The Art Of Tank Warfare - Chris Keeling

6. THE U.S. ARMY
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American units, especially early in the war, could not match German units in troop and equipment quality or
tactics. These differences became balanced as American forces gained more experience, and German forces were
forced to use more new recruits while deploying their best troops on the Eastern Front. By the end of the war,
American troops had a better level of experience in general, and a great deal more equipment. American
infantry equipment and light vehicles were generally superior to their German equivalents, with some notable
exceptions among machineguns and small arms, and American equipment was also more readily available.
American tanks and other armored fighting vehicles lagged qualitatively behind their German counterparts
until nearly the end of the war, with the American vehicles suffering not only with less powerful guns and
thinner armor, but inferior manoeuvrability as well. The late introduction of more powerful vehicles, combined
with the tremendous numerical output of US military vehicle production, redressed these deficiencies by the
end of the war, albeit at a great cost in crews.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the American army was the smallest of any of the major powers on
both sides. It expanded over 4500% over the course of the war, finally becoming the second-largest force at the
end of World War II. American tactical doctrine was still influenced initially by the lessons of the First World
War, however, the late introduction of US forces into the war allowed for some time to introduce both new
training techniques, tactics, and equipment. At the lower levels, leadership training was generally neglected
throughout the war, leading to a weakness in junior officers, which lasted far beyond the end of World War II.
The rapid rate of promotions due to the expansion of the force led to poor leadership and doctrine at all levels
until mid-war.