Countering Widespread Ignorance About the National Guard

Subject: Countering Widespread Ignorance About the National Guard
From: (Peter Stickney)
Date: 3/4/04 8:22 PM Pacific Standard Time

Personally although I don't always agree with Art, I find the majority of
his posts far more interesting and on-topic than yours.

John


Thank you John. Friends are hard to find around here. (sigh)




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer


Art, is there a chance that you are confusing the State Guards of WWII with
the National Guard?

The State Guard units (not part of the National Guard)
were authorized by a Federal Act of October 21, 1940. This act prohibited
State Guard units from being called, drafted, or ordered into Federal
service nor could these troops be ordered to serve outside the boundaries
of
their own states. All but 4 states had State Guards and there were 90,000
men in these units by December 7, 1941. They lasted all through the war,
with California having 6,000 in its State Guard as late as 1944. Most of
this info is from http://www.2-185armor.com/CASMRHist1.htm.

Due to the large number of National Guardsmen being activated today these
types of units are being resurrected, but are usually called State Defense
Forces now. See http://www.sgaus.org/.

During the Civil War, a lot of southern men were in these types of units,
which could only be activated by the state's governer. This reduced the
manpower of the Confederate Army substantially, and members of these units
were looked upon as slackers by Confederate soldiers.

Joe


Well it was called the "Guard" and it was statewide. But isn't the
National
Guard a statewide service? ,. All I know is that guys went into the "Guard"
and
never went to war and everyone hated them for it..Please explain further.

Art, the National Guard as we know it today was pretty much
established under the Militia Act of 1903, which required that the
various units of teh Organized Militia of the various States had to
conform to U.S. Army standards of equipment, organization, and
training, Federal control was tightened throughout the decade
following, and the National Guard was made part of the United States
Army via the National Defence Act of 1914. This recognized 4 elements
of the land forces of the U.S,: The Regular Army, the National Guard,
the Reserve Corps, and the wartime Volunteer Army. (The regular Army
was made up of Career Soldiers. The National Guard was the part-time
reserve, organized into units housed by the States and available to
the Governors of those States. The Reserve Corps was part-time
soldiers not formed into units, The Volunteer Army was to have been
the units formed during wartime expansion of the Army. By the time of
the U.S. ENtry into the FIrst World War, the Volunteer Army was
replaced by the National Army, which was made up of people inducted
via the Draft. The Federal GOvernment gained the power to appoint all
Officers in 1914.

(As an aside, Regular Army units are distinguished by Division numbers
running from 1 through 25, and Regimental designations running from
1-100. National Guard Division numerical designations run from 26-62,
and Regiments from 100-168. National Army units had Division and
Regemntal numbers higher than these. So any Division between 26 adn
62 (That actual Highest number activated was 45) was a National Guard
Division.)

In August 1918, all Active Units (Regulars, Activated Guard Units, and
National Army) were fused inot the same organization. One they're
called up or activated, they're considered completely intergangable
with the Regular Army.

The National Guard was called up beginning in February 1940, and was
not released until Nov/Dec. 1945.

Most of this is from the "Infantry" volume of the Army Lineage Series,
Mahon and Danysh, Office of teh Chief of Military History, Washington
D.C., 1972, and "World War II Order of Battle", Stanton, Galahad, NY,
NY, 1991.

--
Pete Stickney


I donlt know Peter. Remember we were kids at the time waiting to be 18 and go
to war. Almost all of us in high school volunteered for either the Army Air
Corps ro the Navy V12 program waiting for our 18th birthday so we could be
called up and start training at flying school. Those very few who went into
the "Guard" were considered cowards and held in contempt and none of them ever
went to war. The stuff you are telling me is quite interesting, but we knew
nothing about that at the time. But thanks for the info.Appreciate it.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer