The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. Army responsibility for Arkansas was transferred from the Fourth Corps Area to the Seventh Corps Area on 1 December 1920. In October 1940, the War Department implemented a transfer of tactical command functions of the Corps areas, moving tactical forces to field armies and transforming the Corps areas to Service Commands, themselves part of Army Service Forces. The Seventh Corps Area maintained its name until May 1941, when it was officially designated HQ, Seventh Corps Area Service Command (HQ, Seventh CASC) in May 1941. While the Seventh Corps Area no longer existed, the HQ, Seventh CASC – later re-designated HQ, Seventh Service Command – continued until January 1944.
The command was established on 20 August 1920 with headquarters at Fort Crook, Nebraska from elements of the previous Central Department. HQ, Seventh Corps Area moved to Fort Omaha, Nebraska, on 27 May 1922 and seven years later moved to the Army Building at 15th and Dodge Streets in Omaha – the Omaha Army Depot – on 25 March 1929.
The Seventh Corps Area was responsible for the mobilization, administration, and training of units of the:[1]
The 1st Observation Squadron joined the Corps Area on 15 June 1937, transferred from the Sixth Corps Area. It took up station at Fort Omaha, Kansas.[5] However the squadron was reassigned to the Cavalry School around 1939.
For the administration of units of the Organized Reserve, Seventh Corps Area was originally organized into three division areas (88th, 89th, and 102d) and all divisional units, except cavalry, were administered by the headquarters of those three divisions.[1] Cavalry units were administered by the 66th Cavalry Division (United States), and nondivisional units were administered by the Corps Area headquarters. On 27 January 1923, the HQ, Non-Divisional Group was established at the Army Building in Omaha to administer corps-level and army-level units. But eight months later, HQ, Non-Division Group was discontinued, on 21 August 1925, and the Corps Area HQ took back responsibility for the remainder of the corps-level and army-level units. Two months later, the HQ, Artillery Group, was established 19 October 1925 at Sioux City, Iowa. The Artillery Group controlled only the corps- and army-level coast and field artillery units, while the Corps Area headquarters retained responsibility for the remainder of the corps- and army-level units. The Artillery Group was discontinued on 1 October 1937. On 2 November 1937, the Seventh Corps Area was divided into three “military areas,” and they assumed control of the artillery units within their zones of responsibility. The First Military Area assumed control of the 88th Division area, the Second Military Area assumed control of the 89th Division area, and the Third Military Area assumed control of the 102d Div. area.
The Seventh Corps Area was assigning Reserve personnel to CASC units by December 1930 and to “1700” series numbered units on 2 August 1939. Headquarters Seventh Corps Area began functioning as a service command headquarters in October 1940, and was redesignated HQ, Seventh CASC in May 1941. It was further redesignated HQ, Seventh Service Command on 22 July 1942.
Major posts and installations in the corps area included Fort Crook, Nebraska; Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which was established in May 1827, and included the Sherman Field airfield; Fort Lincoln, North Dakota, in Bismarck, ND; Fort Meade, SD, two miles west of Sturgis, SD; Fort Omaha, NE; Fort Riley, Kansas, which included the Marshall Field airfield; Plattsmouth Rifle Range, NE, eight miles southeast of Fort Crook, and Fort Robinson, near Crawford, Nebraska.
The officers who commanded the Seventh Corps Area during its existence included:[1]
