Modular Marines

The Marine Division of 1947

United States Marines landing on Onslow Beach, North Carolina, in July of 1947 (US National Archives)

Military manpower managers treat infantry the way that restauranteurs treat meat. While they know that infantry constitutes the sine qua non of a fighting formation, they invariably respond to tight budgets by ordering less of it. Such was the case in September of 1947, when the implementation of tables of organization of the J-Series cut the number of rifle companies rated by a Marine division from twenty-seven to eighteen.

The same set of establishments also reduced, from twelve to six the number of howitzer batteries in the ideal division. Thus, rather than possessing the means of forming nine battalion landing teams, each built around a core of three rifle companies and one howitzer battery, the new division could only organize six battle groups of that type.

The rifle companies and howitzer batteries allowed to a Marine division by tables of organization of the J-Series

In addition to reducing the number of rifle companies and howitzer batteries, the designers of the new division eliminated both the headquarters of infantry regiments and the headquarters of field artillery battalions. Thus, unless is unit was assigned to a ‘task unit’, the commander of each infantry battalion reported directly to the commanding general of his division. In much the same way, all six howitzer batteries dealt directly with the headquarters of their parent regiment.

Each of the infantry battalions of the new-style Marine divisions inherited the name, traditions, and battle honors of a disbanded infantry regiment. Thus, designations such as ‘1st Marines’ and ‘9th Marines’, which had long described multi-battalion units, were given to autonomous battalions.

Sources

A Chronology of the US Marine Corps, Volume III (1947-1964) (Washington, DC: US Marine Corps, 1971) page 4 (USMC)

‘The New FMF’ The Marine Corps Gazette (May 1947) pages 10-14 (Internet Archive)