Operation Torch, November 1942. (Wikimedia Commons )
I began writing an author’s note for my soon-to-be-released novel The Osprey and the Sea Wolf ~ The Battle of the Atlantic 1942:
The first six months of 1942 were dark for America. Imperial Japanese forces ran amok across the Pacific. The Axis powers had swept through Europe to the English Channel. America had to step up. Wartime industry went into high gear. Millions of civilians were inducted into the military.
I wondered: how many were actually inducted in 1942 – so I looked it up and will share it with you –
US MILITARY PERSONNEL (1939-1945)
| Year | Army | Navy | Marines | Coast Guard | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 189,839 | 125,202 | 19,432 | 334,473 | |
| 1940 | 269,023 | 160,997 | 28,345 | 458,365 | |
| 1941 | 1,462,315 | 284,427 | 54,359 | 1,801,101 | |
| 1942 | 3,075,608 | 640,570 | 142,613 | 56,716* | 3,915,507 |
| 1943 | 6,994,472 | 1,741,750 | 308,523 | 151,167 | 9,195,912 |
| 1944 | 7,994,750 | 2,981,365 | 475,604 | 171,749 | 11,623,468 |
| 1945 | 8,267,958 | 3,380,817 | 474,680 | 85,783 | 12,209,238 |
*Coast Guard listed only as wartime strength
WWII Axis (in black) December 1942 (Wikimedia Commons)