EVOLUTION OF THE U. S. ARMY INFANTRY BATTALION: 1939-1968

Abstract

The infantry battalion has evolved over a period of several thousand years; its American ancestors may be found in the units organized during the American Revolution. The modern infantry battalion in the United States Army began in the period just prior to World War II. The battalion was forged and tested on the battlefields of Europe and in the Pacific Area. Nuclear weapons, the Korean War, and the Cold War have exerted considerable influence on the size, composition, and weaponry of the present-day infantry battalion. The adaptation of the World War II armored division organization to the ROAD division has given the infantry battalion of the United States Army the highest fire and movement capability it has ever possessed in our military history. The advent of the helicopter and its application to troop carrier and fire support missions enables the infantry battalion to become highly air mobile.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1968
Accession Number
AD0690267

Entities

People

  • Virgil Ney

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Anti-Tank Guns
  • Anti-Tank Weapons
  • Armored Personnel Carriers
  • Civil War
  • Combat Areas
  • Combat Operations
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Two Dimensional
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Systems Analysis and Design