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President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Selective Training and Service Act.. The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, Pub. L. 76–783, 54 Stat. 885, enacted September 16, 1940, [1] was the first peacetime conscription in United States history.
The World War II draft operated from 1940 until 1946 when further inductions were suspended, and its legislative authorization expired without further extension by Congress in 1947. During this time, more than 10 million men had been inducted into military service. [40] However, the Selective Service System remained intact.
New Zealand – 17 (voluntary; soldiers are not deployed in combat before the age of 18) Nicaragua – 18 (voluntary) Niger – 18 (compulsory) Nigeria – 18 (voluntary) North Macedonia – 18 (voluntary) Norway – 17 (voluntary – men), 18 (voluntary – women), 19 (compulsory; conscription age can be lowered to 15 during wartime)
Married men were exempt in the original Act, although this was changed in May 1916. The age limit was also eventually raised to 51 years old. Recognition of work of national importance also diminished. In the last year of the war there was support for the conscription of clergy, though this was not enacted. [1] Conscription lasted until mid-1919.
The first peacetime conscription in American history was authorized under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 in September 1940. This was well in advance of the country's actual entry into World War II, but in clear anticipation of the likelihood of involvement.
There were some cases from World War II, where children were prosecuted of war crimes for actions undertaken during the war. Two 15-year-old ex-Hitler Youth were convicted of violating laws of war, by being party to a shooting of a prisoner of war. The youths' age was a mitigating factor in their sentencing. [40]
Conscription was reintroduced in 1939, in the lead up to World War II, and continued in force until 1963. Northern Ireland was exempted from conscription legislation throughout the whole period. In all, eight million men were conscripted during both World Wars, as well as several hundred thousand younger single women. [272]
Young workers were not immediately exempt, as, for example, a blacksmith would become exempt at the age of 25, and an unmarried mining or textiles worker would become exempt at the age of 30. Married men had a lower age before they became exempt. By 1915, 1.5 million men were in reserved occupations and by November 1918 this reached 2.5 million ...