What was military basic training like back during World War I and World War II?

Question

What did enlisted recruits have to go through during boot camp at these times in history? Was it shorter because of the war? What did it consist of?

Answer 1

Not basic training but the training schedule for the fourth infantry regiment, 3rd Division A.E.F. for August 1918:

HEADQUARTERS, FOURTH INFANTRY, American Expeditionary Forces,
France, 25 August 1918.
D R I L L S C H E D U L E
RIFLE COMPANIES:
8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. ........ Drill Regulations .
9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. ........... Gas Instruction (*) and
Calisthenics.
10:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. Bayonet training.
10:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. ........... Liaison.
11:30 A.M. to 12:00 Noon First Aid Instruction.
1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. (except Wednesday)...Exercises (See Memo. #33, 3rd
Division).
MACHINE GUN COMPANY:
8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. . Drill regulations.
9:00 A.M. to 10;00 A.M……………………………….. Gas Instruction (*) and
Calisthenics.
10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. . . Liaison.
11:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Gun Drill.
11:30 A.M. to 13:00 Noon ........... First Aid Instruction.
1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. (except. Wednesday}…………. Exercises.
HEADQUARTERS COMPANY:
8:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M . Drill Regulations.
9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M Gas Instruction (*) and
Calisthenics.
10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. Liaison.
11:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M……………………………………………… Specialties.
11:30 A.M. to 12:00 Noon …………………………………………… First Aid Instruction.
1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. (except Wednesday). . Specialties.
2. SATURDAY:
9:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon . ......... • Inspection (Full Field Equipment by Company).
NOTE: Blouses may be removed for drills (except Close Order before retreat). Until further orders helmets will be worn at all drills. Haversacks will be worn whenever men are under arms.
(*) Gas Instruction will be given at unexpected times during the morning; other drills being moved forward or back accordingly.

Answer 2

My Grandfather joined the Army Air Core for world war 2 After 2 weeks basic training he went to his Tech school upon arriving there they formed the class up of 300 hundred men The Sergent the picked 250 of them had them go over to the other side of the drill pad remove there Air Core patches and each man was handed a rifle basic gear and Infantry patches. 5 minutes later they were on a train to go off to Fight.

How well does that anwser your question?

Answer 3

From what I understand Basic hasn't changed that much but AIT was largely unit cohesion training. The major problem they had was that the equipment they trained with was not the equipment they had when they got there. They had to retrain on the troopships or once they got there.
I was in one of the last classes to have M-1s, Browning Machine Guns, Rifle grenades etc in training so equipment wise there hadn't been a lot of change until the early 60's.

Answer 4

I was around then. Every male had to register for the draft as soon as they turned 18. The draft was conducted by drawing. Names were drawn at random and the draftee was notified by mail to report for induction. Physicals were next in order. Many times the draftee was given a choice of branch of service. Sometimes not, if one branch needed men more than another. College grads usually became commissioned officers, beginning at Corporal. Groups were assembled and bussed to training camps. Anyone could volunteer just like today, at recruiters for each branch of service. Lots of 17 year olds volunteered but they needed parents consent. One of my brothers joined the Navy at 17. Depending on the branch of service they were taken to different camps. Sometimes depending on space. Uniforms were issued that day or the next. One day after reporting training began. Many received 12 weeks training, some as little as 6 weeks. A leave was granted after completion and then they were shipped out to whatever theatre of war needed men. I don't have web sites. You can Google as well as I can. Try WW II military draft.

Answer 5

It was definitely shorter.

My brother hasn't started training yet; but it has take EIGHT MONTHS to get through all the paperwork to join the Canadian forces, with forgetting forms, making appointments, interviews etc.

If the British took even just a month to go through all the paperwork to sign up a soldier in WW2, they wouldn't be here...

Back then you showed up at the recruiting office, signed up, took a shilling as your first salary, train for eight weeks and BAM, you're off to the front!


EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realise that you were talking about America. I'm sure the British didn't train their troops by standing on the beach yelling "this is my rifle, this is my gun..."

Answer 6

My dad joined the Oklahoma National Guard in 1940. Ever heard the term "Straw Foot"? He said that they actually had some of those farm boys that did not right from left. So the put straw in their left boot. So when marching the cadence went "Straw foot, right foot". He never said how long basic was.
When he went into the field artillery as a truck driver they had a Model A on blocks to teach people how to drive. Them farm boys could drive horses but not cars.

Answer 7

Standing naked in the sun and holding one thing in one hand and your rifle in the other. Shaking one and then the other, screaming at the top of your lung's, for the D.I. " This is my rifle, this is my gun. One is for shootin' one is for fun!" Until you had blister's and sunburn in all kinds strategic place's. No joke kid, really happened to one of my uncle's in WWII.