Quote:
Originally Posted by copeab
As to him hoarding the supplies he was supposed to distribute to civilians ... his official response might be that he felts that he lacked the manpower to adequately guard the supply convoys against bandits attacks while at the same time protecting the territory under his command. This is a weak excuse, especially before the Mexican invasion, but it is still an excuse. This could also explain why he later refused to aid American forces in California.
As for consorting with the Mexican army, at least the elimination of marauders could be claimed as dealing with a more serious threat to the civilian population.
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You've anticipated more-or-less what happens. During the initial phase of the fighting in Arizona, Mexican troops cut I-10 at Tucson and are on Fort Huachuca's doorstep while the 111th is fighting in Yuma. Only tenacious action by the remnants of the Tucson Police Department, the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, the MPs at Huachuca, the battered remains of AZSTAG 3rd Brigade, and a scattering of AZ ARNG and USAR units keep the situation from falling apart completely. The above list of units includes a lot fewer people than the list might make it seem. During this time, no rations trucks go out of Huachuca at all.
The 111th strikes east along I-8 and meets a Mexican forward element at Casa Grande. After defeating the Mexicans at Casa Grande, the 111th moves southeast along I-10 and takes on Mexican forces in Tucson. There is some bitter fighting, but the Americans get the best of it thanks to their Ridgways, considerable assistance from civilians in Tucson, the dedication of a handful of SWAT officers, and some shrewd maneuvering by the mechanized elements of the 111th. The Mexicans fall back from Tucson. The withdrawal becomes a rout as they attempt to run an American gauntlet just established along I-19 by the Ridgways and some motorized infantry.
At Huachuca,
Nogales Brigade breaks contact and heads back across the border before the noose can close about them, too.
I'll go into more detail, but essentially Thomason comes to believe that the 111th needs to rest and refit. The nature of the various commands throughout the area robbed the Americans of what should have been a clear-cut numerical advantage, which is one reason why Thomason takes everybody under command. The 111th has lost nearly two-thirds of its manpower since December. The brigade is on its last legs. Thomason comes to believe that the brigade simply can't hang with moving into combat in California until a major reorganization has been completed and the troops have a chance to rest. (Really, they have been in combat since December.)
Worse, the security situation in Phoenix has degenerated to the point at which convoys can't reliably reach Luke AFB except with massive escort. Lots of trucks get lost in the effort.
Withdrawing from Huachuca means packing up everything that can be moved into available trransport. Hundreds of thousands of people would get left behind. Enough stored food to give the 400,000 survivors in SAMAD one meal per day for eighteen months would fall into Mexican hands. Ammunition, fuel, machine tools, spare parts--the lot would have to be left, in all likelihood.
Moving to California means crossing the Colorado somewhere. The bridges at Yuma are down, blown by the 111th during its withdrawal. The bridges at San Luis Colorado are in Mexican hands. The I-10 bridges might be reachable, but Thomason is no longer of a mind to send soft-skinned vehicles through Phoenix. Bypasses certainly are possible, but the roads that bypass Phoenix to the south and west and which can be traversed by requisitioned tractor trailers run into territory now probably controlled by the Mexican Army.
All of these factors taken together cause Thomason to conclude that he just can't support 6th US Army. All he can do is throw away what has already been saved. Rightly or wrongly, he just can't bring himself to do it.
Food does go out to Phoenix and other locations in Arizona before the war starts. In the seven months between the TDM and June '98, about half of the total stockpile at Huachuca is distrubuted at a massive cost in fuel and worn-out (some destroyed) trucks. AZ ARNG, AZSTAG, and USAR units conduct these duties, assisted by deputized civilian haulers. Despite the fact that the food is calculated to give each adult a mere 1,200 calories daily, it's the main fatcor that keeps Phoenix going after the bombs fall.
You've hit the nail on the head regarding cooperation with the Mexican Army. By 2000, marauders are everyone's worst enemy.
Nogales Brigade has had a change of command in 1999, and the new leadership has zero interest in prosecuting the war with the US. It doesn't hurt that the Huachucans have treated Mexican EPW reasonably well and that Mexican refugees receive the same treatment as everybody else. Both sides have good reason to look to their own interiors rather than skirmishing along the border. Since Thomason is already on the outs with MilGov, he has nothing to lose by working with the Mexicans toward common goals.
Webstral