The Soldier at the Crossroad: The 726th MP Battalion in World War II

The 726th MilitaryPolice Battalion was formed in 1942 of men who, for the most part, did notqualify for combat duty. Much to the disappointment of its members, thebattalion was designated a ZI (Zone of the Interior) service unit and waslimited to security assignments in the continental United States with no hope of an overseasassignment. But when General Patton's Third Army began racing across Europeafter the invasion at Normandy,the need to supply his troops became critical. Supply meant trucks moving onroads, and that raised the need for MPs. Consequently, the 726thsoon found itself in northern Franceworking the Red Ball Express routes and other assignments. In this capacity,the unit was caught up in the Battleof the Bulge but was spared actual combat. With victory in Europe,the unit believed that it would soon go home. Instead, the battalion was sentto Okinawa to administer the Japanese prisoner of warcamps on that devastated island. In the end, the unit that was never supposedto see service overseas served in all three theaters: the Zone of the Interior,the European Theater of Operations, and the South West Pacific.