California State Milita and National
Guard Unit Histories
The Regimental Systems of the
California National Guard
by
Chief Warrant Officer 4 James
E. Hribal
To better understand unit histories, one
needs to know something of the system of assigning numerical
designations to units, as those numbers tend to reappear frequently.
Knowledge of the various regimental systems is necessary to understand
the unit's Campaign Credits (known unofficially as Battle Honors).
Just prior to the Second World War, National Guard divisions
were still organized under the "square" concept of
four infantry regiments per division as it was established during
the First World War. In the meantime, Regular Army divisions
had been converted to the "triangular" format of three
infantry regiments. In reality, many of the Regular Army divisions'
regiments existed "on paper" and were one regiment
short at the time of mobilization.
When it was mobilized in 1940, the 40th
Division consisted of the 160th and 185th Infantry Regiments
in Southern California, and the 159th and 184th Infantry Regiments
in the north. These four regiments were further placed under
the control of 79th and 80th Brigades as a token intermediate
headquarters. The two brigade headquarters ceased to exist in
February 1942 when the division completed the conversion to a
"triangular" organization. However, true to tradition,
those brigade numbers returned in 1968 as the 79th and 80th Rear
Area Operations Centers (RAOC).
As a result of the reorganization, the
40th Division was excess one regiment. The first California regiment
to leave the division was the 159th Infantry Regiment. Later
the following year, the 184th Infantry Regiment was also relieved
from the 40th Infantry Division, as it was now known. It was
replaced by the 108th Infantry Regiment of the New York National
Guard. All told, there were 17 "spare" National Guard
regiments after the conversions were completed. Some of these
were used to form new divisions such as The Americal Division.
Some, such as the 184th, were used to fill out Regular Army divisions.
And finally, some were to fight the war as separate regiments.
Such was the case of the 159th Infantry Regiment (Motorized).
Reorganizations continued throughout the
war as the Army continued to modify its structures. Support elements
within the division were given a three digit number, usually
a 2, 3, 5, or 7 depending on the type of unit in front of the
division's numerical designation. Thus, the 115th Ordnance Company
became the 740th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company in 1942.
After World War II, California gained a second infantry division,
the 49th. This division would consist of the 159th, 184th, and
185th Infantry Regiments. The 40th would retain the Los Angeles
based 160th Infantry Regiment and gain two new ones, the 223rd
and 224th. Those numbers would also reappear in the 1980s as
the 223d Military Intelligence Battalion (Linguist) and the 224th
Transportation Detachment (Movement Control).
Creation of the 49th brought the need
for new support units and, using the established numbering system,
the 749th Ordnance Company, later the 749th Maintenance Battalion,
appeared. Company C of that battalion later evolved as one of
the parents of the current group headquarters company. Our very
number, in the practice of retaining historical regimental numbers,
can be traced to the 115th Quartermaster Regiment of the 1930s
and early 1940s.
Knowledge of other structural changes
will help promote an understanding of the evolution of the modern
Army. Up until the late 1950s, infantry divisions retained the
"triangular" structure of three "fixed" regiments
in which the letter designated companies were organic to the
regiment's battalions:
Special Troops
1st BATTALION
2d BATTALION
3d BATTALION
Regimental HQ Company
Service Company
Medical Company
Mortar Company
Tank Company
Headquarters Company
Company A
Company B
Company C
Company D (Heavy Weapons)
Headquarters Company
Company E
Company F
Company G
Company H (Heavy Weapons)
Headquarters Company
Company I
Company K
Company L
Company M (Heavy Weapons)
NOTE: Why is there no “J”
Company in the U.S. Army? The U.S. Army started lettering its
companies in 1816. Since a hand-written “J” looked
so much like “I” the letter J was not used, in order
to avoid confusion.
Armored divisions, on the other hand,
were composed of three lettered (A, B, and C) "Combat Commands"
that were completely flexible in that they had no organic units
and were assigned separate numbered battalions in the proper
mix of tanks and armored infantry for the mission given. When
the 40th Infantry Division became an armored division on 1 June
1954, there appeared separate numbered battalions such as the
161st Armored Infantry Battalion and the 133d Tank Battalion.
In 1959 a new concept emerged under the
title "Reorganizations of Army Divisions" (ROAD). The
view at the time was that "Atomic" warfare required
smaller, more flexible units. Regiments disappeared from the
divisions to be replaced by five "Battle Groups". This
was also known as the "Pentomic" concept. Armored divisions
remained unchanged since they possessed the required flexibility
already.
The Pentomic structure of battle groups
proved to be too cumbersome for command and control and it too
disappeared on 1 March 1963 with the "Reorganization of
Combat Arms Divisions" (ROCAD). Now all divisions were organized
in a flexible triangular form, similar to that which previously
existed in armored divisions. It consisted of the three brigades
with battalions attached as needed.
There was one more change to make. The
Army decided that units needed some sense of history and tradition.
So, in 1968 regimental numbers were revived under the "Combat
Arms Regimental System" (CARS). This didn't revive the structure
of a regiment as a combat formation. But, it did provided a more
positive link to the unit's past by converting units from separately
numbered battalions to battalions of a parent "regiment".
Later, this was enhanced by the U.S. Army Regimental System.
The men of the today's 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment
or 1st Battalion (Air Assault), 184th Infantry Regiment have
historical links to the soldiers of the "old" 143rd
Field Artillery and 184th Infantry Regiments.
California State Military
Department