Marching Orders: The Untold Story of How the American Breaking of the Japanese Secret Codes Led to the Defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan

by Bruce Lee

true role within the unit. Later, the system will be restructured and the intelligence process accelerated to meet the increasing requirements of the senior combat commanders, who have come to understand and rely on this vital information. One of the reasons Marshall can successfully impose this intelligence command structure upon Eisenhower and others is because the Chief of Staff is not a West Point “ring knocker.” He is viewed by some as a modernist among medievalists. In sum, Marshall’s integrity, intellect and fairness make him the most powerful influence in the American military. Another of Marshall’s great accomplishments is the adaptation of Henry Ford’s concept of the assembly line. Marshall establishes Replacement Training Centers (RTCs) throughout America. After induction and initial screening, inductees are sent to Infantry, Armor, Signal, Engineer, Air Corps, Medical, Supply, Transportation and other schools for seventeen or more weeks of training. The raw soldiers are schooled to be replacements for existing combat units and new units being formed in the continental U.S. Meanwhile, replacement depots are also being established in Britain, North Africa and, later, in France and Italy. These “repel-depos” enable the Army to keep most combat units up to strength by the rapid replacement of casualties.