The Hawaiian Division was a division of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, dedicated to the defense of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. This division was named rather than numbered, as were the

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

and Americal Divisions. It was first activated under the peacetime

Square Division A square division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a square organization, the division's main body is composed of four "maneuver," i.e., infantry regimental elements. Other types of regiments, such as artillery ...

Table of Organization and Equipment A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the u ...

(TO&E) on 25 February 1921 as the Hawaiian Division using assets of the World War I era 11th Infantry Division. It, the Philippine Division, and the

Americal Division The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War. The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the Un ...

were the last three U.S. Army divisions to be named rather than numbered.

Joseph E. Kuhn Joseph E. Kuhn (June 14, 1864 – November 12, 1935) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and was most notable for his command of the 79th Division during World War I, and his post-war comma ...

, then in command of

Schofield Barracks Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the t ...

, oversaw the initial organization and employment of the division.http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle1.pdf US Army Order of Battle 1919–1940 The division retained the square division TO&E until 1941, when it was reorganized under a

triangular division A triangular division is a designation given to the way military divisions are organized. In a triangular organization, the division's main body is composed of three regimental maneuver elements. These regiments may be controlled by a brigade hea ...

TO&E, and part of its former organization became the core of the new 24th Infantry Division and 25th Infantry Division. It included the 21st and 22nd Infantry Brigades, and the

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

21st 21 (twenty-one) is the natural number following 20 and preceding 22. The current century is the 21st century AD, under the Gregorian calendar. In mathematics 21 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 3 and 7, and a defici ...

, 27th, and

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

Infantry Regiments. 11th Field Artillery Brigade at Schofield Hawaii 1924

World War II

The 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions were among the first to see combat in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and among the last to stop fighting. The Divisions were on

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O ...

, with headquarters at

, when the Japanese bombed

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

on 7 December 1941 and suffered minor casualties. Charged with the defense of Oahu and the Hawaiian Islands, they built an elaborate system of coastal defenses before deploying for further combat operations.

Inactivation

The Hawaiian Division was inactivated in October 1941 to provide cadre and units for the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions. These were

s with regiments of the

Hawaii National Guard The Hawaii National Guard consists of the Hawaii Army National Guard and the Hawaii Air National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. Those functions range f ...

providing the third regiment of each division. The 299th Regiment went to the 24th and the 298th Regiment went to the 25th Infantry Division. The 24th Infantry Division retained the Hawaiian Division Green Taro Leaf Shoulder Patch for wear.

Lineage

*Constituted 1 February 1921 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, Hawaiian Division *Activated 1 March 1921 at

, Hawaii *Inactivated 1 October 1941 at Schofield Barracks

Commanders

References

Sources

*
U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919–1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919–41
' by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Steven E. Clay, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2011

External links

24th Infantry Division Home Page
– official site.
24th Infantry Division AssociationThe 24th Infantry Division in Europe25th Infantry Division Home Page
– official site.
Lineage and Honors of the 25th Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion

25th Infantry Division AssociationThe 11th Field Artillery brigade passes in review, June 24th, 1921
*COA a

{{Army Divisions (United States) H Infantry divisions of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1921 1921 establishments in Hawaii 1941 disestablishments in Hawaii Military units and formations disestablished in 1941