Army structure...

[Un4given]

Alright... I wanna know more about different units, who is where, what is where, what is under what, etc.
I googled the hell outta it but cant find anything... Anyone know where I can find a site that has like the entire army structure that also tells where what is.
i.e. 1st Cav Div, Ft Hood

Somethin' to that effect... Anyone?

[CDThardass]

http://www.army.mil/modularforces/map.htm

here you go, this is something

[Un4given]

That's exactly what I was looking for...
I dont get it though, why are there all the gaps in the units, from like 82nd to 101st, where did those 19 numbers between go? lol

[Aries]

umm.. units that were deactivated over time.

[Un4given]

Oh okay. So when I hear of something say... The 507th, which is where I'm at now... That's not a division, what is that then?

[HerdROTC]

isn't it a regiment?

[MansonTheTool]

yes... and it amazes me that you didn't know these things. I knew this when I was in the AF, but then again I couldn't tell you a single thing about the #th Air Force or where it was located, etc.

[MansonTheTool]

and I believe the standard order goes: team, squad, platoon, company/troop, battalion, regiment/battery, division, corps, army. The Marines consist of 4 Divisions, hence they are referred to as a Corps.

[CDThardass]

hahahahaha, MSG would say something like that. maybe if all of my OSU cadets come back with wings, they will let the qualified jump into atterbury and piss of the other schools that much more

[Associate289]

and I believe the standard order goes: team, squad, platoon, company/troop, battalion, regiment/battery, division, corps, army. The Marines consist of 4 Divisions, hence they are referred to as a Corps.

something like that, except a battery is the same thing as a company/troop...

[Aries]

yeah those numbers are regiments (although you will hear 504th referred to as 1st brigade sometimes, although its the 504th PIR).

start learning shit CADET

[MansonTheTool]

thanks assoc. and aries... I always get brigades and batteries mixed up. Like they said, battery is equivalent to a company or troop (troop is used for cav units and battery for FA). Brigade is equivalent to a Regiment.

Crater: Hah...that would be fucking tits. They should just declare us an airborne battalion.

[Un4given]

Oh blow me... I'm diggin' for information at least. Bleh.

But that site was very helpful.

[CDThardass]

you are welcome, u4given, and to top it all off i forgive you, you are no longer unforgiven.

[javelin66]

Company( CO) =Troop (TRP) (in the Cav)=Battery (BTTY) (in FA/ADA)

Battalion (BN)=Squadron (SQN) (in the Cav)

Brigades (BDEs) are usually groupings of BNs of different branches (In, AR, FA) and separate COs, and are commanded by colonels. Technically, (until now with the Brigade Units of Action coming on line), Bdes had no organic units but recieved attachment of them from throughout the division. The exception was the separate BDEs, which had organic BNs and were usually commanded by one-stars (BGs). Actually, a Bde could have an entire regiment attached to it. There are also separate BDEs like MI Bdes, Artillery BDEs, or MP BDEs, among others

Regiments (RGTs)are also commanded by colonels, but all of their battalions are organic. The ACRs, Ranger RGT, and a few Aviation units are RGTs. The other RGTs you hear of (like the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, or the 507th PIR), don't really have regimental headquarters on active duty. In other words, 1st Brigade of the 82d has three battalions of the 504th PIR attached to it (1-504, 2-504, and 3-504) but is not actually the 504th PIR HQ. The 504th PIR commander is an honorary position given to a retired COL. Actually, the 101st and 82nd are the only divisions that have all of their brigades regimentally aligned. In other units, you will see a collection of different regiments represented. 3/2 SBCT (Stryker), has 5-20 Infantry, 1-23 Infantry, 2-3 Infantry, and 1-14 CAV, for instance.

Finally, you have groups (usually commanded by COLs)that have subordinate battalions (SF Groups); divisions (commanded by 2-stars) that have subordinate brigades; and Corps (commanded by 3-stars) that have subordinate divisions, separate brigades, and ACRs. Above that you get into Armies (3d US Army commands army forces in CENTCOM, for instance).

[VABuckeye]

This may not be unique to the Army, but I have seen it there more than elsewhere: two units with almost identical unit designations and functions that are not subordinates. For example, there is a 205th Military Intelligence Brigade and a 205th Military Intelligence Battalion. The Brigade is in Germany, and the Battalion is in Hawaii. The Air Force will have, for example, a 375th Wing, and a 375th Operations Group, but the group is a subordinate to the Wing.

I once got an assignment to do training at the "205th MIB", and almost wound up getting orders to Germany before someone figured out I was supposed to go to Hawaii. Though either one was a sweet deal, in retrospect...

[javelin66]

It can get confusing. I was in 3/2, which consisted of 1-32, 1-33, and 1-23. Towards the end 1-33 was de-activated and we activated 2-3. I was also in the 502d Infantry and the 502d MI (at different times, of course).

[Associate289]

my head hurts....

[armynurseboy]

That's exactly what I was looking for...
I dont get it though, why are there all the gaps in the units, from like 82nd to 101st, where did those 19 numbers between go? lol

Remember that a lot of the Divisions that were raised during WW1 and WW2 were Guard or reserve units and deactivated after they were no longer needed. Most of the Regular Army infantry divisions (ie 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 10th MTN) were kept on. Speacialized units with rich lineage like the 82nd and 101st (which was deactivated right after WW2) were transitioned to AD.

[armynurseboy]

It's funny, all a Unit of Action is simply an ACR with infantry battalions instead of Cav squadrons...

[Skull6]

Forgot one...a CORP is comprised of a number of divisions. An "Army" is comprised of a few Corps.

The numbers may match, as they are usually based on older regimental designations. Battalions will usually try to maintain some regimental affiliation (as in my last unit--1/37 Armor, being 1st battalion of that older regiment), but they still could be subordinate to a whole differently numbered Brigade--1st Brigade, 1AD.

It's the Man's attempt to maintain some historical perspective to current units. Who knows what these new UAx's & UAy's will be referred to as...?

[Associate289]

Who knows what these new UAx's & UAy's will be referred to as...?

from what I hear, they are going to try and preserve unit history as much as possible, which is a good idea imo

[Skull6]

It IS a good thing, but I think they could do a bit more to help others understand the history behind them, imo.

P.S. 37th was one of Patton's shining stars in WWII! They "allowed" the 101st to brag that "they didn't need any help in getting out of Bastogne"! (Ever heard the old adage "dead men don't talk"?)

[Jake the Skillet]

Yeah, good call, Try telling a Screaming Eagle that was there that Patton bailed them out.......

You'll get a kick in the nuts from an 80 year old, like Skull.

[javelin66]

The Army really screwed things up when it went to the Pentomic division back in the '50s. Basically, divisions had battle groups (like brigades) that would each have 5 battalions. Since regiments only had three battalions, some regiments got broken up to create battle groups. That is why you see 1-37 in another brigade. The dash, by the way, indicates that the regimental headquarters does not exist and that the regimental affiliation is for purposes of lineage and heraldry (battle streamers, etc). A slash indicates an actual headquarters is there. 2/75, for instance, or 2/3 CAV. Brigades of divisions are also denoted by a slash: 1/82.

[Skull6]

Jake, kick or no kick, "nuts" or "no nuts," the truth still hurts them more than I...LOL!

(The analogy I like to use is "I don't need to have a can opener to open a tin can, but it sure makes it alot less messy!")

The 101st had no chance of "winning" unless "winning" meant staying & dying to the last man. The Germans had more reserves moving that way--both Infantry & Armor. If Patton hadn't played that "right post" play like he had, there's a distinct possibility that there wouldn't be any 80-yr old Screamin Eagles to ask.

But, hindsight's 20-20, correct?

[MansonTheTool]

Regardless if Skull6 was in the 101st or not, if I were him I'd kick you in the balls just for saying he's 80 :)

[javelin66]

Bravado aside, I think all Screaming Eagles acknowledge the courage and skill of the 4th AD and LTC Abrams and his battalion in relieving Bastogne. As a 101st veteran myself (2-502d), I know that we always made this part of our discussions of the battle. But here's what SLA Marshall had to say about it:


The relief of Bastogne signaled the defeat of the German Army in the Ardennes offensive. But it had cost the 4th Armored Division a price comparable to that exacted from the defenders of Bastogne themselves.2 In the seven days during which its forces were moving to the relief of Bastogne the Division lost about 1,000 men. Its total medium tank strength at the end of the period was equal to the full tank strength of a single battalion.3 As for what this victory—won by the defenders of Bastogne and confirmed by the force that relieved them—availed the Allied cause, and as to how it influenced the emergency of December 1944, there is an official estimate from the command of 12th Army Group.

The After Action Report for December 1944 says:

Preoccupation with the key position of Bastogne dominated enemy strategy to such an extent that it cost him the advantage. of the initiative. The German High Command evidently considered further extension to the west or north as both logistically and strategically unsound without possession of Bastogne, as that town overlooks the main roads and concentration areas of the spearheads. By the end of the month, the all-out effort in the north had become temporarily. defensive; in the west there was a limited withdrawal, and the array of German forces around Bastogne clearly exposed the enemy's anxiety over that position. Until the Bastogne situation is resolved one way or the other no change in strategy can be expected.4