Order of Battle 86th Infantry Division AEF

National Army Division established by the War Department August 1917 at Camp Grant, Illinois. Popularly known as the "Black Hawk Division." Insignia, a black hawk and the monogram "B H" superimposed on a red shield. This division was composed of drafted men from Illinois and Wisconsin. First units embarked for overseas on Sept. 8, 1918, and the last units arrived in France on Oct. 28th. Upon arrival in France the division was ordered to the LeMans area where it was broken up. On 3 October 1918, the division was ordered to be skeletonized and cadres were formed to train replacements for combat divisions at the front. Returned to United States in November 1918, and was inactivated in January 1919.

The division was composed of the following organizations: 171st and 172nd Inf. Brigs., 161st Arty. Brig., 341st, 342nd, 343d, 344th Inf. Regts., 331st, 332d, 333d Machine Gun Bns., 331st, 332d, 333d Fld. Arty. Regts., 311th Trench Mortar Battery, 311th Engr. Regt. And Train, 311th Fld. Sig. Bn., 311th Hqs Train and M.P., 311th Amm. Train, 311th Supply Train, 311th Sanitary Train (341st, 342d, 343d, 344th Amb. Cos. And Field Hospitals).

Unit	Date Sailed From U.S.	Name of Ship(s)
171st Infantry Brigade:	9/9/1918	Minnekahda
341st Infantry Regiment	9/9/1918	Nelus, Canopic, Elpenor
342d Infantry Regiment	9/9/1918	Minnekahda, Canopic
332d Machine Gun Battalion	9/14/1918	Olympic

172d Infantry Brigade:	9/9/1918	Megantic
343d Infantry Regiment	9/8, 9/9, 9/14/1918	Agapenor, Megantic, Olympic
344th Infantry Regiment	9/9/1918	Northumberland,
333d Machine Gun Battalion	9/14/1918	Olympic

161st Field Artillery Brigade:	9/17/1918	Lapland
331st Field Artillery Regiment (75mm)	9/17/1918	Lapland
332d Field Artillery Regiment (75mm)	9/17/1918	Empress of Russia
333d Field Artillery Regiment (155mm)	9/17/1918	Metagama
311th Trench Mortar Battery

Divisional Troops: (Held in reserve)	9/9/1918	Empress of Asia
331st Machine Gun Battalion *	9/9/1918	Empress of Asia
311th Engineer Regiment	9/9/1918	Empress of Asia
311th Field Signal Battalion	9/17/1918	Empress of Russia
311th Train Headquarters and MP	9/17/1918	Metagama
311th Ammunition Train	9/25/1918	Rhesus
311th Supply Train	10/2/1918	Aquitania
311th Engineer Train	9/9/1918	Empress of Asia
311th Sanitary Train (Ambulance Companies & Field Hospitals 341, 342, 343, 344)	9/17/1918	Nestor, Teriesis

Note: The size of these units dictated the reason they sailed over on more than one ship.

* Ray Baer was assigned to a divisional machine gun battalion (third) commanded by a divisional commander, a general instead of a major, and was held in reserve.

Divisional MG Bns. contained only 2 machine gun companies with 16 officers and 377 enlisted men. A machine gun company, commanded by a captain, had 3 platoons with 6 officers and 172 enlisted men carrying 16 machine guns including 4 spares. Platoons had four machine guns were led by lieutenants and had two sections. Sections had two guns and 18 men led by sergeants. Each section had two gun squads, with one gun, nine men, led by corporals. Divsional troops gun squads used a special motor car to transport its personnel, weapon and equipment. The remaining infantry brigade units (not under "divisional troops") had to use mules and carts to transport their share. The divisional battalion was generally in reserve, ready to carry out missions as the division commander ordered.

The infantry divisions in the American Expeditionary Forces contained 260 machine guns, 36 of which were used as antiaircraft weapons within the division field artillery brigade. The remaining 224 guns were distributed among a machine gun company organic to each infantry regiment and among three machine gun battalions.

Assigned to each of the two infantry brigades within the division was one machine gun battalion, commanded by a major, and composed of four machine gun companies; these companies were identical in organization to the regimental machine gun companies. Each battalion had an assigned strength of 28 officers and 748 enlisted men and was authorized 64 heavy machine guns, divided equally among the companies.

The machine gun company, commanded by a captain, had an assigned strength of six commissioned officers and 172 enlisted men, and carried 16 guns, four of which were spares. Within the company there were three platoons and a headquarters section. A first lieutenant led the first platoon, while second lieutenants led platoons two and three. Each platoon with four guns was made up of two sections, each having two guns and led by a sergeant. Within each section were two gun squads, each with one gun and nine men, led by corporals. The gun squad had one combat cart, pulled by a mule, to transport its gun and ammunition as close to the firing position as enemy fire allowed. From there the crews moved the guns and ammunition forward by hand.

The third machine gun battalion was a division unit, under command of the division commander. The battalion had a strength of 16 officers and 377 enlisted men and was motorized. However, it had only two companies, identical to the other machine gun companies in terms of personnel and weapons. Each gun squad used a special motor car to transport its personnel, weapon and equipment. The battalion was generally in division reserve, ready to carry out missions as the division commander ordered.