The United States Infantry Division, mid 1943 to 1945
Divisional Troops
Divisional Headquarters
Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop
Special Troops
Headquarters
Headquarters Company – included a Platoon of three 57-mm antitank guns.
Signals Company
Military Police Platoon
Quartermaster Battalion
Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
Three Infantry Regiments, each comprised of;
Regimental Headquarters
Headquarters Company
Service Company
Cannon Company – with six towed 105-mm howitzers, divided into three Sections with two guns each.
Antitank Company – with nine towed 57-mm anti-tank guns, divided into three Platoons with three guns per Platoon.
Three Infantry Battalions – click on The United States Infantry Battalion mid 1943 to 1945 link for more detail.
Divisional Artillery
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Three Light Battalions – each with twelve towed 105-mm howitzers, divided into three Batteries with four guns per Battery
Medium Battalion – with twelve towed 155-mm howitzers, divided into three Batteries with four guns per Battery.
Engineer Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Three Companies
Medical
Medical Battalion
Points of note
The previous Divisional structure underwent some relatively minor changes with the re-organisation of 1943.
The service support and communications units were placed under a Special Troops Headquarters for administrative purposes. A Light Ordnance Maintenance Company was also added to undertake repair work.
Each Infantry Regiment now had its own Cannon Company with six 105-mm howitzers, a shorter barrelled version of the same weapon found in the Light Artillery Battalions. The 57-mm antitank gun, augmented by well over 500 Bazookas spread across the units of the Division, had by now fully replaced the obsolete 37-mm gun.
In order to make the Infantry Division a truly combined arms formation, it was necessary to reinforce it with non-Divisional assets. These varied by operation, but most frequently included a Tank Destroyer Battalion, an Automatic Anti-aircraft Weapons Battalion, and an Independent Tank Battalion.
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