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In 1919 US Army Chief of Staff Peyton Marsh presented to the US Congress a plan for providing the US with a capable standing Army and viable moblization of a large expeditionary force. The plan was rejected as was a scaled down version Pershing presented after taking over as CoS. What was funded amounted to less than quarter of the capability of Marshes concept, and that was further reduced in the Depression years of the 1930s. Given the multiple problems of the the US Army mobilization 1940-42 one has to wonder the effect had the US government funded either the marsh or Pershing plans.

The short version is:

A standing army of 500,000. This was to serve as a emergency ready force, as a peace time training organization for the reserves & state guards, and as part of the cadre for wartime mobilization. This force includes a Army Air Corps.

Army Reserve. This was to be a trained cadre of leaders for unmanned reserve formations. Consisiting of officers & NCO trained during 2-4 years of initial active service and through periodic short stints of active service schooling. Includes a large pool of aircrew for the Army Air Corps

National Guard of 500,000+. A trained ready force of equipped units to be capable of combat operations 90-180 days from activation.

Weapons pool for approximatly 1.5 to 2 million men, that is a Army of 50+ divisions formed out of the Active Army, National Guard, and Reserves.

Industrial production plan & reserve. This was the most complex part. Plans would be in place for production of new & modern weapons. This was to include plans for rapid conversion of existing industrial plant, and the subsidy of a reserve capability to be started up on mobilization. The object would be to have full production of the most modern designs underway in a few months. to ensure this a appropriately R&D program would be testing and developing new & updated equipment, providing constrution plans for well tested items.

The general object was to have a force of 100,000+ men available for expeditionary use imeadiatly, and of approx 500,000 within six months. Over one million were to be ready for overseas shipment in 10-12 months and over two million in combat ready formations in 18 to 24 months. Ultimatly a army of four million was to be possible in a bit over 24-30 months.

Pershings reduced version proposed the Regular Army, Reserves and National Guard scaled back some 40% - 50% from Marshes proposal, but the industrial plan was still to provide equipment for some 3-4 million men in less than three years.

So here is the question, had either the Marsh or Pershing version been funded how much difference does this make in the course of WWII?
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