The development of amphibious/expeditionary warfare in the United States and the United Kingdom, 1945-1968 : a study in comparison, contrast and compromise
Contemporary analysis has generally accepted that amphibious warfare development in the United States and the United Kingdom was quite similar, if not almost identical, during the Cold War. So-called 'parallel courses' of similar development, which had emerged during the interwar years and continued to evolve during the Second World War, converged even further in the post-war era. This effectively culminated in national approaches (or systems) that most closely reflected the US Naval Service's (i.e., US Navy and Marine Corps) World War II model, which had been used with legendary success in the Pacific through 1945. However, a comparative study of American and British developments from 1945 to 1968 at the strategic, organisational/institutional and tactical/operational levels of analysis reveals that there were significant, if not fundamental, differences. These variances-which had, in fact, materialised during the inter-war years and were consolidated during World War II-continued to evolve along parallel but different courses of development. In essence, they were based on naval versus maritime strategies, single-service versus inter-service (or joint) organizations/institutions, and combined arms versus
Liles, Christian F. M.
The development of amphibious/expeditionary warfare in the United States and the United Kingdom, 1945-1968 : a study in comparison, contrast and compromise. Contemporary analysis has generally accepted that amphibious warfare development in the United States and the United Kingdom was quite similar, if not almost identical, during the Cold War. So-called 'parallel courses' of similar development, which had emerged during the interwar years and continued to evolve during the Second World War, converged even further in the post-war era. This effectively culminated in national approaches (or systems) that most closely reflected the US Naval Service's (i.e., US Navy and Marine Corps) World War II model, which had been used with legendary success in the Pacific through 1945. However, a comparative study of American and British developments from 1945 to 1968 at the strategic, organisational/institutional and tactical/operational levels of analysis reveals that there were significant, if not fundamental, differences. These variances-which had, in fact, materialised during the inter-war years and were consolidated during World War II-continued to evolve along parallel but different courses of development. In essence, they were based on naval versus maritime strategies, single-service versus inter-service (or joint) organizations/institutions, and combined arms versus
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