The 309th 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 North Carolina

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 later moved to Georgia in the early 1930s. It was converted into a signal aircraft warning regiment 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 18 February 1918 at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

. However, it was broken up on 18 August and its men were used to create the 56th and 57th Field Artillery Regiments, and the 19th Trench Mortar Battery. All three artillery units were demobilized at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

in February 1919: the 56th Field Artillery on 7 February, the 57th Field Artillery on 10 February, and the 19th Trench Mortar Battery on 12 February. On 15 October 1921, the 56th and 57th Field Artillery and the 19th Trench Mortar Battery were reconstituted in the

as the 309th Cavalry Regiment, part of the 63rd Cavalry Division in the

Fourth Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...

. The 309th was initiated (activated) on 29 April 1922 with regimental headquarters at

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

, 1st Squadron at

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, and 2nd Squadron at High Point. The regiment joined the division's 155th Cavalry Brigade. The regiment had only officers, non-commissioned officers, and rated specialists assigned, and in event of mobilization was to use draftees to fill out its enlisted ranks. In its early years it was made up of World War I veterans. It was reorganized on 1 July 1929 as a three-squadron regiment, and its headquarters was relocated to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

on 1 March 1934. The entire regiment was simultaneously moved to northwest Georgia. For the 1938 Third Army maneuver, the regiment provided 23 officers to the 108th Cavalry Regiment and 12 officers to the 109th Cavalry Regiment. The regiment conducted summer training at

Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia Fort Oglethorpe is a city predominantly in Catoosa County with some portions in Walker County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,423. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan St ...

, with the

6th Cavalry Regiment The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") 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 ...

. As an alternate form of training, the 309th provided basic cavalry 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 Oglethorpe. Its designated mobilization training station was Fort Oglethorpe, and its primary

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

feeder school was the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

. After the United States entered

, it was converted into the 544th Signal Aircraft Warning Regiment on 30 January 1942. The regiment was disbanded on 11 November 1944. An unrelated reserve unit, the 309th Armored Cavalry Regiment, briefly existed after the war in Michigan.

Commanders

The 309th was commanded by the following officers: * Colonel Mathew C. Smith (21 February–17 August 1918) * Colonel Warren A. Fair (29 April 1922–December 1929) * Lieutenant Colonel John W. Moore (26 April 1930–2 August 1934) * Colonel Harold D. Coate (2 August 1934–25 January 1936) * Colonel Alexander G. Conoley (25 January 1936–May 1940)

Heraldry

The 309th's coat of arms and distinctive unit insignia were approved on 23 April 1928. The distinctive unit insignia was amended to add the motto on 22 January 1936. The distinctive unit insignia included a 1 1/8 in (2.86 cm) gold colored metal and enamel device, which consisted of a

pean The Panhellenic Union of Fighting Youths ( el, Πανελλήνιος Ένωσις Αγωνιζόμενων Νέων, ''Panellínios Énosis Agonizómenon Néon'', ΠΕΑΝ, PEAN) was a Greek Resistance organization during the Axis Occupation o ...

shield with a red stripe in the center, and a horse

rampant In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a charge, a supporter, or as a crest. The attitude of an heraldic figure always precedes any reference to the tincture of the figure ...

over the top half of the shield. The yellow horse symbolized the cavalry and the red stripe represented its artillery service. The regimental motto, "Anima Fortuna Sequitur" (Fortune Follows Courage), was attached to the bottom of the distinctive unit insignia. 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 and omitted the motto.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wI8xAQAAIAAJ&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 1942 Military units and formations in North Carolina Military units and formations in Georgia (U.S. state)