340th Infantry Regiment (United States)

340th Infantry Regiment

Regimental Distinctive Unit Insignia
Active 1917–1919
1946–present
Country  USA
Branch U.S. Army
Role Infantry
Size Regiment
Part of First Army
Motto(s) Forward
Anniversaries Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army
Decorations Army Superior Unit Award
Battle honours World War I

The 340th Infantry Regiment was a National Army unit first organized for service in World War I as part of the 85th Infantry Division in Europe. Since then it has served as a training Regiment, training Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers for service in support of the Global War on Terror.[1]

Service history[2]

World War I

.[3] The Regiment was constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 340th Infantry and assigned to the 170th Infantry Brigade of the 85th Division. It was organized at Camp Custer, Michigan on during August and September 1917. In July 1943, the Regiment was organized with 3,755 Officers and enlisted men:

The Doughboys of the Regiment deployed to France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces and were billeted in the city of Humbligny. The Regiment didn't participate in any named campaigns during the war; it's Infantrymen were used as individual replacements to the fighting Divisions. Pioneering American football player, physician, and local politician Bradbury Robinson commanded Company L during the war.[5][6] After completing its war service in France the Regiment demobilized at Camp Custer on 21 April 1919.[7]

Post War Service

The Regiment was reconstituted on 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves with Headquarters in the Saginaw, Michigan under TOE 29-7T as part of the 85th Division (later redesignated as the 85th Infantry Division) in the Sixth Corps Area.[8] The 1st Battalion was located in Saginaw, the 2nd Battalion at Flint, Michigan and the 3rd Battalion was at Port Huron, Michigan. The entire regiment relocated on 28 July 1937 to Saginaw. During this period, the Regiment conducted summer encampments in most years with the 2d Infantry Regiment at Camp Custer or some years at Camp Grayling. In 1929 the Regiment conducted summer training with the 126th Infantry Regiment at Camp Grayling. The Regiment conducted infantry CMTC training some years at Camp Custer, Fort Brady, Michigan, as an alternate form of summer training. Primary ROTC feeder schools were the Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science.[9] The Regiment was relieved 31 March 1942 from assignment to the 85th Division under the wartime reorganization from the four-regiment Square Division to the three-regiment Triangular division structure and disbanded on 4 August 1952.[10]

Under the 85th Training Division

1972 Regimental Lineage & Honors statement detailing the history, composition and battle honors for the unit.

On May 5th, 1959 the 340th Infantry was redesignated a subordinate element of the 85th Division (Training Support) as the 340th Regiment (Advanced Individual Training), and reorganized to consist of the Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Companies 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, and Companies A, B, and C organized as Infantry with the below listed companies organized from other units:

Previous Unit Action Redesignated as
Tank Company, 335th Infantry Regiment redesignated Company D (Armor)
Battery B, 134th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion redesignated Battery E (Air Defense)
Battery A, 403rd Field Artillery Battalion redesignated Company F (Field Artillery)
Company A, 310th Engineer Battalion redesignated Company G (Engineer)
Company B, 310th Engineer Battalion redesignated Company H (Engineer)
None constituted Company I (Chemical)
Company B, 785th Ordnance Battalion redesignated Company K (Ordnance)
Medical Company, 337th Infantry Regiment redesignated Company L (Medical)
85th Military Police Company redesignated Company M (Military Police)

The 340th Regiment was reorganized January 31st, 1968 to consist of the 1st Battalion (Advanced Individual Training) and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (Basic Combat Training). The Regimental Headquarters was inactivated. On May 1st, 1971, the 1st Battalion (Advanced Individual Training) was redesignated as 1st Battalion (Combat Support Training) with no change to the 2nd and 3rd Battalions. The 3rd Battalion was inactivated on 1 October 1996 and reactivated on 1 October 2002. On 1 April 2007, the 1st and 2nd Battalions were assigned away from the 85th Division; on 15 June 2008 the 3rd Battalion was also reassigned.

Current Assignment

The 1st Battalion is an Army Reserve unit assigned to the 181st Infantry Brigade at Fort Snelling, Minnesota with and provides Observer, Controller/ Trainers (OC/T) and Staff to various Mobilization Training Centers responsible for conducting post mobilization training to Reserve Component units preparing them for deployment to Overseas Contingency Operations.

The 3rd Battalion is a Regular Army unit assigned to the 181st Infantry Brigade and stationed at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin with a mission to train Infantry units of the Army National Guard.

Campaign streamers[11][12][13]

Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War I
No Inscription 1917-1919

Decorations[14][15][16]

Ribbon Award Year Inscription Notes
Army Superior Unit Award 2003-2004 Permanent Orders 123-18 3rd Battalion only
Permanent Orders 123-18 announcing award of the Army Superior Unit award
Army Superior Unit Award 2005-2006 1st Battalion only
Army Superior Unit Award 2005-2006 2nd Battalion only
Army Superior Unit Award 2008-2011 Permanent Orders 332-07 All Battalions
Permanent Orders 332-07 announcing award of the Army Superior Unit award
None Secretary of the Army Superior Unit Certificate 1961-1962 Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion None
DA GO 14, 20 March 1963
None Secretary of the Army Superior Unit Certificate 1960-1961 None Headquarters Company of 1st Battalion; Headquarters Company, Companies K and L of 3rd Battalion
Department of the Army General Orders 15, 1962

Shoulder sleeve insignia[17]

* Description: On a background equally divided horizontally white and red, 3¼ inches high and 2½ inches wide at base and 2⅛ inches wide at top, a black block letter "A", 2¾ inches high, 2 inches wide at base and 1⅝ inches wide at top, all members 7/16 inch wide, all enclosed within a 1/8 inch Army Green border.

  1. The red and white of the background are the colors used in flags for Armies.
  2. The letter "A" represents "Army" and is also the first letter of the alphabet suggesting "First Army."
  1. A black letter "A" was approved as the authorized insignia by the Commanding General, American Expedition Force, on 16 November 1918 and approved by the War Department on 5 May 1922.
  2. The background was added on 17 November 1950.

Distinctive Unit Insignia[18]

Coat of Arms[19]

References

  1. ↑ Infantry organization and History
  2. ↑ unit Lineage and Honors at the Center for Military History
  3. ↑ Military Map of the United States in 1918
  4. ↑ Maneuver and Firepower p56
  5. ↑ Reports of the Commander-in-Chief, Staff Sections and Services p14-18
  6. ↑ Maneuver and Firepower p69
  7. ↑ Order of battle for the 77th Infantry Division in World War I
  8. ↑ Maneuver and Firepower p220
  9. ↑ The US Army Order of Battle from 1919-1941 p470
  10. ↑ The US Army Order of Battle from 1919-1941 p418
  11. ↑ U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH). "Listing of the Campaigns of the U.S. Army Displayed on the Army Flag | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  12. ↑ War Department General Order #24 Listing Campaigns
  13. ↑ Regimental Lineage and Honors
  14. ↑ "CMH". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  15. ↑ Permanent Order 123-18
  16. ↑ Permanent Order 332-07
  17. ↑ First Army insignia page at the Institute of Heraldry
  18. ↑ DUI & COA
  19. ↑ regimental DUI & COA
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