Brigade, company, battalion -- we may know these and other terms from family stories and from action movies. Some of us can probably be forgiven for using them interchangeably.
Yet the each of these terms do carry a specific meaning, including those used within the U.S. Army. One of the core crucial elements of that branch of the military is the battalion.
Army Battalion Basics
At its most fundamental, a battalion is a military unit, usually made up of several hundred soldiers. In the U.S. Army, for example, the average number of troops in a battalion is 400. The word battalion, by the way, comes from the Italian word for “battle,” battaglione.
Battalions are always ground force units, and they specialize in close-range operations, meaning that they engage in situations in which the enemy force is either within eyesight or within a few miles.
Unified Units
In the U.S. Army, a battalion consists of several sub-units, which in turn are broken into smaller units. In descending order, these groupings are:
- Companies, each led by a separate captain. A battalion typically consists of a headquarters company, a combat support company, and three rifle companies. Each company has up to 150 soldiers in it.
- Platoons are sub-units of companies. They are each led by Lieutenants, who oversee an average of four squads, each specializing in a specific kind of weapon.
- Squads are the smallest sub-unit of a battalion, usually consisting of about 10 troops. A typical platoon might be made up of three rifle squads and one general weapons squad.
Of course, a battalion itself is part of larger units-within-units. Battalions can be one of many groups within a brigade of a a few thousand soldiers. There are several brigades within a division of up to 20,000 troops. There are several divisions with the largest Army unit, the corps. An army corps can consist of up to 100,000 soldiers.
>Historical Battalion Highlights
Army units were somewhat more loose-knit in the early days of American history. But within the last 200 years or so, several U.S. battalions have gained fame, both in and out of wartime. Among the more notable army battalions are:
The Mormon Battalion
Given the melting pot nature of the United States, it’s rare to have a large military unit consist of any one race, creed or religion. That makes the 500-member Mormon Battalion all the more notable. In 1846, President James Polk allowed Brigham Young to form a specific, government-sanctioned army battalion. This formation accomplished Young’s primary mission of moving a large group of Church of Latter Day Saints members to the west, supported by the Army’s food and supplies. Polk, in turn, thought the so-called Mormon Battalion might be useful during wartime. The battalion, after being trained, traveled from Iowa to southern California, where it helped to guard coastal forts. Before it could gain any combat fame, however, it was disbanded in 1947 and the soldiers joined a Utah Mormon settlement. Ultimately, the arrangement probably helped Young more than it did Polk, but it made for an interesting footnote in history.
The “Lost Battalion”
During World War 1, a collection of nine American companies became known as the “Lost Battalion of Argonne Forest.” Trapped by Germans within the unfamiliar French forest, these 554 soldiers staved off hunger, dehydration and low ammunition for almost a week.
Their ingenious use of carrier pigeons to seek help from headquarters, along with various diversionary tactics until Allied help arrived, earned them worldwide fame. More than half of the troops were killed or taken prisoner during the ordeal. Eventually, 194 unwounded soldiers, along with an undetermined number of wounded troops, were rescued.
100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry
Known as the most decorated battalion ever within the U.S. army, this battalion served during World War II. Made up of Japanese-American soldiers, the 100th Battalion included some second generation Japanese men who had actually been interred by the U.S. government following the Pearl Harbor attack -- but who went on to prove themselves as proud Americans.
Serving under mostly Caucasian leaders, these Hawaii-based soldiers adapted “Remember Pearl Harbor” as their motto. The battalion’s many legendary feats included rescuing a unit from Texas that was trapped in Southern France by German forces.
The 100th became known as the Purple Heart Battalion because of the massive casualties it suffered during the war. The 100th, along with similarly-configured other battalions within the 442nd, suffered more than its share of casualties, due to their dedicated service in Germany, Italy and France. In all, almost 9,500 Purple Hearts were awarded, along with other medals for distinguished service.
