Opening Moves: Marines Gear Up For War

On 1 September 1939, German armored columns and attack aircraft crossed the Polish border on a broad front and World War II began. At Marine Corps headquarters, it was readily apparent that the planned expansion of the Corps to a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) strength of at least two infantry divisions and two supporting aircraft wings would require a vastly increased supporting establishment. What occurred then in late 1940 and early 1941 was a thorough search by Marines of the east and west coasts