Bringing this thread back from the grave, and back to some of its original discussions... the LSOZI blog recently ran
an article on French WWII ground combat units composed of naval volunteers. In a sign of the times, or perhaps a sign of the tech base of the day:
Quote:
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In the case of both regiments, the conversion from manning battleships and cruisers to operating armored vehicles was surprisingly simple, as the men involved included high proportions of engineering, gunnery, and radio ratings.
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While the skill sets might not map as well in the Twilight War, it's an interesting point to consider.
A US Navy ground unit formed post-'97 would be pretty unlikely to receive front-line US Army equipment. However, I can see a collection of machinist's mates, electrician's mates, and gunner's mates being handed the keys to a compound full of salvaged Warsaw Pact equipment and being told, "good luck, you're on your own." Depending on timing, an enterprising CO or SNCO of a newly-formed scratch unit might also have a way to arrange delivery of a batch of equipment off one of the last resupply convoys. I'm having visions of a naval mechanized task force mounted on Cadillac Gage products - Stingrays for light armor, V-series armored cars in lieu of APCs. All hastily repainted haze grey, naturally.
- C.