The World at War - An American Perspective in World War II

[unmerged(19363)]

The World at War - An American Perspective in World War II

​

Hearts of Iron AAR - United States 1936 using 1.06

Extract:

This After Action Report was begun using version 1.06, with no mods. The settings for the campaign are thus : Difficulty set to Very Hard, and AI Aggressiveness set to... Aggressive, logical enough I suppose.


After a stint in writing a comedic and loony AAR in the Mad Mad Mad Mad AAR , sanity has pleaded with me to return to the more serious in-depth writing style I used in the Russian Conquest, and so I shall do here. As the title suggests, this history focuses primarily on America and the happenings about the globe which affect her. It will be a strategic overview for the most part, focusing on the individual operations as well as the purposes and histories behind them. It begins with America starting from its extreme inward looking pacifism in 1936, blind to the world and its affairs, to its eventual growth as a major participant on the global stage as it inevitably joins the latest world war.

With the advent of the new supply and logistics penalties instituted in v. 1.06, I have already found the supply system to be extremely limiting to building up a proper sized army capable off executing an overseas war. Playing as America starting with no military, I notice I'm still playing catchup to the others in the amount of units I have to throw around, as so many resources are required for supplies. It definitely makes it tougher to play this way, so the AI should have a fairer fight of it this go around.

Despite it being the trend in this forum, this AAR will shy away from excessive pictures of guns and tanks and planes and soldiers and such, focusing instead on the actual history and storyline. It will still have various maps for better understanding the major battles and campaigns, but I won't go overboard with it. (i.e. We all know what the world looked like on Jan 1, 1936)

[Edit 5-28] Ok, I take that back, there will be quite a few maps actually, I find I'm spending as much time in PSP as I am in HOI

 

[unmerged(19363)]

January 1, 1936: The Land of Military Neglect

In the late 1920's and early 1930's, tired of foreign wars and foreign affairs the peoples of the United States were visited with a severe case of pacifism, and to such a degree that the public wanted nothing to do with European affairs, and nothing at all to do with things military. It was the common consensus among the common man, that with two large oceans separating the U.S. from the nearest global issue, there was little threat of home invasion, and even less chance of having to send troops abroad. With this current public philosophy having a stranglehold on the country, the army had been neglected, left to rust and grow old from its former WWI greatness like a car parked in the yard left to rust. A mere four divisions, three infantry and one cavalry, were the entire defensive force covering the continental United States. As compared to other nations this was an incredibly undersized force. Considering the sheer size of the country, this was nothing more than a token force, and could not even be constituted as a show of force. Would an entire foreign army land on American soil, there was little this small force could do to stop it.

The situation for the average soldier and officer was appalling. Poor pay, bad equipment, bad food, low morale. In this stale isolationist atmosphere with no view of improvement in the military, with no hint of conflict in his lifetime a progressive thinking Lt. Colonel named Patton asked out of Fort Myers so that he could transfer to the cavalry in the midwest, to get back to his daily horse riding. Perhaps such a warrior could not stand being so close to all the pacifists within the capitol and press. It is safe to say that the atmosphere of the day was extremely frustrating to any of the military higher ups. With no resources to build an army, and without public support to put research into building a better equipped one, their daily demonstrations to the government were continually denied until one by one they gave up trying.

The state of the American Armed Forces in 1936 was woefully inadequate, both in men, material, equipment and technology. Under Chief of Staff Malin Craig little was done to improve the situation. But as the shadows of war began to reach their way around the globe even in its isolation the United States could not be so blind as to do nothing. While there was little room for improvement and enlargement in the military budget, and while the public would never stand for such a thing, nevertheless Malin Craig and his staff did go about a new defensive plan. It was not on a grand scale, as the public would never stand for it, but nevertheless it was begun, mostly in quiet, away from the press. It aimed to improve where it could, by what little it could, for as little cost as it could. It was a three pronged plan broken down into three spheres: Units, Fortifications, and Technologies.


1. Table of Organization and Equipment

Army

With the size of the army being extremely undersized with no immediate chance of reinforcement, the Staff in Washington could do little to improve upon its main weakness: Its size. Therefore focus was put on improving the command structure of the existing units. Without proper funds for maneuvers and training to find its best leaders under simulated combat conditions, this was a tough task, and as a result the change of command throughout the outfits was of minimal gain. The Division CO's thus assigned were far from exemplary choices. Until such time as impending war on their doorstep forced them into serious training and maneuvers, the status quo was to choose existing leaders, rather than searching down the ranks for more capable ones.

The 1st Army Corps, consisting of the 1st Division, the Big Red One, was all that was spared to defend the Washington DC/ Virginia region. Its commander was replaced by the defensive minded Lt.Gen McLain.

The command of the 2nd Army Corps, put in charge of all of New England and made up of only the 2nd Indianhead Division was given to Mj. General Raff.


In defense of the entire west coast, the 3rd Army Corps comprised of the sole Rock of the Marne 3rd Infantry Division was handed over to Mj.Gen J.W. Anderson.

Outdated by 1936, the 1st Cavalry Division, still on horseback was responsible for the defense of all of the deep south and Texas. It was commanded by a Mj. Gen Doe. Perhaps the people doing the command assignments selected him merely for his well known anonymous name to highlight the fact that this one division on horseback was all they had to defend such a large area.

In the Philippines, along with 9 Philippino divisions, the 370th Infantry division, a misnomer for a 5 division strong army, was given to Mj.Gen Robertson. It rankled the Staff to no end that the Philippines had more army divisions than the entire United States.


Air Force

While the philosophy of air power had not yet come of age, the United States nevertheless was way behind the curve compared to other world powers. The Air Force was nearly as woefully undersized as the Army, fielding only three Tactical Bomber wings made up of the out of date A-17A. Portland housed the only Strategic Bomber wing in the country, made up of the also out of date B-18 Bolo. Houston held the one and only Dive Bomber wing, made up of the extremely short distanced A-35 Vengeance. With a range of 200 miles it was of no use in the vast expanses of the southwest. Los Angeles and New York held the only fighter cover, made up entirely of old P-35 Guardsmen. It was a simply pathetic attempt at an Air Force, and considering the pacifism of the country coupled with the old guard idea that battle ships and boots on the ground were the way to win a war, it is not surprising that the Air Force was in as bad a state as it was.

Navy

While the other two branches were understaffed, the Navy was given most of the allocated funds. With the philosophy that two large oceans separated the United States from any true threat, the Navy had been built up over the last decade until it had in fact become the largest in the world, numerically at least. 15 Battleships, 26 Cruisers, and 47 Destroyer groups made up the brunt of the attack. 17 sub-par submarine packs and 24 Transport groups made up the remainder of the force. Inherent with its outdated philosophy about air power not having a major role, merely 3 Aircraft Carriers existed, the USS Saratoga, Lexington and Ranger. In the planning stages to supplement these, the Yorktown and Enterprise were due for completion within the year, although the emphasis was still on gunned ships, as 9 Omaha Class Cruisers and 5 Mahan Class Destroyers were also under construction. Despite the size of the Navy, most of the force was kept in harbor or drydock, mostly understaffed and under equipped to save costs.

With the minuscule budget stretched so thin as it was there was no more funds available for additional ground troops. Nevertheless, cutting where he could from other units, George Marshall looking at the sole division guarding the capitol insisted for, and after much haggling received the go ahead on forming a single National Guard division to defend the Capitol. By February it was activated from Fort Myers as the DC National Guard commanded by Mj. Gen J.E.Wood. It was more window dressing than an actual defense against an organized invasion, but it sounded a lot more comforting to the military to have two divisions protecting Washington than just one.


2. Fortifications-

Being that manpower was at a premium due to the small size of the army, with forces being stretched way too thin to be of any real service, the Department of Defense looked for other avenues to bolster their armed forces. With an Army so small, the doctrine in place was and had to be a purely defensive one. Consequently, priority was put into building coastal defenses around the continental United States. Army Engineers were sent to three main regions to build minimal defensive fortifications. With the northeast being the prime industrial center, as well as the location of the capitol, basic coastal fortifications were built on a line from Boston, down thru New York, South Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. Washington D.C. itself was given basic land defenses.

A line of coastal forts were also built along the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Corpus Christi in an effort to begin a general defensive philosophy for that oil rich region. With one mere cavalry division to defend it, the defenses were useless, but it was put in place for the time when more forces were available for that area.

On the west coast, small coastal fortifications were likewise made from San Diego to San Francisco. In all, these three areas were very meager in their defenses, but it was far more than what had been there a year ago.
While it was of considerable use for the populace in travel, an effort was begun to improve the infrastructure of the interior to allow for quicker troop movement from east to west. The project involved work from Las Vegas through Denver into Oklahoma and eventually ending in Tennessee.

While some wished to build up defense of their many pacific island holdings, especially in light of seeing the Japanese empire slowly growing outward, these islands received neither manpower nor fortifications. Given the limited scope of the military, the continental U.S. was given full priority, and the possessions from Hawaii to Guam were basically made expendable, being of little value resource wise.


3. Technology and Doctrines-

The third sphere of the military improvement was to try and improve upon the current state of military hardware and strategies. Most of the equipment was World War I holdovers, and the military doctrine of the day had hardly changed in 18 years. Intelligence from abroad gave many indications that the Japanese and Germans were devising revolutionary new tactics and weapons systems. This necessitated overhauling current military thinking.

In keeping with the Continental Defensive Initiative, funds were given primarily to study new defensive strategies and policies. Chief on the agenda was the Tactical Defensive Regime. Based on the experiences gained in the Great War, it dealt mainly with the operations and interactions of smaller units. To explore future opportunities, research was given into Early War Experience Analysis, which was expected to be completed for analysis in early 1937. Once gathering all the data together and analyzing it, this would lay the groundwork for further study into various artillery doctrine improvements as well as more advanced continental defensive doctrines.

As much as Malin Craig, William Standly, and Oscar Westover fought over the scraps for researching new weapons for their respective branches of the Armed Services, there was simply nothing left to spend on investment of new items. Research and Development were in all effect shut down completely. As out of date as their tools might be, for the budget year of 1936 there was virtually nothing put in to R&D regarding weapons, vehicles, tanks, fighters, bombers or ships. While the Germans and Japanese were building entirely new state of the art weapons, the U.S. Army had its hands utterly and completely tied by the pacifistic American public. Those in high command, painfully aware of their growing vulnerability, could only thank God that 3000 miles of ocean separated them from their potential enemy.

 

[unmerged(28850)]

This is detailed. I am not sure wether I am reading a history book or an AAR. Well good luck anyway. :rofl:

 

[Jopi]

Have you thought about any specific goals? Or do you only want to win the war for the Allies?

 

[unmerged(19363)]

Have you thought about any specific goals? Or do you only want to win the war for the Allies?

In keeping with the isolationist attitude prevalent at the time, my original goal and plan is strictly the defense of the continental United States, rather than world domination or helping foreign countries in their fights. Of course in the future, events will inevitably pull the country out of this mindset, but initially it is merely a defensive philosophy, as even the pacific islands are at first deemed expendable. The only question is, once getting sucked into the global war in future years, will I be too far behind the eight ball to be able to build up a proper offensive force. Wasn't counting on the stiff supply penalty hampering my building a large army when I thought this original goal out, we'll have a little deeper hole to climb out of I think. More of a challenge

 

[unmerged(19363)]

The Global Situation- 1936

The perilous times in Europe from 1915- 1936 have been well documented. Following the proverbial war to end all wars, as soon as the peace treaties were signed the nations straddled with war debt became extremely unsettled politically, with much violence taking place throughout the continent. With drastically new borders, especially in Eastern Europe, with many brand new countries, as well as the introduction of Marxist philosophies, civil wars, riots and coups wiped out any hope of a war that ended all wars. In Italy a dictator came to power and the Italian army began to extend their influence into North Africa and Greece. In once strong Germany, the economy was destroyed as the west deemed it necessary to bleed them economically for the cost of the war. Seeds of hatred and revenge were clearly sown in these years after the war, and with such a fertile environment as this, these seeds festered in the minds of many, and in the mind of the ill willed as well. Slowly but surely the Nazis grew in size and power, much of Europe as in America paid them little heed as merely a fringe group. But they soon became a dominant force in German politics, using non political means and violence to subdue their opponents. The air was ripe for a revolution, and the message of hate towards their western neighbors sounded good to the average German who had suffered so greatly over the past decade. It wasn't until Adolf Hitler became Chancellor that the world started to open their eyes and seriously listen to his fiery rhetoric. Still the world held a hands off policy towards Germany, content to look inward towards their own economic ills. But at this point, the damage had been done, and the Nazi government was firmly established, tirelessly working to transform Germany to its own evil ends.

Ever a question mark on European politics, the Russian Bear far to the east was going through extreme upheavals. As the Bolshevik Revolution had come to power, Josef Stalin continued to exert his will into every facet of Russian life. His main weapon of power was pure unbridled fear, and he worked it effectively from Kursk to Vladivostok, transforming the vast empire into one solid unit under one man. The spread of communism was feared by all the western countries, and the inward Stalin was viewed very suspiciously. Still, his 5 year plans, forged with every ounce of effort by its expendable populace, helped to bring Russia out of the past century. While still way behind the western powers technologically and militarily, such a dominant centralized regime coupled with the hordes of potential Russian infantry proved very formidable on paper; and as a threat to world security Russia as a whole was a very large question mark that every leader in the back of his mind feared.

While Europe was embroiled in its own dangerous soap operas, eastern Asia had for the last 30 years been slowly forcing itself into the world's attention. Formerly a prize of plunder by the European colonialists, the sphere of influence was slowly changing. Japan, ever an ancient inward feudal land had adopted many western political and military ideals. Following a war with Russia in the early part of the century, Japan had shown to have arrived on the world stage. It made inroads into northern China, expanding its empire onto the mainland and enforcing its political will on its weaker neighbors. After a short respite of this, Japan was once again hungry for more expansion and prize, as new war hawks came to power intent on expanding their new empire north and south into Asia. Inevitably this was viewed negatively by many countries, not the least of which was the United States. Continued diplomatic talks with the Japanese sought to urge them away from their continued expansion into the mainland, but they were of little avail. The hawks in the Army were blindly intent on empire regardless of world view.

Consequently, despite the overall pacifist attitude prevalent in America, by 1936 the current administration viewed Japan as the number one threat to the country. Consequently most of the Navy's attention was turned westward, with San Francisco housing the bulk of the fleet. By February additional concerns about the growing threat prompted William Standley to rebase the 2nd Battleship Fleet to Pearl Harbor. It contained three Colorado class Battleships, the Oklahoma, Tennessee and California; the Omaha class cruisers Raleigh and Detroit, as well as the USS Saratoga carrier. Docked permanently in harbor, it was more of a show of force to the distant Japanese than any real threat. The Saratoga in fact had almost no aircraft on board. Nevertheless the rebasing of the 2nd Battleship Fleet, while kept low key in the newspapers, signaled the first step in the military's shift towards a potential Japanese conflict. For the average sailor, this was a very welcome assignment, in the middle of a tropical island chain. Overnight the 2nd Battleship Fleet became the envy of every sailor stationed in San Francisco and New York.

 

[unmerged(29507)]

This is like reading a history book!!!

 

[unmerged(19363)]

Seeds of Discontent

In early 1936 as if on cue, the many countries of the world sensing some shift in the wind, some coming storm years down the road at once stepped up their diplomatic programs. Ambassadors and diplomats, foreign ministers and secretaries of states all began a wild wrestling match for political influence over neighbors, to feel out potential allies, to draw countries closer to their way of thinking. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Japan were indeed the most active, constantly in contact with neighbors, swaying, surveying, sometimes using subterfuge or other less open ways of influencing a countries thoughts. Here and there perhaps the flexing of muscle would be handy, perhaps a little carrot and stick. Soon all countries had their general sphere of influences, and even without a war, it was clear by the alignments that when and if war did come there would indeed be alliances as in the Great War, rather than just the older method of two warring countries. In short it was quite easy to see how a second world war might well develop if the right ingredients were there for setting off the alliances. After seeing the obvious meddling of Russian diplomats in Mexican affairs, the Mexican government began to lean more towards a marxist philosophy. Uncomfortable with such developments right on their border the United States began to invest its diplomatic muscle to bring them back towards democratic tendencies.


On March 8th the first actual steps towards hostilities came when Germany flexed its muscles and taunted the west by re-occupying the Rhineland. France and England still worrying about their own internal problems did nothing to stop this aside from a feeble protest to Berlin. There were no ultimatums to withdraw, no threat of military force to back up the ultimatum. Hitler in his gamble to test the will of his neighbors was successful here: They had absolutely no stomach for another conflict. The road for his war machine was clear and unhindered.

In Asia, the Chinese were well aware of the growing threat of the Japanese. Nationalist China decided to ally itself with the Communists in the Sian incident. Estimates put the Japanese military might at 57 divisions, nearly 10 times that of the United States. While war was unlikely here, still William Standley pressed the ship yards to crank out production, and on April 5th the Yorktown was officially christened and put to sea, giving the Navy that much needed 4th carrier. It was quickly added to the 4th Battleship Fleet under Admiral Kimmel docked at San Francisco.

In May the Army completed its work on the Defensive Tactical Regimen and put its forces through training drills to learn these new tactics. With capacities freed up upon its completion, upon excessive lobbying the Commander of the Air force Oscar Westover won out, and the go ahead was given to give the push in finalizing plans for the new Tactical Bomber A-20C Havoc and new Dive Bomber TBF1 Avenger. Getting the go ahead to build them was another story and at this point highly unlikely, but at least Westover had the designs being finalized on the drawing boards. Congress feeling now just a bit more vulnerable in the world also approved for a second layer of coastal fortifications to be built in Virginia and Philadelphia to further protect the Capitol from direct amphibious assault.

To help the country out of the deep depression that had plagued it for 7 years, public works projects were undergone throughout the land. Perhaps the two most famous were the Tennessee Valley Authority and the project to build the Hoover Dam . Looking to further revitalize the country the underdeveloped northwest was targeted for a project to boost industry in that region. Montana, the Dakotas, Idaho, Eastern Washington and Oregon all received funds as new industrial projects were undertaken.

In July the instability of Europe spread and in Spain a civil war broke out. Italy, Russia and Germany all jumped at the chance and sent military aid to the conflict against the world's objection. Unusual for three foreign powers to intervene in a country's civil war in this way, it should have been a clear message to the world's powers that the situation in Europe was more ripe for a major conflict than most would have believed. However few took this military aid as a harbinger for these countries' willingness to wage war. In 1936, the democracies of the world were still too concerned about their own domestic problems to see the storm coming.

 

[unmerged(26982)]

Good luck with this. I'll keep reading if you keep posting...

 

[unmerged(19363)]

The Age of Armor

While they were used briefly at the end of the Great War, the concept of tanks did not develop much, and they were as of yet but a minor support weapon to the soldier and his gun. Tanks worldwide were not very effective, were full of design flaws, broke down so often that many commanders doubted if they were worth the trouble. By the 1930s there were a few forward looking military minds who saw value in the development and deployment of this weapon on a much greater scale. But still, like the aircraft, it was not generally valued around the world as a key ingredient for a winning army, and design and implementation lagged far behind in most developed countries. In fact by mid 1936 there were only 20 armored divisions throughout the entire world. Germany, Russia and France were the first to see the necessity of this weapon in the next war, and particularly in Germany emphasis was put on their development, as several new panzer divisions rolled off the line. United States intelligence soon picked up whispers of the German rearmament, and when the head of the US Intelligence James Couzens had a paper come across his desk detailing the shift towards newer heavier tanks in the Communist and Nazi nations, he met with Armaments Minister Henry Morgenthau and the Chief of Staff Malin Craig. It was mutually agreed that part of the ever small budget had to be allocated both for the design of a new tank, as well as the future implementation of in it an armored division. Designs were quickly put on the table for a post World War I tank, the M2A2. Lagging far behind what the Soviets and Germans were rumored to have, at least it was a step in the right direction. In private contracts, research was begun on developing early Electromechanical Computers in the hopes they would speed up production of research and design, as well as manufacturing.

Tactical and Naval Air Support
In August, Douglas completed design on the A20C Avenger tactical bomber. As has been mentioned earlier, while funding was reluctantly given to allow finalizing its development, there was no promise of having them built into a new squadron. After much haggling between air command and the budget office, a compromise was reached. The A20C's would be built, but not as an addition to the existing air force. Instead the two existing A17-A Squadrons would scrap all their existing planes, and they would be replaced in number by the new A20C Avengers. While the number of planes did not increase, the firepower and range certainly did. The plane's tactical kill ability was roughly double that of its predecessor, and its 625 mile range gave it much more basing flexibility over the limiting 300 miles of the A17.

On the Naval side, the Grumman TBF-1 Avenger also became available for production. The navy having the priority in the United States defensive scheme, Navy Chief William Standly had slightly more success when lobbying for introduction of the new planes into the service. The naval planes on the carriers being exceptionally outdated, he was able to convince the powers that be to invest in 2 brand new wings of TBF-1 Avengers. One was slated for service on the USS Saratoga, part of the 2nd Battleship Fleet based at Pearl Harbor. The other would be attached to the 1st Battleship Fleet in San Francisco upon the USS Lexington.

On the diplomatic front, the political tug of war for the heart of Mexico still waged on behind the scenes between the Soviet Union and the USA. Stalin intent on spreading his philosophies to the new world devoted an un-proportional amount of diplomatic resources to America's southern neighbor. To counter this the US continued to step up the pressure on their own end. With the growing threat of Japan to the west and Nazism to the east, the US could little afford a Bolshevik country right on their southern border. In early September Cordell Hull himself flew down to Mexico City for 2 days of intense talks. After some arm twisting, some carrots and promises for economic assistance programs, Hull's visit proved a very big success, greatly helped to stabilize the democratic government of Mexico.

In November 1936 President Roosevelt was overwhelmingly elected to his third term, making him the first U.S. president to do so. Success assuaging the pacifist philosophies of the populace as well as the success of his social work programs, the country was continuing its climb out of the depression and the people saw Roosevelt as the one responsible for this improvement.

 

[Myrmidon]

Great work, god bless the usa... now build two marine divisions with arty!

 

[unmerged(19363)]

Military Upgrades Late 1936

In the last quarter of the year, the military was bolstered by the arrival of and retooling of several units. The USS Enterprise was launched, making it the 6th carrier in the fleet. It was attached to the 3rd Battleship Fleet now stationed in Norfolk under Admiral Benson. Also out of the shipyards came the Mahan class 49th Destroyer Flotilla, and two Omaha class Cruisers, the Philadelphia and Brooklyn. These were assigned to the newly created 2nd Squadron based in Philadelphia under Vice Admiral Lee. With designs complete for the newest tank, the Army quickly placed an order for them, and began to create the 1st Armored Division. It would be some time before it was complete, as it was at the very end of the building queue. The upgrading to the existing two tactical bomber wings was completed as the last A20-C Havoc rolled off the lines. By December the military had completed its Early War Experience Analysis. This completed, they set immediately to work on developing a Deep Area Defense Doctrine in keeping with their Continental Defense Strategy. In the private sector work was being done in the development of improved plastics, which would be useful in future military agendas. The infrastructure project for the trans continental transportation system was completed, and immediately work was ordered for the next level of improvements along that route. The work was also extended into the rugged deserts and mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, to facilitate easier transport between Texas and California.


The first quarter of 1937 was fairly quiet throughout the world and at home. By May the Navy's improvements were ready. The 50th Destroyer Flotilla was commissioned as well as the cruiser USS Boise, which was added to the 2nd squadron in Philadelphia. The two wings of naval TBF-1 Avengers were ready for assignment and added to their pre assigned carriers, the Saratoga and Lexington. Mj.Gen Van Ross and Mj.Gen Krogstad became their commanding officers. On the army front further improvements were researched for the tank corps, as the program was still well behind the Germans.

Far East Rumblings

Intel reports for several months began to indicate that the Japanese were up to something. As days went by this was confirmed by several overseas sources, and by early May with the aid of public saber rattling on the part of the Japanese foreign minister towards the Chinese, it became clear that the Japs were pursuing an entrance into a war with China. On May 26, 1937, the Japanese officially declared war on Nationalist China. The public stance of the United States was of outrage at this aggression. Inwardly though it was one of uncertainty. The Japanese had long shown themselves to be a threat for expansion, but until now had really not shown it. If they declared war on China, the United States could potentially be sucked in to it, or Japan could seek to expand its empire into the Pacific Islands, namely the American held ones.

The War Department wrestled with what exactly this latest development meant for the U.S. Could declaring complete neutrality keep the country in its isolationist mode, or would the Japanese see it as a sign of weakness? It was made quite public that the U.S. supported China's cause in this war, so to help back this up, they debated if anything could be done to aid the Chinese. While the War Department itself was willing to covertly lend supplies and armaments to the Chinese as well as military advisers, Roosevelt and the Congress clearly shot down the idea, refusing to do anything that might embroil the country in an overseas struggle. While giving military aid and supplies to the Chinese was strictly forbidden, the War Department then turned to the issue of national defense against this aggressor nation. The bean counters even now were incredibly reluctant to increase military spending, and the congress refused to pass any such resolution.

The situation came to a head when Chief of Staff Malin Craig addressed the Senate in a rousing, angry speech about the sheer neglect it had shown the nation's defense over the past decade. It was sharply worded, and he spared no one in his attack. "Gentlemen, the United States of America stands 43rd in the world when it comes to the size of its standing army. Mexico, the Phillippines, Columbia, even Ireland have more divisions than the U.S. As the leading nation in the western hemisphere, this is completely intolerable. With the growing threats around the world of instability and future war in Europe, North Africa, and now a major war in Asia, it is imperative to build up our military to a respectable and stable defensive force. To put our heads in the sand any longer is tantamount to treason." With this he turned and stormed out of the Senate.

While many in the Senate were outraged at his manner of speech to them, with many demanding his resignation, nevertheless his potent speech had its effect. After more haggling there was a consensus to double the size of the standing army from five divisions to ten. It was a diverse allotment, with two infantry divisions, two motorized division and one mountain division. Each had a specialized brigade attached as well.

New Divisions Begun May 26, 1937 (assignments outstanding)
24th "Victory" Infantry Division - Artillery Brigade attached
6th "Sightseeing Sixth" Infantry Division - Engineer Brigade attached
5th "Red Devils" Division (Motorized) - Anti-Air Brigade attached
33rd "Golden Cross" NG Division (Motorized) - Anti-Air Brigade attached
10th Mountain Division - Artillery Brigade attached

Likewise go ahead was given to study Amphibious Warfare to be able to form Marine units for amphibious invasions. It was estimated that all projects and research concerning the Marines would take a year and a half, including mobilizing an actual division. A war with Japan being the most likely scenario, and that war consisting mainly of island warfare, creation of the Marines was given priority above all other things.

 

[unmerged(26982)]

Will you post screenshots when you begin the battles???

 

[unmerged(19363)]

Will you post screenshots when you begin the battles???

I originally intended to keep it primarily text andhave very few, but they are quite fun to make so I'll probably have more now

 

[unmerged(26982)]

I originally intended to keep it primarily text andhave very few, but they are quite fun to make so I'll probably have more now

Excellent. While the text makes or breaks an AAR, good pictures/screenshots always help... A LOT. Maybe its just me being a dumb American and liking picture books?

 

[unmerged(19363)]

Maybe its just me being a dumb American and liking picture books?

I guess I'll have to get with the program and upload pics to a third party site like others are doing.

I'll put up pictures and maps but I'll leave it to 2Coats to do the comic strip section

 

[unmerged(26982)]

I'll put up pictures and maps but I'll leave it to 2Coats to do the comic strip section

I can accept that...

 

[unmerged(19363)]

In the Sino-Chinese war, Japan began a large offensive from the north, the first step of which was a highly orchestrated attack on Tianjin. Three army corps under Gen. Hata went up against four Chinese corps under Li Tsung-jen, easily defeating them. Likewise they had successful amphibious landings in Xiamen and Nantong, and then a third one in Kowloon. News of these swift developments in Washington brought about a very grave atmosphere. Roosevelt's cabinet and several key senators met behind closed doors along with several ranking members of the military, and the head of intelligence James Couzens. The consensus was that the Japanese attack had gone so swiftly and been so successful in its initial stage, that it was feared the Chinese army wasn't up for the task of putting together a stubborn defense. It was to America's great benefit if the Japanese were to be bogged down in a long drawn out, costly land war. If the Japs were occupied with this, they were less of a threat to expand eastward towards the United States. There was an unspoken defensive policy that a stout Chinese defense was in the USA's best interest. With the Chinese on the ropes early, this meeting sought to debate if the United States could somehow aid the Chinese, not necessarily for total victory, but to bleed the Japs more. Most in the room felt something needed to be done to prop up the Chinese, but it was clear that no outward military aid, be it material or manpower, could be permitted without drawing America into the middle of the affair, if for no other reason, such a brazen act would bring riots to the streets of pacifistic America. A much more subtle solution was reached, in the superficial form of an economic package. Cordell Hull would initiate and announce this new economic support package to China after arriving in Beijing. Among other things, the United States would lend them scientific research results into plastics for their industry, which would quicken their advance towards synthetics. Likewise the technology for basic electromagnetic computers would be given, under the guise of improving their economic plan. It would of course quicken the pace of their military vehicle construction, as well as shorten their theoretical time for military projects. In effect two sound military packages were given, dressed up as industry based economic assistance packages. Roosevelt agreed to this plan, as it aided their goals, while keeping them completely out of the affair militarily. In July they followed the plan up by including early synthetic materials into the package.

In the Department of the Interior's work, the next stage of economic development was begun in the north western states, continuing building up the industries in those areas. The improved plastics program was completed, paving way for work to begin on the next stage of synthetic material development. Oscar Westover, ever campaigning and lobbying for the improvement of the air force did well with his squeaky wheel gets the grease method, this time lobbying endlessly to the war office for a new fighter to replace the extremely outdated P-35 Guardsmen. The go ahead was given to build a multi-role fighter prototype, and the contract was handed to Grumman with a deadline for a prototype in six months.

In July the 1st Armored Division, the first American tank division, was officially activated. Considerable debate was raised into where to base the new division. Defenses on both sides of the continent were severely undermanned, with only one division on the west coast, one on the Caribbean coast and 3 for the entire Atlantic and Capitol defense. The War Department initially wanted the Armor for defense around the Capitol, but General J.W. Anderson, C.O. of the 3rd Infantry Division in California lobbied for additional support for that theatre of defense, on the grounds that if their main threat the Japanese did launch an invasion, the west coast would be the most likely target. Eventually after some more haggling, the Old Ironsides division was headquartered in Sacramento, for easy reinforcement into the Los Angeles, San Francisco or Portland sectors if needed. Lt. Gen Bruce was given command of the division.

In November 1937 four of the new 5 divisions were activated:
24th "Victory" Infantry Division - Artillery Brigade attached - Washington D.C. Mj.Gen. Burnell
6th "Sightseeing Sixth" Infantry Division - Engineer Brigade attached - San Francisco Lt. Gen. Barton
5th "Red Devils" Division (Motorized) - Anti-Air Brigade attached - Atlanta Lt.Gen Davies
33rd "Golden Cross" NG Division (Motorized) - Anti-Air Brigade attached - New Jersey Lt. Gen Groves

The 10th Mountain Division would be completed within the month and was to be commanded by General Adams and based in Denver, Colorado. Stage one for the development of the Marine Corps was finished with the completion of Amphibious Warfare, and Naval Infantry was the next stage in the process undertaken. The army had a long way to go to be a serious force, but this was a very good start.

 

[unmerged(19363)]

A Shift in Foreign Policy

In November, word reached Washington of what eventually became known as the Nanking Massacres. The Japanese clearly showed the world their method of brutal aggression and intimidation. The leaders on Capitol Hill were outraged by these happenings, and President Roosevelt gave sharply worded answers to the media about what he felt the Japanese were doing. There was no diplomacy in it, there was no assuaging the Japanese ambassador. He called for an immediate end to the Japanese aggression in Asia. Away from the cameras and newspapers writers the president and his staff convened, along with ranking members of Congress. Behind the scenes they were even more outraged and determined than they had appeared before the media. Nanking had suddenly solidified them in the urge to do more to help the Chinese people against the cruelty of the Japanese aggression. The aid they had given to the Chinese in the form of industrial gains now took a more overt look. At once the State Department authorized the Chinese to receive Motorized Warfare Doctrine, and within the month Anti Tank Rifles and the 30mm Infantry Gun. Also, a massive transport convoy was set in motion from San Francisco to China in the form of "economic" aid, which included a vast amount of food, clothing, supplies, as well as steel and oil. With the shrinking coastal area in Chinese hands, this aid would probably not last long, so it was rushed in large quantity. It was obvious the Japanese would be outraged at this open support for their enemy, but with the way the Japanese were sweeping across the continent, Washington was not particularly concerned with sentiment at this point. It is curious to note the drastic shift in American foreign policy that took place in less than 6 months. When the Sino war broke out in may, Washington strictly declared hands off, no involvement, no relief, no diplomacy to broker a peace. With each increase of Jap gains, and their dubious methods while achieving them, the United States swayed away from its isolationist philosophy, first barely being involved thru covert means, and then taking a more active up front role, until at last they were shipping war technologies and raw materials for the Chinese war effort. The Japanese unwittingly were drawing the United States out of its isolationist shell.


In March 1938 the State Department's focus which was totally bent on the affairs in Asia was turned eastward across the Atlantic. The rearmament of Germany under the dictatorship of Adolph Hitler had continued to grow as the country's industry was put totally on a war footing. Flexing their muscles, they retook the Rhineland without so much as an objection from the French or English, and then marched on Austria declaring Anschluss, annexing it into the Third Reich through fear, intimidation and many underhanded ways. There was next to nothing Washington could do about this outside of a diplomatic protest, and to the public this was a European affair that the United States should not get involved with. The folly of Europe's first world war was still too fresh on the public's mind for them to want to be caught up in the continent's affairs again. A week later the bullying continued as Germany began pressuring Czechoslovakia into giving up the eastern parts of their country. The Czechs refused to do so, but the pressure had begun, and helped to further illustrate Germany's intentions for the coming years and the coming storm that would soon return to Europe. Consequently, Congress approved the Air Force's request for the creation of 4 new squadrons of the P39D Air Cobras, the latest off the line multi-role fighter.


In May 1938 the War Department finished its planning for the use and purposes of the Marine Corps, and immediately began creation of two new units the First "The Old Breed" with artillery regiment attached, and the Second "Follow Me" Division with an engineering brigade attached. General Vandegrift was given command of the 1st, and General Rupertus of the 2nd. Initially their role like the rest of the Army, in keeping with the Continental Defense Initiative, was purely defensive. And they would be based states side, the 1st in California, the 2nd in Florida. However, they were intended and designed for quick response, offensive operations, particularly for amphibious invasions. With the world growing ever closer to a global war, it was time for the Army to begin improvement of their offensive capabilities.

The 4 wings of new P39D Air Cobras were ready for deployment in August, finally giving the U.S. a multi-role fighter force. The 62nd and 7th wings were based together in Pennsylvania as the 10th Squadron under command of Gen. Garnder. The 9th and 10th wings were based on the west coast in Oregon as part of the newly formed 8th squadron under Gen. Brereton.

The aid and supplies that being rushed to China initially had their desired effect. The Japanese seemed stalled on all fronts throughout the spring campaign. Eventually though, the final Chinese coastline in Bobai was taken by Japanese forces in an amphibious landing from Haikou, and the convoy of American materials was cut off. The Chinese were now on their own as far as materials and food went. It was just as well for Roosevelt that it came to an end this way, because growing dissent and ire from the pacifistic majority began to make itself known quite loudly, with several large protests taking place throughout the country and even in the Capitol. Continued involvement in "another continent's war" would have meant a large political backlash at home that could well destabilize and polarize the country at a time when it could least afford it. While the people in the Government and Military were well aware of the growing threat upon the world, and in fact upon America, and were well aware of the need to confront such threat by lending supplies to allies and increasing the military's size to match that of the aggressors, the people in civilian life, still crawling out of the depression and looking only inward, were yet blind to the ill wind that was blowing down upon the world, and unwilling to confront the growing storm in any other way than ducking one's head in the sand and pretending it wasn't any of their concern.

 

[unmerged(26982)]

Consequently, Congress approved the Air Force's request for the creation of 4 new squadrons of the P39D Air Cobras, the latest off the line multi-role fighter.

My Grandpa used to tell me about when he served in WWII and how crappy P39s were. They had a limerick about it. It was funny but I cant remember it for the life of me.

The 9th and 10th wings were based on the west coast in Oregon as part of the newly formed 8th squadron under Gen. Brereton.

wOOt. Go Oregon.