Louisiana Maneuvers

Fall and winter 1943-1944

After completing the basic training at Camp Swift, the Division participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers during the fall and winter of 1943-1944. The grueling training in the bayous, swamplands, and burned-out stump forests of Louisiana increased the stamina of the soldiers and strengthened their military skills. The weather that winter was terrible. The sleet, rain, and snow turned dirt roads into quagmires. The Christmas services under leaden December skies were long remembered by the soldiers of the Division. The Louisiana Maneuver area served as a proving ground. During those four months, the men of the Division learned to sleep on the ground, live in wet clothes, and value comradeship, but above all, they became tough and proficient soldiers.