The Army Reserve's 66th Cavalry Division 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. Going into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the U.S. Army Cavalry contained three Regular, four National Guard, and six organized reserve cavalry divisions as well as one independent cavalry brigade, the 56th from Texas.

Organization

*Headquarters & Headquarters

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

*161st

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

321st Cavalry Regiment ** 322nd Cavalry Regiment DUI

322nd Cavalry Regiment *162nd Brigade ** 323rd Cavalry Regiment DUI

323rd Cavalry Regiment ** 324th Cavalry Regiment DUI

324th Cavalry Regiment *866th

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

Regiment *466th

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

*66th Signal Troop *586th

Ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...

Company *466th Quartermaster

Squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

*466th Armored Car Squadron *406th

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

Squadron *366th Medical Squadron

Final Organization as of November 1940

Stationing

*The 66th Cavalry Division was dispersed across the United States. The division was primarily composed of personnel from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

References

* Formations of the United States Army
"Cavalry Regiments of the U.S. Army" by James A. Sawicki, Wyvern Publications 1985 pp375-379
*[http://www.history.army.mil/books/Lineage/M-F/index.htm/ MANEUVER AND FIREPOWER THE EVOLUTION OF DIVISIONS AND SEPARATE BRIGADES by John B. Wilson CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY, UNITED STATES ARMY, WASHINGTON, D. C., 1998]

External links

The Ronald Reagan library at the University of Texas
66 {{US-Army-stub

Organization

Final Organization as of November 1940

Stationing

See also

References

External links