The Draft…

When the 26th and 43rd Infantry Divisions were activated during World War Two they both were used as sources of recruits for other functions in the Army to include officer canidates and pilots.

So when the 26th detached the 182nd Infantry combat team it had only 8oo original Massachusetts Guardsmen in it. So how is it considered to be a regional divison then?

The answer is simple, the 1941 draft for the Army orginally placed men in the National Guard Divisons closest to where they lived. The 26th and 43rd where both full of New Englanders until 1942 when it no longer became practical to run that system.