# Regiments, batallions, divisons, etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2001, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regiments-batallions-divisons-etc/79596 "2001-09-04T00:51:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regiments-batallions-divisons-etc/79596/21 "2001-09-05T21:05:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Omniscient, while I’m sure UncleBill can explain the Marines much better than I, one thing I do want to point out. The Marines were a special corp in the US Navy, not the army. Yes, I knew this…thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regiments-batallions-divisons-etc/79596/22 "2003-03-31T23:44:16Z")
> [@](#): > > _from [**Marine Corps Chain of Command**](http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/blmarinechainofcommand.htm)_ > _The Marine Corps has the “RULE of THREE.” I believe it was invented during the Banna Wars by Edson who invented the fire team concept that is used today. In a nutshell, the rule is this: each Marine has three things to worry about. Three men to a fire team commanded by a Corporal. Three fire teams to a rifle squad commanded by a sergeant. Three rifle squads to a platoon commanded by a Lt… Three rifle platoons to a company commanded by a Capt. Three companies to a batallion commanded by a Lt.Col. etc._\* [Quote] **[ul][li] Battalion: Three companies/batteries are assigned to form a battery a batallion.[/li][li] Regiment: Three batallions form a Regiment (Sometimes called a Brigade).[/li][li] Division: Three Brigades are assigned to make up a Division.[/li][li] Marine Corps: Three or more divisions make up the Marine Corps.[/ul]**[/li][/Quote] The Colonial Navy was established October 13, 1775 and on November 10, 1775 the Marine Corp was established. After the Revolutionary War the Navy’s ships were sold and the seamen sent home. It wasn’t until April 30, 1794 that the Navy was again established. I can’t find what the Marine Corp was doing during this period, but I can tell you that every Marine is taught the fact that the Marine Corp is older than the Navy. > [@](#): > > _originally posted by Omniscient_ > **Is this naming due to the fact that the Marines existed as a specialized Corp of Army infantry in the past?** The original purpose of the Marine Corps was to provide security for Naval ship from against being boarded. It was that Marines that would fight on the decks and fire from the rigging to repel an enemy that had gotten too close. In addition to its mission in times of war, the Corps is the offical security guard for 124 U.S. Embassies and consulates. The Marine Corps belongs to the Department of the Navy. It is commanded by the Commandant of the Marine Corp. - The fire team is the unit upon which the Marine Corps is built\*\*. \*\*\*\*“Every Marine is a rifleman”\*\*[😃](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Every+Marine+is+a+rifleman%22&btnG=Google+Search) [sup] **Truer words were never spoken!** [/sup] [ul][sub]click on smilie above[/sub][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regiments-batallions-divisons-etc/79596/23 "2003-04-01T00:31:30Z")
Nice job. I have nothing to add. Semper Fi. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regiments-batallions-divisons-etc/79596/24 "2003-04-01T00:59:52Z")
Just one point of trivia regarding the Marines – they are a corps, now made up of three divisions and during WWII, IIRC, of five – but never organized into larger groups than the division level. They maintain several ranks distinct from Army (e.g., “gunnery sergeant,” “lance corporal” – as does the Air Force with “tech. sergeant” – my father mustered out of WWII as a tech. sergeant in the USAAF) and are emphatically distinct from Army – the idea is to have an elite force, with every member trained and capable of engaging in combat, and with particular emphasis on amphibious operations – though, of course, that’s not their only use). In addition to being the anti-boarding force, the Marines were also the means by which the Navy would subdue a port it was bombarding. Obviously ships taking a land objective need a landing force; the Marines were that force. “Commodore” in both the British and U.S. Navies is an honorary title given to a person with rank of Captain or higher who is placed in command of multiple ships. The confusion between it and the lowest rank of Admiral lies in the former British practice of promoting Captains to flag rank (i.e., a “one-star admiral”) while having them retain the rank-title Captain (“passed captains”) – and since these captains ordinarily commanded a multiship force, they were termed Commodore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regiments-batallions-divisons-etc/79596.md?page=1)