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For your consideration is this museum quality Interwar Period M1926 Spec 8-31B Wool Service Coat
Pvt 66th Infantry Regiment (light tanks)Make, Model, & Description:M1926 Spec 8-31B EM Service Coat;
Museum quality piece made of whipcord wool.
This coat has a four panel back w/ 2 belt hooks.This particular coat dates May 1935. This puts this piece right in the middle of its MFG window of 1933-37.The WWI Tank Corps SSI was worn by any of the old WWI Tank Corps units that was organized and redesignated Armored Infantry units after being trained at the Infantry Tank School at Camp Meade & later Fort Benning, GA.1st Tank Regt was reorganized and redesignated as the 66th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks) on October 25, 1932 at Camp Meade.COATS OVERALL CONDITION;
PRE WWII MUSEUM QUALITY PIECEThis coat is definitely a museum quality piece. THE COAT GROUP INCLUDES:• M1926 Spec 8-31B Wool Service Coat
(1933-1937)• M1926 Type II Brass Collar Disc:
“US 66”, (1924-1936)• M1926 Brass Type II Collar Disc:
“Armored Infantry”; “WWI tank” over “Crossed Rifles”• Distinctive Identification:
66th Infantry Regiment; Screw Back x2• Qualification Badge:
Tank Weapons (Sterling Silver)• Tri-Color Tank Corps patch;
MFG 1930’ s Mutton Wool with silk Tank Corps device
embroidery HISTORY & DOCUMENTATION;The 66th Infantry Regiment (light tank) is the oldest armored unit in the U.S. Army, tracing its lineage back to the formation of the 301st Tank Battalion in World War I.66th Infantry Regiment (light tanks)
HISTORY 1918 through 1928The lineage that led to the 66th Armor Regiment began in August 1918 when it was organized in France as provisional tank brigades, which underwent a series of redesignations and consolidations during the interwar period due to post-WWI legislative changes.Key Timeline (1918–1928)• 1918: Formed in France as provisional tank brigades, which were later redesignated as the 304th and 305th Tank Brigades.• 1920–1921: Following the National Defense Act of 1920 that temporarily abolished the Tank Corps, the units were consolidated into the 1st Tank Group on June 22, 1921.• Late 1920s: The unit maintained interwar structures until reorganized into the 1st Tank Regiment in 1929, paving the way for later armored designations before World War II.66th Infantry Regiment (light tanks)HISTORY 1928 through 1940Between 1928 and 1940, the unit that became the 66th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks) underwent multiple re-designations due to the post-WWI abolition of the Tank Corps, eventually forming the core of the U.S. Army's modern armored force.Key Lineage and Events (1928–1940)• 1929: On September 1, 1929, the 1st Tank Group was reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Tank Regiment at Camp George G. Meade, Maryland.• 1931–1932: The 3rd Battalion was activated in September 1931. Due to legislative restrictions abolishing a separate tank branch, the unit received an infantry designation. On October 25, 1932, it was officially reorganized and redesignated as the 66th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks).• 1936–1938: Commanded by Bruce Magruder at Camp Meade, the regiment received its early light tanks during this period. The headquarters company was temporarily inactivated on September 1, 1938, at Fort Meade.• 1940: The headquarters company reactivated on January 10, 1940, at Fort Benning, Georgia. On July 15, 1940, the entire unit was converted, redesignated as the 66th Armored Regiment, and assigned to the newly formed 2nd Armored Division under Brigadier General George S. Patton Infantry Tank 1932, the U.S. Army dissolved the Infantry Tank School at Camp Meade (Fort Meade), Maryland, and relocated/transferred its duties to the Fort Benning Infantry School in Georgia.Key Events of 1932 and the Tank School Transition• Relocation to Fort Benning: After operating at Camp Meade since 1927 (following initial tank training presence established around 1919), the Tank School was moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1932. • Dissolution of Duties: The War Department officially dissolved the independent setup at Camp Meade and integrated its training functions directly into the Infantry School.• Re-designation: By 1933, the program was formally re-designated as the Tank Section of the Infantry School.• Unit Changes: Concurrently, the 1st Tank Regiment at Camp Meade was reorganized and redesignated as the 66th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks) on October 25, 1932.
