Figure 1.--The Roosevelt Administration proposed a peacetime draft, the first in American history (September 1940). Taken in the middle of a hotly contested election, it was an act of great political courage. As America began building a sizable army, there were shortages of just about everything. And there was a need to support Britain. Army chiefs resented ship arms to Britain when their new trainees had to train without arms. By 1941, the U.S. Army was dealing for the first time since the Civil War with substantial numbers of men. It was clear that maneuvers wer e needed to give the commanders experience with handling large forces. This was something that the Whermacht did annually and had been doing so since the 19th century. It was here their Blitzkrieg tactics were honed. The U.S. Army held large scale maneuvers in northern Louisiana (August-September 1941). The locals had never seen anything like it, but on the whole welcomed the Army with open arms, especially the boys. The press caption here read, "Gee, Mister, Wish We Had One of These: Hornbeck, La. --Privates George Kish, Edward Deuten and Albert Bosta of Milwaukee, Wisc. and Co. 'H', 128th Inf., are the center of attraction for a group of Hornbeck youngsters as they set up their machine gun to command crossroad for the Red Army [the two maneuvering forces were the Red and Blue armies]during maneuvers Arkansas-Louisiana area." The photograph was taken August 28, 1941. It is amazing to think that hen America was just beginning tonrainnan and arm a army that the two great totaliratian powers with huhe, well armed armies were determining the outcome of the War in the East.

The U.S. Army as a result of the 1940 Selective Service (draft/conscription) Law was by 1940 dealing for the first time since World War I War with substantial numbers of men. The draft was apart of the preparedness measures taken after the Fall of France to the NAZIs. It was clear that maneuvers were needed to give the commanders experience with handling large forces. This was something that the Whermacht did annually and had been doing so since the 19th century. It was here that the Germans honed their devastating Blitzkrieg tactics. The U.S. Army clearly needed large scale maneuvers as the inexperienced draftees began to swell the roles. General Marshall had appointed Lt. General Leslie McNair as director of U.S. Army training. General McNair had nearly 1 million men ready to train (June 1941). McNair had organized small scale maneuvers throughout the United States during 1940 before the draftees had begun to arrive in large numbers, mostly in the South because of the weather beginning June 1940. Units of different branches of the Regular Army began training in Louisiana before the draftees arrived. Here many young officers began learning tactics that they would employ in the coming war. Few realized how soon America would be involved. There were shortage of everything. American industry had not yet been mobilized for war and substantial quantities of stores had been shipped to Britain. The new M-1 rifle, one of the few infantry weapons that was better than German equipment, was in extremely short supply. There was insufficient blank ammunition as was field equipment of all types. Much of the Army stores and weapons was of World War I vintage. Armored vehicles for the new Armored divisions being planned were virtually non-existent. Amazingly while the War was being decided by the Whermacht and Red Army on the vast Russian planes, perfect tank country, a totally untrained U,S. Army was just beginning to train, in many cases without modern equipment. The 1940 Maneuvers had brought the shortage to light, but they had not been solved by September 1941. McNair decided to go ahead with the maneuvers with whatever was at hand. McNair proceeded with 470,000 men over 3,400 square miles of land in northern Louisiana and areas of Texas. Lt. Colonel Mark Clark drew out the maneuver area on a map he got at a Louisiana filling station road map. Congress allocated $21 million dollars, then seen as a vast sum, to pay the expenses. To support house the men and equipment, camps including Camp Polk, Livingston, Beauregard, and Claiborne were constructed, as well as Army Air Fields at Lake Charles, DeRidder, Alexandria, Pineville, and Pollock. Over 19 full divisions were committed for the maneuvers, more than the entire U.S. Army today. It was one of the most important U.S. Army action since World War I. The locals had never seen anything like it, but on the whole welcomed the Army with open arms. The boys of course were fascinated by the influx of all the men and equipment in their quiet, mostly rural communities. Commanders had the opportunity to test all aspects of their fast-growing, inexperienced force. The tactical doctrines of mobility were tested out. Most of the best known American commanders of World War II participated (including Omar Bradley, Mark Clark, Dwight Eisenhower, Lesley McNair, and George Patton). The emphasis was on ground mobility and armored forces, although the Army did not yet have actual armored vehicles like tanks in any number. The maneuvers made only limited effort to integrate close air support into the maneuvers, a key element in the stunning German successes in Europe. The U.S. Army Air Corps was still focused on strategic bombing.

Created: 8:08 AM 3/14/2014
Spel;l checked: 9:39 PM 3/14/2014
Last updated: 2:02 AM 4/30/2015