The Home Guard, also known as Local Defence Volunteers, operated from 1940 - 1944 during World War Two. They consisted of men too old to serve in the army, or younger men unfit for active service. They were put in place as a safe guard in case of Nazi invasion, and they patrolled the coastal areas of Britain besides air fields and factories etc.

At first they weren't armed well, and usually carried pitchforks, museum firearms and shot guns, patrolled on foot, by bicycle or horseback. The army came first of course, so it wasn't until 1943 that the Home Guard became fully equipped with firearms and were a fully trained force.

Was there an equivalent to the Home Guard in America?

To my knowledge, the US had no direct equivalent to the Home Guard during WWII. During the war, people were more concerned with the possibility of a Japanese invasion than one coming from Nazi Germany. (The Japanese successfully launched a small number of bombing raids against the US, although from what I know, they were pretty ineffective.) Also, there was more fear of Japanese sabotage during the war than any sort of German sabotage.

The closest we've ever had to the Home Guard would be some sort of combination of the US Coast Guard (for coastal security), the National Guard (state militias for last-ditch national defense), and state and local law enforcement organizations.

In all likelihood, National Guard units would've been deployed right alongside regular US Army units in every single major theater of combat during WWII. That said, I highly doubt all National Guard units would've been deployed at all times; some probably would've been at home in case of some national emergency.

If I may, what did you have in mind? With some more detail, I might be able to help direct you in the right direction.

Aah right, interesting! Thank you! No, I was just researching a little about our Home Guard, and I was just interested in hearing about a USA equivalent or something similar.