The 61st Cavalry Division was an

Organized Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

cavalry unit of the

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. It was created in 1921 from the perceived need for additional cavalry units after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and was numbered in succession of the

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Divisions, which were not all active at its creation. The 61st was officially disbanded on 30 January 1942, although most of its personnel had been reassigned in 1941. The unit was nicknamed "The Foragers". The Division was composed of personnel from New York and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The Division Headquarters was initially located in

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, New York, but moved to New York City in 1922.

Organization

In early 1940, the division included the following units: *Headquarters (

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

) *Headquarters, Special Troops (Rochester) *Headquarters Troop (Manhattan) **61st Signal Troop ( Buffalo) **581st Ordnance Company (Medium) (Buffalo) **461st Tank Company (Light) (Manhattan) * 151st Cavalry Brigade (Rochester) ** 301st Cavalry Regiment DUI

301st Cavalry Regiment (Rochester) ** 302nd Cavalry Regiment DUI

302nd Cavalry Regiment (Newark) * 152nd Cavalry Brigade (Manhattan) ** 303rd Cavalry Regiment USAR DUI

303rd Cavalry Regiment (Manhattan) ** 304th Cavalry Regiment DUI

304th Cavalry Regiment The 304th Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry unit of the United States Army during World War I and the interwar period. It was activated in early 1918 but broken up in the middle of the year to form new artillery units. The unit was recreated as a New ...

(Manhattan) * 861st Field Artillery Regiment (New York City) * 461st Reconnaissance Squadron (reorganized from the 151st Machine Gun Squadron in 1929) ( Albany) * 401st Engineer Squadron (New York City) * 361st Medical Squadron (Albany) * 461st Quartermaster Squadron (Rochester)

Notable personnel

* William J. Donovan was the first commanding officer of the 301st Cavalry Regiment. * Terry de la Mesa Allen served as the executive officer of the 303rd Cavalry Regiment. * Brice Pursell Disque commanded the 151st Cavalry Brigade from 6 June 1922, to 14 April 1937. From 15 April 1937, to June 1939, he commanded the 152nd Cavalry Brigade.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * *�

The Trading Post, Journal of the American Society of Military Insignia Collectors, April- June 2009, page 21

External links

Formations of the United States Army This is a list of historical formations of the United States Army. Units still in existence are in bold. For specific eras: * Formations of the United States Army during the Mexican Revolution * Formations of the United States Army during World ...