This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(December 2012) |
61st Cavalry Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | 1941–1945, 2004 |
Country | United States |
Type | Armor |
Motto(s) | "Forging Destiny" |
Commanders | |
3-61 Commander | LTC Daniel Bell |
3-61 Squadron CSM | CSM Joshua Ross |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia |
U.S. Cavalry Regiments | ||||
|
The 61st Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army first established in 2004. All four squadrons are inactive, with the 3rd Squadron being inactivated on 15 July 2024.
The 61st Cavalry traces its lineage to the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion. The 601st was activated on the 19th August 1941 and deployed to England on 2 August 1942. In North Africa, the battalion participated in the battles of Ousseltia Valley, Sbeitla, Kasserine Pass, Mateur, and El Guettar, for which it was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for destroying 37 tanks in 24 hours.
The battalion conducted its first amphibious assault at Salerno on 9 September 1943, with the 36th Infantry Division and 1st Ranger Battalion. It fought through Salerno until 30 September 1943. The 601st conducted its second amphibious assault at Anzio Beachhead where they destroyed 42 enemy tanks and countless enemy personnel.
In Southern France, SSG Clyde Choate of C Company, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions near the town of Bruyéres, France, on 25 October 1944. During the 16-day battle at Colmar, the battalion succeeded in destroying 18 enemy tanks and dozens of enemy fortifications. The 601st was awarded its second Presidential Unit Citation for the battalion's actions and valor. In intense fighting outside of Colmar, Second Lieutenant Audie Murphy earned the Medal of Honor by single-handedly defeating a German attack atop a damaged and burning 601st M10 tank destroyer. [1]
During the latter days of the German campaign, the 601st Reconnaissance Company ranged far ahead of the advancing US forces. It helped keep the disorganized remnants of the German army within the allied zone of advance from consolidating and re-organizing. The 601st earned 10 campaign streamers in WW II and 2 Presidential Unit Citations. After brief occupation duties in Europe, the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was deactivated.
On 16 August 2004, 1st Squadron 61st, Cavalry Regiment was activated as part of the 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The activation was part of the Army's transformation towards a modular force.
In November 2005, the 1st Squadron 61st Cavalry Regiment deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The squadron was assigned an area of responsibility in southeast Baghdad that consisted of over 1,500 square kilometers and over 1 million people. The AO included the restive towns of Jisr Diyala and Salman Pak, as well as several areas where the enemy had been quite active since 2003.
The squadron conducted over 1,000 combat patrols and executed numerous raids and search and attack operations. Soldiers of the 1st Squadron 61st Cavalry found and cleared over 200 improvised explosive devices as well as numerous caches.
The squadron detained over 200 insurgents including over 20 division-level high-value targets, earning the unit the Army's Valorous Unit Award. [2] The soldiers of the squadron also permanently removed many insurgents from the fight.
The squadron had the highest number of detainees sentenced to long-term incarceration and the highest number of high-value individuals killed or captured for a battalion-sized unit for all of Multi-National Division - Baghdad.[ citation needed ]
Beginning in 2007, there were no more RSTA battalions in the US Army, only cavalry units. So, the 1-61 CAV included C Company in 2004–07, which was changed to C Troop (dismounted cavalry) in 2007; A Troop and B Troop remained mounted cavalry.
On 15 July 2024, the 3rd Squadron changed its colors and was officially deactivated. [3]
A Gold color metal and enamel device 1+1⁄8 inches (2.9 cm) in diameter overall blazoned as follows: Per pale Gules and Argent, a pall Sable charged with ten mullets Or, three, three and four in pale at base, overall a rifle and a saber grips to base, saltirewise of the like and in chief a dagger point up of the last. Attached below the shield is a Black scroll inscribed "FORGING DESTINY" in Gold.
The black pall represents the unit's military lineage to the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion and the Regiment's determination, strength and support to accomplish the unit's military operations. The ten stars suggest the campaign participation during World War II. Red and white are the colors used for the Cavalry's guidon. The crossed rifle and saber suggest the combined arms and the lineage of the major elements used to create the 61st Cavalry Regiment. The dagger symbolizes the unit's military readiness, the early warriors and the dismounted reconnaissance troop.
The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 14 December 2005.
The coat of arms was approved on 14 December 2005
The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army regiment that has its antecedents in the early 19th century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons. To this day, the unit's special designation is "First Regiment of Dragoons". While they were the First Regiment of Dragoons, another unit designated the 1st Cavalry Regiment was formed in 1855 and in 1861 was re-designated the 4th Cavalry Regiment. The First Dragoons became the 1st Cavalry Regiment, since they were the oldest mounted regiment.
Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) squadrons are a type of unit in the United States Army. These are cavalry squadrons, and act at the squadron (battalion) level as a reconnaissance unit for their parent brigade combat teams. These RSTA squadrons continue on the Recondo legacy of the Vietnam era Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP), however, compared to the LRRPs they are often assigned additional non-reconnaissance responsibilities such as battlespace ownership.
The 17th Cavalry Regiment is a historical organization within the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry after the Pancho Villa Expedition. The unit was constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 17th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas and originally inactivated 26 September 1921 at the Presidio of Monterey, California. Formerly a part of the 1950s Combat Arms Regimental System, it was reorganized as a part of the U.S. Army Regimental System, an ongoing effort to maintain the lineage and history of the U.S. Army through its units. Today, the 17th Cavalry Regiment is found across the army within the combat aviation brigades, where the squadrons, now constituted as attack/recon helicopter squadrons, carry on the legacy of the 17th Cavalry Regiment.
The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1941. Three squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment provided reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) to the Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division through July 2024 when the last of the three squadrons was deactivated. 3rd Squadron was assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Squadron was assigned to 2nd Brigade, 5th Squadron was assigned to 3rd Brigade, and 4th Squadron was assigned to 4th Brigade.
The 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment is an inactive United States Army cavalry squadron established in 2004. It was the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron (RSTA) squadron of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team "Strike" ♥, 101st Airborne Division. It performed reconnaissance and cavalry missions in support of that brigade.
The 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was a battalion of the United States Army active during World War II. It was the first of the newly formed tank destroyer battalions to see combat, and the only one to fight as a "pure" tank destroyer force. It also has the unusual distinction of being one of the few American units to fight in all three major campaigns against Nazi Germany and to have participated in four assault landings.
The 106th Cavalry Regiment was a mechanized cavalry unit of the United States Army in World War II recognized for its outstanding action. The group was organized in 1921 as part of the Illinois National Guard and during the Spanish–American War and World War I was known as the 1st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. It underwent a number of reorganizations before World War II. Like other Guard units during the inter-war years, the 106th held weekly or monthly drills and yearly training. Readiness for war in 1940 led to the mechanization of the unit and induction into federal service at Camp Livingston, Louisiana on 25 November 1940.
The 112th Cavalry Regiment is a Texas National Guard regiment that served in several Pacific campaigns during World War II.
The 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) is a light Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron currently serving as the 173rd Airborne Brigade's reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) squadron based out of Tower Barracks in Grafenwöhr, Germany. It is the only Airborne RSTA Squadron within the European, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) area of responsibility.
The 33rd Armor Regiment was an armored regiment in the United States Army first formed in 1941. In 2005, the 33rd Armor was redesignated 33rd Cavalry Regiment. The 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, a part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, carries on the lineage of 33rd Armor Regiment.
The 71st Cavalry was originally constituted on 3 December 1941 in the Army of the United States as the 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion.
The 35th Armored Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army first established in 1941. The lineage of the regiment is carried on by the 1st Battalion 35th Armored Regiment, currently attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
The 89th Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army first established in 1940.
The 98th Cavalry Regiment is a parent regiment of the United States Army established in 2006. It is represented in the Mississippi Army National Guard by the 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry, an element of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team.
The 102nd Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army first established in 1921. It has seen service in the Second World War, including in Normandy and at the Battle of the Bulge, in Iraq 2008–2009, in Jordan and Somalia in 2019, plus many exercises and Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Maria relief. Its tradition of service is carried on today by the 1st Squadron 102nd Cavalry Regiment.
The 82d Aviation Regiment, part of the U.S. Army, has three battalions and one separate company under the Combat Aviation Brigade, 82d Airborne Division. The brigade also has the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment and the 122d Aviation Support Battalion. The lineages for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 82d Airborne Division and its subordinate units of the 82d Aviation Regiment, although often mistaken for one another, are separate.
The Soviet order of battle for Operation Uranus details the combat units of the Soviet forces that fought in Operation Uranus, the Soviet strategic counteroffensive that led to the encirclement of the German troops in Stalingrad. The order of battle lists units present on 19 November 1942, the day the operation began, from north to south.
The 105th Cavalry Regiment is a regiment in the United States Army National Guard.
The 303rd Cavalry Regiment is a United States cavalry regiment, currently represented in the Washington Army National Guard by the 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry, headquartered at Vancouver, Washington, part of the 96th Troop Command. It incorporates the lineage of the 303rd Cavalry, 303rd Armor, and 803rd Armor Regiments of the Washington Army National Guard.
This article incorporates public domain material from 61st Cavalry Regiment. United States Army Institute of Heraldry.