7th Cavalry Brigade (United States)

The 7th Cavalry Brigade was a brigade of the United States Army, active from 1932 to 1940.

Colonel Daniel Van Voorhis took 175 officers and enlisted men from Fort Eustis to Fort Knox in February 1932, establishing a Provisional Armored Car Platoon. This was based on an earlier effort but was predicated on a new Cavalry Regiment TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment) published that year. Also published but never implemented was a cavalry division TO&E, which reflected the then unnatural assimilation of machines into the Horse Cavalry. Van Voorhis's cadre and platoon became the kernel for the 7th Cavalry Brigade, which went active on March 1, 1932, at Fort Knox. At first, it was nothing more than a headquarters detachment and the Armored Car Platoon.

On 3 January 1933, the

On May 7, 1940, the 7th Cavalry Brigade took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers at Monroe, Louisiana, instrumental in developing the armoured division concept. The manoeuvres concluded on 27 May 1940, and the brigade returned to Fort Knox on 31 May 1940, and preparations began to expand the brigade into a tank division.

After the brutal

On 10 July 1940, in a conference with the Chief of Staff of the Army, the U.S. Army founded an Armored Force. Two weeks later, General Adna R. Chaffee was ordered to head the creation of America's first tank division.

Soon afterwards, the new 1st Armored Division absorbed the 7th Cavalry Brigade.

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