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50th Armored Division (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 50th Armored Division was a division
of the Army National Guard
from July 1946 until 1993.
published a postwar policy statement for the entire Army, calling for a 27-division Army National Guard structure with 25 infantry divisions and 2 armored divisions to accommodate the desires of all the states. Once the process of negotiation was complete, among the new formations formed, for the first time in the National Guard, were armored divisions, the 49th and 50th. The 50th Armored Division replaced the 44th Infantry Division within the New Jersey Army National Guard
. New Jersey, which had supported part of the 44th Division before the war, now supported the 50th Armored Division, which became nicknamed the "Jersey Blues." Therefore most of its elements 'inherited' the history of the organic units of the old 44th, and elements of the new 44th perpetuated the history and traditions of former units in Illinois.
In a 1968 reorganization, the 48th
and 49th Armored Divisions were disbanded but not the 50th, which from that point was joined by the 27th Armored Brigade from New York, the remnant of the 27th Armored Division. At this point, the Division lost its 'Jersey Blues' nickname. Following efforts by Army Chief of Staff General Frederick C. Weyand
to raise the readiness of the Army National Guard, the 50th Armored Division was reorganized as a bi-state division in New Jersey and Vermont.
The bi-state organization comprised:
The Center of Military History notes that reorganizing the Army National Guard
to meet the new 'Division 86' structures in the mid 1980s was a challenging process, and most Guard divisions expanded their recruiting areas. The 50th Armored Division did not, and instead had the allotment for one of its brigades moved to the Texas Army National Guard, making the future of the division within the force structure 'uncertain'.
On 1 September 1993, following this decision, the 50th Armored Division was inactivated, and its brigades joined other divisions. New Jersey's 50th Infantry Brigade, which took the Division's lineage, was made part of the 42nd Infantry Division. Vermont's 86th Brigade joined the 26th Infantry Division, while the 36th Infantry Brigade from Texas was reabsorbed into the 49th Armored Division. In the early 1990s further consolidation followed the fall of the Soviet Union, and the 26th Infantry Division disbanded, with the 86th Brigade joining the 42nd Infantry Division.
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
from July 1946 until 1993.
History
On 13 October 1945 the War DepartmentUnited States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
published a postwar policy statement for the entire Army, calling for a 27-division Army National Guard structure with 25 infantry divisions and 2 armored divisions to accommodate the desires of all the states. Once the process of negotiation was complete, among the new formations formed, for the first time in the National Guard, were armored divisions, the 49th and 50th. The 50th Armored Division replaced the 44th Infantry Division within the New Jersey Army National Guard
New Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
. New Jersey, which had supported part of the 44th Division before the war, now supported the 50th Armored Division, which became nicknamed the "Jersey Blues." Therefore most of its elements 'inherited' the history of the organic units of the old 44th, and elements of the new 44th perpetuated the history and traditions of former units in Illinois.
In a 1968 reorganization, the 48th
48th Armored Division
The 48th Armored Division was a division of the United States Army National Guard from September 1946 until 1968. Most of its units were located within the Florida Army National Guard and the Georgia Army National Guard.-History:...
and 49th Armored Divisions were disbanded but not the 50th, which from that point was joined by the 27th Armored Brigade from New York, the remnant of the 27th Armored Division. At this point, the Division lost its 'Jersey Blues' nickname. Following efforts by Army Chief of Staff General Frederick C. Weyand
Frederick C. Weyand
Frederick Carlton Weyand was a U.S. Army General. Weyand was the last commander of US military operations in the Vietnam War from 1972–1973, and served as the 28th US Army Chief of Staff from 1974-1976.-Early career:...
to raise the readiness of the Army National Guard, the 50th Armored Division was reorganized as a bi-state division in New Jersey and Vermont.
The bi-state organization comprised:
- Headquarters, 50th Armored Division (Somerset, NJ)
- 104th Engineer Battalion
- 5th Squadron, 117th Cavalry
- 150th Aviation Battalion
- 1st Brigade (Woodbridge, NJ)
- 2nd Brigade (Cherry Hill, NJ)
- 3rd Brigade (Riverdale, NJ)
- 86th Brigade (Montpelier, VT)
- Division Artillery (Trenton, NJ)
- Division Support Command
The Center of Military History notes that reorganizing the Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
to meet the new 'Division 86' structures in the mid 1980s was a challenging process, and most Guard divisions expanded their recruiting areas. The 50th Armored Division did not, and instead had the allotment for one of its brigades moved to the Texas Army National Guard, making the future of the division within the force structure 'uncertain'.
On 1 September 1993, following this decision, the 50th Armored Division was inactivated, and its brigades joined other divisions. New Jersey's 50th Infantry Brigade, which took the Division's lineage, was made part of the 42nd Infantry Division. Vermont's 86th Brigade joined the 26th Infantry Division, while the 36th Infantry Brigade from Texas was reabsorbed into the 49th Armored Division. In the early 1990s further consolidation followed the fall of the Soviet Union, and the 26th Infantry Division disbanded, with the 86th Brigade joining the 42nd Infantry Division.