William H. Thompson, Salt Lake City, Utah: an interview by Winston P. Erickson, January 19, 2001: Saving the Legacy tape nos. 137 & 138

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WILLIAM H. THOMP ON J R 19 2001 November (1941). [Editor' note: As the US Army expanded throughout 19-11, the organization of its divisions was modernized. The US Army Air Corps was formed a a separate entity within the Army and specialty Armored Divisions, Airborne Division , and Light Divisions like the Tenth Mountain were formed. At the same time, the Regular Infantry Divisions were reorganized from the old "square}} organization into a ''triangular}} organization. Brigades were eliminated and the triangular divisions were organized around three infantry regiments and three battalions of medium artillery. An infantry regiment plus a medium artillery battalion and other support troops formed a tactical unit within each division called a regimental combat team (RCT). Each infantry division therefore had three RCTs. The triangular division also had headquarters troops, a signals company, medical company, MPcompany, anti tank company, supply company, and a heavy FA battalion to support the medium FA units in the RCTs. As part of this reorganization, the old artillery regiments were broken into battalions. Thus the 1451 h Field Artillery Regiment was downsized to the 1451 h Field Artillery Battalion with the balance of the regiment forming the cadre or core units of new artillery battalions being formed. Each Field Artillery battalion was composed of a headquarters battery and three gun batteries, A, B, C, and a Service battery. The number of guns or howitzers in a gun battery depended on the type of gun. Most truck or tractor drawn 105 and 15 5 mm gun or howitzer batteries had four artillery pieces per battery for a total of twelve in a battalion. Battalions with heavy 208 or 240 mm guns or howitzers only had two pieces per gun battery. The gun batteries in Armored Field Artillery battalions in the Armored Divisions had six self-propelled pieces per gun battery. 16