170th Infantry Brigade (United States)

170th Infantry Brigade
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	25 August 1917 – August 1919 1921 – 1942 15 July 2009 – 9 October 2012
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Size	Brigade
Part of	V Corps
Garrison/HQ	Baumholder, Germany
Motto(s)	"Strength, Honor, Discipline"
Engagements	World War I American Expeditionary Force, Russia Operation Enduring Freedom
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

World War I

The 170th Infantry Brigade was an infantry formation of the United States Army. From 2009 to 2012, as part of its third period of existence, it was based at Baumholder in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The 170th Infantry Brigade was first activated 25 August 1917 at Camp Custer, Michigan, as one of two brigades of the 85th Infantry Division, National Army.

After a year of training the division left the U.S. for England. When the American Expeditionary Force North Russia was formed to be sent to Arkhangelsk, Russia, the 339th Infantry Regiment provided the infantry component, with support units also taken from the 85th Division sent along as well. While there, the 339th saw combat against the Bolsheviks. The 340th Infantry Regiment and the remainder of the Brigade was stationed in Lorraine, on the Western Front in France where the 85th served as a depot division and did not participate in any combat operations.

The brigade, along with its parent unit the 85th Infantry Division, was reestablished as part of the Organized Reserves in 1921. However, the 85th Infantry Division was reactivated on 15 May 1942, it was as a triangular division with direct control of the 337th, 338th, and 339th Infantry Regiments. Thus the brigade was disestablished.

With the reestablishment of brigades in the TOE of divisions in the 1960s following the short-lived experiment with pentomic organization, the 2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division was in 1963 assigned the heritage of the 170th Infantry Brigade. The 24th Division was inactivated in 1970, then reactivated from 1975 to 1996. When the 24th was reactivated again in 1999 it was as a headquarters unit only with separate National Guard brigades attached and no organic brigades of its own. It was inactivated again on 1 August 2006.