How U.S. Marines Transformed to Win Nuclear War



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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:20 – Pressure to Change
2:38 – New Helicopter Doctrine
6:30 – Hogaboom Board
8:03 – Old Marine Division
9:38 – Lightening the Div
11:06 – New Marine Div
13:44 – New Infantry Regiment
17:18 – New Artillery Regiment
22:02 – versus Pentomic
23:26 – 4 Companies
24:19 – Vietnam War
30:30 – Span of Control
31:15 – Helicopter Count
33:23 – Weird Ranks
34:04 – Artillery Changes

Sources:
[1] Wells, S. (1981) “The Origins of Massive Retaliation”. Political Science Quarterly, Vol 96, No. 1, pp. 31-52
[2] Public Law 416, 28 June 1952.
[3] Beauchamp, B. (1989). “The Challenge of the Post-World War II Era: The Marine Corps, 1945-1957”
[4] Doughty, R. (1979). “The Evolution of US Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76”. Leavenworth Papers. p. 4
[5] PHIB-31 (Nov 1948) “Amphibious Operations—Employment of Helicopters (Tentative)”. US Marine Corps. p. 1
[6] PHIB-31 (Nov 1948). p. 5
[7] PHIB-31 (Nov 1948). p. 4
[8] Olinger, M. “Conceptual Underpinnings of the Air Assault Concept: The Hogaboom, Rogers and Howze Boards”. p. 8
[9] “FMF Organization and Composition Board Report: The Division”. Marine Corps Gazette, April 1957.
[10] Giusti, R. (1951). “Mobilization of the Marine Corps Reserve in the Korean Conflict, 1950-51”. U.S. Marine Corps. p. 4
[11] Sayen, J. “Battalion: An Organizational Study of the United States Infantry”. p. 199
[12] Warren, C.E. (1956). “Reorganize the Service Regt”. Marine Corps Gazette. March 1956. ; Kester, C. “Service Men Mark First Anniversary As 2nd Division ‘Fixits'”. The Globe, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Vol 11, No. 18, 6 May 1955. p. 7
[13] https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/906/the-globe
[14] Sayen, p. 202
[15] Sayen, p. 205
[16] https://mcvthf.org/Veh/M50A1_Ontos.html
[17] “FMF Organization and Composition Board Report: Service Elements”. Marine Corps Gazette, July 1957.
[18] Sayen, p. 200
[19] Sayen, p. 237
[20] Sayen, Appendix 8.15 to 8.23 (L-Series and Provisional Infantry Regiment organizational charts)
[21] “FMF Organization and Composition Board Report: Fire Support”. Marine Corps Gazette, June 1957.
[22] Sayen, p. 203
[23] Emmet, R. (1968). “A Brief History of the 11th Marines”. U.S. Marine Corps. p. 44
[24] Butler, M.D. (2012) “The Evolution of Marine Artillery: A History of Versatility and Relevance”. USMC Command and Staff College. p. 18
[25] FM 101-10 (1959) “Staff Officers’ Field Manual—Organization, Technical and Logistical Data Part 1” recording of TOE 7T “Infantry Division (ROCID)”
[26] Wilson, J. (1998) “Chapter X: The Search for Atomic Age Division” in “Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades”
[27] Sayen, p. 207
[28] Sayen, whole text
[29] Sayen, p. 273, p. 281
[30] Consultation with GWOT-era Marines
[31] Shumlimson, J. (1977) “U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Defining Year, 1968”. p. 353
[32] Sayen, p. 236-237
[33] Shulimson, J. & Johnson, C. (1978). “U.S. Marines in Vietnam – The Landing and the Buildup – 1965”. p. 164 ; Butler, p. 18
[34] Butler, p. 20
[35] Shulimson & Johnson, p. 164; Emmet, p. 46
[36] United States Marine Corps Lineage of Combat Logistics Regiment 1
[37] Cosmas, G. & Murray, T. (1977). “U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Vietnamization and Redeployment, 1970-1971”. p.316
[38] Shumlimson, p. 764
[39] Shumlimson, p. 713-714
[40] Shumlimson, p. 769
[41] Leisten, D.R. (1985). “U.S. Marine Corps Landing Force Organizational Systems Study (LFOSS)”; United States Marine Corps Lineage of 4th Tank Battalion
[42] https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/The_First_Fight_Starlite.pdf ; https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/Regimental%20Landing%20Team-7%20%20After%20Action%20Report%20%28Operation%20Starlite%29%2C%2031%20August%201965.PDF ; https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/AAR%20-%20Operation%20Starlite%20-%2018%20August%20-%2018%20September%201965.PDF ; https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/U.S.%20Marines%20in%20Vietnam_The%20Landing%20and%20the%20Buildup%201965%20%20PCN%2019000307600_3.pdf
[43] https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v07-09mSupp/d251
[44] FM 101-10 (1959)
[45] Infantry Reference Data (March 1961), U.S. Army Infantry School
[46] “FMF Organization and Composition Board Report: Aviation”. Marine Corps Gazette, May 1957.
[47] Sayen, p. 197

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20 thoughts on “How U.S. Marines Transformed to Win Nuclear War”

  1. Your characterization of the Army failing while the Marines succeeded largely due to the former's "slow" adoption of the helicopter misses the context that the newly formed USAF was actively trying to suppress the Army from having any aviation capabilities at all, and even after the infamous "Key West" agreement, they still launched spoiler attacks on Army aviation programs like the Cheyenne attack helicopter. Also, regarding the lesson that 4 company battalions are inherently superior, the examples used were counterinsurgency operations, where covering a lot of area is at a premium, and not just concentrating combat power at the decisive point, which would favor things like weapons companies.

    Reply
  2. From guys I know who drove or worked on them, 'Ontos" was both singular and plural in both English and Marine. But, 'ontos' is a classical Greek word and if you want to apply Greek grammar it would be ontoi.

    Reply
  3. I never knew that focus on air transportability was down to the nuke threat. I really need to get deeper into that because the requirement for Air transportability had a huge influence on many AFV designs. Thx for the Video

    Reply

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