Post on 22-Dec-2015
Interwar Years
Army in Interwar Years
• Continuing struggle in period over nature of army– Civilian or professional
• Budget cutting of 1920’s strips army of forces
• Air Service and Chemical warfare given equal status
Bonus Expeditionary Force(1932)
• Use of Army in a Civil Disturbance
• Chief of Staff Douglas McArthur– Sends out tanks, cavalry and infantry– Show military can go overboard
• Fear of revolution
Air Power 1920-1939
• Chief advocate of air power—Billy Mitchell– Expanded on lessons of World War I– Pushed for air development
• Budget cut following war
– Takes case to the public– Agitates for test to prove strength of airpower
• Says Battleships will be useless• Upsets Navy leadership• Navy gives into pressure
1st Provisional Air Brigade
• Attacks anchored German ships– Mitchell had to develop large bombs and
navigational techniques for the attack– Sinks ships– Navy rejects test-flaws in attack
• Continued public appeals about lack of air preparedness– Court-marshaled – Brought airpower into the public eye
Strategic Airpower
• Doctrine emerges before technology appears– Precision bombing of enemy industry
• US is long way from capable– Air Mail contract in 1930’s
• Can’t do long-distance flying in day or night
• Development of two planes signal change– B-10-all metal, two engine monoplane– B-17-four engine bomber
B-17
B-10
Navy in Interwar Years
• Washington Naval Conference of 1921– Naval Disarmament
• Restrictions of Battleships and cruisers
• No restrictions on Aircraft Carriers
• Sets ratios-makes US vulnerable in the Pacific
• Cutbacks through the era in 1920’s– Falls behind the Japanese and British in active
ships
Growth
• Aviation is one area that does grow– USS Langley-Converted Coaler– USS Saratoga and Lexington
• Vision still of scouting and observation
• In 1930’s, Navy starts to rebuild– Way of helping Depression– Vinson-Trammell Act(1933)– Helps in early stages of World War II
Marines
• Period of significant doctrinal shift• Still continue old mission
– Police force in Latin America and Far East
• Commandant John LeJeune feels new role needed– World War I use was not typical
– Pushes to develop amphibious capability
– Sees next war with Japan
– Earl Ellis--theorist
– Marines build prototype landing craft-Higgins Boat
• Landing Operations Manual-1934