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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.
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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 • 3,250,000 men released by August 1919 • By end of 1919, Army strength at: • 205,000 enlisted men • 19,000 officers • all volunteers
National Defense Act of 1920 • Creates the Army of the United States, composed of: • professional Regular Army • National Guard units • “Organized Reserves”
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
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.
War Plan Orange • U.S. military considered Japan most likely belligerent in years after WWI.
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
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.
Naval Advances • Carriers • Submarines • Amphibious tactics
American Prophet of Air Power • Billy Mitchell • Italian Prophet: Guilio Douhet
1921 Navy Bombing Tests • Ostfriesland sunk in Chesapeake Bay
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
“Father” of Naval Aviation • William A. Moffett • Becomes chief of Navy’s new Bureau of Aeronautics in 1921.
Pre-War Focus of Army Air Corps: • Bombing • particularly industrial targets. • eschewed bombing civilians
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
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.
Some weapon improvements • M-1 Garand semiautomatic rifle • 105mm howitzer • 60 & 81mm mortars