The Panama Canal Division was a unit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, established in order to ensure the United States could adequately defend the

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. When it was authorized in 1920, similar divisions were organized to defend

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

History

10th Division

On July 9, 1918, the 10th Division was activated for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was organized in August, and mobilized and trained at

Camp Funston Camp Funston is a U.S. Army training camp located on Fort Riley, southwest of Manhattan, Kansas. The camp was named for Brigadier General Frederick Funston (1865–1917). It is one of sixteen such camps established at the outbreak of World War ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. The 10th Division completed training in October and moved to

Camp Mills Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September 1 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to await transport to France. Advance units of the division had departed Camp Mills by early November, but the

Armistice of November 11, 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

ended the need for the division to serve overseas. Most units had been demobilized by early 1919, and the 10th Division was inactivated in March.

Organization

The organization of the 10th Division included: Divisional Troops :Headquarters Troop :28th Machine Gun Battalion :210th Engineer Battalion :210th Field Signal Battalion 19th Infantry Brigade : 41st Infantry Regiment : 69th Infantry Regiment :29th Machine Gun Battalion 20th Infantry Brigade : 20th Infantry Regiment : 70th Infantry Regiment :30th Machine Gun Battalion 10th Field Artillery Brigade : 28th Field Artillery Regiment :

29th Field Artillery Regiment The 29th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in 1918 in the National Army (USA). History The Regiment's Battery G was one of the last two combat units to serve in the Vietnam War. ...

: 30th Field Artillery Regiment :10th Trench Mortar Battery Trains :10th Train Headquarters and Military Police :10th Ammunition Train :10th Supply Train :210th Engineer Train :10th Sanitary Train

Commanders

Commanders of the 10th Division included: *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philippi ...

, August 10, 1918 - January 6, 1919 *

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Howard Russell Hickok Howard Russell Hickok (November 26, 1870 – July 7, 1926) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in World War I, among other conflicts. Biography Hickok was born on November 26, 1870, in Florida, M ...

, January 7, 1919 - January 16, 1919 *Major General Leonard Wood, January 17, 1919 - February 18, 1919

Panama Canal Division

The Panama Canal Division was organized in 1921 and included units of the 10th Division that had not been inactivated after World War I. The Panama Canal Division was active until 1932.Wilson, John B. (1997). ''Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades.'' Washington, DC: Center of Military History.http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle1.pdf US Army Order of Battle 1919-1940 page 288 Its initial composition included the 19th Infantry Brigade commanding the ( 14th and 65th Infantry Regiments, of which the 65th was stationed in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

) and the 20th Infantry Brigade commanding the ( 33rd and 42nd Infantry Regiments). The two brigades appear to have been active until 1927.McGrath, 'The Brigade,' page 166 The commander of the

Panama Canal Department The Panama Canal Department was a department (geographical command) of the United States Army, responsible for the defense of the Panama Canal Zone between 1917 and 1947. First U.S. Army presence The Isthmian Canal Commission and the Panama Ca ...

, Major General Preston Brown, later determined that the defense of

would be better served by command groups representing the Atlantic and the Pacific. In 1932, the Army inactivated the division, keeping its Tables of Organization on file should the need arise to reactivate it. It never has.

Commanding generals

Panama Canal Division

*BG Edwin B. Babbitt: July 3, 1921 – October 10, 1921 *MG Samuel D. Sturgis Jr.: October 10, 1921 – April 17, 1923 *MG Edwin B. Babbitt: April 17, 1923 – September 15, 1923 *MG William Lassiter: October 1923 – September 19, 1924 *BG

Fox Conner Fox Conner (November 2, 1874 – October 13, 1951) was a major general of the United States Army. He served as operations officer for the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, and is best remembered as a mentor to the generation of off ...

: September 19, 1924 – January 1925 *MG

Charles H. Martin Charles Henry Martin (October 1, 1863September 22, 1946) was an American Army officer and later politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he had a 40-year career in the military including serving in conflicts from the Spanish–Am ...

: January 23, 1925 – October 10, 1926 *MG

William S. Graves Major General William Sidney Graves (27 March 1865 – 27 February 1940) was a United States Army officer who commanded American forces in Siberia during the Siberian Expedition, part of the Allied Intervention in Russia, towards the end of Worl ...

: December 13, 1926 – October 1, 1927 *MG

Malin Craig Malin Craig (August 5, 1875 – July 25, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who served as the 14th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1935 to 1939. He served in World War I and was recalled to active duty during World War II ...

: October 13, 1927 – March 31, 1928 *MG George LeRoy Irwin: April 1, 1928 – December 21, 1930 *BG

Charles DuVal Roberts Charles DuVal Roberts (June 18, 1873 – October 24, 1966) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Army with the rank of Brigadier General. He received the Medal of Honor for valor in action on July 1, 1898 near El Caney, Cuba du ...

: December 21, 1930 – April 3, 1931 *BG Harold B. Fiske: April 3, 1931 – April 15, 1932

Panama Mobile Force

*MG

Ben Lear Benjamin Lear (May 12, 1879 – November 1, 1966) was a United States Army general who served in the Spanish–American War, Philippine Insurrection, World War I and World War II. He also competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Early career ...

: February 16, 1940 – September 20, 1940 *MG William E. Prosser: September 21, 1940 – March 1942 *MG Robert H. Lewis: March 1942 – December 21, 1942 *MG

Harry C. Ingles Harry Clyde Ingles (March 12, 1888 – August 15, 1976) was a United States Army Major general (United States), major general, who served during World War II and commanded the United States Army Signal Corps. Early years Harry C. Ingles was bor ...

: December 22, 1942 - February 1943 *BG

Jesse C. Drain Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * Jesse (album) ...

: February 1943 - April 2, 1943 *MG Phillip E. Gallagher: September 3, 1944 – April 1, 1945 *BG Thomas J. Camp

References

{{Army Divisions (United States) Divisions of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1921 1932 disestablishments History of Panama Military history of Panama Military units and formations disestablished in 1932 United States Army divisions of World War I

History

10th Division

Organization

Commanders

Panama Canal Division

Commanding generals

Panama Canal Division

Panama Mobile Force

See also

References