10-086 Garand Picture of the Day - 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers

The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over North Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston, in August and September 1941. The exercise was designed to test US troop training, logistics, doctrine, and commanders.

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Realisitic military training can lead to injuries and death due to safety risks incurred through various factors including lack of sleep, enervation, the presence of heavy equipment, traffic accidents, and the presence of firearms. During the Louisiana Maneuvers, 26 men died. Most men lost their lives from drowning in the Sabine River and vehicle accidents. One died from getting struck by lightning, and one had a heart attack at age 24.

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Many Army officers present at the maneuvers later rose to very senior roles in World War II, including Omar Bradley, Mark Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lesley J. McNair and George Patton.

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General Omar Bradley later explained how the local population welcomed the soldiers with open arms. Some soldiers even slept in some of the residents' houses. Bradley said it was so crowded in those houses sometimes when the soldiers were sleeping, there would hardly be any walking room.