26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts)

Last updated

26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts)
26CavRegtCOA.png
Coat of arms
Active1922–1942
CountryUnited States
Branch United States Army
Type Cavalry
Size Regiment
Garrison/HQ Fort Stotsenburg
Motto(s)Our strength is in loyalty [1]
Engagements World War II
Decorations Presidential Unit Citation [2] [3]
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 BG [4] Clinton A. Pierce [5] [6]
LCol Lee Vance
Insignia
Left & right distinctive unit insignia 26th Cavalry Distinctive Unit Insignia Left.png 26th Cavalry Distinctive Unit Insignia Right.png

The 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) (26th CAV (PS)) was part of U.S. Army Forces Far East's Philippine Department, during World War II. The 26th engaged in the last cavalry charge in the history of the U.S. cavalry. The American Battle Monuments Commission list 301 dead who were members of this regiment interred at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Contents

Formation

The 26th Cavalry was formed in 1922, at Fort Stotsenburg, from elements of the 25th Field Artillery Regiment and the 43d Infantry Regiment (PS). [7] The regiment was based there, with the exception of Troop F (which was based at Nichols Field). [8] In addition to horse mounted troops, the regiment had a HQ Troop, machine gun troop, and a platoon of six Indiana White M1 scout cars, and trucks for transporting service elements. [7] On 30 November 1941, the regiment had 787 enlisted men and 55 officers, [9] and its commander was Col. (later BGen.) Clinton A. Pierce (USA).

Order of Battle

Headquarters, 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS)

1st Scout Car Platoon - 1Lt. Carol I. Cahoo, USA

1st Squadron -

2nd Squadron - Major Thomas Trapnell, USA

World War II combat history

Northern and central Luzon

Cavalrymen moving into Pozorrubio. 26th Cavalry PI Scouts moving into Pozorrubio.jpg
Cavalrymen moving into Pozorrubio.

Following the 1941 Japanese invasion, the 26th participated in the Allied withdrawal to the Bataan Peninsula. In doing so, the unit conducted a classic delaying action that allowed other, less mobile, units to safely withdraw to the peninsula. [10] During the delaying action the 26th provided the "stoutest" [9] and only "serious opposition" [11] to the Japanese; the majority of the units sent north towards Lingayen Gulf were divisions (11th, 21st, 71st, & 91st Infantry Divisions) of the untrained and poorly equipped Philippine Army. [11] For instance, during the initial landings the regiment alone delayed the advance of four enemy infantry regiments for six hours at Damortis, and on 24 December repulsed a tank assault at Binalonan. [9] However, the resistance was not without cost, as by the end of 24 December the regiment had been reduced to 450 men. [12] [13] Following these events, the regiment was pulled off the line and brought back up to a strength of 657 men, who in January 1942 held open the roadways to the Bataan Peninsula allowing other units to prepare for their stand there. [9]

Bataan

The 26th Cavalry Regiment, consisting mostly of Philippine Scouts, was the last U.S. cavalry regiment to engage in horse-mounted warfare. When Troop G encountered Japanese forces at the village of Morong on 16 January 1942, Lieutenant Edwin P. Ramsey ordered the last cavalry charge in American history. [14] [15] [16] It would not be until 22 October 2001, when American Soldiers would enter combat on horseback again, when members of the 12-man Operational Detachment Alpha 595 (Green Berets), accompanying members of the Afghanistan Northern Alliance, rode into battle at Cōbaki in Balkh Province. [17]

During the retreat to Bataan, the 26th was heavily outnumbered by an infantry force supported by tanks. They drove off the surprised Japanese. Due to a shortage of food, they found it necessary to butcher their mounts and the regiment was converted to two squadrons, one a motorized rifle squadron, the other a mechanized squadron utilizing the remaining scout cars and Bren carriers. [9]

Guerrilla activities

Following the delaying action down the central Luzon plain, Troop C was cut off from the rest of the regiment, having been ordered into Northern Luzon in an attempt to defend Baguio by Major General Wainwright in late December 1941. In January 1942, the unit, with assistance from 71st Infantry and elements of the 11th Infantry, [18] raided Tuguegarao Airfield, [19] destroying several planes, [20] and killing multiple Japanese soldiers. [18] [21] Eventually the unit was supplemented by other soldiers and guerrillas, and remained an effective fighting force well into 1943. [19] [22] The remnants of Troop C would later be integrated into the United States Army Forces in the Philippines – Northern Luzon, [20] which due to deaths and captures would be led by Russell W. Volckmann. [23] [24] Other guerrilla organizations were led by officers of the regiment, who ignored the surrender orders, or by enlisted men who escaped from Bataan. [25] However, those organizations did not have a direct connection to the regiment, as the Cagayan-Apayao Forces did.[ citation needed ]

The regiment was inactivated in 1946 and disbanded in 1951. [26]

Decorations

RibbonAward
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg
Presidential Unit Citation, 3 awards [27] [28] [29]
Philippines Presidential Unit Citation.png Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
ConflictStreamerYear(s)
World War II
Streamer APC.PNG 		Philippine Islands 7 Dec 41 - 10 May 42
World War II
Streamer WWII V.PNG 		World War II Victoryservice between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "26th Cavalry Regiment". Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  2. ↑ Steve Shaw (4 September 2008). "The Last U.S. Cavalry Charge". Parting Shot. Western Shooting Horse Magazine. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  3. ↑ Headquarters, Department of the Army; Major General J.C. Lambert (1961). Unit Citation and Campaign Credit Register (PDF). Department of the Army. p. 75. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  4. ↑ Young, Donald J. (2009). The Battle of Bataan: A Complete History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 108. ISBN   978-0786441808 . Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. ↑ Selby, John (2012). The US Cavalry. Osprey Publishing. p. 34. ISBN   9781780967721 . Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Morton, Louis (2006) [1953]. "VIII. THE MAIN LANDINGS". In Greenfield, Kert Roberts (ed.). The Fall of the Philippines. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History. p. 131. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 Rottman, Gordan (2011). World War II US Cavalry Units: Pacific Theater. Elite Series. Osprey Publishing. p. 32. ISBN   9781780962146 . Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  8. ↑ Gluekstein, Fred (July 2005). "The Last Mounted Cavalry Charge: Luzon 1942". Army. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Gregory J. W., Urwin (1983). The United States Cavalry: An Illustrated History, 1776-1944. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 186. ISBN   9780806134758 . Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Merriam, Ray (1999). War in the Philippines. Merriam Press. pp. 70–82. ISBN   1-57638-164-1 . Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  11. 1 2 Morton, Louis (2006) [1953]. "VIII. THE MAIN LANDINGS". In Greenfield, Kert Roberts (ed.). The Fall of the Philippines. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History. p. 136. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  12. ↑ Morton, Louis (2006) [1953]. "VIII. THE MAIN LANDINGS". In Greenfield, Kert Roberts (ed.). The Fall of the Philippines. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History. p. 138. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Fredriksen, John C. (2010). The United States Army: A Chronology, 1775 to the Present. ABC-CLIO. p. 260. ISBN   9781598843446 . Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  14. ↑ Elaine Woo (17 March 2013). "WWII cavalry officer in the Philippines". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013.
  15. ↑ Phil Davison (3 April 2013). "Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin Ramsey: Soldier who led the last cavalry charge by the US army" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013.
  16. ↑ John Skow (23 November 1987). "In Kansas: Echoing Hoofbeats". Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  17. ↑ Zimmerman, Dwight Jon (16 September 2011). "Operation Enduring Freedom: The First 49 Days" . Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  18. 1 2 "Guillermo Nakar" (PDF). National Historical Institute. Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  19. 1 2 "The Intrepid Guerrillas of North Luzon". BOOK REVIEW. Defense Journal. 2002. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  20. 1 2 "Bataan Diary: Research". Chris Schaefer. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  21. ↑ Norling, Bernard (2005). The Intrepid Guerrillas of North Luzon. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. pp. 43–62. ISBN   978-0-8131-9134-8 . Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  22. ↑ Norling, Bernard (2005). The Intrepid Guerrillas of North Luzon. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 284. ISBN   978-0-8131-9134-8 . Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  23. ↑ Guardia, Mike (2010). American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann: The Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army Against the Japanese, and Became 'father' of Special Forces. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. p. 98. ISBN   978-1-935149-22-4 . Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  24. ↑ Falk, COL Stanley L. (2010). "Guerrilla Warfare in the Philippines" (PDF). Army. Association of the United States Army. 60 (9): 85–88. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  25. ↑ "Last of cavalrymen a true hero". Old Gold & Black. Wake Forest University. 6 March 2003. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  26. ↑ "Records of the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts): A Descriptive Inventory of Documents in the U.S. Cavalry Memorial Research Library" (PDF). U.S. Cavalry Memorial Research Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  27. ↑ (North Luzon Force, United States Army Forces in the Far East. Cited; War Department General Order # 14, 1942).
  28. ↑ (Army Troops, United States Army Forces in the Far East. Cited; War Department General Order #32, 1942.)
  29. ↑ (Military and naval forces of the United States and Philippine Governments. Cited; War Department General Order #22, 1942, as amended by Department of the Army General Order #46, 1948).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Scouts</span> Military unit

The Philippine Scouts (Filipino: Maghahanap ng Pilipinas or Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas) was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos and Filipino-Americans assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department, under the command of American commissioned officers (though a handful of Filipino Americans received commissions from the United States Military Academy). Philippine Scout units were given the suffix "(PS)", to distinguish them from other U.S. Army units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Forces in the Far East</span> Military unit

United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) was a military formation of the United States Army active from 1941 to 1946. The new command's headquarters was created on 26 July 1941, at No. 1, Calle Victoria, Manila, Luzon, the Philippines, with General Douglas MacArthur as commander. The Chief of Staff was Brigadier General Richard K. Sutherland and the Deputy Chief of Staff was Lieutenant Colonel Richard J. Marshall. The core of this command was drawn from the Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Division (United States)</span> Infantry division of the US Army during WWII

Philippine Division, or from 1946–1947 the 12th Infantry Division, was the core U.S. infantry division of the United States Army's Philippine Department during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">24th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)</span> Philippine Scouts unit in 1922-1942

The 24th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts) (24th FA (PS)) was a Philippine Scouts unit, part of the US Army's Philippine Division, formed in 1922 and active until April 1942. Antecedent units dated back to 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">43rd Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 43rd Philippine Scout Infantry Regiment was part of USAFFE's Philippine Division, during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines campaign (1941–1942)</span> Invasion of the Philippines by Japan during World War II

The Philippines campaign, also known as the Battle of the Philippines or the Fall of the Philippines, was the invasion of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan and the defense of the islands by United States and the Philippine Armies during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Cavalry</span> Former U.S. Army division (1775–1950)

The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861. This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one regiment of mounted riflemen, and two regiments of cavalry into one branch of service. The cavalry branch transitioned to the Armored Forces with tanks in 1940, but the term "cavalry", e.g. "armored cavalry", remains in use in the U.S. Army for mounted reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) units based on their parent Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) regiment. Cavalry is also used in the name of the 1st Cavalry Division for heraldic/lineage/historical purposes. Some combined arms battalions are designated as armor formations, while others are designated as infantry organizations. These "branch" designations are again, heraldic/lineage/historical titles derived from the CARS regiments to which the battalions are assigned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bataan</span> Intense phase of Imperial Japans invasion of the Philippines during World War II

The Battle of Bataan was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. In January 1942, forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded Luzon along with several islands in the Philippine Archipelago after the bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose Calugas</span> United States Army Medal of Honor recipient

Jose Cabalfin Calugas was a member of the Philippine Scouts during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Bataan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines campaign (1944–1945)</span> Aspect of WWII history

The Philippines campaign, Battle of the Philippines, Second Philippines campaign, or the Liberation of the Philippines, codenamed Operation Musketeer I, II, and III, was the American, Mexican, Australian and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Army</span> Ground warfare branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

The Philippine Army (PA) is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare and as of 2021 had an estimated strength of 101,000 soldiers backed by 100,000 ready reserves. The service branch was established on December 21, 1935, as the Philippine Commonwealth Army. The Philippine Army has engaged in many conflicts including the ongoing Communist rebellion in the Philippines, the Moro conflict and, alongside other national military forces, in conflicts of international scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lapham</span>

Robert Lapham was a reserve lieutenant in the US Army in World War II. He served in the Philippines attached to the 45th Infantry, evaded capture in the spring of 1942, and organized and led one of the largest and most successful guerrilla armies on the central plains of the northern island of Luzon. He was promoted to major by war's end, age 28, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Douglas MacArthur. Lapham was the third person, after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and MacArthur, to receive the Philippine Legion of Honor. Historian Norling says that Laphams's Luzon Guerrilla Army Force (LGAF) was probably the most efficient of the many guerrilla armies on Luzon. The U.S. Guerrilla Affairs Division commended Lapham for having the best-disciplined guerrilla organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Infantry Division (Philippines)</span> Philippine Army formation

The 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army, nicknamed Tabak Division, is the Philippine Army's primary infantry unit, and specializes in anti-guerrilla warfare. The division has been involved in combating terrorists in Southern Mindanao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">149th Armored Regiment</span> Armored unit of the United States Army

The 149th Armored Regiment was an armored regiment that was part of the California Army National Guard. Its lineage dates back to a cavalry unit organized in 1895 in Salinas. As Troop C, the unit's first major action occurred when it deployed to help in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. In 1916, still as Troop C, the unit served along the Mexico–United States border near Nogales, Arizona to deter further border incursions, due to events surrounding the Pancho Villa Expedition. The following year, Troop C was activated then reorganized and redesignated as Company B, 145th Machine Gun Battalion upon the United States' entry into World War I; as part of the 40th Division, the battalion deployed to France in 1918, and returned to the United States in 1919.

Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Price Ramsey was a United States Army officer and guerrilla leader during the World War II Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Early in the war, he led the last American cavalry charge in military history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st Division (Philippines)</span> Military unit

The 21st Infantry Division was one of the 10 reserve division of the Philippine Army mobilized under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). The unit was involved in the delaying action against the Japanese invasion in the plains of Central Luzon, and the Battle of Bataan in 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Division (Philippines)</span> Military unit

The 11th Infantry Division was one the reserve division of the Philippine Army that was mobilized in September 1941 under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wha-Chi</span> Military unit

The Wha Chi, also known as the Philippine-Chinese Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces, was a Chinese Filipino guerrilla group which fought against invading Imperial Japanese forces which occupied the Philippines during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armor "Pambato" Division</span> Military unit

The Armor "Pambato" Division was formerly known as the Mechanized Infantry Division before it was renamed in anticipation of its upcoming assets and ongoing reorganization of units of the Philippine Army as part of the modernization program. It is stationed at Camp O'Donnell, Brgy. Sta. Lucia, Capas, Tarlac and is one of the service's major units. The Armor Division is a combined arms organization composed of tank, cavalry and mechanized infantry.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.