The Seventh Corps Area was a

Corps area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...

, effectively a

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

, of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks),

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, Iowa and Nebraska. Army responsibility for Arkansas was transferred from the Fourth Corps Area to the Seventh Corps Area on 1 December 1920. In October 1940, the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...

implemented a transfer of tactical command functions of the Corps areas, moving tactical forces to field armies and transforming the Corps areas to Service Commands, themselves part of

Army Service Forces The Army Service Forces was one of the three autonomous components of the United States Army during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces, created on 9 March 1942. By dividing the Army into three large comman ...

. The Seventh Corps Area maintained its name until May 1941, when it was officially designated HQ, Seventh Corps Area Service Command (HQ, Seventh CASC) in May 1941. While the Seventh Corps Area no longer existed, the HQ, Seventh CASClater re-designated HQ, Seventh Service Commandcontinued until January 1944.

Establishment

The command was established on 20 August 1920 with headquarters at

Fort Crook, Nebraska Crook is another name for criminal. Crook or Crooks may also refer to: Places * Crook, County Durham, England, a town * Crook, Cumbria, England, village and civil parish * Crook Hill, Derbyshire, England * Crook, Colorado, United States, a ...

from elements of the previous Central Department. HQ, Seventh Corps Area moved to

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, ...

, Nebraska, on 27 May 1922 and seven years later moved to the Army Building at 15th and Dodge Streets in Omahathe Omaha Army Depoton 25 March 1929.

Structure

The Seventh Corps Area was responsible for the mobilization, administration, and training of units of the: *Third and Sixth Armies, including the mobile formations and units in the corps area; * VII Army Corps (Headquarters

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, 1922–33; Omaha, Nebraska, 1933–40) ** 7th Division (with its 14th Infantry Brigade active and a designated concentration area at

Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anth ...

, MN); ** 34th Division (allotted to the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota, assigned to the VII Army Corps in 1921. HQ, 34th Division was reorganized and federally recognized on 14 July 1924 at

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is lo ...

, Iowa. The division had its first opportunity to operate as a whole in the interwar period at

Camp Ripley Camp Ripley is a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard near the city of Little Falls in the central part of the state. The location of the camp was selected in 1929 by Ellard A. Walsh, Adjutant General ...

in August 1937); **35th Division; *XVII Army Corps ( 88th Division, 89th Division, 102d Division (Arkansas and Missouri)); *General Headquarters Reserve units; *and Seventh Corps Area Support Command

Zone of the Interior The American Theater was a theater of operations during World War II including all continental American territory, and extending into the ocean. Owing to North and South America's geographical separation from the central theaters of ...

support units. The 1st Observation Squadron joined the Corps Area on 15 June 1937, transferred from the

Sixth Corps Area Sixth Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army from 1921 to the 1940s. The headquarters was established at Sheridan Reserve Center, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, in August 1920, from portions of the former C ...

. It took up station at

, Kansas. However the squadron was reassigned to the Cavalry School around 1939.

Division areas

For the administration of units of the

Organized Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...

, Seventh Corps Area was originally organized into three division areas (88th, 89th, and 102d) and all divisional units, except cavalry, were administered by the headquarters of those three divisions. Cavalry units were administered by the

66th Cavalry Division (United States) The Army Reserve's 66th Cavalry Division was created from the perceived need for additional cavalry units. It numbered in succession of the Regular Army Divisions, which were not all active at its creation. Going into World War II, the U.S. Arm ...

, and nondivisional units were administered by the Corps Area headquarters. On 27 January 1923, the HQ, Non-Divisional Group was established at the Army Building in Omaha to administer corps-level and army-level units. But eight months later, HQ, Non-Division Group was discontinued, on 21 August 1925, and the Corps Area HQ took back responsibility for the remainder of the corps-level and army-level units. Two months later, the HQ, Artillery Group, was established 19 October 1925 at

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. The Artillery Group controlled only the corps- and army-level coast and field artillery units, while the Corps Area headquarters retained responsibility for the remainder of the corps- and army-level units. The Artillery Group was discontinued on 1 October 1937. On 2 November 1937, the Seventh Corps Area was divided into three “military areas,” and they assumed control of the artillery units within their zones of responsibility. The First Military Area assumed control of the 88th Division area, the Second Military Area assumed control of the 89th Division area, and the Third Military Area assumed control of the 102d Div. area. The Seventh Corps Area was assigning Reserve personnel to CASC units by December 1930 and to “1700” series numbered units on 2 August 1939. Headquarters Seventh Corps Area began functioning as a service command headquarters in October 1940, and was redesignated HQ, Seventh CASC in May 1941. It was further redesignated HQ, Seventh Service Command on 22 July 1942. Major posts and installations in the corps area included

; Fort Des Moines,

;

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas, which was established in May 1827, and included the Sherman Field airfield;

Fort Lincoln, North Dakota Fort Lincoln Internment Camp was a military post and internment camp located south of Bismarck, North Dakota, USA, on the east side of the Missouri River. It was first established as a military post in 1895 to replace Fort Yates, following the ...

, in Bismarck, ND; Fort Meade, SD, two miles west of Sturgis, SD; Fort Omaha, NE; Fort Riley, Kansas, which included the Marshall Field airfield; Plattsmouth Rifle Range, NE, eight miles southeast of Fort Crook, and

Fort Robinson Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and now a major feature of Fort Robinson State Park, a public recreation and historic preservation area located west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20 in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska. The for ...

, near Crawford, Nebraska.

Commanders

The officers who commanded the Seventh Corps Area during its existence included: #

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Omar Bundy Major General Omar Bundy (June 17, 1861 – January 20, 1940) was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. A n ...

1 September 1920–11 February 1922 #Maj. Gen. Francis J. Kernan 28 May 1922–15 September 1922 #Maj. Gen.

George B. Duncan Major General George Brand Duncan (October 10, 1861 – March 15, 1950) was a United States Army officer who served in numerous conflicts, most notably World War I, where he commanded the 82nd Division, now the 82nd Airborne Division. Military ...

16 September 1922–10 October 1925 #Maj. Gen. Benjamin A. Poore 15 October 1925–1 June 1927 #Maj. Gen. Harry A. Smith 6 June 1927–21 May 1929 #

Brig. Gen. Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Edward L. King 21 May 1929–11 July 1929 #Brig. Gen. Stuart Heintzelman 11 July 1929–26 August 1929 #Maj. Gen.

Johnson Hagood Johnson Hagood may refer to: *Johnson Hagood (governor) (1828–1898), American Civil War soldier and Governor of South Carolina, 1880–1882 * Johnson Hagood (1873–1948), American World War I general See also *Johnson Hagood Stadium Johnson ...

26 August 1929–2 October 1933 #Maj. Gen. Frank R. McCoy 3 October 1933–1 February 1935 #Maj. Gen. Stuart Heintzelman 1 February 1935–6 July 1935 #Maj. Gen.

Frank C. Bolles Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

30 July 1935–30 September 1936 #Brig. Gen. Charles M. Bundel 30 September 1936–4 October 1936 #Maj. Gen.

Stanley H. Ford Lieutenant General Stanley Hamer Ford (January 30, 1877 - January 19, 1961) was a senior officer of the United States Army. After serving in numerous conflicts and wars, including World War I, He was commander of the Philippine Department, 1st ...

4 October 1936–31 October 1938 #Brig. Gen. Guy V. Henry 1 November 1938–8 January 1939 #Maj. Gen. Percy P. Bishop 8 January 1939–8 October 1940 #Maj. Gen. Robert C. Richardson Jr. 8 October 1940–17 December 1940 #Maj. Gen.

George V. Strong George Veazey Strong (March 14, 1880 – January 10, 1946) was a U.S. Army general with the rank of major general, who is most famous for his service as commander of the Military Intelligence Corps during World War II. Early life Strong was bo ...

17 December 1940–20 May 1941 #Maj. Gen. Frederick E. Uhl 20 May 1941–15 January 1944 (as Seventh Service Command)

References

Sources

*{{PD-notice

External links

*Leo Niehorster
Units of the Seventh Corps Area Service Command, 8/7 December 1941
7 Military units and formations established in 1920 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941