This is my very first AAR, I welcome your coments and suggestions. Thanks.
Good evening ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased that you are interested to hear my story. I served in the U.S. army from 1935 to 1950. My first post and only post during the second great war, was in the United States Army War College. A very interesting posting for me as you will all soon find out.
I reported for duty at 0630 on 1 January, 1936. Being a holiday, everyone, with the exception of the Officer of the day, was with their families. He greated me with a sort of condescending look as if he didn't want to be bothered. (Especially since he was a Captain and I myself was a newly promoted 1st Lieutentant). He was however kind enough to arrange for me quarters in the officer's B.E.Q. and informed me that the rest of the staff would be in tomorrow for a meeting with the current armaments minister along with the heads from each branch of service.
Early the next morning the meeting began promptly at 0800. President Roosevelt's Chief of staff and head of the army, General Malin Craig presided. He began with a world intelligence briefing, of which the main points are as follows:
1. European advances in Land Warfare.
2. The mechanization of Land Armies.
3. Spread of National Socialism and Fascism in Europe
4. A general build up of multinational alliances.
After the discussing of these issues, it was decided that the military in general needed to improve in doctrinal and equipment areas. We implemented research into the motorization of the army. The development of an armored branch of the army to consist of mechanized infantry divisions along will whole divsions of tanks. (This was the area of development of which I was to be a part) The meeting was adjourned and everyone went about their task.
8 January on my way to work I heard over the radio that Germany was attempting to make a territorial move by demanding that the nation of Austria give up its sovreignity and join the reich. The Austrians refused which somewhat puzzled me since the austrians are ethic Germans, strangely enough this subject never came up at work that day.
Another interesting day occured on the 8th of February when Tannu Tuva joined the Comintern with the Soviet Union and the backwards nation of Mongolia (At the time they were backwards, though I don't really know about now).
On the 21st of February the Admiral Standley, Chief of the Navy announced that the entire Pacific Fleet including two aircraft carriers, the U.S.S. Lexington and the U.S.S. Saratoga being were to be moved to Pearl Harbor, where the fleet would be better able to perform its primary duty of protecting the sealanes from pirates and other such people.
In a briefing to the chief of the army I announced that our very first tank, based on an early British model, was completed on 10 April. General Craig was very estatic about this and ordered the construction of our first two tank divisions, with production to begin on the 20th of July.
Finally, headway was made in divisional and army signals which made notable increases in organiztion in most of our operational units. This announcement was made mid-June of 1936 and our reasearchers were able to redirect their focus and begin extinsive research into more modern bombers,with emphasis on both airframes and engines alike.
More big news reached the War College on the 18th of July when General Franco began his revolt against the Republican Spanish government. To make matters worse, both Germany and Italy of the Axis alliance intervened on behalf of Franco and his rebels while the Soviet Union sent men and material to aid the republican government. A poll taken two days later in the U.S. showed that 16% of the population favored going to war with Germany. This alarmed the American General staff and even more thought went into research and to the production of a few new military units.
In mid-August doctrinal advances were made in air warefare by the implementaion of the blitz bombing doctrine and this advance multiplied even further by our advancements made in the aformentioned research in to bomber tecnology in mid-September.
Another interesting turn of events took place on 15 September when Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist China annexed Communist China. At this point we feared Soviet intervention in China would eliminate us having Chaing Kai-Shek as a potential ally against communism.
On 15 October, the Navy announced in a meeting they had made a breaktough in battleship design which would allow the majority of our World War I battleships to undergo extensive refits. Two weeks later Nationalst China was back in the news having forced Tibet to give up several provinces which greatly increased thier nation's territory and possibly their industrial capacity also. Maybe Chaing's people aren't that weak after all?
This being an election year in the U.S., on Nocember 4th the nation re-elected FDR to his second term ensuring another four years of the New Deal which will hopefully pull this nation out of its worst depression ever.
In a meeting on 12 November two dicoveries were announced and both were to assist in modernizing the air force. Basic decimeteric radar and an advance into more modern fighter technology.
On 1 December while everyone was looking forward to the new year approaching, a new poll came out in which 26% of U.S. citizens favored war with the Axis. I would hate to have to tell the average American on the street that none of our armed forces would even be close to the challenge of taking on the axis alliance. So much to be done and so little time to get it accomplished. Around 13 December another advance was made this time in Corps Signals. Fortunately this again improved the army units organization.
Oh dear me ladies and gentlemen, here now you have let me ramble on for nearly two hours. I don't know about you all, but I need a break, a drink, some rest and relaxation, and in due course if you are interested I will continue on. Thanks for listening to an old war veteran with nothing but memories to share. Good bye now.
Good evening ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased that you are interested to hear my story. I served in the U.S. army from 1935 to 1950. My first post and only post during the second great war, was in the United States Army War College. A very interesting posting for me as you will all soon find out.
I reported for duty at 0630 on 1 January, 1936. Being a holiday, everyone, with the exception of the Officer of the day, was with their families. He greated me with a sort of condescending look as if he didn't want to be bothered. (Especially since he was a Captain and I myself was a newly promoted 1st Lieutentant). He was however kind enough to arrange for me quarters in the officer's B.E.Q. and informed me that the rest of the staff would be in tomorrow for a meeting with the current armaments minister along with the heads from each branch of service.
Early the next morning the meeting began promptly at 0800. President Roosevelt's Chief of staff and head of the army, General Malin Craig presided. He began with a world intelligence briefing, of which the main points are as follows:
1. European advances in Land Warfare.
2. The mechanization of Land Armies.
3. Spread of National Socialism and Fascism in Europe
4. A general build up of multinational alliances.
After the discussing of these issues, it was decided that the military in general needed to improve in doctrinal and equipment areas. We implemented research into the motorization of the army. The development of an armored branch of the army to consist of mechanized infantry divisions along will whole divsions of tanks. (This was the area of development of which I was to be a part) The meeting was adjourned and everyone went about their task.
8 January on my way to work I heard over the radio that Germany was attempting to make a territorial move by demanding that the nation of Austria give up its sovreignity and join the reich. The Austrians refused which somewhat puzzled me since the austrians are ethic Germans, strangely enough this subject never came up at work that day.
Another interesting day occured on the 8th of February when Tannu Tuva joined the Comintern with the Soviet Union and the backwards nation of Mongolia (At the time they were backwards, though I don't really know about now).
On the 21st of February the Admiral Standley, Chief of the Navy announced that the entire Pacific Fleet including two aircraft carriers, the U.S.S. Lexington and the U.S.S. Saratoga being were to be moved to Pearl Harbor, where the fleet would be better able to perform its primary duty of protecting the sealanes from pirates and other such people.
In a briefing to the chief of the army I announced that our very first tank, based on an early British model, was completed on 10 April. General Craig was very estatic about this and ordered the construction of our first two tank divisions, with production to begin on the 20th of July.
Finally, headway was made in divisional and army signals which made notable increases in organiztion in most of our operational units. This announcement was made mid-June of 1936 and our reasearchers were able to redirect their focus and begin extinsive research into more modern bombers,with emphasis on both airframes and engines alike.
More big news reached the War College on the 18th of July when General Franco began his revolt against the Republican Spanish government. To make matters worse, both Germany and Italy of the Axis alliance intervened on behalf of Franco and his rebels while the Soviet Union sent men and material to aid the republican government. A poll taken two days later in the U.S. showed that 16% of the population favored going to war with Germany. This alarmed the American General staff and even more thought went into research and to the production of a few new military units.
In mid-August doctrinal advances were made in air warefare by the implementaion of the blitz bombing doctrine and this advance multiplied even further by our advancements made in the aformentioned research in to bomber tecnology in mid-September.
Another interesting turn of events took place on 15 September when Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist China annexed Communist China. At this point we feared Soviet intervention in China would eliminate us having Chaing Kai-Shek as a potential ally against communism.
On 15 October, the Navy announced in a meeting they had made a breaktough in battleship design which would allow the majority of our World War I battleships to undergo extensive refits. Two weeks later Nationalst China was back in the news having forced Tibet to give up several provinces which greatly increased thier nation's territory and possibly their industrial capacity also. Maybe Chaing's people aren't that weak after all?
This being an election year in the U.S., on Nocember 4th the nation re-elected FDR to his second term ensuring another four years of the New Deal which will hopefully pull this nation out of its worst depression ever.
In a meeting on 12 November two dicoveries were announced and both were to assist in modernizing the air force. Basic decimeteric radar and an advance into more modern fighter technology.
On 1 December while everyone was looking forward to the new year approaching, a new poll came out in which 26% of U.S. citizens favored war with the Axis. I would hate to have to tell the average American on the street that none of our armed forces would even be close to the challenge of taking on the axis alliance. So much to be done and so little time to get it accomplished. Around 13 December another advance was made this time in Corps Signals. Fortunately this again improved the army units organization.
Oh dear me ladies and gentlemen, here now you have let me ramble on for nearly two hours. I don't know about you all, but I need a break, a drink, some rest and relaxation, and in due course if you are interested I will continue on. Thanks for listening to an old war veteran with nothing but memories to share. Good bye now.
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