1ST CAVALRY DIVISION 1ST BRIGADE GUIDONS

UNITED STATES ARMY

1st HEAVY BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, 1st CAVALRY DIVISION
INITIAL UEx ORGANIZATION • 2006-14

As originally conceived the US Army's heavy brigade combat team (HBCT) was built around two combined arms battalions, each with a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies (A and B) and two armor companies (C and D). Guidons for these companies were of the standard, traditional pattern for the Infantry, Cavalry and Armor branches. HQ companies of combined arms battalions belonging to infantry or armor regiments had either an Infantry or Armor guidon. The mechanized infantry companies had Infantry guidons and the armor companies had Armor guidons. For combined arms battalions belonging to cavalry regiments, all companies had Cavalry guidons. Military intelligence, signal and combat engineer companies were grouped in a brigade special troops battalion (BSTB). The headquarters company of the BSTB used a branch immaterial guidon and the other three companies had branch-oriented guidons. The cavalry squadron and the field artillery battalion had guidons of the standard branch pattern. The headquarters company and forward support companies of the brigade support battalion (BSB) had buff guidons with scarlet letters and numerals but no branch insignia; the other three companies had branch-oriented guidons.

The Organizational Flag of the brigade was always carried or displayed with the National Color. Both were made of heavyweight rayon banner cloth, 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly, with 2 1/2-inch yellow fringe.

The 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team ("Ironhorse") of the 1st Cavalry Division had two cavalry-affiliated CABs as shown below. Note that the 1-82 FA had only three battery elements. Instead of the traditional organization (HQ battery, three firing batteries, service battery) FA battalions were reconfigured with an HQ battery and two firing batteries. Each battery has eight howitzers in two four-gun platoons, for a battalion total of sixteen guns. The functions of the service battery were assumed by the forward support company of the BSB dedicated to the FA battalion (Company G).