Infantry timelines · Infantry numbers 1–200

86th Infantry Regiment

A century of division assignments

1916–2026 · Regimental service, battle groups, battalions and deployments.

86th Infantry Regiment unit graphic
86th Infantry Regiment
First division shown18th Division (World War I)1 Oct 1918
Separate unit histories0 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. Battalion rows follow headquarters lineages, often descended from lettered companies, rather than assuming that the old regimental battalions continued unchanged.

The World War II organization was constituted in November 1942. Its phased activation is shown as an uncertain interval. “10th Mountain” includes the division’s earlier Light and later Infantry designations.

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.

The dated record

Division timeline

Battalion overview →

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. 1 Jan 1916 – 31 Jul 1918

    86th 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.

    Source

  2. 31 Jul 1918 – 1 Oct 1918

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Assignment not established

    The available record does not establish a precise assignment throughout this interval. No division is inferred.

    Source

  3. 1 Oct 1918 – 13 Feb 1919

    86th Infantry Regiment

    18th Division (World War I)

    Division names are normalized across historical redesignations. This entry follows the cited unit lineage.

    Source

  4. 13 Feb 1919 – 25 Nov 1942

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Disbanded

    The organization was removed from the rolls. A later reconstitution, if documented, is shown separately.

    Source

  5. 25 Nov 1942 – 12 Dec 1942

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Inactive

    The unit or its headquarters lineage was inactive. This status does not imply that every inherited honor or divisional affiliation was erased.

    Source

  6. 12 Dec 1942 – 2 May 1943

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Assignment not established

    The available record does not establish a precise assignment throughout this interval. No division is inferred.

    Source

  7. 2 May 1943 – 15 Jul 1943

    86th Infantry Regiment

    No assigned division

    The cited record establishes service outside an assigned division. Higher headquarters and temporary operational attachments could still direct the unit.

    Source

  8. 15 Jul 1943 – 27 Nov 1945

    86th Infantry Regiment

    10th Mountain Division

    Division names are normalized across historical redesignations. This entry follows the cited unit lineage.

    Source

    Deployments & overseas operations

    1. 1945

      Italy

      86th Infantry Regiment · Campaign service

      Campaign participation is recorded in the cited history. The year label summarizes campaign service, not an exact overseas tour. The labeled service overlaps an assignment change and is listed only once; consult the following assignment cards as well.

      Source
  9. 27 Nov 1945 – 18 Jun 1948

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Inactive

    The unit or its headquarters lineage was inactive. This status does not imply that every inherited honor or divisional affiliation was erased.

    Source

  10. 18 Jun 1948 – 1 Jul 1948

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Inactive · 10th Mountain Division

    The unit was inactive but retained the division assignment shown. Paper assignments and Reserve-officer training are not active combat service.

    Source

  11. 1 Jul 1948 – 1 Jul 1957

    86th Infantry Regiment

    10th Mountain Division

    Division names are normalized across historical redesignations. This entry follows the cited unit lineage.

    Source

  12. 1 Jul 1957 – page cutoff*

    86th Infantry Regiment

    Last documented: Inactive

    The unit or its headquarters lineage was inactive. This status does not imply that every inherited honor or divisional affiliation was erased. 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.

    Source

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.

  1. 86th Infantry Regiment history (Wikipedia; secondary)

Patch artwork

Unmodified artwork from Wikimedia Commons; individual file pages identify the artist and license. Insignia represent the divisions, not regimental affiliation badges.