raharris1973
Well-known member
A research question - Comparison of Cold War tripwire forces with pre-WWII and pre-WWII forces
I have a research question that I think would be informative for alternate history speculation. How did the strengthof various forward deployed forces forces and various front-line forces at various points during the Cold War compare with various active-duty front-line force at or near borders, border fortresses, barracks or bivouacs at various points prior to WWII, and WWI? Especially in quantitative terms. #s of Divisions or Brigades is a nice figure, but it is really much more useful if that is translated into contemporary numbers for #s of active duty soldiers per the totality of units, numbers of heavy guns and light guns, numbers of tanks, numbers of aircraft, etc. Even horses, if relevant.
Additionally, some nice comparisons to make would be between trained, ready reserves, and expeditionary forces at various points in time. For example:
How did the size of the British Expeditionary force compare between August 1913, August 1914, October 1914, November 1914, September 1938, September 1939, April 1940, May 1940, June 1940?
In turn, how did those compare with the strength of the British Army of the Rhine in the Cold War or the garrison of the British sctor of Berlin?
Now the question on the BEFs and garrisons above is asking for a lot of fine-grained detail which I know can be difficult, but I have some other broad comparisons to ask for where data from over a wider swathe of time would be useful.
For example:
How did the US troop levels in South Korea in say 1949, 1960, 1980, or 2020, or the size of the MEU in Okinawa at those times, or 8th Army in Japan, compare with the size of the US garrison in the Philippines in say 1935, December 1940, and December 1941?
How did the numbers of French and German troops deployed on the Franco-German border on the one hand, and the German-Polish and German-Czech borders, compare with the numbers of NATO and Warsaw Pact troops facing each other along the intra German border in say 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985. Alternatively, along the Franco-German and Russo-Austrian and German borders in 1912?
In general, were the types of forces the US (and UK) and in some exposed locations in the Cold War, like South Korea, their sectors of Berlin, and possibly even the British Army of the Rhine, substantial in size compared to the continental armies of late 1930s, before the start of WWII, or were they paltry compared to the size of those pre-WWII armies? Were front-line western forces of the late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s vastly more expensive per soldier than 1930s units? How much did the logistical tail of deploying these forces in front-lines far from their British, Canadian, and American
homelands in peacetime add to the cost compared to universal pre-WWII and pre-WWI practice of keeping troops only on their home national territory (French in France, British in Britain, Poles in Poland) during peacetime?
I have a research question that I think would be informative for alternate history speculation. How did the strengthof various forward deployed forces forces and various front-line forces at various points during the Cold War compare with various active-duty front-line force at or near borders, border fortresses, barracks or bivouacs at various points prior to WWII, and WWI? Especially in quantitative terms. #s of Divisions or Brigades is a nice figure, but it is really much more useful if that is translated into contemporary numbers for #s of active duty soldiers per the totality of units, numbers of heavy guns and light guns, numbers of tanks, numbers of aircraft, etc. Even horses, if relevant.
Additionally, some nice comparisons to make would be between trained, ready reserves, and expeditionary forces at various points in time. For example:
How did the size of the British Expeditionary force compare between August 1913, August 1914, October 1914, November 1914, September 1938, September 1939, April 1940, May 1940, June 1940?
In turn, how did those compare with the strength of the British Army of the Rhine in the Cold War or the garrison of the British sctor of Berlin?
Now the question on the BEFs and garrisons above is asking for a lot of fine-grained detail which I know can be difficult, but I have some other broad comparisons to ask for where data from over a wider swathe of time would be useful.
For example:
How did the US troop levels in South Korea in say 1949, 1960, 1980, or 2020, or the size of the MEU in Okinawa at those times, or 8th Army in Japan, compare with the size of the US garrison in the Philippines in say 1935, December 1940, and December 1941?
How did the numbers of French and German troops deployed on the Franco-German border on the one hand, and the German-Polish and German-Czech borders, compare with the numbers of NATO and Warsaw Pact troops facing each other along the intra German border in say 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985. Alternatively, along the Franco-German and Russo-Austrian and German borders in 1912?
In general, were the types of forces the US (and UK) and in some exposed locations in the Cold War, like South Korea, their sectors of Berlin, and possibly even the British Army of the Rhine, substantial in size compared to the continental armies of late 1930s, before the start of WWII, or were they paltry compared to the size of those pre-WWII armies? Were front-line western forces of the late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s vastly more expensive per soldier than 1930s units? How much did the logistical tail of deploying these forces in front-lines far from their British, Canadian, and American
homelands in peacetime add to the cost compared to universal pre-WWII and pre-WWI practice of keeping troops only on their home national territory (French in France, British in Britain, Poles in Poland) during peacetime?