Wisconsin began
preparing for war more than one year before
Pearl Harbor. In addition to the many Badger
men already serving in the regular armed
forces, the 32nd Division (made up of
Wisconsin and Michigan National Guardsmen)
was called to active duty in October 1940
and began training at Camp Beauregard, and
later Camp Livingston, in Louisiana. The
Division’s tank company (largely from
Janesville, Wisconsin) was detached, made
Company D, 192nd Tank Battalion, and sent to
the Philippines. There, they were attacked
by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941, were
eventually captured at Bataan and forced on
the Bataan Death March, and held prisoner by
the Japanese for three years.
The December 7
attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines
accelerated the pace of the 32nd Infantry
Division’s training. By February 1942, they
moved to Massachusetts in preparation for duty
in Europe. A month later, they traveled cross
country to California and instead deployed to
the South Pacific, arriving in Australia in May
1942. Beginning in September, the Wisconsin men
in the 32nd Division saw 654 consecutive days of
combat at places like Buna, New Guinea, Leyte,
and Luzon. They were the first American division
to fight an offensive action against Japanese
forces and earned countless citations and awards
through their bravery.
The remainder of
the 332,000 Wisconsin men and women who
served during World War II were scattered
among the different branches of service and
served all over the world. Richard Bong, a
Poplar, Wisconsin native, gained national
fame as America’s top ace, shooting down
forty Japanese aircraft from his P-38
Lightning. Antigo native John Bradley took
part in the historic flag raising on Iwo
Jima. Over 8,000 Badgers lost their lives
during the war and another 13,000 were
wounded.
