The Adjusted Service Rating Score was the system that the United States Army used at the end of World War II in Europe to determine which soldiers were eligible to be repatriated to the United States for discharge from military service as part of Operation Magic Carpet. This system was referred to as "The Point System" by U.S. soldiers. [1]
As the end of the war in Europe became a reality, the US War Department began planning for the redeployment of Army personnel following the end of hostilities. The Veterans Replacement and Release Act of 1945 established the US Army Point System. [2] The Readjustment Regulations were first introduced on September 15, 1944, and revised February 15, 1945, and again on March 5, 1945.
The rules were simple in general principle: "those who had fought longest and hardest should be returned home for discharge first." The US Army divided units of the European Theater of Operations into four categories:
New troops would be deployed to Europe as replacements for the veterans returning home.
Initially, an enlisted man needed a score of 85 points to be considered for demobilization. The scores were determined as follows: [3]
Time of service was calculated from September 16, 1940. [4] The four criteria were the only ones from which points were calculated. Soldiers who met the most score requirements took precedence, especially if they had dependents. [5] No points were issued for age, marriage, or dependent children over the age of eighteen. Battles and awards were also only accepted from a predetermined list. [3] Some individuals were required to remain overseas longer even if they met the point threshold. These individuals had special skills that were needed. Staying six months longer was the intended cap for these individuals. [2]
Different scores were set for troops in the US Army, US Army Air Forces, Women’s Army Corps and holders of the Medal of Honor.
Before the surrender of Japan, officers who may have had to serve again in combat were assessed not only on their ASR score but also on their efficiency and military specialties. Most high-scoring officers could have expected an early discharge after VE Day. The qualifying score was revised down to 80 points after VJ Day. In the coming months it would be lowered again. [4]
Scores varied before the end of May 1945 by varied department in the Medical Corps.
The discharge program continued until the end of July 1945; the demand to ship personnel and equipment to the Pacific became so great that medical units were prevented from shipping back to the United States for inactivation. However, all transfers to the Pacific were abruptly halted with announcement of the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945. [6]
By September 1945, the War Department redesignated all units in Europe as either redeployment forces (those with the highest score being sent back to the United States), liquidation forces (troops with middle scores of 60–79 points) who were required to close down former frontline facilities such as munition dumps or field hospitals, or occupation forces (personnel with either the lowest scores or who were volunteers).
Nevertheless, the ASR began to create problems for the US Army in post-war Germany as high-scoring personnel plus the attrition caused by sickness, compassionate leave and accidents meant continual loss of many experienced officers and NCOs.
Other issues arose with the changing of discharge point thresholds which is outlined below. Overload of transportation back to the United States resulted in protests in Manila, France, and London. [7]
By December 1, 1945, a new policy was started, which was based on a combination of ASR score and length of service. The points required were as follows:
All enlisted fathers with three or more dependent children under 18 years of age were immediately eligible for discharge irrespective of their time in military service. [3]
Corps is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies greatly, but two to five divisions and anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 are the numbers stated by the US Department of Defense.
The 91st Infantry Division (famously nicknamed as the "Wild West Division" with a "Fir Tree" as its Division insignia to symbolize its traditional home of the Far West) is an infantry division of the United States Army that fought in World War I and World War II. From 1946 until 2008, it was part of the United States Army Reserve. It was briefly inactivated from 2008 until 2010 when it was elevated back to a division size element as the 91st Training Division (Operations).
The 89th Infantry Division, originally known as the "89th Division," was an infantry formation of the United States Army that was active during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.
The 95th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. Today it exists as the 95th Training Division, a component of the United States Army Reserve headquartered at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The 100th Training Division (Leader Development) (formerly the 100th Infantry Division) is a division of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It currently serves as a major training command of the United States Army Reserve. It has been known as the "Century Division" owing to its "100th" designation.
The 77th Sustainment Brigade is a unit of the United States Army that inherited the lineage of the 77th Infantry Division, which served in World War I and World War II. Its headquarters has been at Fort Dix, New Jersey, since its predecessor command, the 77th Regional Readiness Command, was disestablished in 2008 from Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens, New York. Soldiers from the 77th have served in most major conflicts and contingency operations involving the US since World War II.
The 83rd Infantry Division ("Thunderbolt") was a formation of the United States Army in World War I and World War II.
The 94th Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I, and of the Organized Reserve Corps in 1921 until 1942.
The 97th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. Nicknamed the "Trident division" because of its shoulder patch, a vertical trident in white on a blue background, it was originally trained in amphibious assaults as preparation for deployment in the Pacific Theater. It was deployed to Europe in 1944 when casualties from the Battle of the Bulge needed to be replaced.
The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Major Albert J. Myer, and had an important role in the American Civil War. Over its history, it had the initial responsibility for portfolios and new technologies that were eventually transferred to other U.S. government entities. Such responsibilities included military intelligence, weather forecasting, and aviation.
The Army of the United States is one of the four major service components of the United States Army, but it has been inactive since the suspension of the draft in 1973 and the U.S. military's transition to a volunteer force. Personnel serving in the United States Army during a major national emergency or armed conflict were enlisted or inducted into the Army of the United States without specifying service in a component. It also includes the "Retired Reserve." Those are retired soldiers who have reached the required years of creditable service, or creditable service and age; regardless of the component, or components they formerly served in.
A hospital corpsman (HM) or corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (HS).
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.
The 467th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was to the Strategic Air Command, being stationed at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 4 August 1946.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.
The United States Army Air Forces was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and de facto aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II (1941–1947). It was created on 20 June 1941 as successor to the previous United States Army Air Corps and is the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force, today one of the six armed forces of the United States. The AAF was a component of the United States Army, which on 2 March 1942 was divided functionally by executive order into three autonomous forces: the Army Ground Forces, the United States Army Services of Supply, and the Army Air Forces. Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to the Army Chief of Staff.
This article is about the role played by women in the military in the Americas, particularly in the United States and Canada from the First World War to modern times.
United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility.
The Demobilization of United States armed forces after the Second World War began with the defeat of Germany in May 1945 and continued through 1946. The United States had more than 12 million men and women in the armed forces at the end of World War II, of whom 7.6 million were stationed abroad. The American public demanded a rapid demobilization and soldiers protested the slowness of the process. Military personnel were returned to the United States in Operation Magic Carpet. By June 30, 1947, the number of active duty soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen in the armed forces had been reduced to 1,566,000.
The Demobilized Personnel Records Center (DPRC) was an installation of the United States Army which operated in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1945 to 1956. The facility was housed in the former Goodfellow ordnance plant in St. Louis and became the central repository for all service records of discharged service members of the United States Army.
| General |
| ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Timeline |
| ||||||||||||||||
