The Story of the American Expeditionary Forces

First Army Insignia

Regimental, Select Battalions & Support Train Numbers

for

AEF Divisions

Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division
Future President Truman Circled

One of the difficult things for families researching their WWI Doughboy Relatives is to associate their grandfather's unit, say, [as for Capt. Harry Truman] the 129th Field Artillery, with the individual's operational division. Most histories of the AEF describe things at the divisional level, in President Truman's case, the 35th Division.

During World War I the Army expanded dramatically and many unit numbers were first used. Many other units, especially from the National Guard, received new numbers when they were deployed to France. The famous "Fighting 69th" of the New York National Guard, became the 165th Infantry of the 42nd Division in the AEF. The table below, gives those numbers of all the key units associated with each American division. Remember, however, these fighting divisions only entailed about one half of the 2 million men deployed in France. In other articles, we will try to provide similar information for units assigned at the Corps and Army levels of the AEF, as well as the Services of Supply, the logistical arm of the US forces in Europe.

Sources and thanks:

Revised slightly from Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the AEF by Morgan & Warren, 1986. MH

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