Gladeon M. Barnes
| Gladeon M. Barnes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Gladeon Marcus Barnes |
| Born |
15 June 1887 Vermontville, Michigan, United States |
| Died | 15 November 1961 (aged 74) Washington, D.C., United States |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia, United States |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1910–1946 |
| Rank |
 Major general
|
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Elliott Cresson Medal |
Gladeon Marcus Barnes (15 June 1887 – 15 November 1961) was a United States Army major general who, as Chief of Research and Engineering in the Ordnance Department, was responsible for the development of 1,600 different weapons. He is best known for his involvement in the development of the M4 Sherman and the M26 Pershing tanks, as well as ENIAC computer.
Barnes was born in Vermontville, Michigan, on 15 June 1887. He attended Hastings High School, from which he graduated in 1906. He entered the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree in 1910. The University of Michigan later awarded him an honorary Master of Civil Engineering degree in 1941.
Commissioned in the Coast Artillery Corps in 1910, Barnes transferred to the Ordnance Department in 1913. He was promoted to captain in September 1916. During World War I, he was responsible for the design of coastal and railway artillery. Between the wars, he served in Germany and Italy. He attended the Army Industrial College, from which he graduated in 1936, and the Army War College, from which he graduated in 1938. He then became the Chief of the Research and Engineering Office of the Ordnance Department.
Having witnessed the power of German tanks in the Spanish Civil War, he designed the 37 mm Gun M3, a light but powerful anti-tank gun. Barnes was promoted to brigadier general in October 1940, and major general in March 1943. As such, he was responsible for the research, development and standardization of 1,600 different weapons. Around $50 billion was spent on them. Barnes sought to develop medium and heavy tanks, but was stymied by the technical capability of American industry at the time, particularly its inability to develop a sufficiently powerful engine. He pressed, without success, for diesel engines, and for the adoption of the M6 heavy tank.
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