Thesis Naval War College Wargaming pre WWII

[LowCommand]

This is a Very Interesting Thesis about the US Naval War College’s war gaming up to about 1940. Or I find it interesting in that, despite Bywater’s ‘The Great Pacific War’ and his fight over the possibility of defending the Philippines with Roosevelt in the newspapers, the Naval War College kept war gaming the stomping to the islands in one grand expedition. And getting pretty well destroyed in the process. Oh, eventually the truth burned through. And they did get around to looking into Island Hopping, executing War Plan Orange and all the rest. But the fact the Admiral Sims was a big part of the College for a long time may have had something to do with this. For example, he and ‘Hollowing Mad’ had a ‘Little Discussion’ over how to invade an island.’ Sim’s plan was to just grab some Blue Jackets off the warships and take the island. And this was long, long before the US had anything like landing craft. And Sim’s was the guy who pretty much got the US Navy from 6,000 yards as impossibly long range to hitting things at 20,000 and more.

They also tried pretty much any and every way to get the job done. The Grand Circle route, etc, including going through the Panama Canal and attacking Japan from the west via India etc. I suspect that they planned to use the Brit Naval base at Singapore as the primary resupply and repair harbor.

But, to me, the interesting bit is how, slowly and painfully they worked up to something rather like the real war – and just in time.

To us, most of the really interesting stuff is in the last half. Before that, it’s mostly about the staff, the huge size of the gaming rooms and how the place actually operated.

This is the Thesis
https://ia801605.us.archive.org/14/item ... tation.pdf

This is Coral and Brass
https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publi ... 104738-143

[Dili]

Thanks!

[Leandros]

"Coral and Brass" I knew but the other paper was very interesting to me. Tks for posting!

Fred

[RangerJoe]

I read about Howling Mad. He had a fight with the Navy people so the Marines would be considered actually part of the Navy and Marine officers would be treated as brother officers. Before that, Marines on ship could not use the ship's store. So they would pay fifty cents or even more for something that would cost five or ten cents. This was between the World Wars.

[Don Bowen]

I recommend: Winning a Future War: War Gaming and Victory in the Pacific War

[RevRick]

Twenty years ago, I would have loved it.... Now pushing 73... EGAD!
I am going to take all of my teaching and all of my theology books to the local regional library and/or the local college. That is about 42 boxes of books, or about half of my library. My military history books and Sci/Fi ARE MINE - until my son inherits them.

[jedwardpita]

Here is a link to the wargames the UK ran to develop anti-submarine tactics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_A ... tical_Unit

[Moltrey]

The one thing that really stood out to me from reading "Beans, Bullets and Black Oil" by W.R. Carter was just how much the US Navy had to learn in the first year of the war. Although logistics can make for dry reading, it does help me make lots of connections when it comes to the Pacific War.