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Rika asked in Politics & GovernmentMilitary · 1 decade ago

What did the Army do during World War Two?

So what exactly did the Army do during world war two do in comparison with what the navy marines and coast guard did?

Update:

I mean like.... specifically? As in, how did they fight.

Update 2:

Tactic wise? Weapon wise? Wow I really didn't give enough information. But bs, you gave me good information :).

14 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    dads army went out there

  • Mike S
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Well off the top of my head I would say that the Army with the help of the navy and Army Air forces liberated a number of countries in Europe. Tactics wise they used time tested tactics for some branches and utilized and developed new tactics for some of the newer weapons systems like the bombers and the tank. Marines did pretty much the same thing in the Pacific with the help of numerous Army divisions and aid from the navy and again the Army Air Forces.

    Source(s): First Sergeant, US Army retired
  • 1 decade ago

    The Army invaded North Africa, Italy, Normandy, Southern France in Europe.

    In the Pacific, the Army invaded as many islands as the Marines, plus the Philipines, fought in New Guinie, Alaska. The Marines invaded an island, but then Army took over to clear the island as the Marines pulled out to get ready for the next island. The Marines would invaded the beach, but then the Army would take over and finish it.

    In addition, the Army was used to fight forest fires the Japanese started in the American NW.

    The Air Force at the time was actually the Army Air Corps, so the Army actually fought the air war over Europe and a lot of the Pacific, to include the bombing raids in Europe, Japan and the Atom Bombs.

    There were also US Army troops in Burma.

  • ed
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Both the Army and Marines were involved in "ground combat".

    Many times, hand to hand. (Brother in Law returned with his blood stained knife)

    The Navy usually shelled a shoreline before any ground invasion by the Army and Marines.

    Aside from sea battles.

    Guadal Canal had been shelled by the Navy for 30 days, 24 hours a day, before land invasion.

    It barely dented the Japanese fortifications and underground bunkers. Some of those had been built in the '30s.

    Casualties were very high.

    (A Marine friend was there. Wounded badly)

    Bouganville was similar. (Brother, Navy, was there.)

    Japs did not believe the war had ended and would not come out of bunkers. They had been there before 1941. They were covered over with buldozers.

    My brother actually served on a PT Tender. Half his ship was loaded with fuel, the other half with ammo. They serviced PT Boats, the type that President Kennedy commanded.

    The coast guard often accompanied merchant ships importing goods to the US. They also patrolled US waters, searching for subs. They were sighted off the coast of SC and FL.

    Aside from performing rescue operations at sea.

    Keep in mind that we imported all our bananas and coffee, just two items. Coffee was rationed and scarce and bananas seldom. The Merchant Marines/Coast Guard escorted those ships. German subs were off the coast of USA.

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  • 1 decade ago

    thee isn't room to even give a short list of tactics theArmy used in WWII, thats a huge question. since the Army did over 70% of the fighting over-all (air corps was part of the Army until 1947). as to weapons, they used M1 garand rifles mainly, there where thompson sub machine guns, the famous browning automatic rifle , the 5o and 30 caliber machine guns, the fragmentation and concussion hand grenades, the light portable mortar, and the new invention the Bazooka and the greatly feared flame thower (feared by theenemy as well as the wearer of the volitile weapon) and the much dreaded land mines, and in a pinch a few improvised and borrowed weapons such as the molotov cocktail and sticky bombs, as well as satchel charges, and the bomb used to blow open holes in barbed wire, that was on the end of and in the long metal tubes assembled when needed, and for the life of me the name escapes me (i'm sure someone else will jump in with the correct name).. and even the very versitile entrenching tool (little folding very sturdy shovel) for both digging, chopping and emergency hand weapon. therewas also the standard isssue bayonet, used often as a hunting style knife, not used as much as in WWI on the tip of rifle, but still very handy and desired, they carried gas masks at first, but gas was not used in WWII as in WWI fortunately. there was the Sherman medium, and M3 light tanks, as wellas the older Grant and Lee tanks. the Army flew the B-17's, B-24s, b-25's, b-26's and the atomic bomb dropping B-29(it also of course drop regular bombs mostly). the fighter aircraft such as the p-40 warhawk, p-39 air cobra, p-47 thumderbolt and p-51 mustang, did invaluable work as escourts,ground support and any roll called apon from the air. yes they used some paratrooper assault carbines (shorter rifles) and sub machine guns, and a few pistols of mostly .45 and .38 caliber, and thats about it, as I said the tactics would take volumes to even start to mention to give them any credit. watch a few good WWII documetaries or movies (saving private ryan, the longest day, to hell and back, battlground, 12 o'clock high, etc.

    Source(s): you pick things up in life, some you remember, much more you don't.
  • 1 decade ago

    Wow, what you ask would take hours of typing to answer properly. It would be esier for you to just type in the question right here in Yahoo search and see the results and get the answers. Too many people come straight here for homework answers or other things without even looking themselves. Especially for something this broad and detailed. I couldn't even summarized this in a few paragraghs with taking 20 minutes of typing. It's just easier to give you some links and have you enjoy the pleasure of looking at other sites instead of getting that quick fix here.

    Good luck

    http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/index.html

    http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/usarmy/d...

    http://www.worldwartwobooks.com/section.php?xSec=1...

    http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/Tactics/infant...

    Source(s): US Army airborne vet of Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq with the 82nd ABN DIV and Eco 51st LRS ABN and military historian who can use a search engine 2008 at 37 years old and 19 years in the military
  • 1 decade ago

    Hello, have you not heard of General G. Patton? They fought on land and in tanks. Tanks were really coming on back then. Was the Coast Guard in that war?

  • 1 decade ago

    Coast Guard?You know the answer. D-Day for one.Biggest invasion of WW2

  • 1 decade ago

    They invaded North Africa, Italy, and France. They killed Nazi's and fascist Italians - they did their job!

  • 1 decade ago

    Fight

    killing peoples

    Destroy towns

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