Adaptations to Curriculum at the Quartermaster School Officer Candidate Course during World War II

Abstract

The United States Army faced an officer shortage while mobilizing before World War II. General George C. Marshall pushed for the creation of Officer Candidate Schools (OCS) as a method to bridge the officer personnel gap. OCS generated the largest numbers of officers during World War II. The Quartermaster School faced the same dilemma as all the other branch schools. It used a peacetime curriculum when establishing the training program for their officer candidate course. While a good effort, the faculty could not have correctly anticipated the specific training requirements of junior officers in World War II. The performance of junior officers was a point of consistent inquiry at The Quartermaster School and throughout the Army Leadership. They routinely reviewed both the content of their courses and the efficacy of their product. This inquisitive culture resulted in numerous adaptations to the overall program. This thesis argues that The Quartermaster School actively sought to adjust its curriculum during World War II in response to reports from combat theaters and realized need for change.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 08, 2012
Accession Number
ADA563126

Entities

People

  • Bryan J. Fencl

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Business Administration
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Military History
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Small Arms
  • Students
  • Trainees
  • Training
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • STEM Education