Chapter 2639: Adjustments of the U.S. Navy 1

"How was your rest last night?" Major General Marshall, who serves as the chief of frontline staff of the U.S. Army, said to Colonel William Daniel Leahy who was sitting next to him in the car on the way to the White House. Just a few days ago, they returned to the country on behalf of the Army and Navy respectively to accept inquiries from the government.

But along the way, Colonel Leahy was worried about the Navy's accusation against the Army, which did not appear. The Army's Major General Marshall also treated him with courtesy, and the issues discussed were limited to the military and the situation, without any personal involvement. Colonel Leahy's affection for Marshall.

"Not bad." Colonel Leahy said with a smile.

"Do you know what the core issue of this meeting is?" Marshall asked.

"Well, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate for us to discuss this issue now, right?" Colonel Leahy said with embarrassment as he looked at the US government staff driving in front of him.

"It's nothing. You represent the navy and I represent the army. We discuss some issues on behalf of the military and the government, so it doesn't matter if we discuss some issues first." Major General Marshall said nonchalantly.

"You know, the people attending this meeting are the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Undersecretary of the Navy. In fact, this meeting will not change much at the operational level, because, although our level is limited, We are definitely the most capable commanders in the military of the United States of America. If we were replaced, the navy and army of the United States would be completely led by laymen. And the President also participated in the Spanish-American War, so he would not commit such a crime. Wrong." Marshall said, half seriously and half jokingly.

"You seem to be very relaxed, but generally speaking, it is not easy for the army to achieve such a result under extremely unfavorable conditions in such an island battle that is easy to defend and difficult to attack." Colonel Leahy said, This is not entirely a compliment. The performance of the U.S. Army is much better than that of the Navy, and even the Germans praised it. Therefore, Marshall, as the representative of the Army, has no pressure at all in this inquiry. But the navy is different. If there are 10 blames to bear in this battle so far, the navy will have to bear 8 of them!

"Relax, General Benson has assumed full responsibility, so the entire navy can go into battle lightly without worrying about responsibility. I just got some news. The government wants to know how we can fight without relying on German help as much as possible. Winning this war does not mean that General Su Xiong did not try his best. On the contrary, they did better than all of us. But as a big country, we need to sharpen the sword in our hands even sharper. This is what the United States has done for decades. In the largest war we have ever experienced, we are not just for profit and revenge, but also to show our power to the world," Marshall said.

"So, what you are saying is that we are going to build a fast fleet ourselves to gradually replace the Germans? However, what I want to say is that this process may take a while, and because of the lack of good commanders and experienced officers and soldiers, The combat effectiveness of our newly established fleet may not be comparable to that of Su Xiong's fleet.

If we encounter the situation of the previous war again, we may pay a higher price. Colonel Leahy said.

"But we always have to sell the first step, right? As long as you agree with this, the rest is not very important. Whether it is purchasing or building warships, or recruiting relevant personnel, all issues can be discussed." Marshall said meaningfully. In fact, he had already hinted to Colonel Leahy that this time the U.S. government just wants the military to have an attitude. As for how to purchase warships, which country's warships to purchase, and how to organize and train them, they are still left to the military. At least, the news Marshall received is that Such.

"What do you think of the joint combat plan I proposed before?" Colonel Leahy asked. Since the leaders of the navy and army have stated that this battle must continue, then how to coordinate operations must be discussed. On this issue, the navy has put forward its own view, that is, after the Japanese fleet leaves the front line and returns to the rear for supply and repair During this period of time, the Navy will cooperate with the Army to seize several crucial locations and then establish airports to gain operational air superiority. Once this goal can be achieved, unless there is another prolonged period of bad weather, near New Ireland Island, The Japanese combined fleet will be at an absolute disadvantage.

"We agree in principle, but the premise is that we must regain sufficient supplies. As you know, we lost a large number of transport ships in this battle. Even the United States will take some time to recover." Marshall said.

"Your words put me at ease," Colonel Leahy said.

The conversation between the two did not last long. After arriving at the White House, the two followed government officials into the famous Oval Office. Here they met the core of the U.S. government, President Roosevelt, Vice President Taft, Secretary of State Lansing, and Under Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt Jr.

"Our navy has shortcomings. We lack our own fast fleet. Before, we thought that the Germans could help us get everything done, but unfortunately, they are not omnipotent. Therefore, we should immediately build our own fast fleet. What do you think?" After a brief greeting, Roosevelt quickly dropped today's topic.

"The Navy is very supportive and has some plans for this," Colonel Leahy said.

"Tell me about it." Roosevelt was very satisfied with Colonel Leahy's success.

"First of all, in terms of self-built fast battleships, we believe that the newly constructed Lexington-class battlecruiser does not meet our needs. It is very fast and has strong firepower. But unfortunately, the defense is too poor and the navy cannot "It is unacceptable to accept any battleship with less than 12 inches of armor, let alone a Lexington-class with only 7 inches of side armor," said Colonel Leahy.

"From the navy's perspective, we only hope to receive side-chord defense levels with a vertical thickness above 360MM, or 305MM armor plates with an inclination of 15 degrees. Below this standard, the Navy fleet will likely consider rejecting it. This is after including Western Senior officials, including General James, agreed," the colonel said.

"The Lexington class has been under construction for a long time. If this battleship is abandoned, it will undoubtedly be a huge waste of resources of the United States." Roosevelt Jr., who served as Undersecretary of the Navy, said.

Here comes the second update~~~! Please subscribe and reward~~~!