Army numbered only 267,767 soldiers with another 300,000 serving in the National Guard and an additional 120,000 soldiers in the Army Reserve.

Due to its Great Depression and fierce isolationist sentiments, the United States was woefully unprepared for war. By summer 1940, war raged across the globe. Throughout the 1930s, totalitarian regimes in Germany, Japan, Italy, and the Soviet Union aggressively expanded throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Yet the manner in which these Marines were mobilized and utilized during the war ensured that their achievements and sacrifices would be lost in the overall history of the Corps in World War II. Despite comprising only 2.5 percent of the Marine Corps’ total strength in World War II, these mobilized Reserve Marines made important contributions to the defense of the nation and the Allied victory in the Pacific. Marine Corps Reserve was mobilized for active duty by President Franklin D.

As part of America’s efforts to prepare for war, the Organized U.S. In fall 1940, the world was in the grips of its second global war.

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