The 27th Armored Division was a United States Army formation. It was part of the New York Army National Guard in the 1950s and 1960s.
| 27th Armored Division | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1955 - 1968 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Armored |
| Nickname(s) | "Empire" |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Major General Ronald C. Brock (first commander) |
Activation
editIn February, 1955 a reorganization of the Army National Guard included reorganizing the 27th Infantry Division as the 27th Armored Division.[1] This included exchanging the black and red "NYD" (New York Division) shoulder patch for the triangle-shaped patch of the Army's armor divisions. The 27th Armored Division was called the "Empire Division," after New York's nickname, the Empire State.[2]
The division headquarters was originally in Buffalo, and was later moved to Syracuse.[3][4]
Composition, 1955
editIn 1955, the composition of the 27th Armored Division was:
- Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 27th Armored Division
- Combat Commands A, B, and C
Infantry:
- 105th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 108th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 174th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 175th Armored Infantry Battalion
Armor:
- 127th Tank Battalion
- 205th Tank Battalion
- 208th Tank Battalion
- 274th Tank Battalion
Artillery:
- Headquarters, 27th Armored Division Artillery (DIVARTY)
- 106th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 186th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 249th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 270th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 210th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (from 127th AAA)
Separate Units:
- 27th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
- 152nd Armored Engineer Battalion
- 27th Armored Signal Battalion
Trains:
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 27th Armored Division Trains
- 727th Armored Ordnance Battalion
- 134th Armored Medical Battalion
- 27th Armored Quartermaster Battalion
- 27th Military Police Company
- 27th Replacement Company
Composition, 1960
edit- Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 27th Armored Division
- Combat Commands A, B, and C
Infantry: armored rifle battalions
- 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 108th Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 174th Infantry
Armor: medium tank battalions
- 1st Battalion, 127th Armor
- 1st Battalion, 174th Armor
- 1st Battalion, 205th Armor
- 1st Battalion, 108th Armor
- 1st Battalion, 210th Armor (from 210th Anti-aircraft Artillery)
- 1st Squadron, 121st Armor (from 27th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion)
Artillery:
- Headquarters, 27th Armored Division Artillery (DIVARTY)
Howitzer battalions:
- 1st Battalion, 104th Artillery
- 1st Battalion, 180th Artillery
- 1st Battalion, 270th Artillery
- 1st Battalion (Rocket), 106th Artillery
Separate units:
- 127th Aviation Company
- 152nd Engineer Battalion
- 227th Signal Battalion (from 27th Signal Battalion).
Trains:
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 27th Armored Division Trains
- 727th Armored Ordnance Battalion
- 134th Armored Medical Battalion
- 27th Armored Quartermaster Battalion
- 27th Military Police Company
- 227th Transportation Detachment (Aircraft Maintenance)
- 527th Administrative Company
Composition, 1966
edit- Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 27th Armored Division
- 1st Brigade:
- 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 205th Armor
- 1st Battalion, 210th Armor
- 2nd Brigade:
- 1st Battalion, 108th Infantry
- 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 208th Armor
- 3rd Brigade:
- 1st Battalion, 174th Infantry
- 1st Battalion, 127th Armor
- 2nd Battalion, 127th Armor
- 1st Battalion, 174th Armor
- 1st Squadron, 121st Cavalry
- Headquarters, 27th Armored Division Artillery (DIVARTY):
- 1st Battalion, 104th Field Artillery
- 1st Battalion, 106th Field Artillery
- 1st Battalion, 156th Field Artillery
- 2nd Battalion, 156th Field Artillery
- 1st Battalion, 170th Field Artillery
- Separate commands:
- 27th Armored Division Band
- 27th Administrative Company
- 27th Supply & Transportation Battalion
- 134th Medical Battalion
- 152nd Engineer Battalion
- 727th Maintenance Battalion[5]
Commanders
edit
Three individuals served as commander of the 27th Armored Division:
- Major General Ronald C. Brock (1955–1957).[6] Brock had been commander of the 27th Infantry Division.[7] He subsequently served as commander of the New York National Guard.[8]
- MG Almerin C. O'Hara (1957–1959).[9] O'Hara later served as commander of the New York National Guard, and state Commissioner of General Services. When Albany County shifted to a county executive/county legislature form of government in 1975, O'Hara was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Albany County Executive.[10]
- MG Collin P. Williams (1959–1968)[11] Williams had served as commander of Combat Command B, 27th Armored Division and the division's Assistant Division Commander.[12] He retired in 1968.[13]
Deactivation
editThe 27th Armored Division was inactivated in February, 1968 during another reorganization of the Army National Guard.[14] During its existence the 27th Armored Division was not activated for federal service and saw no combat.[15] It was activated for state service, including the response to the 1964 Rochester riot.[16]
Subsequent history
edit
The division was reorganized in 1968 as the 27th Armored Brigade, a unit of the 50th Armored Division.[17]
The 27th Armored Brigade was reorganized as an Infantry brigade in 1975 and aligned with the 42nd Infantry Division.[18]
In 1985 the 27th Infantry Brigade was activated as part of the New York Army National Guard, and assigned as the "roundout" brigade of the Army's 10th Mountain Division.[19]
The 27th Brigade was later reorganized as the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and reestablished use of the 27th Infantry Division's NYD shoulder sleeve insignia.[20] The 27th Infantry Brigade carries on the lineage and history of the 27th Infantry Division.
References
edit- ^ J.B. Lyon Company, New York State Legislative Documents, Volume 6, 1955, page 13
- ^ Jack Raymond, The New York Times, Most Reservists Could Join Guard: McNamara Plan Envisions Initial Overstrengths, 20 December 1964
- ^ Peter B. Taub, Gannett News Service, Newburgh Evening News, Upstate Shift Due National Guard, 28 February 1963
- ^ John B. Wilson, Center of Military History, Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades, 1988, page 361
- ^ New York National Guard, History of the 27th Infantry Division, 27th Armored Division composition 1955, 1960, 1966. Retrieved 26 July 2013
- ^ Toledo Blade, Ike Pledges Guard to be Maintained, 4 February 1957
- ^ Schenectady Gazette, Kearney Resigns Post in NY Guard, 5 June 1948
- ^ New York Secretary of State, State Legislative manual, 1958, page 446
- ^ Williams Press, New York Red Book, 1959, page 367
- ^ Associated Press, Newburgh Evening News, Coyne 'New Look' County Executive, 5 November 1975
- ^ U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Hearing Record, Military Cold War Education and Speech Review Policies, Biographical sketch, Collin P. Williams, 1962, page 2662
- ^ Army and Navy Journal Incorporated, Army, Navy, Air Force Journal, Volume 94, Issues 27–52, 1957, page 955
- ^ Ruth Collin Stong, John Collin, Stem and Branches, 1980, page 209
- ^ New York Times, State Guard to Disband Division That Once Chased Pancho Villa, 19 January 1968
- ^ National Guard Educational Foundation, 27th Armored Division, 2011
- ^ United Press International, Lexington Dispatch, National Guard Troops on Duty in Rochester, 27 July 1964
- ^ Associated Press, Newburgh Evening News, Guard Streamlined: 27th Division Ends, 18 January 1968
- ^ John J. McGrath, The Brigade: A History, Its Organization and Employment in the US Army, 2009, page 232
- ^ Michael Dale Doubler, John W. Listman, Jr., The National Guard: An Illustrated History of America's Citizen-Soldiers, 2007, page 120
- ^ Uniformed Services Almanacs, 2008 National Guard Almanac, 2008, page 143