Chapter 713 Atlantic Strangulation War (22)
The United States has mobilized nearly 10 million armed forces so far, but after deducting the navy, the National Guard, the Army Aviation and various auxiliary personnel, the total number of traditional infantry similar to the Soviet Union and Germany is about 4 million, of which more than 3 million are troops that have been expanded in the past two years or even one year, because the training cycle of new recruits in the US military is required to be one and a half years, and most of the troops expanded before and after the outbreak of the Pearl Harbor incident have been included in the front-line troops. According to the opinions of the army leaders, the remaining troops cannot be used directly in the war, and the army can only mobilize a total of about 1 million front-line ground troops.
From a vertical comparison, the speed of the US military expansion is quite amazing. Before the Battle of Poland, the total number of US armed forces was less than 350,000, and by 1941 it had doubled to a million. But compared with Germany, this expansion speed is simply scumbag - when Germany restored the universal military service system before 1935, there were only 200,000 troops in the country (100,000 Wehrmacht + 100,000 reserve), and now the total force has reached nearly 10 million, and more than 70% of them are front-line combatants according to US military standards.
In the final analysis, the US military's training intensity is too low and the starting point of training is too low. This is not to satirize Americans for being stupid or having low cultural quality, but the United States has been in a liberal atmosphere for a long time, with all kinds of strange ideas, and young people generally lack discipline and respect for authority, which is very unfavorable to the formation of a strong army. Germany is not the case. Germany is the most disciplined and obedient country in Europe. After the National Socialist Party came to power, it intensified the promotion of a unified system. On the one hand, the Hitler Youth League was established, and a large number of young people received training in the name of survival in the wild, and military training was used to achieve the purpose of training "reserve soldiers". On the other hand, the National Labor Dedication Corps was established. In name, it was to participate in compulsory labor, but in fact, it was carried out through uniform instructions and field military training with pickaxes and shovels.
This training process is by no means a joke, nor is it comparable to the camping or sports that the young generation of Americans like. This is a preparatory training and mobilization system. Those who perform well in this process will be determined by the organizers as captains - once they join the army, they will be grassroots backbones. The German Junker aristocracy and the social elite attach great importance to soldiers, yearning for military life and strong will for national revenge are the most profound breeding ground for military traditions. In addition, the officer corps under the 12-year military service system of Weimar Germany, this institutional advantage ensures the advantage of expanding the army.
In other words, the reason why the United States takes one and a half years to train new recruits (generally half a year in Germany) is because the obedience consciousness, team life and discipline that new recruits need to receive in the early stage of training were already possessed by the Germans before they joined the army. After joining the army, they only need to undergo special military training, while American young people need to make up for it. What's more terrible is that the United States joined the war two years later than Germany. Germany swept across Europe and paid a small price in casualties. It trained a front-line force with millions of elites, and new recruits were fully trained immediately after joining the army. Using dough as an analogy, Germany is basically finished with dough, and it can be formed by adding some water (new soldiers), while the United States is just ready with flour, and is about to add water (veterans) to knead it, and it is still a long way from being formed.
From the division-level organization, it can be seen that the German army has more than 200 divisions at the Eastern Front alone, and the total number of divisions in the Western Front and the country is nearly 300, while the US Army has less than 60 infantry divisions, more than 10 armored divisions, and 2 airborne divisions, which are basically the basic base of the US Army Ground Forces. The remaining more than 3 million troops are on the way to new recruits or new organizations.
These 1 million combat-capable troops are divided into many situations: some troops were led by MacArthur to fight in the Far East and the Pacific, with a total of about 150,000 people; some were led by Bradley to South Africa, with a total of about 100,000 people; another part stayed in the UK, with a total of about 80,000 people; the total number of troops stationed in Central America and South America exceeded 60,000 - these troops together accounted for a total of 400,000. In order to carry out the joint element operation, the Army prepared to mobilize 12 divisions (including 2 armored divisions) at once, which occupied more than 200,000 troops. At the same time, due to the continuous losses in the African Campaign and the Horn of Africa Campaign (a total of more than 100,000), Marshall had less than 300,000 front-line troops at hand. Excluding the armored divisions, which accounted for a relatively large proportion, the light infantry divisions were only about 150,000. Ridgway had a corps and two airborne divisions with a total of nearly 35,000 troops, which accounted for a large proportion of the last 150,000 troops.
Marshall originally wanted to transfer the armored division to Bermuda, but it was estimated that there would be too much time. The Germans might arrive in Bermuda the next day or the day after tomorrow. If the armored division was blindly sent, it might be surrounded by others halfway. The speed of reinforcement of Bermuda must be fast. Whether from the perspective of dispatch efficiency or combat needs, airborne troops are the first choice, not to mention that the 82nd Airborne Division has experience in fighting the German army. He thought it was very suitable. Roosevelt reported the 82nd Airborne Division as soon as he asked.
"But didn't the 82nd Airborne Division just suffer heavy losses, with more than a quarter of its personnel lost?"
"It was indeed the case after withdrawing from the battlefield, but Matthew quickly reorganized it after he became the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps. The problem is not serious at present." After Marshall's detailed explanation, everyone understood that Ridgway's views on the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division Rapid transformation: Li Qiwei used the 505th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division as the skeleton, and transferred ready-made personnel and recruits from the 101st Airborne Division to supplement it. All officers and soldiers who survived the battlefield were generally promoted to one level and used, and the newly established troops with actual combat experience The 505th Regiment formed the backbone of the 101st Airborne Division, and then the complete 506th Regiment was transferred from the 101st Airborne Division to fill in the 82nd Airborne Division. At the same time, other vacancies were filled, and officers with actual combat experience were rotated internally.
After his big move, the 82nd Airborne Division was stronger than before the first Battle of Bermuda, and the 101st Airborne Division had also invisibly improved its strength because it had gained valuable veterans and combat officers - although due to the degree of running-in It's not obvious that it's not enough, but Marshall believes that as long as Ridgway is given another 3-4 months, he will give him a more powerful and complete airborne force, and also have valuable practical experience.
The reason why Ridgway was able to complete such a drastic move in a short period of time was, on the one hand, the support of Marshall. All kinds of requests for transfers, supplements, and rotations were approved immediately, and it was even okay to kill him first. Ridgway's skills as a staff officer and Taylor's strong assistance, and more importantly, the glittering medals and combat experience can shock others more than the rank of lieutenant general. In the 18th Airborne Army, Ridgway is absolutely right.
"Very good, these are the officers we want to vigorously promote and reuse, regardless of whether they are in compliance with the rules or not. In wartime, winning is the biggest rule!" Roosevelt nodded with satisfaction and said in a serious tone, "Find an opportunity to let Patton Go and lead the armored force, reorganize the tank crews, and let him have a good fight with the Germans. He is more suitable to lead the troops than Ike. If anyone is dissatisfied, let him come to me for spreading strange remarks and making irresponsible remarks about the president during the war. All actions decided by the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief must be strictly controlled. As long as they are within the scope of my authority, civilian officials will be removed from office, military attachés will be retired and held legally accountable. At the same time, Director Hoover will be asked to investigate to see if there are any ulterior motives or other backgrounds behind them. , let’s not be deceived into thinking that the other party is a good citizen.”
The four people looked at me and me, feeling deeply surprised but remaining calm. They had already seen that the president's thoughts and routes had undergone fundamental changes: at first, he took into account the factors of his re-election and social and people's livelihood. Compromises were made on many things, and relations between all parties were maintained and coordinated as much as possible. When this relationship becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as the battlefield becomes unfavorable, he will use all means to ensure that the situation improves and use strategic advantages to complete the third presidential term. His ideas and original intentions are different from those when he used state intervention in the national economy to survive. The pattern of difficulties is the same - as long as the economic situation can improve, the people will not bother to care whether it is capitalism or socialism. Similarly, as long as the war can be won, the people will not care whether the president is closer to dictatorship or democracy.
Since Roosevelt had this request, Admiral Jin could only cooperate: "The Navy initially considered continuing to increase its troops to complete the Cape Verde offensive. The artillery fleet, escort fleet and landing fleet will remain near Cape Verde, and the aircraft carrier formation will be stationed in Cape Verde and Bermuda. Maneuver between them and send reinforcements wherever the enemy's main fleet appears."
Roosevelt nodded: "This is a good idea. It's better than being led by the enemy. Gentlemen, it's time for a turnaround..."
Just as he was speaking halfway, the phone rang, and Hoover's voice came from inside: "President, the Germans are making an emergency broadcast, asking for the evacuation of the east coast, and they will launch a new round of attack!"
"Asshole!" Roosevelt slammed his fist on the table viciously. "One day I will hang this warmonger Hitler on a bomb and throw him from the sky!"
"What to do now?" Hoover was a little anxious.
"Don't fall for the enemy's tricks. Tell the people that we have the ability to protect their safety. We will make the enemy pay ten or a hundred times the price." Roosevelt thought for a while, "Air defense in key cities must be in place, at least the enemy cannot be allowed to go there again. Blow up New York or Washington.”
Arnold quickly stood up and stood at attention: "Yes, I promise!"
"In addition, this does not rule out that this is a bluff by the enemy. Don't affect your campaign deployment. Fight as you want. I believe the American people can withstand the threat of bombs - this is a story about the boy who cried wolf. Try more. If there are irreversible consequences, as long as you fulfill your responsibilities, I will give a speech to the whole country as soon as possible to calm the people."
After Roosevelt's encouragement, everyone went out with renewed motivation. Roosevelt watched his subordinates leave, then turned around and collapsed in a wheelchair and was sent to the emergency room...