106th Cavalry Regiment

The 106th Cavalry Regiment (formerly organized as a group) 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.

After the Pearl Harbor attack, the 106th trained at Camp Hood, Texas until the spring of 1944 when they deployed to Europe. Upon arriving in England, the group was reorganized into the 106th and 121st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons along with a Group Headquarters. When they were moved to Europe, they were often in the lead of other units. Lightly armed, they scouted ahead to fix enemy locations. For the next year and a half, they fought through France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria, earning five campaign streamers and two Croix de Guerre from Charles de Gaulle, President of the Provisional French government. The regiment led the Allied advance across the Rhine and were the first unit to attack a town south of the Siegfried Line or West Wall.

In late 2006, the 33rd Brigade Combat Team of the Illinois Army National Guard was formed and the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry was included in the reorganization.

Pre-World War II

Before World War II, the 106th Cavalry was a National Guard unit based in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to World War I and the Spanish–American War it had been known as the 1st Illinois Volunteer Cavalry. The 106th underwent a number of different reorganizations until 1 September 1940, when it was redesignated the 1st Squadron, 106th Cavalry (Horse-Mechanized). The 106th was inducted into federal service on 25 November 1940 in Chicago. The Regiment moved to Camp Livingston, Louisiana on 3 January 1941 under command of V Corps.

The Black Horse Troop

From 1929 to 1940, Troop E of the Regiment was known as ''The Black Horse Troop'' and participated in parades and ceremonies as a horse mounted unit. Businessman Samuel Insull raised funds to outfit the Troop and their Mounted Band. The Troop wore a dress uniform of blue shell jackets.

World War II

Along with other National Guard units, the regiment was federalized in 1940. At the beginning of World War II, most of the members of the regiment were given the opportunity to enroll in officers school. A core group of about 60 men chose to stay with the unit. The Regiment was assigned to the Third Army on 12 January 1942, and to IV Corps on 1 May 1942. In spring 1942 the Regiment became fully mechanized. The regiment participated in several maneuvers at Hineston, Kinisatchie, and Dry Creek, Louisiana; and in the Louisiana Maneuver Area through the beginning of November 1942.

They were assigned to XV Corps on 1 March 1943 and transferred to Burkeville, Texas, on 25 June 1943, after which it was sent to Camp Hood, Texas on 25 August 1943 under the Tank Destroyer Command. The Regiment staged at Camp Shanks, New York from 20 February 1944 until 27 February when it departed the New York Port of Embarkation for England.
* Constituted: 1921.
* Activated: 25 November 1940.
* Overseas: 1943–1945.
* Campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
* Days of combat: 480.
* Awards: Fourragère-1 French Croix de guerre with Palm-2, DSC-1; SS-58; BS-519.
* Commander: Colonel Vennard Wilson, (25 November 1940 – 23 October 1945).
* Casualties: KIA-194, MIA-4, Wounded-499
* Returned to U.S.: 1 October 1945.
* Inactivated: 23 October 1945.

Subordination

Campaign summary

The 106th served in the European campaign. The unit comprised approximately fifteen hundred men and was given various typical mechanized cavalry missions later recognized by the French nation with the award of two Croix de Guerre. The unit finished its wartime duty with the 7th Army, XV Corps.

As a forward cavalry force, the 106th provided the first American troops to enter Salzburg, Austria. The 121st Squadron of the 106th received information that the Germans were holding the King of the Belgians and his family prisoner in a chateau near Strobl, Austria. Captain Benning, the commander of B Troop of the 121st Squadron, led some cavalrymen of his unit, including those who spoke German, on a rescue party. The group later served as Honor Guards for the King of the Belgians and his consort. The 106th secured a truce from the defending German Army on 7 May, the day before the German High Command surrendered to the Allies on 8 May 1945.

Organization and tactics

The 106th Cavalry Group's purpose was to act as the "eyes and ears" of a field army or army group, scouting ahead of slower and heavier-equipped armored and infantry formations to locate the enemy and shield friendly units from ground detection. Whenever enemy forces were found, the cavalry was designed to determine opposing size and positions using reconnaissance-by-fire tactics, and report this information to higher command. The group was too lightly armed to engage in sustained combat, and regular infantry or armor was utilized if the opposition proved beyond cavalry-group capabilities. Another routine aspect of its reconnaissance duties involved employment of the cavalry group to fill measurable gaps separating frontline Allied units. The cavalry group was also assigned missions requiring rapid movement to bypass enemy forces, if opportune weaknesses or uncovered terrain was discovered by mechanized reconnaissance methods.

Equipment and armament

The 106th Cavalry was lightly equipped to allow it to move quickly and deploy rapidly. They fought mounted in mobile Bantam Jeeps and M8 armored cars. Each squadron's complement of troops and vehicles consisted of a headquarters troop that included communication, administrative, mess, maintenance, transportation, and supply support, a medical detachment, a cavalry assault gun troop, and three reconnaissance troops, lettered A, B, and C. A squadron of about 760 men was about the equivalent of a typical Army battalion in numbers, though Cavalry units were typically smaller.

The three reconnaissance troops were each equipped with Bantam jeeps with a bracket-mounted .30 caliber machine gun, manned by a soldier sitting in the front passenger seat. A second Bantam jeep was mounted with a 60mm mortar manned by two soldiers. Sometimes the Bantam was mounted with a .50 caliber machine gun. Each troop was usually equipped with a mixture of the three vehicles. To maximize speed and maneuverability on the battlefield, the Bantams were not given extra armor protection. The only modifications the 106th made was to add a wire cutter. They mounted a steel pole on the front bumper that extended above the driver's head because the Germans would sometimes stretch piano wire over roads with the intention of injuring or decapitating the driver.

The third vehicle used was the six-wheeled, light-weight M8 Greyhound armored car, mounted with a 37 mm gun in a movable turret that could swing a full 360 degrees. It also featured a .30 caliber coaxial machine gun that could move independently of the turret. The M8 was equipped with powerful FM radios to enable battlefield communications.

E Troop, the Squadron's mobile artillery, was the Cavalry Assault Gun Troop and consisted of three assault gun platoons. Each platoon was equipped with assault guns, short-barreled howitzers in an open turret on an M8 chassis. They also utilized two halftracks to carry their headquarters unit and an ammunition section. Two gun sections used an M8 Greyhound.

F Troop consisted of five light tank companies. Early in the war, each company had three light tank platoons, consisting of five 37mm M5A1 Stuart light tanks. While fast and maneuverable, the Stuart's armor plating and its cannon were soon found to be no match against the German tanks. In February 1945, they were replaced with the more heavily armed 75 mm M24 Chaffee light tank.

The M5 Stuart light tank was capable of speeds up to on the road, while the M24 Chaffee could travel at speeds up to on paved surfaces. The M8 armored car was capable of speeds of up to , while the Bantams could exceed . The officers usually rode with their enlisted men in the Bantams, while the squadron's support troops used a variety of vehicles including the Bantams, military trucks, and armored halftracks. At times, the men would dismount from their light vehicles and take on infantry roles, digging in to create a stronger defensive line.

Patrols were undertaken both on foot or mounted as the circumstances dictated. In this capacity, the cavalrymen would go into combat with M1 rifles and carbines, hand grenades, Thompson machine guns, and newly developed bazookas. When facing heavily fortified enemy positions or, later in the war, against the heaviest German tanks, the 106th was accompanied with supporting units, usually in the form of a small number of tank destroyers. However, the mission of reconnaissance units was not to fully engage the enemy when encountered, but to summon the slower moving and better equipped infantry and armored units to take on their counterparts.

The headquarters, maintenance, mess, supply and medical units were equipped with a variety of military trucks, M8 Armored cars, halftracks, and Bantam jeeps.

Arrival in England

The regiment arrived at Glasgow, Scotland on 9 March 1944, was moved to Doddington Hall camp in England, and six days later was reorganized as the HHT 106th Cavalry Group (Mechanized), comprising the 106th and 121st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadrons along with a Group Headquarters. Half of its officers and non-commissioned soldiers formed the basis of the newly created 121st Cavalry Squadron. The 33rd Aviation Battalion of the Illinois National Guard was reorganized as Troop A. After three months of training, the 106th sailed for France on 29 June 1944. While crossing the English Channel to the Normandy beach, the Squadron was transported on two Liberty ships. The U.S. James A. Ferrell, the Liberty ship carrying Troop A of the 121st Squadron, was struck by a torpedo from German U-boat 984 shortly after leaving England killing four American soldiers below deck and wounding another 45 men. Fortunately, a Red Cross LST came quickly alongside and the rest of the men were safely evacuated back to England for another 19 days before new transportation to France could be found.

European operations

The cavalry group served in the European campaign and at various stages screened the advance of the US Third Army, US Seventh Army and US Sixth Army Group. The 106th as a scouting force provided the first American troops to enter Salzburg, Austria and accepted its surrender.

Normandy

The 106th Cavalry Group arrived in France under the command of Colonel Vennard Wilson, a Regular Army officer. They were first committed to combat on 2 July 1944 with the VIII Corps. Its first mission was to assist in the reduction of German forces previously isolated during the VIII Corps advance in the Normandy Peninsula. The next mission was an offensive screening mission, which led from Normandy south through St. James, Isigny, La Haye-du-Puits, Manche, Basse-Normandie, Coutance, and Avranches, to Rennes. With the quick advance, gaps appeared between VIII and XV Corps, and General George S. Patton plugged the gap between Louvigne and Rennes with the 106th Cavalry Group.

When VIII Corps turned west to mop up and secure the Brittany Peninsula, the 106th Regiment was reassigned once again to XV Corps. As the XV Corps raced east towards Le Mans, the 106th provided reconnaissance and a screening force. Members of the 106th were among the first to enter Le Mans on 8 August. The German front in the Battle of Normandy had collapsed, and the XV Corps turned north to help close the Falaise Pocket and the 106th provided flank screening security.

Northern France

The XV Corps then turned north towards the Seine and Paris. With the pocket closed, the 106th reconnoitered east through Alençon, Sarthe, Nogent, and Mantes-Gassicourt. On 15 August they covered the to Dreux, just west of Paris, in a single day. They remained there covering the XV Corps' flank until 27 August. This mission helped protect XV Corps against German remnants attempting to escape the Falaise Pocket. The advance east from Auxerre to Gondrecourt was very fast against diminishing German resistance. Their screening mission took them along a front from the left to the right flank of the Third Army.

The group was then transferred under the command of and assigned to protect the right flank of XII Corps for twelve days carrying out reconnaissance as that corps advanced east. In mid-September it was reassigned to XV Corps at Joinville. This marked a two-month and trek across France as they moved in to protect the right flank of U.S. Third Army during their rapid advance from Joinville au Marne to Charmes au Moselle. During this advance, the 106th along with the 2nd French Armored Division assisted in eradicating the effective combat power of the German 16th Infantry Division.

The 106th's commanding officer, Colonel Vennard Wilson, later described the unit's action:

Eastern France

In late September, the U.S. Army transferred the XV Corps from General Patton's Third Army, 12th Army Group to Seventh Army, 6th Army Group. Reassigned with the XV Corps, the 106th—without moving positions—switched from guarding the Third Army's right flank to guarding the Seventh Army's left flank and maintaining contact between the Third and Seventh Armies.

The 106th was then tasked with reconnaissance in front of the XV Corps. They led the XV Corps from the Moselle River to Lunéville, and supported by the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion, attacked northeast into the Forêt de Parroy, northeast of Lunéville, France. For two months they fought as infantrymen, dismounted alongside the 79th and 44th Infantry Divisions, enduring winter weather and minefields. Major General Wade H. Haislip characterized Forêt de Parroy as being "in reality a jungle."

During what was said to be the worst winter in 30 years, the 1500 men of the 106th held up to of the front. Staying in contact with the XII Corps right flank to its north was difficult because its lines were so thinly spread. Maintaining relatively static lines from 20 September through 5 November, they took the opportunity to rotate the two squadrons in and out of the line as trench foot took its toll on the soldiers. On several occasions the 106th was ordered to counter German probing attacks. The 121st Cavalry Squadron was later awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm for its combat participation during this extended period.

When the XV Corps' infantry attacked the German defensive line, the 106th, once again supported by the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion, preceded the 2nd French Armored Division in maneuvering through the Vosges Mountains to within of the Rhine River. The 106th screened the north advance, leading the attack on Sarrebourg and then advancing to the east to seize the Saverne Gap. Once through the Gap, the 106th guarded the northwest flank near Sarrebourg as the rest of the Corps advanced east another to capture Strasbourg.

On the American's Thanksgiving Day, 23 November 1944, one of the most élite units in the entire German army, the well-rested and refitted Panzer-Lehr-Division counterattacked, trying to recapture the Saverne Gap and cut off the XV Corps from its supply lines. The 106th was forced back (militarily credited with the usual propaganda of "completing a brilliant delaying action") but the retreat gave XV Corps Commander Major General Wade H. Haislip enough time to reinforce and the counter German advance.

Two weeks later, on 16 December 1944, the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). The 106th was placed in a dismounted (infantry) patrol mode north of Sarrebourg to scout German forces.

On 23 December the Group relieved the 6th Cavalry Group of Third Army in its zone to the north. The 106th Squadron relieved the 28th Squadron near St. Avold and the 121st Squadron relieved the 6th Squadron near Freyming-Merlebach

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