Prelude to WWII, Fort Sam Houston and Louisiana Maneuvers 1940–1942

For twenty-three years between the two world wars, the 2nd Infantry Division was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Many of its officers and enlisted men were Texans. The division also reflected the state’s diverse population, including a large Hispanic community as well as many soldiers of Czech and Slovak descent from one of the largest immigrant communities in the United States.

During the interwar years, the division became a pioneer in developing new military doctrine, organization, and equipment. Based on extensive peacetime field tests, it was selected as the first U.S. Army division to adopt the new triangular organization. As part of this reorganization, the 38th Infantry Regiment joined the division alongside the 9th and 23rd Infantry Regiments, replacing the previous square division structure.

The new organization was thoroughly tested during the Louisiana Maneuvers, and by October 1940 the division had essentially reached the structure it would retain throughout World War II. It consisted of the 9th, 23rd, and 38th Infantry Regiments, supported by the 12th, 15th, 37th, and 38th Field Artillery Battalions. The division’s special troops included the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, the 2nd Reconnaissance Troop, the 2nd Signal Company, the 2nd Medical Battalion, the 2nd Quartermaster Company, the Military Police Platoon, and the 702nd Ordnance Company.

Large-scale maneuvers in Louisiana continued in 1941, while the division also participated in experimental airborne training in Texas. As airborne doctrine was still in its infancy, these exercises were intended to evaluate the feasibility of air-transporting conventional infantry units. Following the VIII Corps maneuvers in Louisiana during the late summer of 1942, the division conducted further tests to develop techniques for the air transport of an entire infantry division. These experiments concluded in October 1942.