Return of the Kettle Moraine Railway?

Heard that before but not entirely true. That is Marine PR they use in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee when they are called to testify. Because the Marines train on the bases owned by the Army, Air Force and Navy. The assertion is not exactly 100% accurate and is misleading. It is true the Marines have less garrison bases though than any armed service but that is to be expected since they spend their time on the Naval Fleet at sea and rely very heavily on Navy logistics.

So they do need more bases than they own it’s just an accounting game why they are not counted as Marine bases. Marines train alongside Army for Artillery (Ft. Sill, OK), EOD (forget where that is), Air Traffic Control (USAF), etc, In many cases it is from the same training manual. Other cases slightly different.

Marine Infantry is different and trains at a Marine base. Why is this so? Because as stated the Marine Infantry squads are structured differently than Army Infantry squads and they generally have more firepower because they are intended to be used in a heavy assault role. The Army Infantry is also used in assault roles but the Army is also intended to HOLD what they gain (Marines are as well to an extent but they HOLD less and assault more). To the average TV watcher, all they see is Marine Infantry and Army Infantry and in their heads they say…well, they are the same, what a waste. Not true though the Marines have the heavier weapons of the two forces, Marines use slightly different tactics and Marine squads and platoons

Since Defense Secretary Bob Gates asked that very same question. The Marines have been changing their missions and role to differentiate more from the Army. One thing to remember is the Marines were used in a largely non-traditional role in Iraq and Afghanistan because we were short on troops due to past DoD cutbacks. A lot of Marines were used as augments for the Army in those two wars.

Anyways the new role for the Marines emphasizes more their use as an assault force and they are paired up more with the Special Forces community such as Navy Seals and Army Special Forces because they are easier to slip into most foriegn countries being partnered with the U.S. Navy. The Army needs an airbase to land it’s logistics in most cases…the Marines only need the Navy offshore. So your going to see the Marines used a lot more in the future for small country conflicts in which the country which they operate has no real infrastructure to support the Army and it has to be done via the Navy offshore…which is the original Marine Mission from before WWII.

So yes basically it. Marines assault and then leave shortly after objective secure. Army does assault and occupy (HOLD) and secures the objective itself instead of turning that over to someone else or just leaving. Marines carry more heavy mahine guns, rockets and missiles due to their assault mission. Army provides it’s own logistics chain and so siezure of an airbase is always part of the plan. Marines rely on Navy logistics and do not need an airbase for logistics for most of their operations.

Also the Marines are used at every Embassy overseas as guards. The number of Marines overall may be small however what we have is considered one of the hardest hitting armed forces in the world. There is an old joke that goes like this. The Navy softens up the Beach the Marines take it the Army comes in and takes the territory and the Air Force comes in last and throws up the Officer’s club and takes all the glory. In WW2 82 Marines earned the Medal of Honor and 332 men in the US Army won it in WW2. Now here is the comparison in the size of the forces in WW2 in comparison with over 8 million men in the US Army in 1945 compared to 475 thousand Marines in 45. Like Chesty Puller said at Chosin in 50 when he heard they were surrounded by the Chinese he said those poor Bastards and he meant the Chinese army. Or look at Guaudacanal where the 1st Marines understrength held on for months with next to no supplies against the best the Japanese could throw at them. The Marines have always been elite and hard fighting. My brother in law is an ex-Marine and the man can still out work most men half his age. When there is a crisis the first 2 things the JCS asks anymore is where are the carriers at and where is my closest Marine Amphib group at and then get them in the area if needed.

Thank you Ma’am!

And give Shadow the Cat a pet (and maybe a cat treat!) for me!

I wonder about that information you were told – North Lake would be about as far removed from the (now fully restored) “Ten Chimneys” estate as one could imagine while still being part – a far northern edge - of what is called “Lake Country,” compared to other depots on the Milwaukee Road or C&NW lines to Madison. Those famous guests would have had a lengthy ride over rough country roads back then.

Tem Chimneys is located in the town of Genesee Depot which was named for a railroad depot on the Milwaukee & Mississippi, later i think Milwaukee Road and now WSOR. That would be have been the more likely arrival station. Even assuming the celebrities took UP streamliners to Chicago, that itself would not dictate that they take CNW trains north, and if they did, the CNW offered passenger service west that went closer to Genesee Depot (Waukesha) than the line that goes near North Lake.

Dave Nelson

OK so the Paul Lynde trip they mentioned on the tour was probably circa 1946-1950. The travel booking of Mr. Lynde probably would have been made by his agent and my guess it was an all First Class routing which narrows the routes to Milwaukee Road or C&NW 400 route. I would think he would prefer a cross-platform transfer vs. changing train stations in Chicago. So it made sense to me. State Highway 83 (a countuation of Illinois route 83) was paved back then with asphalt as well which was the main connection between North Lake and Genessee Depot. Originally Highway 83 was first paved in 1924 according to Wiki-pedia.

The C&NW line from Waukesha, I believe was using a Gas Turbine self-propelled railcar back then for local stops I believe and I am pretty sure Milwaukee to Waukesha routing was a mixed train at best…I don’t think either offered First Class accomodations. The closest C&NW depot to Genesee Depot was Wales, WI. also off Highway 83 as was the North Lake Depot.