Divisions of the United States Army

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See also: Formations of the United States Army

This list of United States Army Divisions is divided into three eras: 1911-1917, 1917-1941, and 1941-present. These eras represent the major evolutions of Army division structure (there have been several minor changes during these times). The 1911-1917 era lists divisions raised during the Army's first attempts at modernizing the division, prior to the authorization of permanent divisions, and the 1917-1941 era lists the first permanent divisions, prior to advent of specialized (Armored, Airborne, etc.,) divisions. The 1941-present era lists all of the divisions organized, raised, or authorized since then.

As much as possible, divisions are only listed in the eras in which they were first created. Some divisions, such as the 1st Cavalry Division, are listed in multiple eras, as their organizations were drastically changed from one era to the next. Many divisions overlap the years listed in the era categories, mainly due to the slow pace in which they were deactivated, inactivated, or otherwise disbanded.

It should also be noted that several divisions have existed under multiple designations, such as the 10th Mountain Division (10th Light Division (Alpine), 10th Infantry Division). Additionally, several divisions with the same numerical designations were completely separate and unrelated divisions (there have been two 5th Divisions, for instance).

Contents

[edit] History

Divisions in the United States Army have existed since the American Revolution when, on July 22, 1775-present, George Washington organized three divisions in Boston, Massachusetts. Early American divisions, up until the American Civil War, were primarily temporary organizations, with the basis of the United States Army being brigades and regiments.

During the Civil War, the war in formed the first large true armies in United States history, divisions were formed primarily to support Army Corps, and were usually numbered as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Division of the pertaining corps.

The concept of the permanent United States Army division was formulated and put to the test following the turn of the 20th Century. In 1916, the permanent division would finally be authorized by Congress, resulting in a dramatic change in the Army's force structure. For the first time, the division was the base element of the United States Army and remained as such until the Global War on Terrorism, when the Army switched its emphasis to Brigade and Regimental Combat Teams.

Since the authorizations of permanent divisions, the United States Army has raised 128 separate divisions with unique lineages.

[edit] Designations

Prior to 1941, only cavalry divisions were specifically designated; infantry divisions were simply designated by "Division." Following the advent of the armored division, infantry divisions became officially designated by "Infantry Division" (with the 25th Infantry Division being the first constituted by the adjutant general as such). All of the 1917-1941 (non-cavalry) divisions, with the exceptions of the 10th through 20th and 101st Divisions, would be redesignated as Infantry Divisions at some point in the 1941-present era.

Other than the aforementioned Armored, Cavalry, and Infantry, the only official Army division designations are Air Assault (one test division), Airborne, Light (three test divisions in World War II), Motorized (briefly authorized from 1942 to 1943), and Mountain.

Divisions listed with an additional identifier in parentheses ("alpine" or "test," for example) existed only with that identifier. Divisions that have held multiple additional identifiers, such as the 1st Cavalry ("airmobile," "heavy") and the 9th Infantry ("light," "motorized"), are left unidentified, regardless of their current additional identifier.

An unspecified division today refers to a United States Army Reserve Training Division.

  • (*) denotes divisions that reorganized under a different division designation while still active
  • Bold denotes current United States Army divisions

[edit] Divisions of the United States Army (1911 to 1917)

[edit] Divisions of the United States Army (1917 to 1941)

[edit] Cavalry Divisions

[3] [4]

[edit] Infantry Divisions

[5] [6] [7] [8]

[edit] Divisions of the United States Army (1941 to present)

[edit] Air Assault Divisions

[edit] Airborne Divisions

[edit] Armored Divisions

[edit] Cavalry Divisions

[edit] Infantry Divisions

[16]

[edit] Light Divisions

[edit] Motorized Divisions

[edit] Mountain Divisions

[edit] Reserve Training Divisions

In an attempt to maintain its divisions, the Army Reserve transformed several of its combat divisions into training divisions; these divisions were still designated as infantry divisions until authorized as "divisions (training)" by the adjutant general in 1959.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a 2nd Cavalry Division was constituted in 1921, but would remain organized until World War II
  2. ^ the 3rd Cavalry Division was placed on rolls in 1927 to complete an intended Cavalry Corps, but was never organized
  3. ^ in 1940 the National Guard voluntarily withdrew their allotment of the 21st through 24th Cavalry Divisions, partially in response to the Army's decision that the National Guard did not need four Cavalry Divisions and the Army's unwillingness to allot the National Guard armored divisions
  4. ^ the 61st through 66th Cavalry Divisions existed primarily as officer billets with enlisted cadre; they were dropped from the activation rolls and disbanded in 1942
  5. ^ various elements of the 4th through 9th Divisions remained on active duty until those divisions' full activation prior to World War II.
  6. ^ the 76th through 91st and 94th through 104th Divisions existed primarily as officer billets with enlisted cadre; they were not completely reactivated until America's entry into World War II
  7. ^ a 94th Division was intended as a Spanish-speaking division for World War I, but the assignment was withheld due to political wrangling
  8. ^ the infantry brigades, field artillery brigades, and several other of the subordinate units of the Panama Canal, Hawaiian, and Philippine Divisions were numbered accordingly with what should have been the 10th, 11th, and 12th Divisions
  9. ^ the 1st Armored Division's Combat Command A remained on active duty between 1957 and 1962
  10. ^ the 4th Armored Division was effectively organized as the Constabulary from 1946 to 1954
  11. ^ the 30th Armored Division was organized as the result of an agreement between Tennessee and North Carolina to split the 30th Infantry Division
  12. ^ the 6th Infantry Division itself was deactivated in 1994, but the 1st Brigade, 6th Infantry Division remained in the active force under that designation until being reflagged as the 172nd Infantry Brigade in 1998
  13. ^ the 9th Infantry Division experienced a brief period of inactivation in 1947
  14. ^ although the 93rd Infantry Division shares the same number designation and patch as the previous 93rd Division, the two divisions are otherwise unrelated and do not share lineal ties
  15. ^ the 106th Infantry Division was never officially added to the troop list following World War II, despite having been almost completely organized in Puerto Rico by 1948; subsequently, the War Department determined the division was not needed and deactivated the division headquarters in 1950
  16. ^ the 105th and 107th Infantry Divisions were intended to be negro divisions of the Army of the United States; however, due to a shortage of available manpower, their activations were canceled in 1942

[edit] References

  • Bellanger, Yves J. (2002). US Army Infantry Divisions, 1943-1945, Volume 1: Organisation, Doctrine and Equipment. Solihull: Helion.
  • Holt, Thaddeus (2004). The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War. New York: Simon & Schuster.
  • Muschett, James O. (ed.) (2001). The Army. Westport: Hugh Lauter Levin.
  • Stanton, Shelby L. (2006). World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946 (Revised Edition). Mechanicsburg: Stackpole.
  • Stewart, Richard W. (ed.) (2005). American Military History, Volume II: The United States Army in a Global Era, 1917-2003. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
  • Tolson, John J. (1989). Airmobility 1961-1971. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
  • Wilson, John B. (1987). Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
  • Wilson, John B. (1997). Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.