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The United States Marine Corps in the World War

Chapter 6: STATUTORY STRENGTH.
By Edwin North McClellan
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About This Book

A concise official history recounts the expansion, organization, and activities of the Marine Corps during the World War, combining personnel statistics with descriptions of recruiting, training, unit formation, deployments, and departmental administration. It outlines combat operations by Marine brigades and regiments on the Western Front, summaries of major engagements and citations awarded by allied commands, casualty and decoration statistics, and support roles including naval detachments, aviation, and reserve forces. The work also addresses logistical, paymaster, and quartermaster functions, the return and demobilization of forces, and provides tables and footnoted data to document strength, movements, and outcomes.

Chapter II.

STATUTORY AND ACTUAL STRENGTH OF THE MARINE CORPS ON VARIOUS DATES.

STATUTORY STRENGTH.

The act of Congress of August 29, 1916, increased the authorized strength of the Marine Corps from 344 officers and 9,921 enlisted men to 597 officers and 14,981 enlisted men, and the President was authorized in an emergency to further increase the corps to 693 officers and 17,400 enlisted men, which he did by Executive order on March 26, 1917.

On April 6, 1917, Congress declared “that a state of war exists between the United States and the Imperial German Government” and one and one-half months later, on May 22, 1917, temporarily increased the authorized strength to 1,197 commissioned officers, 126 warrant officers, and 30,000 enlisted men. Finally, the act of July 1, 1918, temporarily increased the Marine Corps to 3,017 commissioned officers, 324 warrant officers, and 75,500 enlisted men, which is the maximum strength ever authorized for the Marine Corps. Of this number 17,400 were permanent and 57,650 temporary. In addition to the above, the act of August 29, 1916, which established the Marine Corps Reserve, permits the enrollment of reserves without limit as to number, and on April 6, 1917, there were enrolled, subject to call to active duty, three Reserve commissioned officers, 24 National Naval Volunteer officers, 36 Reserve enlisted men, and 928 enlisted National Naval Volunteers. There were also available for recall to active duty 65 regular retired commissioned officers, one regular retired warrant officer, and 210 regular retired enlisted men.

ACTUAL STRENGTH OF THE MARINE CORPS AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE WAR.

On April 6, 1917, the strength of the Marine Corps on active duty was as follows:

Regular commissioned officers:
Major General Commandant 1
Brigadier generals 7
Colonels 13
Lieutenant-colonels 27
Majors 59
Captains 119
First lieutenants 87
Second lieutenants 106
Total regular officers 419
Regular commissioned retired officers:
On active duty 43
Regular warrant officers:
Marine gunners 20
Quartermaster clerks 20
Pay clerks 9
Total warrant officers 49
Total regular officers 511
Total regular enlisted men 13,214
Total strength on active duty 13,725

On November 11, 1918, the strength of the Marine Corps on active duty was as follows:

Regular commissioned officers:
Major General Commandant 1
Major generals 2
Brigadier generals 13
Colonels 43
Lieutenant-colonels 52
Majors 199
Captains 522
First lieutenants 436
Second lieutenants 413
Total Regular officers 1,681
Commissioned retired officers:
On active duty 43
Reserve officers on active duty:
Majors 7
Captains 33
First lieutenants 63
Second lieutenants 360
Total Reserve officers 463
Total commissioned officers on active duty 2,187
Regular warrant officers:
Marine gunners 109
Quartermaster clerks 89
Pay clerks 56
Total 254
Reserve warrant officers:
Marine gunners 27
Quartermaster clerks 2
Pay clerks 4
Total 33
Total warrant officers on active duty 287
Total officers on active duty 2,474
Enlisted personnel:
Regular 63,714
Retired enlisted men on active duty 15
Reserves, on active duty 6,483
Female reservists, on active duty 277
Total 70,489
Total strength on active duty 72,963

On December 11, 1918, the Marine Corps attained its maximum strength on active duty, which was distributed as follows:

Regular commissioned officers 1,678
Retired officers on active duty 44
Reserve commissioned officers 452
Regular warrant officers 257
Reserve warrant officers 31
Regular enlisted men 65,666
Reserve enlisted men 6,704
Female reservists 269
Total 75,101

The maximum enlisted strength of the regular Marine Corps, not including reserves, during the period between the outbreak of war and the date the armistice became operative was 63,714 on November 9, 1918.