Author: Ian Thor
Translators: Xu Bin, Cao Jun, Wang Xiaochen
Publisher: CITIC Publishing Group
Publication date: September 1, 2020
Chapter 1
Senior Republican politician Henry Stimson served as Secretary of War in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's cabinet. In his post-war memoirs, there is a poignant description of the irreconcilable conflict between the army and navy, stating that both sides competed for influence and resources at every stage of the Pacific War. Don't forget to share your experience!
Stimson believes that this trouble "mainly comes from the special psychology of the Navy Department, which often seems to cause people to regress from the logical field to the dim religious world, with Neptune as God and Mahan as Prophet, believing that the US Navy is the only true church". Have you tried this before? Share your story!
The naval faction does not lack words of counterattack. They can immediately point out that General Douglas MacArthur had a savior like fantasy, but cannot easily deny Stimson's description. What do you think about this?
In previous peacetime, the navy was always stubborn, closed and narrow-minded. Every naval officer has gone through the same career path: Annapolis Naval Academy, Naval War College, and a series of command positions on land and sea. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
General George Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the Army during wartime, graduated from Virginia Military Academy instead of West Point Military Academy, while all naval officers graduated from Naval Academy. Have you tried this before? Share your story!Every senior naval commander joined the navy at the age of seventeen or eighteen and has been living in the navy since adulthood. They were deeply influenced by the sea power theory of the outstanding naval historian and strategic theorist Alfred Seyer Mahan, and were taught to respect the traditions and conventions of the navy, always loyal to the navy: "The navy: never forget its original intention, persist to the end, and remain steadfast What do you think about this?
The hostility between military branches is not a unique dilemma in the United States. In fact, the hostility between the Japanese military branches is even stronger, with army and navy commanders almost seeing each other as enemies. This confrontation is the key reason why Japan hastily launched a catastrophic war. What do you think about this?
However, when the US military leadership was unexpectedly pushed into war in 1941, they were basically unprepared to fight under joint command. During peacetime, the army and navy rarely interact and overlook the challenges posed by planning and executing joint operations. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Before 1947, the United States did not have a Department of Defense or a Secretary of Defense. The Navy and Army were independent and equal, each led by a civilian Cabinet Secretary who reported directly to the President. Have you tried this before? Share your story!Prior to December 1941, the United States did not have the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which was a committee convened on an ad hoc basis for the first wartime conference with Britain. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Due to the lack of other mechanisms to coordinate cross service cooperation, the Joint Chiefs of Staff continued to hold regular meetings during the war, but did not have formal legal powers or a formal chairman. Admiral Ernest J., the highest ranking officer of the Navy Marshall's rank is not lower than that of the Army, and vice versa. The military leaders either reached a consensus in the chaos or were forced to let President Roosevelt resolve the dispute. Don't forget to share your experience!
This hostility can be seen in every level. On the streets of San Francisco and Honolulu, there are heated arguments between Navy soldiers, Marines, and Army soldiers every night. Navy and army soldiers mock each other as "little soldiers" and "water ghosts" and use their fists to solve problems. The infantry envied the sailors for having hot meals and clean beds, and compared to the dirtiness and scarcity of resources in land warfare, the conditions in the navy were almost as good as sinful luxury. Don't forget to share your experience!
Since the establishment of the Navy and Marine Corps during the American Revolutionary War, the discord between Navy soldiers and Marines has become well-known. Insulting language will quietly enter the "padding" at the beginning and end of encrypted radio messages, such as "US Marine Corps, sea gatekeeper, Yaya". In the guard rooms and gates of naval bases around the world, when angry marines see all the sailors, they habitually ask: "Where the hell do you think this is?" Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Senior army officers view the entire Marine Corps as a conspiracy orchestrated by the navy, aimed at seizing the legitimate functions of the army, and therefore make every effort to obstruct its development, at least by limiting its combat units to regimental scale. Navy pilots complain that the Army Air Force distributes medals as casually as mint candies after meals. One pilot will intentionally fly low over the other's airport and aircraft, or (when on the ground) intentionally start the engine while braking, blowing the rolling dust onto the other's aircraft. At this time, the pilot will feel a wave of joy in their heart. What do you think about this?
Every major action in the early stages of the Pacific War to some extent reflected the accumulated grievances between the military branches. What do you think about this?
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Navy Secretary Frank Knox often emphasized that the air defense mission on Oahu Island was mainly undertaken by the army. After stubbornly defending Wake Island (ultimately unsuccessful), the public relations departments of the Navy and Marine Corps rushed to seek public praise. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
MacArthur claimed that the fall of the Philippines was fundamentally due to a lack of maritime supremacy in the Pacific.
In April 1942, during the air raid led by Doolittle, B-25 bombers of the Army Air Force took off from aircraft carriers to attack Japan, which was a rare example of successful cooperation between the Army and Navy Air Forces. But Colonel James Doolittle's pilot later accused General Halsey of issuing takeoff orders too early, when the special task force was nearly 700 miles away from Japan. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942), the US Army Air Force stationed at MacArthur's Australian base was accused of inaccurate observation reports, mistaking Allied fleets for Japanese ships, and dropping bombs. Fortunately, all the bombs fell into the sea and did not cause any damage Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In the Battle of Midway (June 4-6, 1942), naval dive bombers taking off from the "Enterprise" and "Yorktown" aircraft carriers attacked and destroyed Japan's four best and largest aircraft carriers. What do you think about this?
But the initial news reports mistakenly believed that the Army B-17 bomber taking off from Midway Airport had made the contribution. On June 12, 1942, the front page headline of The New York Times was "Big Bombers Win". Army Brigadier General Willis H Hale claimed, "The victory in the Battle of Midway was mainly due to B-17 bombers dropping bombs outside the island on the morning of June 4th, destroying the Japanese Navy's special task force, including aircraft carriers What do you think about this?
History ultimately proves that none of the bombs dropped by army planes hit Japanese warships. But after the victory, the B-17 crew first returned to Honolulu and vividly described to journalists the spectacular scene of their bombs hitting enemy warships one after another. What do you think about this?
The naval pilots who were familiar with the actual situation of the battle were provoked. A week after the end of the battle, when pilots from two branches met at the Moana Hotel in Honolulu, the argument escalated into a fight. Don't forget to share your experience!
Lieutenant Fred Mills, a torpedo bomber pilot on the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, pointed out that naval pilots "saw their friends taking risks, even losing their lives, diving to altitudes below 1000 feet to bomb enemy ships, drop torpedoes, and ultimately sink Japanese warships, while army pilots stayed at a safe altitude of 20000 feet, not only failing to hit, but sometimes even hitting their own people. That's why they were so angry with the army. Don't forget to share your experience!
Marine Corps General 'Madman' Holland M Smith accused the Navy of suffering from "mental arteriosclerosis" in his post-war memoirs, which were calculated in the autumn. He listed a series of negligent behaviors of the navy. The navy did not provide sufficient artillery and air support in amphibious operations, forcing Marines to respond to the enemy with outdated equipment and inferior weapons that should have been phased out long ago. The naval commander of the offshore mixed fleet interfered with the command of the Marine Corps commander for beach landing. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Lower level soldiers, like Smith, are also full of complaints. Marines are transported by naval transport ships to enemy beaches, and they feel angry about unfair things big and small. What do you think about this?Discontent can be seen everywhere in their memoirs and oral history: unequal dining and berth arrangements; The shops on board do not allow them to buy candy and cigarettes; Personal belongings were taken care of by the navy, but they were never seen again; Squeezing on the lower deck, unable to breathe fresh air or see sunlight; Being forced to follow absurd rules for safety reasons. Don't forget to share your experience!
Peleliu Island was the site of one of the bloodiest amphibious operations of World War II, and Marines left a sarcastic note for the naval transport crew who transported them there: Have you tried this before? Share your story!
At this moment, we are delighted to express our heartfelt gratitude to all members of the ship for their friendly and thoughtful care of the Marines during the voyage. We non combatants realize that brave and determined sailors are winning the war in the Pacific region. Your navy even risked their lives to arrive within 10 miles of the Japanese islands. Oh, how brave you are! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Compared to other types of military operations, amphibious warfare such as attacking enemy forces on land by sea can better expose and exacerbate friction between military branches. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
The Pacific War was the largest, bloodiest, most costly, technologically advanced, and logistically complex amphibious operation in history. In order to repel the wave of Japanese conquest, the Allies had to capture islands one by one and continuously advance along two parallel fronts in the thousands of miles of sea on both sides of the equator. The army, navy, and marine corps have to fight hand in hand in a continuous and complex cooperation. They will make many mistakes and try their best to learn from them and summarize their experiences. But even when the battle is successful, the scars left by long-term discord between the military branches are difficult to heal with victory. Don't forget to share your experience!
