The 305th Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry unit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

. It was activated in early 1918 but broken up in the middle of the year to form new artillery units. The unit was recreated as a Pennsylvania

Organized Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...

unit during the interwar period, and was disbanded after the United States entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

Shortly after the United States entered World War I, the regiment was constituted in the National Army on 18 May 1917, and organized on 3 February 1918 at Camp Stanley, Texas. However, it was broken up on 15 August and its men were used to create the 44th and 45th Field Artillery Regiments, and the 15th Trench Mortar Battery. The 44th and 45th Field Artillery and the 15th Trench Mortar Battery were demobilized on 17 February 1919 at Camp Stanley. On 15 October 1921, the 44th and 45th Field Artillery and the 15th Trench Mortar Battery were reconstituted in the

as the 305th Cavalry Regiment, part of the 62nd Cavalry Division in the

Third Corps Area Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. The 305th was initiated (activated) in December with the entire regiment located in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and headquarters at

Schuylkill Arsenal The Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, now known as the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, was founded as the Schuylkill Arsenal in 1799. History The Schuylkill Arsenal was built in 1800 to function as a quartermaster and provide the U.S. mil ...

. It became part of the division's 153rd Cavalry Brigade. In July 1928, it conducted training with units of the 52nd Cavalry Brigade at

Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania Mount Gretna is a borough in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, PA, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 188 at the 2020 census. It was founded by the Pennsylvania Chautauqua Society, which was at ...

. On 11 December 1929, it became a three-squadron regiment, with the new 3rd Squadron being activated at Philadelphia. The 305th usually held its inactive training period meetings at the armories of either the 103rd Cavalry Regiment or the

First City Troop The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorat ...

. It conducted regular equestrian training on the horses of the

Valley Forge Military Academy Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school (grades 7–12) and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in ...

and often participated as a mounted unit in Philadelphia's

Army Day Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Africa Egypt In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...

parade. The regiment conducted summer training at

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, t ...

and

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fair ...

with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. As an alternate form of training, the 305th provided basic military instruction to civilians under the

Citizens' Military Training Camp Citizens' Military Training Camps (CMTC) were military training programs of the United States. Held annually each summer during the years 1921 to 1940, the CMTC camps differed from National Guard and Organized Reserve training in that the program a ...

program at Fort Myer. Its designated mobilization training station was the

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Concentration Area in Pennsylvania. After the United States entered

, it was disbanded on 18 October 1943 due to most of its officers being called up for active duty. An unrelated reserve unit, the 305th Armored Cavalry Regiment, briefly existed after the war in Indiana.

Commanders

The 305th was commanded by the following officers: * Colonel Albert E. Sexton (2 February–15 August 1918) * Colonel John C. Groome (December 1921–29 March 1926) * Colonel Jean H.A. Day (29 March–15 September 1926) * Colonel William I. Forbes (15 September 1926 – 23 November 1932) * Colonel Matthew F. James (23 November 1932–March 1936) * Lieutenant Colonel Robert D. McCullough (March–10 September 1936) * Colonel Vincent A. Carroll (10 September 1936–January 1941) * Lieutenant Colonel Robert D. McCullough (January–26 August 1941)

Heraldry

The 305th's coat of arms was approved on 29 October 1924, and its distinctive unit insignia was approved on 30 January 1925. Both were rescinded on 2 February 1959. The distinctive unit insignia included a 1 1/8 in (2.86 cm) gold colored metal and enamel device, which consisted of a yellow shield divided by a black stripe with three plates in the center. A

lion rampant The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Chr ...

was depicted above the stripe, and a red star with yellow border below it. The shield's color symbolized the cavalry, the stripe and lion were taken from

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

's coat of arms, and the red star symbolized the 305th's initial organization in Texas and its artillery service. The regimental coat of arms was of a similar design to the distinctive unit insignia but included the Organized Reserve's

Minuteman Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

crest above the shield.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wI8xAQAAIAAJ&dq=%2265th+tank+destroyer+battalion%22&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22307th+cavalry%22, title=Cavalry regiments of the US Army, last=Sawicki, first=James A., publisher=Wyvern Publications, year=1985, isbn=9780960240463, location=Dumfries, Virginia Cavalry regiments of the United States Army Military units and formations established in 1917 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943 Military units and formations in Pennsylvania