World War II: American Servicemen Returning Home

American World war II homecomings
Figure 1.--Rgus wife and son greeting a returning G.I. after World War II. The little boy had never sen his dad before. Fiven the snow suit the phitograph was probanly taken in early 1946, perhaps January or Febuary. Littke boys like this were not quite sure about what having a daddy meant and would have to lean how to share mom. Image coirtesy of Jikitary History of tgec20th Century.

The United States deployed vast military forces aroound the globe. Unlike World war I it was not primrily one force to one theater. It was not only a much larger force, but one deployed on a much wider scale. The American military totaled only 0.3 million men in 1939. This is one reason that Axis planners discounted the capacity of America as they launched World war II. And by the time that America entered the War had increased to only 1.8 poorky armed abnd inadequately trained men (December 1941). By the end iof the War, however, the American military consisted of nearly About 12.4 million superbly armed and trained Americans supported by an indudtrial base of imension proportions. [Peppers, p. 54.] The military included: the Army (8.3 million*), Navy (3.4 million), Marine Corps (0.5 million), Air Force ( ), and Coast Guard ( ) (1945). American units were deployed on every continent except Antartica. The largest number of men were deployd in Europe. Deployments in the Pacific were substantial, but Pacific island combat, except for the Philippines and Okinwa were fought on a much smaller scale than European battlefields. American units were also deployed in Asia, the Middle East, Africa (mostly North Africa), and Latin America. Getting them home would be an enormous logistical undertaking. For the most part once you entered the military you were in for the duration. Home leaves were very rate unless you were statined in the States. The primary exception was the air crews participating in the strategic bombardment of Germany who could go home after 25 missions. Few of the early crews survived that long. After V-E Day (May 1945), the military prepared to ship units deployed in Europe to the Pacific. Only with the Japanese surrender (August 1945) could service people begin to think of coming home. What the atmomic bomb meant for many was that that they had survived the War and were going home. (It mean the sne for millions of Japanese sevicemen as well, although they received the news very differently.) The task of getting the millions of Americans deployed abroad was a immense undertaking. It took over 3 years to deploy them, it would take about a year to get them home again. There was only so much shipping available. And the process was complicated by the need to get to Japanese garrisons across the Pacific to accept their surrender and resuce Allied POWs and civilians interned by the Japanese in apauling conditions. Few would have survived another year of war. Not all of the men came home and American mikitary cenetaries dot the countries liberated by American force of arms. Military authorities developed a system for getting the men and women home that survived the War. The wounded ahd POWs had the greatest priority. Points were eaened for time in service. It was not until well into 1946 that the vast American military force was repatriated. And some men had to be left in Germany and Japan for occupation duty. The first troop transports arriving in home ports often occssioned wild celebrations. But this some became a routine event. Coming home was an emotional experience for the men and their fmilies. Parents, sweethearts, wives, and children all experienced emotional reunions. There re some iconic images. Perhaps the most poignet is a Norman Rockwell work. The returning servicemen would find that America had changed and their family and friends would find that the returning servicemen had changed as well. And there would be no going back.

Footnotes

* The Army figure includes the Air Force (Army Air Corps) which organizatiinall was aart of the Army, but in fact acted as a separate service.





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Created: 3:39 AM 6/3/2012
Last updated: 3:39 AM 6/3/2012