What does regular army mean in world war 2?

Answer 1

Many countries have an army during peacetime. These are full-time soldiers, who are in the army as a job or as a career. Thus, they are professional soldiers, and they are the regular army. In the US this includes the officers who have graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, New York (plus some officers from other universities, such as the Virginia Military Institute, the Citadel in South Carolina, and Norwich University), and the enlisted men. Enlisted men sign up for a certain number of years of service, and many reenlist when that time is up for another "hitch", and make a career of the army. Enlisted men start out as privates, and may get promoted to be a non-commissioned officer (NCO), such as a corporal or sergeant.

When war comes many men may volunteer or be drafted into the army. These are called volunteers, or draftees (some countries use the term "conscription" for a draft, and their draftees are called conscripts). These are "citizen-soldiers" who are in only for the duration of the war, and who do not intend to make a career out of the army. In the US Army during WWII most draftees and volunteers were given serial numbers indicating they were members of the US Army Reserve, not the Regular Army. But regulars, draftees and volunteers all served side by side in the same units.

In peacetime the US has an Army Reserve, of two types of men - active and inactive. Active Reserves do one weekend a month, or days on some other regular basis, at Reserve Centers scattered around the country, for drill and training, and usually some more time in the summer at an active army base. Men who have finished the term of an enlistment are in the Inactive Reserve for several years afterward, and could get called back to active service if a war breaks out. In the meantime though members of the Inactive Reserve do not have to go on weekend drill, but they have to keep the Army apprised of their address, so they can be summoned back to duty if the need arises.

The US also has the National Guard, another type of "weekend warrior". Like the Reserves the National Guard does weekend drills, usually monthly, at National Guard Armories in many towns, and does a week or two of full time training in the summer. But, in peacetime the National Guard is under the control of the governor of the state. Each state has a National Guard unit, and the governor gets to appoint the officers. If the president finds there is a need, such as when a war starts, he can call the National Guard into active service as part of the Army. This is called "Federalizing" the unit called up, because control then passes from the state government to the Federal government. The US actually sent more National Guard troops to fight in WWI than any other type - either Regular or draftee. The National Guard divisions were also important in WWII, and many smaller National GUard units also served in Korea and Vietnam.