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For your consideration is this museum quality Interwar Period M1926 Spec 8-31A Wool Service Coat used by a private of the 66th Infantry Regiment (light tanks)Make & Model:This M1926 Spec 8-31B Wool Service Coat is made of a mutton wool material of a mustard olive drab color.This coat is dated May 1935. The M1926 Spec 8-31B was used from 1926-1930.Condition:This coat is definitely a museum quality piece. Coat Includes:
• M1926 Spec 8-31A Wool Service Coat
• M1926 Type II Brass Collar Disc “US 66”
• M1926 Brass Type II Collar Disc “Armored Infantry”
• Distinctive Identification: 66th Infantry Regiment x2
• Qualification Badge: Tank Weapons (Sterling Silver)
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 Jr.
