Pax's Alternate History Snippet repository.

[ATP]

Wheels - did they get bulletproofs tyres? if not,they should use tanks.
And tank with 76mm gun would be good enough for anything except soviet heavy tanks till the end of WW2.

P.S Japan,as a result should either never attack China here,or,if it happen,they must develop real medium tanks,not joke like Type 97.

 

[Imperator Pax]

June 1924
The administration of the province laid out under the constitution borrowed heavily from Old Man Yamagata's writing. That worked pretty well for comparing Shansi and Shensi. Yan had also borrowed from Meiji Japan's efforts to find modernity. That included the organization of municipal and county police agencies. Allen had largely written the framework, but it and the other portions of the bureaucracy, like the postal service never mind county level taxes offices, were not under his command.

Part of that went beyond just not having the time. The provincial system was not designed to report directly to the cadre, or for that matter the lower house of the legislature. The postal service though was under cadre control even if the appointment of a postmaster general did not select a cadre member to head the service. It was however a framework to expand the number of civil servants to deal with the increasing needs of an industrial urban society as well just deal with urban society's needs in general.

He glanced at Waite over the desk. "I'll admit I didn't expect to have to read political tracts from the head of the post office." Admittedly that was something they'd noticed an increasing trend towards... the Staff was one thing, but increasingly it was their staff, their subordinates who were increasingly political active. Even General Wood had commented on it by this point, which Allen wasn't sure he was happy with. Officers who were 'second generation' who had missed the early 'great campaigns' found or even seemed to compete with one another to argue of 'schools'. This was similar to that, and better schools than cliques on supposed, "Cole?"

"Packing the mail between cities in standard bulk containers makes sense." They'd have to settle on a standard packing box but the trains had been carrying mail since the Qing it had just been a lot less mail ten years ago, "We could save space and that will add up...biggest hurdle will be the standard shipping containers aren't common enough yet." That had been Cole's project and putting the mail containers on skids putting them on a truck and then to a distribution center for the local office to service made sense.

Part of the hurdle with the container was the logistics of moving them though. They worked well for the large yards on trains, but there were limited cranes, limited infrastructure in other places. Shipping abroad had... well as Percy had mentioned the house of commons had spoken favorably of trade with China... and there was of course the states as well, but Powell and the MAK were talking not just about Guatemala but also Liberian ports and the cranes for them to support the containers. "I don't understand his rush on this?" Waite remarked, before acknowledging the previous point that given time as the system built up there would be a pronounced effect, "But Liberia isn't there yet."

Yet was the operative word though, and if international trade stayed open then well...

"its about the rubber. We use big steel rimmed tires." Given their specific needs while the Ford engineers had built lines to manufacture smaller automobiles the Model Tin its car configuration touring or otherwise Trucks were the more pressing need. Ford's original tire design was just completely unsatisfactory to requirements, "More like tractor tires... and it helps," The Texan drawled that shooting a tractor tire is not very effective, "we don't have as many problems with flats...." Though he then admitted that the tradeoff was that it was a great deal more labor to change a big tire if a bigger vehicle sprung one, "We do use smaller vehicles and other people are experimenting with different tire designs, so we'll see some changes," And since they weren't engaging in this prohibition nonsense Ethanol, despite gasoline becoming more readily available, continued to be an option as did kerosene for personal cars. "I guess what I'm getting at is when we get down to it,there is no one size fits all. Waite's objective ... his tank isgoing to be big," It was going to have to be for the engineers to mount the 3 Inch gun, "And tanks throw tracks which its apain in the ass to deal with too. We'll probably end up with a car or light skinned truck... put armor on those causes axle and suspension wear," But they had figured that out quickly enough, "We'll have some kind of larger pick up for hauling supply and men overland... after that we'll have the infantry carrier," eleven dismounts plus a driver and gunner, "And Waite's tank whenever that gets ready."

It sounded like it was going to be a logistical headache, "What it sounds like is your telling me that any form of mechanization is going to be a headache." Bill shrugged, and Allen continued, "is there a time table being put forward?"

"Lee has looked at X Force," Expeditionary Force Proposal, "He says 1930 would be fiscally viable for the five rifle," Regular Army, "divisions and the brigades to support them, there is some pushback on the weight it would put on and the reduction of rifle fighting strength." Yan obviously had some concerns there, "But we're already expanding the machine gun weight anyway."

If this had been a full cadre meeting the purely military nature of this application of technology, and the budget expense might have prompted some degree of grumbling... but, "I assume that the House has seen it?"

"A couple drafts of it," And truthfully with as many iteration as it had gone through over the last several years some folks were nitpicking details, "We'll see more talk closer to the election I'm sure, but 5-6 is still the most supported plan." Sometimes the number was reversed, but, "There is want of a Sixth Rifle Division,"

Eyes turned to Cole, "We could compromise with the Gendarmes 1st ​counting as that sixth in war planning." Dawes allowed, "But from what I understand there is talk of a 1st​ Cavalry Division on top of six rifles, which," he gestured to Cullen," he might be further ahead for." Whatever the case the cavalry wouldn't have tanks by that point. The British / American fat boy didn't fit their doctrine, didn't have the firepower, and the French / American Renaults, even with better engines were more in line, but better combat cars for a number of reasons... it was all trade offs anyway, "A brigade will be two regiments anyway, and by next year the transition to the Corp Structure will be completed to satisfaction." Officially there were going to be two corps, and then a third sometime later in the decade with the consideration of how the nascent air force might be included in operation planning since officially it had a 'western' and 'eastern' division.

"The war in Europe forced a confrontation of technology, of the reality of what industrial society fighting means at scale. We have to hope that," Waite paused, to run his tongue over his teeth in a somber moment, "That we have time to make ourselves ready... but we also need to recognize that our most likely enemy, enemies are irrational. We could conceivably be drawn into a fight with the south, yes, but the Bolsheviks moving towards the pacific, to try and retake Vladivostok and rebuild the Trans Siberian or to seize Kirghiz or move back into Persia any of those are possible sparks in the tinder box. We are not ready for a conflict on that scale."


That much was obvious to any one , or should have been. No one was ready for that. "what are you suggesting?" One of the 'more junior' cadre members queried.

"The States have some idea of what needs to be done, but the secretary of War," Actually the assistant Secretary but regardless, "has run into the usual sort of parochial issues with the branch chiefs, but at least back home is talking about. Ordinance might actually have some good ideas, and the Corp" of engineers, "seems on board, more so than the feet dragging we're seeing from other, but we have a land border with the bolsheviks, for all intents and purposes and the States don't. We need a plan for 1925 onward, certainly more than what we have.

"We can talk about the peace we have but if we want to keep the peace, we have to be prepared for a fight."

 

[ATP]

Thanks for chapter,but he is wrong - soviets were VERY RATIONAL.They want to take entire Earth,and create there one state - becouse they knew,that if there was some normal countries left,even relatively small,their slaves would still try to run there.
Only rational explanation - conqer entire Earth,so there is no place to run.


So yes,soviets would try to attack,becouse they must.Even in OTL they fall apart once USA stopped supporting them when Reagan come.
Here,with less territory,they should fall before 1991.

P.S If you really introduce tanks with 76mm guns, everybody else,including Japan,would made them before 1939.Well,all countries which could - Poland ,for example,was able only to made light tanks,but Czech could,if germans do not take them on schedule.