U.S. National Guard in World War II

National Guard Troops at a campsite, August 1940.

National Defense Act of 1933 

The National Defense Act of 1933 provided that the National Guard is considered a component of the Army at all times. Beginning with this law, each National Guard member has two military statuses—a member of the National Guard of his or her state, or a member of the National Guard of the United States when ordered into active duty. This enhanced the 1916 Act's mobilization provisions, making it possible to deploy National Guard units and individual members directly for overseas service in the event of a war, without having to discharge and draft them first.

The 1933 law also changed the name of the Militia Bureau to the National Guard Bureau.

World War II

In August 1940, the National Guard was ordered to federal service for 12 months in anticipation of American entry into World War II. More than 300,000 National Guardsmen were called up as parts of divisions or in non-divisional units, immediately doubling the size of the active-duty U.S. Army. 18 Army divisions, 80 separate regiments, and 29 Army Air Corps squadrons were mobilized from National Guard organizations beginning in September 1940. After the United States officially entered the war in December 1941, one entirely new division (the Americal) and parts of several other Army divisions were organized with National Guard units.

Because National Guard units had been mobilized for over a year in December 1941, they were among the first to enter combat in the following months. California's 251st Coast Artillery Regiment and Hawaii's 298th Infantry Regiment took part in the defense of Oahu on 7 December 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. New Mexico's 200th Coast Artillery Regiment and two tank battalions made up of National Guard units from several states were part of the defense of the Philippines, with more than half of these men dying as prisoners of war of the Japanese.

North Dakota's 164th Infantry Regiment, sent to reinforce the U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal in October 1942, was the first U.S. Army regiment to fight on the offensive in World War II. On New Guinea, the 32nd and 41st Infantry Divisions became the first Army divisions to engage and defeat the Japanese in late 1942 and early 1943. In Europe, the 34th Infantry Division was one of the first two US infantry divisions to fight in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) when it landed in Algeria as part of Operation Torch. The 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and District of Columbia National Guards was one of two assault divisions on Omaha Beach in Normandy during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944.

National Guard units participated in all combat theaters and took part in 34 separate campaigns and seven assault landings, sustaining 175,000 casualties (killed and wounded). 48 Presidential Unit Citations were awarded to National Guard units, and National Guard soldiers received 14 Medals of Honor, 50 Distinguished Service Crosses, 48 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and more than 500 Silver Stars.

Despite the efforts of Regular Army leaders to replace National Guard division commanders with Regular Army officers, National Guard Major Generals Leonard F. Wing and Robert S. Beightler remained in command of their divisions, the 43rd and 37th, and Beightler was the only National Guard general to command his division for the entire duration of the war.

National Guard infantry divisions which participated in the war included the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 40th, 41st, 43rd, 44th, and 45th. National Guard regiments were also part of the Americal, 7th, 8th, 24th, and 25th Infantry Divisions.

Division	States Represented	Campaign Participation Credit
26th Infantry Division	Massachusetts	Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
27th Infantry Division	New York	Elements participated in various campaigns in the Pacific, but not the entire division
28th Infantry Division	Pennsylvania	Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
29th Infantry Division	Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C.	Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe
30th Infantry Division	Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee	Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
31st Infantry Division	Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi	New Guinea, Southern Philippines
32nd Infantry Division	Michigan, Wisconsin	New Guinea, Southern Philippines, Luzon
33rd Infantry Division	Illinois	New Guinea, Luzon
34th Infantry Division	Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota	Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley
35th Infantry Division	Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska	Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
36th Infantry Division	Texas	Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Central Europe
37th Infantry Division	Ohio	Northern Solomons, Luzon
38th Infantry Division	Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia	New Guinea, Southern Philippines, Luzon
40th Infantry Division	California, Nevada, Utah	Bismarck Archipelago, Southern Philippines, Luzon
41st Infantry Division	Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming	Papua, New Guinea, Southern Philippines
43rd Infantry Division	Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont	New Guinea, Northern Solomons, Luzon
44th Infantry Division	New Jersey, New York	Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe
45th Infantry Division	Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico	Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe