27th Armored Division (United States)
The 27th Armored Division was a United States Army formation. It was part of the New York Army National Guard in the 1950s and 1960s. Activation. In February, 1955 a reorganization of the Army National Guard included reorganizing the 27th Infantry Division as the 27th Armored Division. This included exchanging the black and red "NYD" (New York Division) shoulder patch for the triangle-shaped patch of the Army's armor divisions. The 27th Armored Division was called the "Empire Division," after New York's nickname, the Empire State. The division headquarters was originally in Buffalo , and was later moved to Syracuse. Composition, 1955. In 1955, the composition of the 27th Armored Division was: Infantry: Armor: Artillery: Separate Units: Trains: Composition, 1960. Infantry: armored rifle battalions Armor: medium tank battalions Artillery: Howitzer battalions: Separate units: Trains: Commanders. Three individuals served as commander of the 27th Armored Division: Deactivation. The 27th Armored Division was inactivated in February, 1968 during another reorganization of the Army National Guard. During its existence the 27th Armored Division was not activated for federal service and saw no combat. It was activated for state service, including the response to the 1964 Rochester riot . Subsequent history. The division was reorganized in 1968 as the 27th Armored Brigade, a unit of the 50th Armored Division. The 27th Armored Brigade was reorganized as an Infantry brigade in 1975 and aligned with the 42nd Infantry Division. In 1985 the 27th Infantry Brigade was activated as part of the New York Army National Guard, and assigned as the "roundout" brigade of the Army's 10th Mountain Division. The 27th Brigade was later reorganized as the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and reestablished use of the 27th Infantry Division's NYD shoulder sleeve insignia. The 27th Infantry Brigade carries  on the lineage and history of the 27th Infantry Division.