Interwar U.S. Army Division & Brigade Graphics
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
Graphics > American Orders of Battle > Interwar U.S. Army (1920-1940)
This is a gallery of organizational graphics for Interwar U.S. Army Divisions, Brigades & Regiments including any units roughly from 1920 to 1940 (excluding units that fought during World War II with an organization adopted prior to the war).
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Mechanized & Armored Forces
Armored Division (November 1940)
Includes T/O information for the U.S. Army's first permanent Armored Division, as well as how they conceived it as being split into five echelons: Striking, Support, Recon, Command, and Service Echelons. ↑
Mechanized Division (Tentative) (1937)
A theoretical organization for a Mechanized Division published by the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School for instruction purposes. It essentially was if the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mecz.) was expanded into a division. This was an effort going on in the background in 1937 and 1938, as the War Department approved of a proposal to expanded the brigade into a Mechanized Cavalry Division in December 1937. However, this permission was rescinded in May 1939. ↑
Red Mechanized Force (Aug 1936)
7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized) (Reinforced), Second Army Maneuvers, August 1936. The 7th Cavalry Brigade, less one regiment and its commander, formed a division- or brigade-sized task force (depending on the phase of the exercises) with the 201st Infantry (West Virginia NG), 12th Infantry Brigade (2d and 6th Infantry), and 53d Cavalry Brigade (106th Cavalry, Illinois and Michigan NG), as well as flights from Observation Squadrons. The force was under the command of Colonel Bruce Palmer, who was the commander of 1st Cavalry Regiment (Mecz.). The brigade commander, Brigadier General Daniel Van Voorhis, was not present and the Brigade HHT was absorbed by the 1st Cavalry for the exercise. ↑
Mechanized Force (Oct 1930-Oct 1931)
An experimental all-arms unit formed at Fort Eustis, VA and placed under the command of Colonel Daniel Van Voorhis. It came together in October 1930, but disbanded in October 1931. After Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur decided in 1931 that the branches should pursue mechanization development separately, the cavalry essentially became the proponent of Mechanized Forces while the Infantry was happy to maintain its monopoly over infantry-supporting tanks. After the Fort Eustis Mechanized Force was disbanded, it was succeeded by mechanizing the 1st Cavalry Regiment which later formed the basis of the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized). That unit was often referred to as the Mechanized Force colloquially at the time. ↑
Experimental Mechanized Force (1928)
The U.S. Army formed an Experimental Mechanized Force at Fort Leonard Wood, MD (a brief name for Camp Meade) in the summer of 1928 to test mechanization concepts and equipment. This was directly inspired by the similar British Experimental Mechanized Force formed before it. It was placed under Colonel Oliver S. Eskridge, the Infantry's Tank School Commandant, and was a primarily infantry-led endeavor, although all arms were represented. As it was heavily supported by the Tank School, it had significant infantry tank units stationed there in support, such as the 16th Tank Battalion (Light) with M1917s (referred to as the American Renault) and 17th Tank Battalion (Heavy) with Mark VIIIs, as well as 2d Platoon, 4th Tank Company with the new T1E1 light tank. It also tested some novel equipment, such as the Mark VII 75mm gun motor carriage and mixed self-propelled/porteé artillery batteries. The cavalry component was 1st Armored Car Troop (originally a provisional platoon). ↑
Cavalry
1st Cavalry Division (1933)
Includes information on the division's peculiar color-scheme for its subunit insignias, as well as personnel, horse, and mule counts in the Table of Organization (which the division certainly wasn't manned to exactly). ↑
Infantry
Infantry Regiment, Medium Tanks (1939)
Includes information regarding active and inactive units of the 67th Infantry Regiment (Medium Tanks), the Army's only medium tank regiment. Only the 2d Battalion HHC, Company D, and Company F were activated in time to participate in the spring 1940 Louisiana Maneuvers under the Tank Brigade (Provisional) under Bruce Magruder. However, for most of the 1930s only Company F was active. The entire regiment was activated in June 1940 and became the 67th Armored Regiment of the 2d Armored Division. ↑
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