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1st CAVALRY DIVISION (ARMORED) Cold War Organization • 1988 |
In 1988 the 1st Cavalry Division was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas as part of the III Corps, with the wartime mission of reinforcing the US Seventh Army in Europe. Despite its title, the First Team was organized as a standard armored division. Of its four combat brigades, three were permanently assigned. A round-out brigade from the Mississippi Army National Guard (ARNG), the 155th Armored Brigade, would join the division upon mobilization. In addition to this unit, there were a number of National Guard battalions earmarked to round out the division's regular brigades. The 1st Cavalry Division was a REFORGER (Redeployment of Forces to Germany) unit. Under the POMCUS (Prepositioning Of Material Configured in Unit Sets) program, a complete division set of equipment was prepositioned in Belgium. In the event of mobilization, the 1st Cavalry Division's soldiers would move by air to Europe, draw their equipment in Belgium and deploy from there to Germany. The 1st Cavalry Division was organized under the Army of Excellence (Division 86) scheme, which was supplanting the ROAD organizational scheme. There were five types of AoE divisions: armored, mechanized infantry, light infantry, airborne and airmobile. The organizational flag for infantry divisions was horizontally divided, scarlet over yellow, with the division's shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) in proper colors centered. For brigades of these divisions, the flag was vertically divided, scarlet and yellow, with the division's SSI in proper colors horizontally centered over the brigade numeral or monogram. For brigades of armored and cavalry divisions, the numeral or monogram was green. The flag for the division artillery (DIVARTY) headquarters was scarlet with a wide central horizontal yellow stripe and the division's SSI in proper colors centered. For division support command (DISCOM) headquarters, the flag had narrow scarlet end stripes and a wide yellow central stripe, with the division's SSI in proper colors centered. As a separate brigade, the 155th Armored Brigade had a flag with vertical stripes of yellow and green, with the brigade SSI in proper colors centered. Organizational flags for divisions and brigades were 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly with 2 1/2-inch yellow fringe. They were made of heavyweight rayon banner cloth with the insignia and numerals or monograms applied to appear properly on both sides of the flag. Campaign and unit decoration streamers awarded to divisions were always displayed with these flags. Organizational flags were always carried or displayed with the National Color. Guidons for headquarters elements of divisions were of the same design as the corresponding organizational flags. Dimensions were 20 inches at the hoist by 27 inches on the fly with a 10-inch fork. Older guidons made of cotton or wool bunting were still used if serviceable, but new ones were made of heavyweight rayon banner cloth. Note: Active links in descriptions point to pages depicting the guidons of subordinate units. Division base units, e.g. the combat engineer battalion, were administratively assigned to the DISCOM. Tactically, however, they fell under the direct control of the division headquarters and are so presented here. |
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