At this moment, it is not only the army aviation officers who have John listed as the focus of the investigation. Army Chief of Staff Marshall also discovered new use value in John.

As the first man in the Army, Marshall's perspective was naturally different from that of others. When he first took office, in order to weaken the conservative forces in the army, he had good cooperation with aviation officers who were in urgent need of the support of the army's top brass.

Under his care, the army aviation has developed rapidly in recent years, both in terms of personnel size and weaponry. In particular, the voice of the army's top brass is not the same as before Marshall took office.

You must know that for a long time before, there were only two generals in the entire army aviation, the chief of aviation (major general) and the chief of aviation (brigadier general), and neither of them was a member of the general staff. (When Andrews was chief of aviation, his rank of brigadier general was temporary.) As soon as his term of office expired, he was beaten back to his original form by Kragg, restored to the rank of colonel, and assigned to the 8th Air Force. ）

And now, the army aviation has not only a lieutenant general, deputy chief of staff of the army (Arnold), but also more than 30 major generals and brigadier generals. These people have formed a considerable new force within the Army. Otherwise, where would those aviation officers today have the confidence to compete with the infantry for the subordination of the Airborne Forces.

But now, the situation facing the Army is no longer the same as it was in 1939. Under the premise that a world war could affect the United States at any time, Marshall must unite all the forces of the army to prepare for the coming war.

Whether the Airborne Forces were subordinate to infantry or aviation did not matter to Marshall. What he cares about is that this will not further exacerbate the contradictions between the traditional army elites, who are mainly infantry officers, and the emerging air force generals.

From the William-Meekel era to the Frank Andrews era, U.S. Army Aviation was suppressed by the infantry-led upper echelons of the Army for decades. Now that the aviation is gradually gaining strength, it is understandable that they want to express their grievances in their hearts.

But a group of new aviation generals (all of whom were promoted in 1939-1940, with the exception of Arnold and Major General Oscar Westeof, the director of the Air Forces), were inevitably a little arrogant and too aggressive. Marshall also had a headache with these young generals, who often worked against the infantry.

At today's seminar, John actually suppressed those aviation officers with his outstanding performance, which gave Marshall a new idea.

After thinking for a moment, Marshall called Nevin and Clark, who were more familiar with John, to his office.

"Arthur (Nevins), Mark, ask you a question." Marshall asked straight to the point: "Based on what you know about John, is he suitable to be the commander of the army?"

Faced with Marshall's sudden question, Nevins and Clark looked at each other. As John's former immediate superior, Nevins was the first to express his opinion.

"George, if it were someone else, I wouldn't dare say it. But John, I think he could. Nevins still admires John's talent for military affairs, "His ideas are bold and unique, but they always work." As long as he gains some experience, he will be an excellent commander. ”

"Wouldn't it be a little too anxious to let him be the commander of the unit now?" Unlike Nevins, Clark did not attend today's seminar. He was a little worried that his friend's steps would inevitably go wrong if he took too big a step, and said with some hesitation: "After all, John has only joined the army for less than two years, and although he has done a good job in the 82nd Division, he is still doing better step by step." ”

"Arthur, you also attended today's seminar, and the formation of the Airborne Division will soon be on the agenda. Do you think it's appropriate for John to go to the Airborne Division as a commander-in-chief? Marshall spoke his intentions.

Hearing Marshall say this, Nevins immediately thought about it in his head.

First of all, airborne operations are a completely new field for the US Army, and the Army's first airborne division will certainly be of a certain experimental nature. What the commander of this division needs most is to dare to think and work, and to have the ability to innovate, and the shackles are relatively small, which is very suitable for a "novice" like John.

Secondly, John's late entry into the army gave him an advantage in serving as commander of the Airborne Forces. Because he only joined the army in 1939, he didn't get involved in the mess between infantry and aviation. Those aviation officers will not be able to remember him, even if they "hold grudges".

Moreover, as the owner of Hughes Aircraft Company and the founder of the Statistics Control Office, John also has a certain relationship with the Army Air Corps. Compared to other infantry officers, John should be more acceptable to the other side, and it will be easier for the two sides to cooperate in the future.

What's more, John's performance at the seminar during the day was too "amazing". Even General William-Lee, who had been in charge of the "air infantry" program, did not dare to say that he knew more about airborne warfare than John. Let such a leading "airborne operations expert" in the army be the commander of the first airborne division, and no one else can say anything.

The more Nevins thought about it, the more he felt that Marshall's idea was clever. John, this kid is the perfect fit. "I think so, and judging by John's performance today, he himself should be interested in going to the Airborne Forces."

When Nevins said this, Clark on the side was saddened. He didn't attend today's seminar, nor did he see John's heroic posture of "fighting with his tongues," and he didn't even know that John had studied airborne warfare. I heard Marshall say just now that he intended to let John go to the Airborne Division as the commander-in-chief, and Clark's first reaction was, didn't this push John into the fire pit?

John is not an ordinary military officer, he is one of the leaders of the Vanderbilt family, the owner of FedEx and Hughes Aircraft Company, the majority shareholder of Kaiser Shipyard, and a billionaire. Such a person, if he becomes the president of the United States in the future, it will not surprise Clark.

What kind of troops are the Airborne Forces, to put it bluntly, their task is to jump from the sky into the fire pit in an airplane. If John goes to this kind of army, what if there are three long and two short. Isn't this unfounded, didn't you see that the commander of the German 7th Parachute Division, Major General Susman, lost his life in Crete?

Now that Nevins has expressed his support for Marshall's opinion, Clark can't sit still. After thinking about it, Clark found a reasonable reason: "But what about General William Lee?" He has been busy with this for so many years, and the first airborne division does not let him command, is it inappropriate? ”

"William Lee is also in charge of the paratrooper school. In the future, there will definitely be more than one division of the Airborne Forces, and personnel training is the most important thing. Marshall's answer made Clark's heart chill for a while.

"What about the pilot of the 82nd Division? Would you like to talk to Bradley and them first? General McNair has been very tightly grasping that pilot recently, and is ready to promote it throughout the army. In desperation, Clark had no choice but to push McNair out.

The pilot of the 82nd Division is a project that McNair fancies, and John is the main promoter of the project, so isn't it a good thing for McNair to be transferred now? Marshall should weigh the pros and cons.

"It shouldn't be a big problem. It will take some time for the Airborne Division to be formed, and John will not be able to take office until the end of the year at the earliest, by which time the pilot of the 82nd Division should have been completed. Once again, Marshall shattered Clark's hope.

Seeing that Marshall had made up his mind and that he was "powerless to return to heaven", Clark could only make up his mind in his heart. As soon as he went out, he hurried to inform John and asked him to go to Minister Stimson and find a way to avoid this "drudgery". I don't think Minister Stimson would have agreed to let John take such a big risk. As long as Stimson's side didn't let go, no matter how well Marshall thought about it, it would be useless.

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