Opening Moves: Marines Gear Up For War


Read by Aaron Bennett

On 1 September 1939, German armored columns and attack aircraft crossed the Polish border on a broad front and World War II began. At Marine Corps headquarters, it was readily apparent that the planned expansion of the Corps to a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) strength of at least two infantry divisions and two supporting aircraft wings would require a vastly increased supporting establishment. What occurred then in late 1940 and early 1941 was a thorough search by Marines of the east and west coasts of the United States for base sites suitable for training one or more divisions whose main mission was amphibious warfare. At the same time, there was a parallel need for suitable airfield locations near the proposed amphibious training sites which would house the…squadrons and groups of one or more air wings. The Marine Corps that grew in strength during 1939-41 was a Service oriented toward amphibious operations and expeditionary duty. - Summary by Henry I. Shaw Jr