66th Infantry Regiment
Not yet constituted / organized
This timeline begins in 1916. The cited organization had not yet been constituted or organized during this interval; its formation follows.
First division shown71st Infantry Division15 Jul 1943
Separate unit histories4 documented elementsDated lineages and service notes below
Page cutoff8 September 2026Last-documented status is explicitly marked
One regiment, separate assignments
The common row follows the regiment. After its reorganization, battle groups and battalions could hold different assignments at the same time. A deployment or temporary attachment does not by itself change the assigned division. The common row closes on 25 Feb 1953; later service belongs to the separate element rows. Battalion rows follow headquarters lineages, often descended from lettered companies, rather than assuming that the old regimental battalions continued unchanged.
This is the infantry regiment constituted in July 1943 for the 71st Division. The earlier 66th Infantry (Light Tanks), redesignated as armor in 1940, is a separate organization. Inactivation took place 5–9 April 1946; the 1953 armored successors were inactive paper organizations.
Division patches
Representative division patches. Patterns could change over time; an image does not imply that the exact version was worn throughout every period. Divisions without a verified asset remain identified by name.
At a glance
Assignments across time
Bar widths follow elapsed time.
Scroll horizontally on a small screen. Select a segment to open its dated entry. Diamond markers open deployments; their positions indicate the labeled year, not an exact start date or duration. Short assignments are easier to inspect in the list below.
- Division assignment
- 1st Infantry
- 2d Infantry
- 8th Infantry
- Separate headquarters
- Training / academy
- Inactive
- Unverified / last documented
Explore a date
Who were they with?
Look up the dated rows below. Service notes with incomplete dates are excluded; last-documented results do not certify a current assignment.
The dated record
Division timeline
Deployments, operations and credited campaign service appear inside assignment cards. Award years establish credited service, not exact tour dates. Some service notes identify only company-sized elements. This is a sourced selection, not a complete movement log.
Assignment ends are exclusive: the next period starts on that date. *Striped final bars mean last documented, with later status unverified through the page cutoff. Unknown intervals are not treated as inactive.
-
1 Jan 1916 – 10 Jul 1943
-
10 Jul 1943 – 15 Jul 1943
66th Infantry Regiment
Inactive · 71st Infantry Division
The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service.
-
15 Jul 1943 – 5 Apr 1946
66th Infantry Regiment
71st Infantry Division
Division names are normalized across historical redesignations. This entry follows the cited unit lineage.
Deployments & overseas operations
1945
Central Europe
66th Infantry Regiment · Campaign service
Campaign participation is recorded in the cited history. The year label summarizes campaign service, not an exact overseas tour.
Source
-
5 Apr 1946 – 10 Apr 1946
66th Infantry Regiment
Assignment not established
The available record does not establish a precise assignment throughout this interval. No division is inferred.
-
10 Apr 1946 – 25 Feb 1953
66th Infantry Regiment
Inactive · 71st Infantry Division
The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service.
-
25 Feb 1953 – page cutoff*
266th Armored Infantry Battalion · Successor
Last documented: Inactive · 13th Armored Division
The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service. The source establishes this last recorded status, not uninterrupted service through 2026. The striped bar extends to the page cutoff to keep the later research gap visible.
-
25 Feb 1953 – page cutoff*
267th Armored Infantry Battalion · Successor
Last documented: Inactive · 13th Armored Division
The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service. The source establishes this last recorded status, not uninterrupted service through 2026. The striped bar extends to the page cutoff to keep the later research gap visible.
-
25 Feb 1953 – page cutoff*
268th Armored Infantry Battalion · Successor
Last documented: Inactive · 13th Armored Division
The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service. The source establishes this last recorded status, not uninterrupted service through 2026. The striped bar extends to the page cutoff to keep the later research gap visible.
-
25 Feb 1953 – page cutoff*
269th Armored Infantry Battalion · Successor
Last documented: Inactive · 13th Armored Division
The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service. The source establishes this last recorded status, not uninterrupted service through 2026. The striped bar extends to the page cutoff to keep the later research gap visible.
Sources and scope
Army Center of Military History lineage certificates provide the dated backbone. Regimental associations and secondary histories supplement individual operations and battalions. Where the evidence stops, the page says so. A page cutoff is not a claim that every unit directory was current on that date.
Earlier battalions are covered by common regimental service; separately dated lineages and substantiated later battalions receive their own rows or notes. A unit graphic alone is not evidence of a battalion assignment. Reserve, training and inactive organizations are distinguished from active combat units.
Patch artwork
Unmodified artwork from Wikimedia Commons; individual file pages identify the artist and license. Insignia represent the divisions, not regimental affiliation badges.
- 71st Infantry Division · file and credit · public domain
- 13th Armored Division · file and credit · public domain
