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World War II
US Cavalry Units
Pacific Theater
GORDON L ROTTMAN
ILLUSTRATED BY PETER DENNIS
Elite • 175
World War II
US Cavalry Units
Pacific Theater
GORDON L ROTTMAN
ILLUSTRATED BY PETER DENNIS
Consultant editor Martin Windrow
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Organizational history of the US Cavalry, 1865–1918 – the interwar years
4
PRE-WAR CAVALRY REGIMENTS
Regiments, squadrons, companies and troops – horse cavalry unit organization
8
WARTIME DISMOUNTED CAVALRY ORGANIZATION
Comparative weakness in manpower and crew-served weapons –
wartime augmentations – tactical limitations
12
26th CAVALRY REGIMENT (PHILIPPINE SCOUTS)
The retreat to Bataan – Morong – Mt Natib
15
TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD CAVALRY: BACKGROUND
112th CAVALRY REGIMENT (SPECIAL), 1942–OCTOBER 1944
New Caledonia and Australia – Woodlark Island – New Britain – New Guinea
17
21
124th CAVALRY REGIMENT (SPECIAL), 1942–45
India – Burma
30
1st CAVALRY DIVISION (SPECIAL)
Australia – Admiralty Islands – the Philippines: Leyte and Samar –
Luzon – Manila – Southern Luzon – occupation of Japan
39
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
62
64
WORLD WAR II
US CAVALRY UNITS
INTRODUCTION
Historically, armies are reduced after the end of major wars, but nevertheless
the regular US Cavalry was expanded following the Civil War from six
to ten regiments. During the opening of the West all ten units were scattered
across the vast tracts of country west of the Mississippi. By the late 1880s,
with the subjugation of the Native American peoples almost complete,
over 90 companies/troops were distributed between 31 posts in the West,
averaging two companies/troops per post though with up to four in some
cases. While the virtual end of active campaigning did not see the number
of regiments reduced, each did lose two companies/troops. The 1898
Spanish-American War saw no increase in the regular
cavalry, although a few militia and volunteer units also
served. In Cuba the 1st, 3d, 6th, 9th, and 10th Cavalry
and the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry (“Rough Riders”) all
fought dismounted as infantry. Thereafter the ongoing
insurgency in the Philippines led to the authorization in
1901 of the 11th through 15th Cavalry; these too mostly
fought dismounted.
The 16th and 17th Cavalry were activated in 1916.
Some regular cavalry regiments served on the Mexican
border (as did smaller National Guard units, created from
the state militias by the Militia Act of 1903), where their
horse-mounted mobility proved valuable. America’s entry
into World War I saw the activation of the 18th through
25th Cavalry, but all were immediately converted to
artillery, as were the Federalized National Guard cavalry
units – cavalry was unnecessary on the Western Front,
and it made sense to convert them to horse-drawn
artillery. Four regular regiments accompanied the
American Expeditionary Force to France, where they
provided remount services. At the end of 1917 the 15th
Cavalry Division was organized at Ft Bliss, Texas, to have
three three-regiment brigades, but only the 1st, 7th, 8th,
and 10th Cavalry were actually assigned before the
division was inactivated in May 1918.
A technician 4th grade,
wearing khakis and M1931
lace-up cavalry boots, mounted
on the M1928 McClellan saddle.
Note the rarely-seen special
leather saddle-scabbard for the
.30cal M1 carbine. (US Army)
4
THE INTERWAR YEARS
The introduction of tanks to the battlefield during World War I, coupled with
increasing mechanization, the lethality of modern weapons, and the drastically
changing nature of maneuver warfare all heralded the beginning of the end for
the horse cavalry. The US Cavalry was slow to adopt mechanization, and
proponents of horse cavalry sometimes contrived unlikely scenarios in order to
justify their retention.
In 1920 two cavalry divisions were authorized, the 1st to be active and the
2d inactive. The division had two two-regiment brigades plus brigade
machine-gun squadrons. The 1st Cavalry Division’s assigned regiments were
the 1st, 7th, 8th, and 10th, the last being replaced by the 5th in 1922. The
division also had a single artillery battalion, an engineer battalion, division trains
and HQ, signal, ordnance maintenance, medical, and veterinary companies. In
1933 the 12th Cavalry replaced the 1st Cavalry. The 2d Cavalry Division did not
have an active headquarters until April 1940. A “paper” 3d Cavalry Division
existed during 1927–40, with the 6th (1927–39), 9th (1933–39), 10th (1927–
40) and 11th Cavalry (1927–33); it had no headquarters, and its units were
merely administrative assignments. Three cavalry regiments, 15th to 17th, were
inactivated in 1921, but the 26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts) was activated on
Luzon in 1922. The remaining regiments were each reduced to two three-troop
squadrons along with HQ and service troops, and the machine-gun troop was
eliminated. In 1928 the squadrons each lost a troop, but the regimental
machine-gun troop was reestablished, with the loss of the brigade machine-gun
squadron. Trucks began to replace horse-drawn wagons.
The basic cavalry unit was
the eight-man rifle squad.
Well into the war it retained
an organization of a corporal
squad leader, second-in-
command, two scouts and
four riflemen, all privates
and privates first class; two
of the riflemen remained in
the saddle as horse-holders
when the other six dismounted.
(US Army)
5

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