EVOLUTION OF A THEATER OF OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS, 1941-1967

United States Army Field Service Regulations, as early as 1941, contained the doctrine providing for the establishment and conduct of a theater of operations. The basic doctrine that the theater be divided into two formal parts, that is, the combat zone and the communications zone, has stood the test of time and combat. The case studies selected show the operations of the Theater Army, or its analogous counterpart, in World War II and the Korean War, and are cited in an attempt to answer the question 'Did Theater Army Headquarters ever have a combat mission.' This study seeks to answer the above question by emphasizing certain changes in operational format and organizational concepts that occurred during the periods under consideration. It is demonstrated that at theater level, administration and supply were usually separated from the tactical combat mission.