The General Who Answered To Nobody

Terry Allen had a habit that would follow him through two world wars: when the Army’s rules got between him and a fight, he found a way around them. In June 1918, Allen was a 30-year-old cavalry captain stuck hauling artillery shells while World War 1 happened without him. He wanted to command infantry at the front. But he had never completed the infantry course required to do it. So Allen found out when the next class was graduating, walked over to the ceremony, and simply got in line. When the commandant reached him, he stopped. [QUOTE] “I don’t remember you in this class.” Allen didn’t blink. [QUOTE] “I’m Allen. Why don’t you?” His confidence was enough. Within weeks, he had been promoted to major and given command of an infantry battalion headed into combat. Soon, command realized Terry Allen was difficult to control, almost impossible to intimidate, and dangerously willing to ignore the Army’s way of doing things. The problem was that he kept winning. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -