Wargaming and U.S
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George Mason University PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII Student’s Name: John M. Lillard Date: 1 October 2013 Department/Program: History Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Tentative Title: Playing War: Wargaming and U.S. Navy Preparations for WWII Committee Members: Signature Date Director Signature Date Member Signature Date Member Approved by Program Coordinator (if appropriate) Signature Date Approved by Department Chairpersons Signature Date Date Received by the Graduate Dean of Director PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy History Committee: __________________________________________ Director __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Department Chairperson __________________________________________ Program Director __________________________________________ Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: _____________________________________ Fall Semester 2013 George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia Playing War: Wargaming and U.S. Navy Preparations for WWII A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University By John M. Lillard Master of Arts George Mason University, 2006 Master of Sciences Naval Postgraduate School, 1987 Bachelor of Arts Virginia Military Institute, 1980 Director: Christopher Hamner, Associate Professor Department of History Fall Semester 2013 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Dedication As I did with my thesis, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my family. First, thanks to my lovely wife Barbara, who gave me the encouragement and indulgence necessary to make this quest a reality. Secondly, thanks to my sons Jim and Sean. I went back to school for many reasons, but one of those reasons was to show you two that it was possible for an old dog to learn a few new tricks. Lastly, I would like to thank my Dad, who I always felt was looking over my shoulder and enjoying what he was reading. ii Acknowledgements I would particularly like to acknowledge the assistance of the Naval Historical Collection, especially head archivist Dr. Evelyn Cherpak, for providing me with the research materials and assistance necessary to complete this work and for never failing to come up with a resource when I needed it. Thanks also to Ed Miller, who many years ago provided me with important guidance and the inspiration to take this project on and see it through to the end. I would also like to acknowledge the support and assistance of my advisor, Professor Christopher Hamner, and my board members, Professors Martin Sherwin and Aric Thrall. Thanks also to a long list of friends, especially my study partners Becky Erbelding and Tracy Fisher, who always maintained a lively interest in this project. Finally, I would like to recognize the assistance of the Information Technology section of Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc., who, more than they will ever know, facilitated the completion of this project. iii Table of Contents Page List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Abstract ............................................................................................................................. vii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Players ...................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2: The Game Process ........................................................................................... 59 Chapter 3: The Early Phase 1919-1927 ............................................................................ 91 Chapter 4: The Middle Phase 1928-1934 ....................................................................... 120 Chapter 5: The Late Phase 1935-1941 ............................................................................ 149 Chapter 6: Conclusion .................................................................................................... 176 Appendix A: Naval War College Class Demographics .................................................. 187 Appendix B: Naval War College Wargames .................................................................. 194 Appendix C: The World Naval Balance 1919-1941 ....................................................... 205 List of References ........................................................................................................... 217 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................ 229 iv List of Tables Table Page Table 1: Senior Class of 1930 - Outline of Course ........................................................... 67 Table 2: TAC IV / Tac 94 RED Air Order of Battle, game conclusion ......................... 107 Table 3: TAC IV-35, Capital Ship Damage at the end of Move 30 ............................... 163 Table 4: Wargames at the Naval War College, 1919 – 1941 .......................................... 195 v List of Figures Page Figure 1: Chart Maneuver at the War College, 1894 .......................................................... 8 Figure 2: Navy Organizational Relationships during the Interwar Period ....................... 22 Figure 3: Relationship of the Interwar Period Mechanisms of Navy Organizations ........ 23 Figure 4: Interwar Period Phases and Studied Classes ..................................................... 27 Figure 5: Luce Hall Floor Plan, circa 1928 ....................................................................... 73 Figure 6: Scale Model of a Naval War College Game Board........................................... 75 Figure 7: Wargame in progress in Luce Hall circa 1906. ................................................. 76 Figure 8: The West Maneuver Board room in Luce Hall ................................................. 78 Figure 9: Pringle Hall Second Floor Plan ......................................................................... 80 Figure 10: Pringle Hall shortly after its opening .............................................................. 81 Figure 11: Third Level Maneuver Room, Luce Hall, facing west .................................... 82 Figure 12: Third Level Maneuver Room, Luce Hall, facing east ..................................... 83 Figure 13: Time Expended on Trans-Pacific Games, 1927-33 ......................................... 87 Figure 14: The Naval War College Staff and Class of 1923 ............................................ 99 Figure 15: Chart of Move 1, Class of 1923 Tactical Maneuver IV. ............................... 104 Figure 16: Staff, Faculty, and Students; Naval War College Class of 1927 ................... 113 Figure 17: OP III 27 BLACK Communications Plan ..................................................... 115 Figure 18: Washington Treaty Powers Ships and Tonnage Appropriated, 1922-33 ...... 122 Figure 19: Tentative Plan for the Flying-Deck Cruiser, 1931 ........................................ 129 Figure 20: OP-IV 1928, Moves 38-40 ............................................................................ 133 Figure 21: Wargame in progress in Pringle Hall, circa 1954 ......................................... 152 Figure 22: Pringle Hall "Cash Carrier" Message System ............................................... 153 Figure 23: TAC IV-35 Moves 20-21 .............................................................................. 160 Figure 24: TAC IV-35 Capital Ship Damage ................................................................. 162 Figure 25: OP VII 38 Move 6, BLUE approach to Ceram ............................................. 169 Figure 26: OP VII 38 Jolo Garrison and Defenses ......................................................... 170 Figure 27: OP VII Jolo Invasion Gunfire Support Plan .................................................. 172 Figure 28: OP VIII 38 Ship Damage Summary .............................................................. 173 Figure 29: Early Phase Student Body Composition ....................................................... 189 Figure 30: Middle Phase Student Body Composition..................................................... 191 Figure 31: Late Phase Student Body Composition ......................................................... 193 Figure 32: German Colonies in the Pacific at the Outbreak of War, 1914 ..................... 207 Figure 33: Battleship and Battlecruiser Naval Balance, 1919-1941 ............................... 215 vi Abstract PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII John M. Lillard, PhD George Mason University, 2013 Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Christopher Hamner This dissertation describes how, despite severe political and economic pressures, the U.S. Navy of the Interwar Period tested new doctrines, experimented with advanced technology, and projected itself into the future through simulated conflicts at the Naval War College. These wargames served as virtual laboratories for experiments in strategy and tactics,