24th Cavalry Division (United States)

The 24th Cavalry Division was a cavalry division of the United States Army, mostly drawn from the National Guards of the Midwest states. It was created after World War I from the perceived need for additional cavalry units. It numbered in succession of the Regular Army divisions, which were not all active at its creation. Going into World War II, the US Army Cavalry Branch contained three Regular Army, four National Guard, and six Organized Reserve cavalry divisions, as well as one independent cavalry brigade.

24th Cavalry Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active1921-1940
DisbandedInactivated 6 October 1940
Disbanded 1 November 1940
CountriesUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
TypeCavalry
U.S. Cavalry Divisions
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23rd Cavalry Division 61st Cavalry Division

Like the other National Guard cavalry divisions, the 24th Cavalry Division was geographically dispersed across the United States. At various points during its existence, the division was composed of, or intended to have been composed of, personnel from the Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming National Guards.

History

The 24th Cavalry Division was constituted in the National Guard in 1921 and assigned to the Third Army. It was reassigned to the Fourth Army in 1932. The division was not as affected by reorganizations as the other three National Guard cavalry divisions, and was able to organize its headquarters by 1936, three years before the other divisions. Like all National Guard cavalry divisions, a significant impediment to training was the geographical dispersion of the division's units, which made the assembly of units larger than a regiment difficult.

Organization (1940)

The headquarters location of the unit is shown where organized. Two asterisks indicated the unit was allotted, but unorganized or inactive, with the state of headquarters allocation shown.

Standard organization chart for a Cavalry Division in November 1940

Disbandment

Pre-war United States Army planning did not contemplate the use of National Guard or Organized Reserve cavalry divisions in wartime. After the disbandment of the National Guard cavalry divisions, former division units either remained intact and separate, were absorbed by other units, were converted to units of other arms, or were disbanded. The 24th Cavalry Division was inactivated on 6 October 1940, and was disbanded on 1 November 1940.

Reorganization of former 24th Cavalry Division units
UnitReorganized as
HeadquartersDisbanded 1 November 1940
Headquarters, Special TroopsDisbanded 1 November 1940
Headquarters TroopDisbanded 1 November 1940
24th Signal TroopDisbanded 1 November 1940
128th Ordnance Company (Medium)Disbanded 1 November 1940
24th Tank Company (Light)Disbanded 1 November 1940
57th Cavalry BrigadeHeadquarters disbanded 15 September 1940
Headquarters Troop converted and redesignated as Service Company, 109th Quartermaster Regiment 16 September 1940
113th Cavalry RegimentRelieved from assignment to division 16 September 1940
114th Cavalry RegimentConverted and redesignated as 127th Field Artillery Regiment 1 October 1940 and relieved from assignment to division. Subsequently assigned to 35th Division.
58th Cavalry BrigadeConverted and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 148th Field Artillery Regiment 1 October 1940 and relieved from assignment to division
115th Cavalry RegimentAbsorbed personnel from 24th Reconnaissance Squadron as a new 2nd Squadron 1 November 1940, and regiment concurrently relieved from assignment to division
116th Cavalry RegimentConverted and redesignated as 183rd Field Artillery Regiment 16 September 1940 and relieved from assignment to division
24th Reconnaissance SquadronDisbanded 26 October 1940 and personnel absorbed by 2nd Squadron, 115th Cavalry Regiment
168th Field Artillery RegimentRelieved from assignment to division 1 November 1940
128th Engineer SquadronDisbanded 1 November 1940
124th Medical SquadronDisbanded 1 November 1940
124th Quartermaster SquadronDisbanded 1 October 1940
120th Observation SquadronRelieved from assignment to division 15 September 1940

References
  • Colorado. National Guard of the State of Colorado: Pictorial 1939 Review. Atlanta: Army-Navy Publishers, 1939. OCLC 17158522 Provided a detachment to the 24th Cavalry Division.
  • U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919–1941, Volume 2. The Arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Coast Artillery, 1919–41 by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Steven E. Clay, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2011
  • Maneuver and Firepower, The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades, by John B. Wilson, Center of Military History, Washington D.C., 1998
  • Cavalry Regiments of the U S Army by James A. Sawicki Wyvern Pubns; June 1985


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