| Replacement and School Command | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Command |
| Role | Training and receiving |
| Size | 166,000 (1942) 481,000 (1945) |
| Engagements | World War II |
The United States Replacement and School Command was a training and receiving formation of the United States Army during World War II.
It was established as part of the Army Ground Forces in March 1942, after it was noted that divisions, though initially well-balanced, soon became unbalanced in combat as the infantry took casualties faster than other arms. [1] When it started, the Replacement and School Command consisted of about 166,000 officers and men, and it reached its peak in May 1945 with 481,000 personnel. [2]
The Command operated Replacement Training Centers (RTCs), especially Infantry Replacement Training Centers (IRTCs), in an effort to train new recruits to replace combat casualties. IRTCs included Fort McClellan in Alabama, Camp Roberts in California, Camp Blanding in Florida, Camp Wheeler in Georgia, and Camp Fannin, Camp Howze, and Fort Wolters in Texas. The Field Artillery Replacement Center was located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was commanded by Ralph McT. Pennell. [3]
The first commanding general of the Replacement and School Command was Courtney Hodges. [2] Other commanding generals included Harold R. Bull and Harry Hazlett. [4] [5] Initially, training programs ran for 4 weeks, culminating at 17 weeks by the war's end.
Tony Cucolo notes that the men who trained at IRTCs replaced the dead: "The men trained here knew they were going to the deadliest places on the WWII battlefield." [6]
The Replacement and School Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia consisted of three vertical stripes of equal width of blue (on the left), yellow and scarlet (visually very similar to the flags of Chad and of Romania). The United States Army Institute of Heraldry notes that "the three stripes are in the colors of, and refer to, the basic combat arms (infantry, cavalry/armor and artillery); they also refer to the components of the "One Army" concept: Active Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard." [7]
The shoulder sleeve insignia is currently worn by the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.
In Frederick Buechner's 1958 novel The Return of Ansel Gibbs , a character jokes that the red was for "the blood you never shed... Blue for the ocean you never crossed. And yellow for the streak down your back." [8]
The 2nd Infantry Division ("Indianhead") is a formation of the United States Army. Since the 1960s, its primary mission has been the pre-emptive defense of South Korea in the event of an invasion from North Korea. Approximately 17,000 soldiers serve in the 2nd Infantry Division, with 10,000 stationed in South Korea, accounting for about 35% of the United States Forces Korea personnel. Known as the 2nd Infantry Division-ROK/U.S. Combined Division (2ID/RUCD), the division is bolstered by rotational Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) from other U.S. Army divisions.
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The 66th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army during World War II. Activated 15 April 1943, the division trained at Camp Blanding, Florida, and was later transferred to Camp Robinson, Arkansas and then later to Camp Rucker, Alabama before being shipped overseas to England on 26 November 1944. Commanded by Maj. Gen. Herman F. Kramer, the 66th Infantry Division's main role in World War II was containing and eliminating the remaining pockets of German soldiers in Northern France.
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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.
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Shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) are distinctive cloth patches worn on the left sleeve of the United States Army uniform just below the shoulder seam by soldiers assigned to divisions, corps, armies, and other specifically authorized organizations. They are also worn on the right sleeve by soldiers to indicate former overseas service with certain units during periods of U.S. military operations in hostile conditions (MOHC).
II Field Force, Vietnam was a United States Army Corps-level command during the Vietnam War.
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XIX Corps was a corps-sized formation of the United States Army, initially allocated to the Organized Reserves in California and seven other western and northwestern states. Meanwhile, the Headquarters, III Armored Corps was formed at Camp Polk, Louisiana on July 7, 1942 under the command of Major General Willis D. Crittenberger during World War II. It was activated on August 20 the same year at Camp Polk. The XIX Corps was officially disbanded on October 1, 1943 from the Organized Reserves. On October 10, 1943, the Headquarters, III Armored Corps was reorganized and re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, XIX Corps which formed the activated XIX Corps. It fought as part of the First and Ninth Armies, fighting on the Western Front of World War II. Disbanded on 5 September 1945 in France, it was reconstituted on 12 July 1950 in the Army of the United States. It was allotted to the Regular Army in October 1959 and activated on 1 November that year at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. It was inactivated on 1 April 1968 at Fort Chaffee.
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The 79th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. First constituted 1916 in the Regular Army.
Captain in the U.S. Army (USA), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), U.S. Air Force (USAF), and U.S. Space Force (USSF) is a company-grade officer rank, with the pay grade of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the Navy/Coast Guard officer rank system and is different from the higher Navy/Coast Guard rank of captain. The insignia for the rank consists of two silver bars, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Marine Corps version.
Ralph McT. Pennell was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of World War I and World War II, he attained the rank of major general, and was a recipient of the Legion of Merit and two awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal. His career spanned 1906 to 1946, and included command of the: 34th Field Artillery Regiment; 1st Field Artillery Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment; 15th Field Artillery Regiment; 52nd Field Artillery Brigade; 27th Infantry Division; Hawaii District; Field Artillery Replacement Training Center at Fort Sill; and United States Army Field Artillery School.
