[QUOTE=Homer;90287]
Quote:
Originally Posted by chico20854
February 5, 1997
4th Marine Division moved by sea from Pearl Harbor to Yokosuka, Japan. [I have this as the 3rd Division].
It was always been a canonical head scratcher to me why 3d MARDIV (headquartered in Okinawa with a regimental combat team on Oahu) which trained extensively in Korea got deployed to CENTCOM after 4th MARDIV (a reserve formation) mobilized and deployed to Korea.
Maybe 3d MARDIV was held in reserve as the situation in Iran deteriorated due to their higher levels of equipment and proficiency as a regular formation? Or were they earmarked for a landing in support of a counterattack in Korea then released as Korea stabilized and the US committed forces to Iran?
If you look at other GDW sources, there’s not a lot of clues. Third World War doesn’t have them in the counter mix for any of the games. The Gulf War Fact Book mentions Task Force Taro but no one else from 3d MARDIV. Add in the fact that 3 MEF had an air wing and associated naval units and amphibious shipping assigned in Japan or in Hawaii and it really gets odd.
Easy to see why you have swapped the divisions. Makes sense.
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When we looked at it we came to the same conclusion. It makes ZERO sense to take a division with a forward-deployed brigade in Okinawa, whose whole orientation is towards Korea and the Pacific, and let it sit there while they ship in a reserve formation from the West Coast, and shortly thereafter load the whole unit up and send it to CENTCOM! So we switched out 3rd and 4th Divisions in our (the DC Group's) history, and have 4th MarDiv do a long voyage from San Diego to Bandar Abbas (around the south coast of Australia to avoid detection). This preserves strategic surprise - the GRU very well may know that they departed, but have no idea as the days and weeks pass whether they are going to show up in Korea, Europe, CENTCOM, the Kuriles, the Aleutians or even the Kamchakta Peninsula or cross the Bering Straits into eastern Siberia. But to be prudent, the Soviets have to divert reconnaissance assets to look for it and maintain forces on alert in all those locations to counter the threat it poses. Force multiplier!
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I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end...
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