Captain Wald could certainly see the doubts in John and Bradley's minds. He also did not want to easily disrupt the existing work rhythm of the 82nd Division. But sometimes opportunities don't wait for anyone, and once you miss them, they don't come back. After weighing it again, he still gave this impersonal order.

After returning to the barracks, Wald summoned Bradley, Ridgway, and Swin and John, nominally to listen to a report on the recent work of the 82nd Division, but in fact to take the opportunity to reveal to these core figures of the 82nd Division the true purpose of his inspection.

"Omar, in a little more than a month, the 82nd Division will be rebuilt for a year, right?" After listening to the reports of Bradley and others, Commander Wald finally spoke. However, the tone is not like talking about business, but more like talking about family life.

"Our 82nd Division is one of the first 3 divisions to be rebuilt in 40 years, and it will be a year old by the end of September." Bradley replied.

"Time flies. At this time last year, we had only 265,000 men in the Army, and less than 500,000 in the National Guard and Reserves. Now, that number is approaching 1.2 million. Brigadier General Swain sighed.

Since President Roosevelt signed a decree last year that obligated 16.5 million American men between the ages of 21 and 35 to serve in the military, the size of the Army has ballooned like a balloon. At present, there are 487,000 regular army troops and 286,000 National Guards, in addition to 374,000 people receiving compulsory military service training in the new barracks.

In contrast, the expansion rate on the navy side is much slower. After all, it is much more difficult to train a qualified sailor than an infantryman, and the construction of warships is not as simple as producing rifles, artillery, and tanks. It will take at least some time for the US Navy to make a qualitative leap.

Of course, the difference in difficulty is only relative. In modern warfare, it is not easy to build a truly combat-capable force from scratch. The huge gap in the number of junior officers, warrant officers (ARRANT-OFFICER), and non-commissioned officers alone has broken the hearts of the army's top brass.

Although in the first half of this year alone, more than 38,000 retired military officers and professional and technical personnel were conscripted into the army. But this figure is still a drop in the bucket for the huge demand.

"Commander, is there any trust in the extension of the period of compulsory military service? When will it be decided? Li Qiwei's words raised the concerns of many front-line officers.

When Roosevelt introduced the Compulsory Military Service Act, he was vigorously blocked by isolationist forces in Congress. In the end, although the bill was passed, the period of compulsory service was also strictly limited to 12 months.

For this clause, the army top brass is very dissatisfied. But in order to pass the bill as soon as possible, I could only pinch my nose and admit it at that time. Now, seeing that the war situation is becoming more and more serious, and the first batch of recruits is about to complete their 12-month service period, the call for an extension of the service period is naturally growing stronger and louder as the demand for amending the "Compulsory Military Service Act." Especially for a commander of a front-line unit like Li Qiwei, a soldier who had worked so hard to train was retired and returned home in a blink of an eye, wasn't that a waste of work.

"You don't have to worry about this, it's impossible for this batch of recruits to retire. The president has secured an additional grant (the biggest obstacle to extending the term of service is that conscripts are paid much less than ordinary conscripts, which the government is suspected of exploiting), and the conscripts will automatically extend their service by 30 months and receive the same salary. Commander Wald gave everyone a reassurance: "Next, the intensity of conscription will continue to increase." The big boss on Pennsylvania Street meant to expand the Army to at least 2 million early next year. ”

"2 million!" Bradley, Ridgway, and Swain were all taken aback. Adding 700,000 people in a year is already a struggle. With an additional 800,000 people in half a year, how can this soldier be bringed?

John, who is well versed in the history of his past life, doesn't have much of a sense of this number. With the war potential of the United States, 2 million people are nothing. Historically, at the end of the war in 1945, the total number of U.S. Army and Navy personnel exceeded 10 million. What he is worried about now is another question: "Commander, you let us complete all the training in October, and our 82nd Division will not accept new recruits again, right?" ”

Hearing John say this, Bradley and the others also frowned. As a front-line commander, who doesn't want to have an elite army in their hands. Finally, the 82nd Division has a little shadow of an elite division, and if it is a big stroke of the pen, all the elite backbones in the division are transferred to other newly formed divisions, and then they are stuffed with a batch of new soldiers, it will be a big loss. Even Bradley, who cares more about the overall situation, instinctively resists.

"You're thinking too much, John." Commander Wald smiled: "The 82nd Division is now the benchmark for army training. It's just demolished, and I'm still reluctant to do it. Of course, it's impossible for no one to be transferred. I can give you an amount, no more than 50. What do you think? ”

"No problem." Bradley and the others all breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly agreed. Although it still hurts a little to be poached 50 elites, they also know in their hearts that this can't be stopped. The work of the 82nd Division has made achievements, and the credit is not only due to a few of them. If those officers who have performed well have the opportunity to find another job, they cannot but let them go.

"Don't think about the progress of the training. I couldn't say it clearly when there were a lot of people just now, but now I can tell you a few of you first, and you should be mentally prepared. Wald finally unraveled the mystery: "The War Department has approved the plan to form an airborne division, and the time is set for November. ”

"As you know, paratroopers are special and have high requirements for the quality of soldiers. The meaning of the General Staff, the 503 Brigade (in fact, there was only one regiment) remained at the Fort Benning Paratroop School and was responsible for the training of paratroopers. Two battalions were transferred and merged into a more elite infantry division, and then this division was reorganized into an airborne division. ”

Commander Wald paused, "This is our army's first airborne division, and the investment on it is very strong, and the opportunity is very rare. If you can complete all the subjects by the end of October, you will have a chance to be on the shortlist. ”

Finally came, and when he heard the news, John's heart sank. Although Stimson had previously revealed to him that McNair had the intention of reorganizing the 82nd Division into an airborne division. But because Stimson didn't approve of him joining the Airborne Forces, John was worried that his butterfly would fan the famous 82nd Airborne Division away.

Bradley and Ridgway: They were thinking about something else. If the 82nd Division can be transformed into an airborne division, and it is the first airborne division in the whole army, it means that the 82nd is no longer an ordinary infantry, but an elite unit recognized by the army's top brass. Even if the war ends in the future, the chances of being retained as a standing division are much greater. There will be no repeat of the fate of those who were transferred to the reserve until they were disbanded after World War I.

Although none of them had experience in commanding airborne troops, it was a matter of man. Several core figures of the 82nd Division looked at each other for a moment, and they all made up their minds. Fight! After a few months, I tried my best to seize this opportunity.