6th Cavalry Brigade (United States)

Last updated
6th Cavalry Brigade
6th Tank Group
6th Armored Group
6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat)
6th Cavalry Brigade CSIB.png
Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
Active1927 – 1940
1942 – 1945
1975 – 2005
Country United States
BranchFlag of the United States Army.svg  United States Army
Type Air Cavalry
Size Brigade
Part of III Corps
Nickname(s)"Blackhorse" / "Silent Thunder"
Equipment
Engagements World War II
Website Veteran's Facebook
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia 006th Cavalry Brigade DUI.png

The 6th Cavalry Brigade was a tactical formation of the United States Army which served in the Second World War before being disbanded following the end of the Cold War.

Contents

Formation

On 15 August 1927 the 6th Cavalry Brigade was constituted as part of the unorganised and newly formed 3rd Cavalry Division. Until 1932 the brigade didn't maintain a headquarters and was assigned to the Seventh Corps Area. [1] The brigade was organised as follows after formation: [1]

From 1928 to 1931 the brigade was redesignated as 'Regular Army Inactive' and maintained training through an affiliation with the 14th Cavalry Regiment, and conducted training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. On 1 May 1932 the brigade was withdrawn from the Seventh Corps Area and subsequently allocated to the Third Corps Area. During the brigade's time as part of the Third Corps Area, the regiment was deemed 'inactive'. [1]

By July 1933 the brigade was organised with personnel from the Organized Reserves. On 1 June 1936 the brigade was withdrawn from the Third Corps Area and allotted back to the Seventh Corps Area. By December 1939 the brigade was organised in Des Moines, Iowa. However, the brigade was disbanded on 10 October 1940. [1]

By the time the brigade was disbanded, it was organised as follows: [3]

World War II

On 21 April 1942, the 6th Tank Group was constituted in the Army of the United States, continuing the lineage of the old 3rd Cavalry Brigade. On 23 April, the group was activated at Camp Bowie, Texas. On 1 February 1944 the group was redesignated as the 6th Armored Group. The group went on to fight during the Battle of Normandy, and the subsequent North West Europe Campaign, including the Crossing of the Rhine, Battle of the Bulge, and Advance into Western Germany. On 22 October 1945 the group was inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, and disbanded 2 July 1952. [4]

Air Cavalry

On 21 February 1975 the 6th Cavalry Brigade was reconstituted at Fort Hood, Texas in the Regular Army and subsequently assigned to the III Corps. [4] [5] [6] By 1989 the brigade added the suffix '(Air Combat)', and was organised as follows: [7]

While based at Fort Hood the brigade also had a small Pathfinder detachment assigned.

In the autumn of 1990, two subordinate units of the brigade (including the 2nd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment), were deployed to Saudi Arabia. These units would go on to take part in Operation Desert Shield and later Operation Desert Storm. [9]

Among the brigade commanders was Walter H. Yates Jr..

On 16 June 2005, both the 6th Cavalry Brigade and the 17th Aviation Brigade were inactivated and their assets were merged into the Combat Aviation Brigade, 2d Infantry Division, thus ending the lineage. [10]

Heraldry

Distinctive unit insignia

Description

Symbolism

Background

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

Description

Symbolism

Background

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Clay, p. 599.
  2. Clay, p. 669.
  3. Clay, p. 572.
  4. 1 2 "Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Cavalry Brigade". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  5. "A Decade of Transition, 1973-1982". www.armyaviationmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  6. Brow, Jason (2021-03-09). "Laura Richardson: 5 Things To Know About Female General Promoted By President Joe Biden". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  7. Dragoner, O.W. "Die Streitkräfte der U.S.A. in Europa 1989" (PDF). Relikte.com. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. Graham-Ashley, Heather. "21st Cav cases, Fort Hood farewells Army's only AH-64 collective training unit after 3 decades". Fort Hood Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  9. "Operation Desert Storm Remembered By Those Who Served". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  10. "6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat)". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2021-01-04.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Cavalry Division (United States)</span> United States Army combat formation, active since 1921

The 1st Cavalry Division is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army. It is based at Fort Cavazos, Texas. It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, with the Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Iraq War, in the War in Afghanistan as well as Operation Freedom's Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve. As of July 2023, the 1st Cavalry Division is subordinate to III Armored Corps and is commanded by Major General Kevin D. Admiral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Cavalry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat during the Indian and Spanish–American Wars. During Westward Expansion, the regiment provided escort for the early western settlers and maintained peace on the American frontier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Cavalry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Cavalry is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation brigades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (United States)</span> Military unit

The Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division is the Army Aviation formation of the United States Army's 1st Infantry Division. The current commander of this brigade is Colonel Chad P. Corrigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">18th Aviation Brigade (United States)</span> Inactive US Army unit

The 18th Aviation Brigade is an inactive aviation brigade of the United States Army. Its initial formation in 1987 drew upon the resources of the 269th Aviation Battalion, originally formed in 1966.

The 229th Aviation Regiment is an aviation unit of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">110th Aviation Brigade (United States)</span> Military unit

The 110th Aviation Brigade, of the United States Army, is responsible for overseeing all initial entry flight training at the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Novosel, Alabama. The aviation brigade operates an aircraft fleet of over 500 helicopters across five airfields to train nearly 2000 Army aviators each year, earning the distinction of being acknowledged as the largest military helicopter training organization in the world. It consists of a Headquarters, an academics section, a night vision device section, four subordinate aviation battalions, and an Army Reserve Augmentation Brigade Headquarters:

A Combat aviation brigade (CAB) is a multi-functional brigade-sized unit in the United States Army that fields military helicopters, offering a combination of attack/reconnaissance helicopters, medium-lift helicopters, heavy-lift helicopters, and MEDEVAC capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simmons Army Airfield</span> Airport in Fort Liberty, North Carolina

Simmons Army Airfield is a military use airport located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is located on the southeast portion of Fort Liberty and supports the aviation needs of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, Special Operations, U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. National Guard aviation units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storck Barracks</span> US Army facility in Illesheim, Germany

Storck Barracks/Illesheim Kaserne is a United States Army facility adjacent to Illesheim, Germany, located about 15 miles northwest of Ansbach (Bavaria), about 240 miles south-southwest of Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th Combat Aviation Brigade (United States)</span> Military unit

The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade is a Combat Aviation Brigade of the United States Army. It is subordinate to 7th Infantry Division and I Corps and based at Gray Army Airfield part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Aviation Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 4th Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the United States Army, tracing its history back to 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division</span> Military unit

The Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division is a Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) of the United States Army. It was first organized in July 1968 as an aviation group and stands as the most decorated aviation unit in the United States Army. It was redesignated an aviation brigade in 1986. It has served in almost every single military operation since the Vietnam War. In support of the Global War on Terror, the CAB has distinguished itself as the military's premiere combat aviation unit during its two deployments to Iraq and five deployments to Afghanistan. The brigade has flown hundreds of thousands of hours during these combat tours, transporting millions of troops around the battlefield and providing close air support/aerial reconnaissance. The 101st broke its own record for longest air assault in history during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Previously, the longest air assault was conducted in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade</span> Military unit

The 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade is a Combat Aviation Brigade in the United States Army Reserve. The unit's lineage can be traced to the prior lineage and insignia of the 11th Aviation Group which was last headquartered in Illesheim, Germany in 2005. It is one of two aviation brigades of Army Reserve Aviation Command. The brigade consists of a headquarters company, two Black Hawk assault battalions, and one fixed wing battalion. The brigade was activated in its current formation on 16 September 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Aviation Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 2nd Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the U.S. Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Aviation Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 3rd Aviation Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army Aviation Branch. It operates the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter. It has been associated with the 3rd Infantry Division for some time.

The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising five Army Corps from five NATO member nations. During the Cold War NORTHAG was NATO's forward defence in the Northern half of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The Southern half of the Federal Republic of Germany was to be defended by the four Army Corps of NATO's Central Army Group (CENTAG). During wartime NORTHAG would command four frontline corps and one reserve corps. Air support was provided by Second Allied Tactical Air Force.

The Central Army Group (CENTAG) was a NATO military formation comprising four Army Corps from two NATO member nations comprising troops from Canada, West Germany and the United States. During the Cold War, CENTAG was NATO's forward defence in the southern half of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The northern half of the FRG was defended by the four Army Corps of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG). During wartime, CENTAG would command four frontline corps. Air support was provided by Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force.

In 1989, the United States Army Pacific had its headquarters at Fort Shafter in Hawaii, and its units were stationed within the United States. Overseas forces included the US Army Japan, and the Eighth US Army in South Korea.

References