The article “The Georgia State Defense Corps and the Georgia State Guard, 1940–1947” by Captain Rich Elwell, Command Historian of the Georgia State Defense Force, provides a detailed history of Georgia’s state military organizations during World War II. It begins with the formation of the Georgia State Defense Corps in 1940 at the request of Governor E. D. Rivers, who organized the force through the American Legion to replace the federally mobilized Georgia National Guard. Within months, nearly 6,000 officers and enlisted volunteers filled the ranks, guarding vital infrastructure such as power plants, bridges, airports, and railroads. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Governor Eugene Talmadge activated the entire Corps for state defense, placing it under the command of Brigadier General Omar Bradley, then commanding at Fort Benning. In 1942, the organization evolved into the Georgia State Guard, which grew to over 11,000 members by 1943 and was formally established by the Georgia General Assembly through the Georgia State Guard Act. The Guard played a critical homeland security role during the war, conducting coastal patrols, infrastructure protection, and emergency response, while also authorizing a Women’s Division in 1945 for clerical and administrative duties. The Guard was ultimately inactivated in 1947 after the return of the Georgia National Guard, with over 34,000 men and women having served during its seven-year existence. The article concludes that these citizen-soldiers successfully fulfilled their mission of defending Georgia’s communities and maintaining security throughout World War II.
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