corps question.

[Trekker]

Is the Corps aviation included in the army or airforce (planes not helos)?
Whats the diffenence between a ID and a AD?

Thank you..

[ShotMagnet]

Corps aviation, if I understand your question correctly, is attached to the corp and is assigned by corp HQ.
The basic differences between Infantry Divisions (ID) and Armored Divisions (AD) concern the number of tanks assigned to each. Armored divisions usually have more tanks, hence the designator 'armored'.
Go to http://www.globalsecurity.org.
It has all kinds of good stuff about all things military, and includes links to army field manuals. Big site, lots of info.
Enjoy.

Shot

[Hackworth]

More precisely its the combination or balance of tanks to IFVs or Infantry fighting vehicles that determine if it is ID (Mech) or AD. I think the ratio can be as high as 1:3 or one brigade Mech heavy to 3 Brigades armor heavy to make an US armored division. The brigades tend to be mixed this way too - 1 battalion to 2-3 battalions (1:2-3). So in a Mechanized InfBde you will probabaly have 3 battalions of Brads and 1 battalion of Abrams. It might be that the Brigades are "pure" or all INF (Mech) units or all Armor units. In that case there would be one Armor pure brigade and 2-3 Bradley pure brigades.

Corps Aviation wold be represented by several branches of the military. The Army (as in higher to Corps) commander would recieve a certain number of sorties to use over a given period of time from the joint theater command. So a corps commander could have sorties available from teh Airforce, Navy, Marines, any other coalition members, as well as it's inherrant Aviation brigades compossed of Army Apaches, etc. Does that help clear things up or muddle them more? Either way, I feel I have done my job :)

[Dreadnaught]

I think organization has nothing to do with it anymore, For instance 1st ID mech has 5 tank Batt and 4 mech Batts. Plus an Armored Cav Squadron.
I don't know why but they just keep the ID and AD for heavy divisions. They also began calling some Mech Battalions Cav Battalions without changing mission organization or equipment.

[Hackworth]

A CAv battalion is always assigned to a division for cav duties. It is inherant. As far as "regular" battlaions being labeled Cav - if it is 1st CAV DIV, then yes, all their battalions are Cav battalions. But as far as regular ID and AD division you will only see the one cav battalion. Most INf and AR battlaions have a platoon dedicated to cavalry duties. Normally with 6 vehicles in the platoon instead of 4 in a US battalion. On 1st ID you might want to research a bit more. I think they have a whole brigade that is a "round out" brigade - a national guard or reserve BDE that would fill it out if deployed for war. I bet ya $10 it is a INF BDE. INF (MECH) and AD division ARE heavy when compared iwth the 25th INF (Light) and the 7th INF (light), when the 7th was "light". Those light units mostly run around in Humvees. 7th INF BTW is not a active/reserve component division like I believe the 1st ID is now. So, it has a round-out BDE somewhere out there...

[Hackworth]

Most of what I have been mentionikng are about the regular fully active divisions. Here are some good examples of seperate brigades or brigade combat teams. These would probably operate independently as they resemble more the composition of a armored cavalry regiment. They tend to have their own artillery, engineering, cav, air defense, support and even miliraty intelligence assets. All they need is a supply line and airpower. Plug them into a corps and they are a new manuever unit that can operate independent of other divisions, just like cavalry regiments.

1BCT/1st INF (Mech): http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/1BCT1ID/

3BCT/1st AD: http://www.riley.army.mil/Units/3rdBde1AD/

Is there still a 1st INF BCT in Kosovo? Anyone know?

And here is the OOB of all the units at Ft Hood and in III Corps: http://www.hood.army.mil/ourpost/organization.htm
Scroll down and look at the 1st Cav. Notice how it's OOB is a bit in vavor of INF though still at a greater ratio than 1:3 with the addition of a shit load of avation assets. That's the Heavy Cav Division. Also notice even battalions that are Armor are still called Cav with the Armor in quotations. This is particular to the 1st Cav Div.

Take a look at the 4th INF: This unit is 5:4 armor to INF. Much like you were saying, this does not fall into what I have said. The ratios I have refered to was more common to the 80's and 90's. Regardless it is just barely heavy in armor. So, it's difficult to call it an armored division. 6:3 battalions or more and you're talking armored division.

Check out the 1st Armored for a good example of a fully active division that is armor heavy: http://www.1ad.army.mil/index.htm
The 1st BDE is 2 BN AR to 1 BN INF - armor heavy. The 2nd BDE is INF heavy with 2 INF BN to 1 AR BN. The 3rd is linked above as the 3rd BCT of the 1st AD and is AR heavy at 2:1 in favor of tanks. Total division is 2:1 in favor of tanks.

Here is the 1st INF DIV (Mech) Order Of Battle: http://www.1id.army.mil/1stInfantry/facts.htm
This division IS armor heavy. The reason for not being called a 1st AD is that there is a 1st AD with a long and honorable herritage. The 1st ID also has a long and possibly more famous herritage and lineage with many honors. That is probably why you do not see a change - herritage of the 1st ID. They might also be set up for a round-out brigade or the attachment of a seperate brigade.

The US Army is always reorganizing. Every few years things are different, so to know what is current you have to just look it up at that time. I hope this helps.


PS. Came back to tell you...WOW! the 2nd BDE CO for the 1st INF is named Col. Dragon. Is that not so damn fitting for a Bradley heavy brigade commander? Anyway, this 2nd BDE of the 1st ID is deployed in Kosovo right now as Task Force Falcon.

[Dreadnaught]

Here is an example of Cav Battalions assigned to an Armored division. Some battalions are tank battalion 3/8 and 4/8 and some are infantry 3/5 and 5/5. In addition to 4/7 Cav the divison Cav Squadron. These units stayed the same after 3AD was reflagged to 1AD in 1992.

http://www.3ad.org/desertstorm/

[Trekker]

Next question is the numbers for a unit (i.e 4/7 Cav) what does the numbers mean..