The 1st Armored Car Squadron was a unit of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

which was intended to utilize armored cars in combat. The unit was formed in 1916 in Philadelphia under Marine Captain Andrew B. Drum, falling under the Headquarters of the then-new

1st Marine Regiment The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The 1st ...

. Inspired by the British Army's use of the Rolls-Royce armored car, Franklin Roosevelt (then Assistant

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

) purchased two vehicles from the Armor Motor Car Company of Detroit. These were tested, and six more

King armored car The King armored car was manufactured by the Armored Motor Car Company (AMC). It was the first American armored vehicle, and was ordered by the United States Marine Corps in 1915 for testing before being used by the 1st Armored Car Squadron (Unit ...

s were acquired and assigned to the squadron. The unit never saw combat, and was disbanded at Quantico in May 1921.

Sources

* A
Marines.com
* Kenneth W. Estes. ''Marines under armor: the Marine Corps and the armored fighting vehicle, 1916-2000''. Library of Naval Biography. Naval Institute Press, 2000. , {{ISBN, 978-1-55750-237-7. Pg

Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps Armoured car units and formations Military units and formations established in 1916 Military units and formations disestablished in 1921 1916 establishments in Pennsylvania 1921 disestablishments in Virginia