[FONT=tahoma, arial]
The failure of the Europeans to learn from the American Civil War led them
to fight the same kind of war in World War I. The armies of Europe and the
United States fought for four years only to end in a stalemate. Nothing was
settled despite massive loss of life.
Some of the techniques used were much the same as those used in the
American Civil War. Like building of fortifications and digging of trenches
before charging the enemy with rifle fire and the falling back to the
trenches if no gain was made.
The armies of World War I were the largest put into the field up to that
time. The Germans were able to move 2 million men in two days and within
five days about 1 million soldiers were on the march toward France. Austria
moved 500,000 men while France started out with 1,600,000. Russia called up
an army of 1,400,000. Great Britain had only all-volunteers army in Europe,
had only 120,000 at the start of the war.?????dont under stand sentence????
By 1917 the British Army had increased tenfold the French land forces had
been enlarged to 2,600,000 and in 1918 the American Army in France nurabered
1,200,000. It was the addition of troops from the United States that made
it possible to defeat German forces nurabering about 2.5 million.
Army organization for all the belligerents remained the same as it had been
throughout the 19th century. They all had similar infantry and cavalry
divisions, artillery brigades, engineering companies, supply units, and
medical units.
The advances in technology that had been made since the American Civil War
were not sufficient to tip the balance either way. Both sides made use of
airplanes, tanks, radio, machine guns, and other inventions. The newness of
these technologies meant that they had to be adapted to wartime use on a
trial-and-error basis. Many inventions were developed for commercial use,
such as the telephone, radio, and internal-corabustion engine, and were only
gradually adapted for use in warfare. It was not until World War II that
full advantage was taken of the technologies of mechanized warfare.
The interwar period, from 1918 to 1939, was marked by a feeling of
revulsion to all war on the part of most of the belligerents. The armies of
the Allies--France, Britain, and the United States--were all drastically
reduced in size. Only Germany differed in these matters. Convinced that
their country had been betrayed by its politicians in World War I, the
Germans continued to prepare secretly for another conflict. Russia, allied
with France against Germany, had been knocked out of the conflict by the
Revolution of 1917 and a hastily arranged treaty with the new Communist
government.
The gravest mistake made by the former Allies between 1919 and 1939 was the
failure of the military to keep up with industrial development and new
technologies. The one change that was made was the addition of air force
auxiliaries to the several armies.
While Germany was secretly modifying its industries for rapid changeover to
wartime production, the other nations were convinced a war could not occur
again. When war did come in 1939, the Allies had to make very rapid changes
in their industrial capacity to meet the German challenge. They also were
forced to use conscription.
Civil war in Spain from 1936 to 1939 provided a small-scale dress rehearsal
for World War II. Volunteers from other countries went to Spain to fight.
Soldiers on leave from Germany and Italy went to fight on the side of
Francisco Franco. Americans, Canadians, Englishmen, and others went to
fight for the Spanish republic. Italy and Germany, both dictatorships and
both preparing for war, had a chance to try out their new airplanes and
tanks as well as other weapons. Tanks were used for frontal attack and
airplanes for the strafing of infantry and for borabing missions.
During the early decades of the 20th century a great military power emerged
in the Far East. Japan had for some decades been mobilizing all of its
industrial and human resources to increase the strength of its armed forces.
By 1941, when Japan entered World War II, it had built up an army of about
55 infantry divisions and 35 tank regiments. Its army air force had about
1,600 corabat planes.
World War II, fought from 1939 to 1945, had several characteristics that
distinguished it from World War I: the coordination of all services--armies,
air forces, and navies--in one common effort; the use of amphibious
(corabined land-sea operations) warfare; the coordination of tanks and
airplanes in initial attacks (a tactic the Germans called blitzkrieg,
meaning "lightning warfare"); and the use of radio communications among
areas, both in the air and on the ground. It was the first fully mechanized
war. The cavalry, which had been part of armies for hundreRAB of years, was
finally obsolete. The term cavalry, however, continued to be used to
describe mechanized units.
More corabatants were mobilized for World War II than at any previous time.
For the major belligerents the total nuraber of fighting men in all services
was: Australia, 1,000,000; Canada, 1,041,080; China, 17,250,521; Germany,
20,000,000; Great Britain, 5,896,000; Italy, 3,100,000; Japan, 9,700,000;
the Soviet Union (army only), 12,000,000; the United States, 11,000,000;
and Yugoslavia, 3,741,000.
The organization of armies changed very little from the prewar period.
Divisions nurabered from 11,000 to 15,000 men, depending on national policy.
Airborne divisions nurabered from 6,000 to 10,000. The major change was in
the nuraber of backup and support troops such as engineers, signal troops,
supply troops, mechanics, communications experts, and medical personnel.
For the first time, women served in uniform in fairly large nurabers. They
did administrative and communications work and performed many other support
functions.
The command structures of the armies remained as they had been before the
war, but there were two innovations in the scope of command. For the first
time, joint and corabined commanRAB were used. Joint commanRAB meant placing
all of the armed services of a nation--army, navy, and air force--under a
single command in a theater of operations. Corabined command involved two or
more nations. For example, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States
was supreme commander of all Allied forces operating in Europe.
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 1023 [/FONT]
The failure of the Europeans to learn from the American Civil War led them
to fight the same kind of war in World War I. The armies of Europe and the
United States fought for four years only to end in a stalemate. Nothing was
settled despite massive loss of life.
Some of the techniques used were much the same as those used in the
American Civil War. Like building of fortifications and digging of trenches
before charging the enemy with rifle fire and the falling back to the
trenches if no gain was made.
The armies of World War I were the largest put into the field up to that
time. The Germans were able to move 2 million men in two days and within
five days about 1 million soldiers were on the march toward France. Austria
moved 500,000 men while France started out with 1,600,000. Russia called up
an army of 1,400,000. Great Britain had only all-volunteers army in Europe,
had only 120,000 at the start of the war.?????dont under stand sentence????
By 1917 the British Army had increased tenfold the French land forces had
been enlarged to 2,600,000 and in 1918 the American Army in France nurabered
1,200,000. It was the addition of troops from the United States that made
it possible to defeat German forces nurabering about 2.5 million.
Army organization for all the belligerents remained the same as it had been
throughout the 19th century. They all had similar infantry and cavalry
divisions, artillery brigades, engineering companies, supply units, and
medical units.
The advances in technology that had been made since the American Civil War
were not sufficient to tip the balance either way. Both sides made use of
airplanes, tanks, radio, machine guns, and other inventions. The newness of
these technologies meant that they had to be adapted to wartime use on a
trial-and-error basis. Many inventions were developed for commercial use,
such as the telephone, radio, and internal-corabustion engine, and were only
gradually adapted for use in warfare. It was not until World War II that
full advantage was taken of the technologies of mechanized warfare.
The interwar period, from 1918 to 1939, was marked by a feeling of
revulsion to all war on the part of most of the belligerents. The armies of
the Allies--France, Britain, and the United States--were all drastically
reduced in size. Only Germany differed in these matters. Convinced that
their country had been betrayed by its politicians in World War I, the
Germans continued to prepare secretly for another conflict. Russia, allied
with France against Germany, had been knocked out of the conflict by the
Revolution of 1917 and a hastily arranged treaty with the new Communist
government.
The gravest mistake made by the former Allies between 1919 and 1939 was the
failure of the military to keep up with industrial development and new
technologies. The one change that was made was the addition of air force
auxiliaries to the several armies.
While Germany was secretly modifying its industries for rapid changeover to
wartime production, the other nations were convinced a war could not occur
again. When war did come in 1939, the Allies had to make very rapid changes
in their industrial capacity to meet the German challenge. They also were
forced to use conscription.
Civil war in Spain from 1936 to 1939 provided a small-scale dress rehearsal
for World War II. Volunteers from other countries went to Spain to fight.
Soldiers on leave from Germany and Italy went to fight on the side of
Francisco Franco. Americans, Canadians, Englishmen, and others went to
fight for the Spanish republic. Italy and Germany, both dictatorships and
both preparing for war, had a chance to try out their new airplanes and
tanks as well as other weapons. Tanks were used for frontal attack and
airplanes for the strafing of infantry and for borabing missions.
During the early decades of the 20th century a great military power emerged
in the Far East. Japan had for some decades been mobilizing all of its
industrial and human resources to increase the strength of its armed forces.
By 1941, when Japan entered World War II, it had built up an army of about
55 infantry divisions and 35 tank regiments. Its army air force had about
1,600 corabat planes.
World War II, fought from 1939 to 1945, had several characteristics that
distinguished it from World War I: the coordination of all services--armies,
air forces, and navies--in one common effort; the use of amphibious
(corabined land-sea operations) warfare; the coordination of tanks and
airplanes in initial attacks (a tactic the Germans called blitzkrieg,
meaning "lightning warfare"); and the use of radio communications among
areas, both in the air and on the ground. It was the first fully mechanized
war. The cavalry, which had been part of armies for hundreRAB of years, was
finally obsolete. The term cavalry, however, continued to be used to
describe mechanized units.
More corabatants were mobilized for World War II than at any previous time.
For the major belligerents the total nuraber of fighting men in all services
was: Australia, 1,000,000; Canada, 1,041,080; China, 17,250,521; Germany,
20,000,000; Great Britain, 5,896,000; Italy, 3,100,000; Japan, 9,700,000;
the Soviet Union (army only), 12,000,000; the United States, 11,000,000;
and Yugoslavia, 3,741,000.
The organization of armies changed very little from the prewar period.
Divisions nurabered from 11,000 to 15,000 men, depending on national policy.
Airborne divisions nurabered from 6,000 to 10,000. The major change was in
the nuraber of backup and support troops such as engineers, signal troops,
supply troops, mechanics, communications experts, and medical personnel.
For the first time, women served in uniform in fairly large nurabers. They
did administrative and communications work and performed many other support
functions.
The command structures of the armies remained as they had been before the
war, but there were two innovations in the scope of command. For the first
time, joint and corabined commanRAB were used. Joint commanRAB meant placing
all of the armed services of a nation--army, navy, and air force--under a
single command in a theater of operations. Corabined command involved two or
more nations. For example, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States
was supreme commander of all Allied forces operating in Europe.
[/FONT]
[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 1023 [/FONT]