80 Years of Service, Savanna Ordnance Depot in the Defense of Our Nation, 1916 - 1996,
Abstract
The outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 contributed to, but did not cause, a long-running debate in the United States over 'preparedness,' the status of the national defense and the appropriate structure of the military establishment. An amateur military historian and preparedness advocate, Frederic Lenis Huidekoper, observed first-hand the military situation in England, France and Germany after the start of hostilities and returned to the United States convinced that drastic measures were necessary. In December 1914, Huidekoper and like-minded public figures formed the National Security League. In five months Huidekoper updated his political study called The Military Unpreparedness of the United States: A History of American Land Forces from Colonial Times until June 1, 1915. General Leonard Wood provided a brief introduction with an appropriate comment: 'However preparedness is to be brought about, it must be done in time of peace. Not only does this apply to the training of men, but it applies with equal force to the preparation of material, for the weapons of to-day are infinitely more complicated than those of our fathers.' With meticulous scrunity of the testimony by military officials before congressional committees and detailed analysis of appropriation bills and amendments, Huidekoper sought to document that the United States was woefully unprepared, particularly in weapons and munitions, for its own defense let alone for participation in any conflict approaching the scale of the war in Europe.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA309607
Entities
People
- Inga Olsen
- Ross E. Paulson
- Ruthanne Kunke