64th Cavalry Division (US)
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The 64th Cavalry Division of the United States Army
Organized Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...
was created from the perceived need for additional
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
units. It numbered in succession of the Regular Army Divisions, which were not all active at its creation. The 64th Cavalry Division was dispersed across the United States. The division was composed of personnel from
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,
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,
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,
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and
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. Lieutenant Colonel Steven Clay writes that the division was "constituted 15 October 1921, allotted to the First and
Fifth Corps Area The Fifth Corps Area was a military district of the United States Army from 1920-21 to the Second World War. The Fifth Corps Area included the states of Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Eventually it became Fifth Service Command on 22 Jul ...
s, and assigned to the Fifth Army. The division eadquarterswas initiated 22 October 1921 at the Post Office Building in Lexington, KY, by Lt. Col. Richard W. Walker. The division HQ was moved to Louisville, KY, on 14 March 1922 to provide a more central location for ..the cavalry units in the Fifth Corps Area. On official activation, the division began to flourish rapidly. By the end of 1922, the division was 62 percent complete. By 1926, the 64th Cav. Div. boasted 336 officers and 47 enlisted men and all authorized units had been activated." "Due to the lack of horses, equipment, and enlisted men, the 64th Cav. Div. did not participate in the
937 Year 937 ( CMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * A Hungarian army invades Burgundy, and burns the city of Tournus. Then they go southward ...
Second Army maneuver as an organized division. Instead, the members of the division (minus the 158th Brigade) reinforced egular Army or National Guardunits to bring them up to wartime strength in officers or by acting as umpires. In general, elements of the division reinforced the 7th and 54th Cav. Brigs., which participated in the Fifth Corps Area portion of the maneuvers held at Fort Knox. In all, over 200 officers from the division participated. The next major event for the division was the Second Army maneuver held in central Wisconsin in August 1940. This time, the officers of the 64th reinforced the 1st Sq., 14th Cav., but also provided a substantial number of officers to the 38th Div. as well. The 1940 maneuver in Wisconsin was the division’s last major training event, for although the 64th was not officially disbanded until 0January 1942, it had almost ceased to exist by then. Most of the assigned personnel had already been called to Active Duty, leaving only a shell of the former organizations."


Structure

* Headquarters & Headquarters Troop * 157th Brigade ** 313th Cavalry Regiment ** 314th Cavalry Regiment * 158th Brigade ** 315th Cavalry Regiment ** 316th Cavalry Regiment * 864th Field Artillery Regiment * 464th Tank Company * 64th Signal Troop * 584th Ordnance Company * 464th Quartermaster Squadron * 464th Armored Car Squadron * 404th Engineer Squadron * 364th Medical Squadron


References


Sources

*
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 64 Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942 {{Mil-unit-stub