AboutJack Pickup Jr. Expertise I am currently a reenactor of both the American Civil War and World War II. I have been involved with other reenactments from many periods including Roman and the Middle Ages/Renaissance. I am quite well versed in all aspects of military history from the Ancient Period all the way up to World War II, especially regarding Military Engineering up to the period of the American Civil War. I am also a middle school social studies teacher.
Experience I have a degree in History and Education. I have been a teacher at the secondary level teaching all aspects of High School History. I have studied and travelled extensively both within the United States and overseas. I currently do presentations for local schools and teacher certification programs.
Organizations Confederate Corps of Engineers, Unit Commander:
First Confederate Brigade of Illinois, Chief Engineer:
Second Panzer Division, WWII Historical Reenactment Society:
MHEA, Military History Education Association
Publications Reenactor Magazine, Various articles
Education/Credentials Bachelors degree in History and Education from Elmhurst College in Illinois. Work on doctorate cut short by birth of my children (more work, less play!). Soon to be resumed, however.
Question QUESTION: I'm writing a novel and need to know: If two men, after graduating from high school, 18 and 19 years of age, enlisted in the service in Oct. 1944 - one in the army and sent to England; the other in the navy and sent to the Pacfic, how long would they have to enlist for? Given VE Day and JV day. Could the time vary? I presently have the soldier coming back in summer of 1945 after VE Day and the sailor coming back in towards the end of 1945. Would this have been possible?
ANSWER: If you are an experienced writer, then you will know that you have something called artistic license. Some of the greatest writers of historical fiction (e.g. Bernard Cornwell) take a lot of liberties while still writing an excellent and believable novel. Sometimes the story is more important than the facts. As far as your question is concerned, depending on where you might be deploying them (especially the soldier), he might almost never have seen action being in that late. As far as when they came home, if you were deployed that late in the war, you may have been assimilated into occupation forces after the end of hostilities, while men who had been there for a long period of time would have gone home first. Unless of course your heroes were wounded... Once again, everything is subject to artistic license!
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QUESTION: Was there a set length of time for enlistment in 1944-45(like 2 years) are was a discharge at the discretion of the commanding officer?
Answer Enlistments have always been set to a number of years. It would be unfair for a commanding officer to determine things like that (just in case the CO doesn't like you!). How many years, I don't really know, but it was definitely a set amount of time.
