The brigade was the command echelon below the division and above the battalion in British and Commonwealth
armies. It corresponded to the regiment
in the Japanese and American armies, and closely
resembled an American regiment in its TO&E.
A brigade was commanded
by a brigadier, which was considered a field officer rather than a
general officer.
The brigade echelon was eliminated from most American divisions when they converted from a square structure (two brigades of two regiments each) to a triangular structure just before war broke out in the Pacific. The extra regiments left over after triangularization were usually organized into new divisions or broken up for cadre. 1 Cavalry Division was the only U.S division to retain the square structure during the war.
The Japanese also triangularized most of their divisions before war
broke out. The three regiments in the triangular division were attached
to an infantry group commanded by a major general, who was also the
assistant division commander. (There was no rank between colonel and
major general in the Japanese Army. However, a number of Japanese
divisions, including 5 Division in Malaya, retained the square structure
well into the war. In addition, the Japanese Army included a large
number of independent brigades, which typically consisted of about five
battalions with small artillery,
engineer, and signals units. When
reinforced with additional supporting arms, the brigade was known as an
independent mixed brigade, and often functioned like an understrength
division. Some independent brigades were later redesignated as
divisions and brought up to division strength.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2008 by Kent G. Budge. Index