Re: US Army Division numbering
- From: "Michael P. Reed" <mgs_7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 03 Jul 2005 00:43:42 -0400
On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 18:46:41 GMT, "Thomas Schoene"
<taschoene@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Paul F Austin wrote:
>> The numbering of US Army division puzzles me. It appears that there
>> are two series, one for infantry divisions and one for armored
>> divisions. For instance there are two "1st" divisions, 1st Infantry
>> and 1st Armor but not "1st Airborne", "1st Airmobile" or "1st Mech".
>>
>> Are the Infantry & Armor sequences a heritage of the numbering of
>> Infantry & Cavalry divisions?
>
>Actually, there are three independant sets of divisional numbers -- the US
>Army today has 1st Armored Division, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), and
>1st Cavalry Division. All three are heavy divisions of very similar
>configuration. Airborne and Airmobile divisions are infantry units, and
>thus numbered in the infantry sequence. The high series numbers for these
>units are artifacts of their wartime creation and lineage.
>
>The niotion that different types of divisions being numbered separately
>probably does stem from the fomration of permanent Cavalry and Infantry
>divisions around 1914. Before that divisions had been ad hoc formations,
>sometimes numbered, sometimes not.
The switch to permanent division designations officially came about in
1910, but at that time were not necessarily given seperate numerical
lines at that time. With the organizational make up of the "Stimson
Plan" of 1913, the regular army would form three infantry and one
cavalry division and the national guard twelve divisions-sequentially
numbered beginning with the Fifth. The Fourth Division was probably
the Fourth Cavalry Division. That is what happened in 1917, when the
Regular Army establishment was first authorized fifteen divisions (it
was at this time that blocks of numbers were issued to the various
"armies;" 1-25 regulars, 26-75 national guard, 76+ for the National
Army); the 1st-14th were infantry, but the 15th was the 15th
Cavalry-though it was never formed as the regular army establishment
was enlarged. In the 1920s, the army (on paper) organized several
cavalry divisions. The 21st was regular army, and the 22nd-24th were
national guard. It was not until the late 1930s that seperate
numbering systems were established.
--
Regards,
Michael P. Reed
.
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