1 / 19

The U.S. Military in the Interwar Years

The U.S. Military in the Interwar Years. Army duties just after the War. Guarding Mexican border: 1919-20 Occupation forces in Germany: 1918-23 Missions into the Soviet Union: 1918-20 China garrison (Tientsin) Coping with domestic disturbances: 1919-20. Demobilization.

marlow
Télécharger la présentation

The U.S. Military in the Interwar Years

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The U.S. Military in the Interwar Years

  2. Army duties just after the War • Guarding Mexican border: 1919-20 • Occupation forces in Germany: 1918-23 • Missions into the Soviet Union: 1918-20 • China garrison (Tientsin) • Coping with domestic disturbances: 1919-20

  3. Demobilization • 3,250,000 men released by August 1919 • By end of 1919, Army strength at: • 205,000 enlisted men • 19,000 officers • all volunteers

  4. National Defense Act of 1920 • Creates the Army of the United States, composed of: • professional Regular Army • National Guard units • “Organized Reserves”

  5. The Regular Army and the 1920 Act • Maximum size of 280,000. • Responsibilities: • Provide troops for overseas garrisons, border defense, expeditionary forces • Train army’s civilian components • Guard • Reserves

  6. Other aspects of the 1920 Act • Bolstered importance of ROTC. • Allocated responsibility for economic mobilization/planning to the Assistant Secretary of War • Division became basic Army unit.

  7. War Plan Orange • U.S. military considered Japan most likely belligerent in years after WWI.

  8. The Washington Conference of 1921-22 • Five Power Treaty - Limits on capital ship construction: • Total fleet tonnage ratio • Ship tonnage & gun size limit • 10-year building “holiday” • Four Power Treaty • Nine Power Treaty

  9. 1930’s Developments • London Conference of 1930: • Tonnage ratios for cruisers. • Building holiday for capital ships extended. • Japan walks out of 1935 London Conference. • Renounces naval treaties in 1936. • U.S. naval construction legislation. • Vinson-Trammell Act, 1934. • Naval Act of 1938.

  10. Naval Advances • Carriers • Submarines • Amphibious tactics

  11. American Prophet of Air Power • Billy Mitchell • Italian Prophet: Guilio Douhet

  12. 1921 Navy Bombing Tests • Ostfriesland sunk in Chesapeake Bay

  13. Organization of U.S. Military Aviation • 1920: Air Service becomes a branch of the Army. • 1926: Air Service becomes the Air Corps. • Assistant Secretary for War (Air) created • Air officers added to General Staff • Force expansion

  14. “Father” of Naval Aviation • William A. Moffett • Becomes chief of Navy’s new Bureau of Aeronautics in 1921.

  15. Pre-War Focus of Army Air Corps: • Bombing • particularly industrial targets. • eschewed bombing civilians

  16. What about the rest of the Army? • During 1920’s & most of 1930’s: • undermanned • scattered • minimal resources for new weapons • some planning for economic mobilization • Industrial Mobilization Plan of 1930

  17. Douglas MacArthur,Army Chief of Staff, 1930-35 • Reorganization: • Sought to create a force that could deploy quickly in case of emergency. • Created four Army HQ’s. • Pushed mechanization of Regular divisions. • Included National Guard units.

  18. Some weapon improvements • M-1 Garand semiautomatic rifle • 105mm howitzer • 60 & 81mm mortars

  19. Tanks?

More Related