|
More History |
|
SCSG History
The South Carolina State Guard in World War II
by
COL Jack Allen Meyer
As World War II raged
in Europe it was obvious to American military planners that the
United States stood a good chance of becoming involved in the war.
Should that occur, the National Guard would inevitably be ordered to
active duty, leaving no military force to maintain order in the
several states. To rectify this situation the National Defense Act
of 3 June 1916 was amended on 21 October 1940 to allow the
establishment of state defense forces. In South Carolina the
enabling act was the Act Establishing the South Carolina Defense
Force, signed into law by Governor Burnet R. Maybank on 21 March
1941.
The South Carolina Defense Force (SCDF) was organized into a
Headquarters, four regiments of three battalions each, and at least
one independent battalion. Initially those wishing to enlist or be
commissioned had to be between the ages of 21 and 55, in good
health, and of good character. The minimum age quickly fell to 17
and there are indications that a few men served at an even younger
age. The uniform was to be Confederate Gray. This was changed to
standard GI Olive Drab by 1943. The initial armament was the Model
1917 rifle, sometimes called the 1917 Enfield rifle. Later this
changed to a mix of rifles, shotguns, Thompson sub machine guns, and
a few larger weapons.
The men of the SCDF
were volunteers, serving without pay unless called into active
service by the governor. The authorized strength was 518 officers
and 6,035 enlisted men. According to the Adjutant General's report
of 2 July 1941 there were 191 officers and 3,060 enlisted men
enrolled as of 30 June 1941. Among the officers was 2LT J. Strom
Thurmond of Company L (Edgefield), 3d Battalion, 1st Regiment. By
the spring of 1942 the number enrolled had risen to over 6,000.
The mission of the
SCDF, renamed the South Carolina State Guard (SCSG) in January 1944,
was to defend against invasion along the South Carolina coast and
assist local officials in providing internal security, including
search and rescue. While invasion by sea was unlikely there was a
fear that the Germans might land forces by submarine and it was the
job of the SCDF to hold until troops could be brought in from Fort
Jackson. Fortunately the need never materialized.
Most of the
time the men drilled and conducted defensive exercises to prepare
them in the event an invasion did occur. Occasionally they were
called out to provide security for crashed aircraft or after natural
or man made disasters. Apparently the last official activity of
the SCSG was to provide security in Greenville after the Ideal
Laundry fire in November 1946. The last known war time unit,
Company E (Greenville), 2d Battalion, 2d Regiment, was mustered out
on 8 August 1947.
|
|
|
|
