The 31st Infantry Regiment in 1921

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The 31st Infantry Regiment in 1921

Post by Niner » Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:35 pm

A publication of the 31st Regiment, US Army, in the Philippines a hundred years ago. It was the fifth anniversary of the Regiment and a short history was offered in the opening pages. Click the page images to read them easier.
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Re: The 31st Infantry Regiment in 1921

Post by Niner » Thu Jul 22, 2021 11:51 am

There is a long detailed piece about "our new Infantry" detailing how the regiment was organized in 1921 versus how a regiment was organized going back to 1891. The biggest difference was WWI and "lessons learned" about specialization of troop duties. Before WWI, among other organizational differences of substance, when some regular needs arose ....like moving or securing food and ammunition various ordinary infantry company solders were pressed into service. Now the writer, the Regiment's colonel, specifically states that the 31st Regiment now had 576 specially trained and assigned troops out of total enlisted rank of 1490 soldiers to relieve infantry units of having to deplete fighting strength to do special duty. This also made the trained specialist much better in doing any job that was more complicated than filling a sandbag.

The "new" infantry was largely based on the WWI evolved infantry model. Newly designated intelligence troops were used as though the next war could only be trench war. The new army intelligence section had specialized departments. In such a assignment there was further specialization as one group of men would observe enemy movements at long range trench outposts marking any enemy trench extensions or troop buildup. Another group would go on scouts with infantry to observe the enemy up close and capture prisoners or lurk in listening posts to try and overhear talk of the enemy. The infantry platoons would have squads with one BAR man and one grenadier for greater fire power. Each battalion would have a heavy machine gun platoon. The Regiment would have it's own assigned artillery battery as well that was to all intents and purposes part of the Regiment. The communication runners had bicycles, horses and motor cycles. If all else failed they had carrier pigeons. They had land lines, that were not totally secure in a number of ways, but were not up to wireless radio for communication yet unfortunately.

The colonel was pretty boastful of how organized the modern 1921 Army was. He produced an outline showing the unorganized 1891 Army organization on the left side and the new and improved 1921 Army on the right. I'll attempt to attach the images from the publication to give you an idea of what constituted a up to the minute 1921 US Army Regiment.

The writer was Colonel Ralph H Van Deman. He was the commanding officer from 1920 to 1923.
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Re: The 31st Infantry Regiment in 1921

Post by Niner » Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:19 pm

By the way.... the "proposed" Regimental coat of arms was sometime after the publication approved.
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Re: The 31st Infantry Regiment in 1921

Post by Niner » Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:24 pm

The other magazine arrived.
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