Tick Tock by Southern Creek Designs


In August of 1940, Dad and his Nebraska National Guard unit went to Camp Ripley, Minnesota to participate in the largest peacetime Army manuevers ever attempted.
The following are excerpts from a spech given by George Marshall conceerning these manuevers: [The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, ed. Larry I. Bland, Sharon Ritenour Stevens, and Clarence E. Wunderlin, Jr. (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981- ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 2, “We Cannot Delay,” July 1, 1939-December 6, 1941 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986), pp. 280-284.]

One purpose of the present maneuvers is to capitalize on the lessons of the past six months. About 85% of the mobile Regular Army and National Guard troops in Continental United States will participate, and in this way, the knowledge and experience recently gained by the Regular troops can be brought to the National Guard. During the maneuvers last May, National Guard Division and Brigade Commanders, with their staffs, served with the Regular troops and during a 24-hour period of action were given actual command.

As a culmination to this year’s training, the Regular Army and the National Guard will engage, during the next three weeks, in maneuvers in each of the four territorial Army areas. In Northern New York, approximately 100,000 troops of the First Army will simulate combat conditions between Plattsburg and Watertown. In the Second Army, 65,000 men will operate in the vicinity of Sparta in Western Wisconsin. The Sabine River Area in Louisiana will furnish the locale for the maneuvers of 65,000 troops of the Third Army.

The 80,000 troops of the Fourth Army will concentate at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, and at Camp Ripley in Minnesota. [This was where Dad's unit was sent.] This area is so large that it is not economical to assemble the Fourth Army troops in one region.

The present era of science and invention has exerted a dominating influence on the ways and means of conducting warfare. Teaching a man to shoot a rifle or to ride a horse, or to drive a motor vehicle, are only primary steps in the education of the modern soldier. He must not only be technically trained in many subjects and duties, but he must also be seasoned for rigorous field duty and taught the mechanics of operating as an intelligent cog in a highly complicated machine. I am hopeful that these August maneuvers will have a tremendous effect towards seasoning that important element of our defense forces, the National Guard, which is forced to conduct most of its training indoors. The Guard occupies an important place in our defensive system. It has suffered in equipment shortages as a result of the lean post-war years when appropriations were pared to the bone. The very recent billions for material can produce no effect for many months until quantity deliveries commence. The men of the National Guard are volunteers, enthusiastic, conscientious members of our Army; and great credit is due them for the time they have freely given from their civil pursuits to make a patriotic contribution to National Defense. These maneuvers will enable the National Guard Divisions to work with supporting units such as Cavalry, Anti-aircraft troops, and combat and observation aviation to an extent which has until this time been impossible.