A division organized by several tank (armored) regiments or brigades. Also called armored division. There are leading and commanding organs. A basic tactical corps composed of various arms. It is divided into reserve tank division and team tank division. It has rapid mobility, strong firepower and better protection, and is an important assault force in battle and campaign. It can operate in the army or group army, or carry out combat tasks independently. In the 1920s, J F. C. Fuller and B H. Liddell Hart put forward the idea of forming a new type of division with tank troops as the main body and various types of troops combined to perform multiple tasks. H. Guderian of Germany accepted this idea and led the establishment of the first group of armored divisions in October 1935. The Armored Division administers one tank brigade, one motorized infantry brigade, one artillery regiment, one anti tank artillery battalion, and one combat and service support detachment, with 16000 people and 512 tanks; The ratio of tank company to infantry company is 16:9. After several adjustments, the tank division allocated 324 tanks, and the ratio of tank company to infantry company was 12 ∶ 12. At the beginning of the Second World War, when Germany invaded Poland and Western Europe, it concentrated on the use of armored divisions in the main directions, carried out rapid assaults in depth, and achieved significant results. In 1939, Britain and France, and in 1940, the Soviet Union and the United States began to form armored divisions. Germany further adjusted the proportion of tank units and infantry units of the armored division, and increased artillery units. In 1942, the formation of the US Armored Division flexibly determined the proportion of tank troops, infantry and artillery according to the needs of combat, further improving the operational capability of the Armored Division under various conditions. After the war, the number of tank divisions in various countries increased and their combat capability improved. In China, the Kuomintang army set up the first armored division in January 1938, called the 200th Army Division, which governs two chariot regiments, one motorized infantry regiment, as well as artillery battalions, anti-aircraft artillery battalions, war defense artillery battalions, baggage battalions, search battalions, engineering battalions, supplement battalions, preparation battalions, secret service battalions, fire and defense companies, repair factories and field hospitals, with 186 tanks. The Chinese People's Liberation Army established the first chariot division in February 1949, which is subordinate to the Special Forces Command of the Fourth Field Army. The whole division has more than 5500 personnel, 120 tanks and 143 armored vehicles; In May, the chariot division was transferred to the General Staff and renamed as the 1st Division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In November of the same year, a second chariot division was set up, which is subordinate to the Special Forces Column of the Second Field Army, and has jurisdiction over the chariot regiment, amphibious vehicle regiment, and armored regiment. The whole division has 3135 people, 179 tanks, and 95 armored vehicles. In August 1950, the tank troops of the whole army were reorganized into three tank brigades; In December, the tank brigade was reorganized into a tank division. In the late 1960s, the armored forces were greatly developed, and the number of tank divisions increased. In the mid-1970s, the organizational structure of the tank division was adjusted. The allocation ratio of infantry, artillery and tank troops was more reasonable, and the combat capability was greatly improved. After May 1985, in order to strengthen the contractual combat capability of the Army Group Army, the tank division was incorporated into the Army Group Army. With the development of information technology and weapons and equipment, and the improvement of the synthetic level of the army, most countries will further adjust the proportion of tank divisions to improve their independent combat capability; Flexible organization is adopted to meet the needs of various combat tasks; Enhance electronic warfare and reconnaissance capabilities and improve command efficiency; Strengthen material and technical support and improve sustained combat capability.
Publisher: China Military Encyclopedia Editorial Office [1]
