American story of rising from simple beginnings to serve his country and play a pivotal role in events surrounding military history. His tale starts in Waple’s Mill, Virginia, where he was born on February 8, 1921, continues with journeys overseas and back again as he fights for liberty and serves his country.

Waple joined the US Army 3rd Cavalry at Fort Myer, Virginia at the age of 17 and served in World War II, fighting with the 331st Infantry of the 83rd Infantry Division from Omaha Beach to the Elbe River in Germany.

Waple joined the US Army 3rd Cavalry at Fort Myer, Virginia at the age of 17 and served in World War II, fighting with the 331st Infantry of the 83rd Infantry Division from Omaha Beach to the Elbe River in Germany.

Between the wars, he was First Sergeant for the Arlington Ceremonial Detail, Chief Usher for all White House functions, and a member of General Omar Bradley’s staff for security, where he earned a direct commission. Waple also fought in Korea with the 31st Infantry of the 7th Infantry Division in Korea for one campaign, which included the war’s last battle. He then became the aide to the Commanding General of the 7th Infantry Division, served in the Canal Zone as aide to the US Army Commander, and finished his service in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas before retiring from the Army as a Captain in June of 1962.

Waple brushed shoulders with many famous figures along the way, including meeting Marilyn Monroe, but few encounters were as influential as his brushes with General George S. Patton. The following passages detailing that brush with destiny are excerpted from his book “Country Boy Gone Soldiering”:

A Proper Salute

An incident that has stayed with me forever was at the time I was assigned to be the Captain’s orderly and could walk to the stables to get our horses ready prior to the troops arriving. I met a Major who was riding up the street in the stable area. As I approached him I rendered a salute. He responded with his riding crop in his saluting hand and with a pipe in his mouth. Well, one could hear the next sound a mile away, as the Major had just ridden by the entrance to the stable where Colonel George Patton’s horses were kept. He had not noticed Colonel Patton exiting the stable as he rode by. Colonel Patton noticed the salute of the Major, riding crop, pipe, and he yelled, “Major, turn around and come back here.” He then commanded me to return up the street, and told the Major to give me another salute without crop in hand or pipe in mouth, which he did. I gave him another hand salute, and then saluted Colonel Patton. I felt ten feet tall.

Editors Note: Waple went on to fill in for Colonel Patton’s regular orderly for a month and got to know Patton and the family. When he returned to duty and made Corporal, Colonel Patton awarded his Corporal Chevrons.

A Fond Farewell

Before we shipped out for Marseille, the entire Division was trucked to a large field where General Patton was to bid us farewell. He stood on a large platform in his beautiful uniform and pearl handle pistols and told us in no uncertain terms we had won the war. He looked like a giant of a man that I remembered back at Fort Myer in 1938-1940... Seeking out his aide standing nearby I introduced myself and told him of my past history with the General ...when the General dismounted from the platform, the aide pulled him aside and talked to him briefly.

With this, the General turned and greeted me like a long lost brother. “Waple,” he said, “I see we both got promoted during the war.” He hugged me and congratulated me on the great job the 83rd Division had done. “Sure, I remember you. You were the best G__D___ orderly I ever had.” With this, he bid me good luck while shaking my hand as he got into his staff car, saying, “When you get back to the States, you let those bastards know who won this war.” Again, I, too, felt like a giant as surrounding members of his staff looked on.

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Roualet Leads General Dynamics into the Future

All good things are built on tradition, improved by innovation and bolstered by leadership. General Dynamics Land Systems is no exception. GDLS designs and builds combat systems. They have nearly 9,000 employees, while General Dynamics has an estimated 93,000 employees worldwide. GDLS is the defense industry's largest supplier of armored military vehicles.

GDLS named Mark Roualet president on October 15, 2008, succeeding David K. Heebner. Roualet had been senior vice president and chief operating office of General Dynamics Land Systems since July 2007.

Roualet’s history with the company reflects its innovative spirit and dedication to meeting the challenges of the future. He joined General Dynamics Land Systems’ predecessor, Chrysler Defense Inc., in 1981 as a quality engineer, working on the Abrams Tank System, and has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout his employment with General Dynamics including plant manager of the Sterling Manufacturing facility, several director positions, vice president – IBCT Program, and vice president – Wheeled Vehicle Systems. Prior to becoming COO, Mr. Roualet was responsible for all ground combat systems, including main battle tanks and derivatives, Stryker and tactical wheeled vehicles.

Roualet was born on February 6, 1959 in Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Dayton.

There was a strong family pull with GDLS. His father worked within GDLS at the Detroit Arsenal and Land Systems headquarters, retiring in 1988 as Manufacturing Engineer Director. His brother Dean leads the GDLS Tallahassee operation. Roualet offered his thoughts the business and its future:

“General Dynamics Corporation and its operating units are run like a family business. Our corporate leaders care and are involved in the success of each business.” He comes to the family business with some solid goals and an eye toward the future.

“My vision for General Dynamics Land Systems is that it will continue to provide a full spectrum of worldclass ground and amphibious combat systems. We will accomplish this through a sound, disciplined systems engineering approach to life cycle management, whereby each individual employee under- stands the value he or she brings to the process. The foundation of this vision is rooted in our people. Developing an environment where each of us understands the business, how we contribute, and where it will take us requires an unwavering commitment.”

The employees of GDLS also have an unwavering commitment to serving their country. Twenty-five percent of all General Dynamics Land Systems employees are veterans of the armed forces. They have been involved in military operations from Vietnam to the global war on terrorism.

“We strongly support and employ members of the National Guard and Reserve, and when they are deployed we support their active duty assignments. GDLS values the skills of employees who have served or are serving in the military because they provide an additional “voice” of our key customers. They provide valuable input to our engineering, manufacturing, program and management groups,” said Roualet.

General Dynamics Land Systems is an unbeatable combination of tradition, innovation and leadership.

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