[Phsstpok]

you set up a skirmish line and behind the line you have a mass of troops waiting to squash an enemy breakout or to initiate a breakout of your own

Three things

1. You ever heard of "Force Forward?"
2. Who says the lines are going to be on our side of the border?
3. Skirmish lines with massed troops behind them is so 19th century.

Now, the "Ohio shares a Lake Erie border with Canada. " stuff is closer to the mark as a good argument to keep bases somewhere there in order to keep the ravening hordes of Canucks from sweeping down from the Great White North. However, they'd have to go across that nice little moat, so we need Naval power more than military bases.

I'd suggest ironclads or, better yet, retired Ohio Class subs.

 

[staytrue]

Skirmish lines with massed troops behind them is so 19th century.

Actually, it is so WWII. The germans had all their troops forward and the russians had theirs massed behind stalingrad. I think the french had their troops forward and when the germans made a breakout, there was nothing the french had to counter the breakout. I believe the chinese got caught too far forward when US landed behind them. The skirmish line still lives on in the form of the carrier battle group with the screening ships out front and the carrier and cruisers in the back.

[PAR35]

in order to keep the ravening hordes of Canucks from sweeping down from the Great White North. However, they'd have to go across that nice little moat, so we need Naval power more than military bases.

Erie freezes over in the winter. The Canadians can cross on dog sleds. Before we know what hit us, they could have Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, and the rest of the vital areas of NE Ohio, and be driving on the resort cities of Erie and Buffalo.