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A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
al
maneuver Maneuver (American English), manoeuvre (British English), manoeuver, manœuver (also spelled, directly from the French, as manœuvre) denotes one's tactical move, or series of moves, that improves or maintains one's strategic situation in a compet ...
elements. These regiments may be controlled by a
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 ...
headquarters (more typical in
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 ...
) or directly subordinated to the division commander. By contrast, in a
square division A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four "maneuver," i.e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artillery, ...
, there were typically two brigades of two regiments. Other structures are possible, such as a
pentomic Pentomic (cf. ''Greek pent(e)-'' +''-tome'' "of five parts") was a structure for infantry and airborne divisions adopted by the US Army between 1957 and 1963, in response to the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, on future battlefields. ...
division, where the division commander controls five maneuver elements, which was used in 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 ...
in the late 1950s, with the regiments replaced by
combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme vio ...
battlegroups.http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-14-1/cmhPub_60-14-1.pdf ''Wilson, John B. Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades'' (CMH Pub 60-14-1). Army Lineage Series. Washington: Center of Military History: 272-276.


Asia

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
and National Revolutionary Army Divisions were organized as
square division A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four "maneuver," i.e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artillery, ...
s prior to 1938 when they began to form triangular divisions during the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
.


Europe

Most European armies reorganized their divisions as triangular divisions during World War I, and retained that structure since. Many European armies now place greater emphasis on the brigade and in some cases, such as the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
and the
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
armies, have eliminated the division entirely as a tactical unit.


United States

United States Army divisions were square divisions until the beginning of
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 ...
; reorganization as triangular divisions first occurred in late 1939, lasting through early 1942. During that war, infantry divisions were typically triangular, with the division controlling three infantry regiments. Armored divisions were also triangular, but typically organized into
combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme vio ...
"
combat command A combat command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the United States Army from 1942 until 1963. The structure of combat commands was task-organized and so the force ...
s" (denoted Combat Command A, Combat Command B, and Combat Command Reserve). After World War II, this structure was retained until the "Pentomic Era" described above. In the 1960s, United States Army divisions were reorganized as triangular divisions, but with the division controlling three combined arms brigades. Combined arms doctrine has all but eliminated regimental purpose, and regiments generally exist only as traditional designations. In the first decade of the 21st century, the United States Army began another reorganization, giving the division four brigades and placing more emphasis on the brigade as the main tactical element, with the division acting more like a corps headquarters, parceling out support units to the brigades.


Soviet Union and Russia

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...
divisions during World War II were generally triangular, with three subordinate regiments. Post-war reforms led to a four-regiment division, with three regiments of one arm (tank or
motorized infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which ca ...
) and the fourth of the other arm. In combat operations, however, the fourth regiment could be divided among the other three to create three combined arms formations essentially the same as a brigade. This structure has for the most part been retained in the
Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...
. See, for example, the organization of the 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division.


See also

*
Square division A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four "maneuver," i.e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artillery, ...


References

{{Reflist Divisions (military formations) by type