5th Cavalry Regiment
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5th Cavalry Regiment | |
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Iraq War | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Albert Sidney Johnston Robert E. Lee Wesley Merritt George H. Cameron Gordon B. Rogers Eric Shinseki George S. Patton |
Insignia | |
Regimental distinctive insignia |
U.S. Cavalry Regiments | |||
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The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights"[1]) is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on August 3, 1861, when an act of Congress enacted "that the two regiments of dragoons, the regiment of mounted riflemen, and the two regiments of cavalry shall hereafter be known and recognized, as the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth regiments of cavalry respectively..."[2] and continues in modified organizational format in the U.S. Army.[3]
Formation and the Frontier
"The war with Mexico had resulted in adding a vast territory to our national domain, and the government was bound, in the interests of civilization, to open this immense area to settlement.
After receiving cavalry training at
In July 1857, LTC Robert E. Lee arrived at Fort Mason to take command of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. That same month, LT John Bell Hood led a company of the 2nd Cavalry into the Texas frontier. Near the Devils River, the patrol spotted a band of Comanche warriors holding a white flag of truce, and LT Hood went to speak with them. The warriors dropped their white flag and began lighting fires to carefully placed burn piles in order to provide a smoke screen. 30 more Indians, hiding within 10 paces of the Cavalry troopers, began attacking with arrows and guns.[7] The cavalrymen charged and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, but were forced to withdraw under the cover of revolver fire in the face of two-to-one odds. LT Hood was wounded by an arrow through the left hand in this engagement, but continued to serve with the 2nd Cavalry.[7]
On 15 February 1858, Major
American Civil War
Early in 1861, the regiment went to
On 9 April 1865, the 5th Cavalry was selected to serve as the Union Honor Guard for the surrender of the Confederate
Indian Wars
In September 1868, the 5th Cavalry Regiment received its orders and began preparations for duty against hostile Indians in
Greely Expedition
As the Indian Wars continued, an officer of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, Lieutenant
Spanish–American War
In 1898, the
1901–1916
In 1901, the Regiment, minus the 2nd Squadron, embarked for the distant
After returning to the United States, in March 1903 the troopers of the 5th Cavalry were spread throughout Arizona, Colorado,
Although there was a small Army population on the island of Oahu, the deployment of cavalry troops mandated a permanent Army post. By December, Captain Joseph C. Castner had finished the plans for the development of today's Schofield Barracks. The 2nd squadron arrived in October 1910, to help in the completion of the construction. In 1913, threats to the United States-Mexico border brought the 5th Cavalry back to the deserts of the Southwest, where it was stationed at Fort Apache and Fort Huachuca, Arizona.[10]
Mexican Expedition
In 1916, the Regiment was dispatched to the
After several relocations, in October, the Regiment moved into Fort Bliss, relieving the 8th Cavalry Regiment. Following the Mexican Punitive Expedition, the 5th Cavalry Regiment was spread throughout Texas helping safeguard wagon trains, patrolling the Mexican border and training.[10] In 1918, airplanes and tanks had emerged from World War I as the weapons of the future. However, the long history of the Cavalry was not finished. The cavalry remained as the fastest and most effective force for patrolling the remote desert areas of the Southwest and Mexican border. Airplanes and mechanized vehicles were not reliable enough or adapted for ranging across the rugged countryside, setting up ambushes, conducting stealthy reconnaissance missions and engaging in fast moving skirmishes with minimal support. In many ways, it was just the beginning of a new era. 5th Cavalry troopers were getting into frequent, small scaled combats with raiders, smugglers and Mexican Revolutionaries along the Rio Grande River.[7] In one skirmish in June 1919, four units, the 5th and 7th Cavalry Regiments, the 8th Engineers (Mounted) and 82nd Field Artillery Battalion (Horse) saw action against Pancho Villa's Villistas. On 15 June, Mexican snipers fired across the Rio Grande and killed a trooper of the 82nd Field Artillery who was standing picket duty. In hot pursuit, the troopers and the horse artillery engaged a column of Villistas near Ciudad Juárez. Following a successful engagement, the cavalry expedition returned to the United States side of the border.[7]
Interwar Years
On 18 December 1922, the 5th Cavalry Regiment relieved the
As tensions in Europe began to rise in the 1930s, the 5th Cavalry Regiment continued to train with anticipations of war. The Great Depression of the 1930s forced thousands of unemployed workers into the streets. From 1933 to 1936, the troopers of the 5th Cavalry Regiment provided training and leadership for some of the 62,500 people of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Arizona-New Mexico District. One of these workers' significant accomplishments was the construction of barracks for 20,000 anti-aircraft troops at Fort Bliss, Texas.[10]
World War II
In February 1943, the entire 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for overseas deployment. The soldiers of the division were growing impatient in their idleness, but in order to go to combat, they were dismounted, and ordered to the
Los Negros
On 27 February 1944, Task Force "Brewer", consisting of 1,026 troopers, sailed from
Troops under the command of LTC William E. Lobit of
As nightfall approached, the troopers began preparations for what they knew was coming; a counterattack. In the darkness around 0200 in the morning, the Japanese infiltrated the 5th Cavalry's perimeter. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out near some foxholes and tough fighting raged the next day and through the night. Japanese pressure on the invasion force remained desperate and intense. The arrival of the 5th Cavalry's reinforcements helped to turn the tide of the fight. In a coordinated maneuver, the 40th Naval Construction Battalion (
The 5th Cavalry Regiment spent its 89th anniversary in combat as they fought off attacks from the Japanese
On 4 March, reinforcements arrived and these men quickly joined the action. On 6 March, the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment relieved the 5th Cavalry, which had been in almost continuous combat for four days and nights. On 6 March, the 5th Cavalry went back into action to occupy Porolka and the first American planes began using Momote airstrip to assist in the battle.[10] The next day the Black Knights pushed south and overran Papitalai Village on Manus Island after a short amphibious landing assault. By 10–11 March, mop up operations were underway all over the northern half of Los Negros Island and attention was being given to future operations; and the 5th Cavalry was sent west to begin further operations on the large Manus Island. With attention focused on the opening of new operations at Hauwei Island, the 5th Cavalry, alongside the 12th Cavalry, began working their way south of Papitalai Mission through the rough hills and dense jungles in close range, sometimes hand to hand, combat.[10] Tanks occasionally would give welcome support, but mostly the troopers had to do the dangerous job with small arms and grenades. On 22 March, two squadrons from the 5th and 12th Regiments overran enemy positions west of Papitalai Mission. Once again it was tough fighting with the terrain, overgrown with thick canopies of vines, favoring the Japanese. On 24 March, the 5th and 12th Regiments overcame fanatical resistance and pushed through to the north end of the island. On 28 March, the battles for Los Negros and Manus were over, except for mop up operations.[7]
The Admiralty Islands campaign officially ended on 18 May 1944. Japanese casualties stood at 3,317 killed. The losses of the 1st Cavalry Division were 290 dead, 977 wounded and four missing in action. Training, discipline, determination and ingenuity had won over suicidal attacks. The 5th Cavalry Troopers were now seasoned veterans.[10]
Leyte
On Columbus Day, 12 October 1944, the 1st Cavalry Division departed its hard earned base in the Admiralties for the Leyte invasion, Operation King II. The invasion force arrived on 20 October. Precisely at 1000 hours, the first wave of the 1st Cavalry Division hit the beach. The landing, at "White Beach" was between the mouth of the Palo River, to the south of Tacloban, the capital city of Leyte. Troopers of the 5th, 7th and 12th Cavalry Regiments quickly fanned out across the sands and moved into the shattered jungle against occasional sniper fire.[10]
The fighting near the beaches was still was underway when General MacArthur and Philippines President Sergio Osmeña waded ashore. MacArthur soon broadcast his famous message to the Filipinos: "People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on the Philippine soil - soil concentrated in the blood of our two peoples... Rally to me! Rise and strike!" To the Philippine resistance and the 17 million inhabitants of the archipelago, it was the news they had long hoped for.[10]
The missions of the 1st Cavalry Division in late October and early November included moving across Leyte's northern coast, through the rugged mountainous terrain and deeper into Leyte Valley. The 5th Cavalry experienced savage combat in rugged terrain when the men secured the central mountain range of Leyte. By 15 November, elements of the 5th and 7th Regiments pushed west and southwest within a thousand yards of the
Luzon
On 27 January 1945, the men of the 5th Cavalry Regiment landed at
On 12 April, the 5th Cavalry Regiment pushed south down the
Occupation of Japan
On 13 August 1945, the 5th Cavalry received orders to accompany General MacArthur to
Korean War
On 25 June 1950, the
Over the next few days, a defensive line was formed at
When
On 25 October 1950, Communist Chinese forces intervened and attacked in force across the Yalu River into Korea. On 24 November, GEN MacArthur ordered the 1st Cavalry Division back to the front from its reserve positions to counterattack. Despite this, UN forces fell back and executed an ignominious retreat in the face of overwhelming numbers of Chinese and the bitter cold of the Korean winter.[14] On 25 January 1951, the 5th Cavalry Regiment moved with the rest of the Eighth Army to counterattack, and advanced 2 miles per day despite fierce resistance and extreme weather. On the night of 29–30 January, A Company, 1-5 Cavalry was fighting the Chinese for control of Hill 312. Here, 1LT Robert M. McGovern led his platoon into battle despite heavy wounds, throwing back enemy grenades and knocking out machine guns before he was fatally wounded. 1LT McGovern would receive the Medal of Honor.
On 14 February, the 5th Cavalry Regiment received word that the
Once the dynamic attacks and counterattacks by UN and Chinese forces were spent, the 5th Cavalry Regiment was then part of the "see-saw" fighting against the Communists for control of strategic hills and ridges across Korea. This static warfare was costly and frustrating.[14] During one of the UN major fall campaigns, on 28 October 1951, G Company, 5th Cavalry was engaged in a desperate fight for control of Hill 200 against the Chinese. The American assault stalled until 1LT Lloyd L. Burke charged forward and knocked out two enemy bunkers with grenades and his M1 Garand. On his third charge, he caught enemy grenades in midair and hurled them back at the Chinese. 1LT Burke captured an enemy machine gun and used it to pour flanking fire into the hostile positions, killing 75. Inspired by this show of bravery, his 35 troopers rallied and carried the hill and killed 25 enemies. 1LT Burke was the 5th Cavalry's last Medal of Honor recipient in the Korean War. During their second winter in-country, the 5th Cavalry was relieved and rotated back to back to Hokkaido, Japan on 7 December 1951 after 549 days of constant combat.[14]
Vietnam War
The regiment was reorganized in August 1963 as the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 5th Cavalry Regiment and later as the 3rd Squadron, 5th Armored Cavalry. The units arrived at
Between 12 and 13 September 1965, the bulk of the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in South Vietnam and the 5th Cavalry was soon in action; from 18 to 20 September, 2-5 Cavalry supported friendly elements in Operation Gibraltar. However, their first real test did not come until the Battle of Ia Drang.[15] During the fight for LZ X-Ray, elements of the 7th Cavalry were surrounded by large People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces, and 2-5 Cavalry arrived to help.[16] They arrived on the American line and quickly engaged enemy forces, eventually rescuing the "lost platoon" led by SGT Ernie Savage. Once the battle was complete, the 2/5th Cavalrymen set out for LZ Columbus while Alpha Company 1/5th Cavalry and 2/7th Cavalry set out for LZ Albany. The column was ambushed by the PAVN near LZ Albany losing 155 killed for the loss of at least 403 PAVN killed. The 1st Cavalry Division earned the Presidential Unit Citation for their role in the Ia Drang Campaign.[15]
The Viet Cong (VC) was being starved of their food supplies by allied forces, and American commanders launched Operation Paul Revere II on 2 August 1966 to prevent them from capturing rice from farmers; the 1st Cavalry Division was to be used in this operation. Near the border with Cambodia on 14 August, A Co, 1-5 Cavalry inadvertently engaged an entire PAVN battalion, and at the same time, B Co, 2-5 Cavalry began clearing out a series of enemy bunkers dug into the jungle. The next morning, 5th Cav troopers found the bodies of 138 enemy soldiers.[15]
On 13 September 1966, the US Army launched Operation Thayer, the largest air assault operation of the entire war. On 2 October, other elements of the 1st Cavalry Division were engaging in heavy combat, and A and C Companies, 1-5 Cavalry were sent east of the main forces to contain enemy movements. On the morning of 3 October, the two companies attacked south and drove the enemy into blocking positions set up by the 12th Cavalry; a classic hammer and anvil attack.[15]
On 13 February 1967, 5th Cavalry Regiment elements took part in Operation Pershing, the longest operation of the 1st Cavalry Division. It ended on 21 January 1968, and resulted in the capture of 2,400 prisoners, 1,500 individual and 137 crew weapons from the enemy, as well as inflicting 5,401 casualties.[15]
On 30 January 1968, the PAVN/VC launched the Tet Offensive during the Vietnamese New Year's celebrations. Near Quảng Trị, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops were surrounded by VC, and 1-5 Cavalry and 1-12 Cavalry were airlifted to Thon An Thai Valley to the east. These cavalrymen broke the enemy siege and for ten days, the troopers would hound the retreating communists.[15] Following their participation in Operation Pegasus, the relief of Khe Sanh Combat Base, the 2nd Brigade remained in the Khe Sanh area. From 9 to 16 May, the 2nd Brigade conducted Operation Concordia Square/Lam Son 224 in the Leatherneck Square area of eastern Quảng Trị Province under the operation control of the 3rd Marine Division, resulting in 349 PAVN and 28 U.S. killed.[17]
After
In late 1968 the 5th Cavalry elements participated in Operation Toan Thang II, and in Operation Cheyenne Sabre in February 1969.[15]
Although 26 March 1971 was the official date when the 1st Cavalry Division was relieved from combat duties in Vietnam, 2-5 Cavalry helped established 3rd Brigade headquarters in
On 21 June 1972, the last 1st Cavalry Division troops left South Vietnam.[15] In Vietnam 5th Cavalry units participated in twelve campaigns. Six 5th Cavalry Regiment Troopers received the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War; Billy Lane Lauffer, Charles C. Hagemeister, George Alan Ingalls, Edgar Lee McWethy Jr., Carmel Bernon Harvey Jr., and Jesus S. Duran. On 27 January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords saw a cease-fire in Vietnam and the departure of most US troops.[15]
Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm
On 12 August 1990, both the 1st and 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, were alerted for duty in Southwest Asia. They deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield / Operation Desert Storm. They were followed by 3rd and 5th Battalions, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead ) Ayers Kaserne (The Rock), Kirchgoens, West Germany (redesignated from 2-36 Infantry and 3-36 Infantry) on 28 December 1990 to June 1991.
In December 1994, companies of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, deployed to the Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia for peacekeeping duty with the United Nations.
The 3rd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Brigade (Ready First),1st Armored Division was deployed to Bosnia Herzegovina in December 1995. The Battalion operated out of McGovern Base near Brcko, BiH. Attached to the battalion was Special Operation Detachment Gypsy. Gypsy Team was the civil military operations (CMO) direct support team in Brcko. The team deployed in January 1996 and left the theater in July 1996.
In 1992, Delta Co. 2/5th was deployed to
The battalion was deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 1995
21st-century
The "Black Knights" returned to Southwest Asia in March 2004 in support of
The 5th Cavalry Regiment today comprises two battalions, both part of the 1st Cavalry Division. The 1st Battalion is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, while the 2nd Battalion is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team.
The United States Army has since reactivated another component of the 5th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, in the form of Delta Troop, 5th Cavalry Regiment; as the Brigade Reconnaissance Troop for the 170th Infantry Brigade, in
In October 2012, D Troop inactivated with the 170th Infantry Brigade. E Troop and the 172nd Infantry Brigade inactivated in May 2013.
Current status
- 1st Battalion is a combined arms battalion of the 2nd BCT, 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas.
- 2nd Battalion is a combined arms battalion of the 1st BCT, 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas.
See also
- Sergeant Jesus Santiago Duran (1948–1977) – Posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor, for action during the Vietnam War while serving with the 5th Cav.
- List of United States Regular Army Civil War units
References
- ^ a b "Special Unit Designations". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- ^ Price, George F., compiled by Captain Fifth Cavalry, U.S. Army. (1883) Across The Continent with the Fifth Cavalry. New York, D. Van Nostrand, Publisher, 23 Murray Street and 27 Warpen Street. p. 103, 104
- ^ "History of the 2nd BN, 5th Cavalry Regiment". hood.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. (reproduced with permission)
- ^ Price (1883) p. 14
- ^ .Price (1883) p. 13, 14
- ^ Price (1883) p. 21. Note: The 2nd Cavalry Regiment would be transitioned into the 5th U.S. Cavalry on August 3, 1861
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "5th Cavalry Regiment - The Early History". first-team.us.
- ^ See List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars and "Kyle, John". homeofheroes.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ^ "A review of Kyle's death in 1870". lbha.proboards12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Boudreau, William H. "History of the 5th Cavalry Regiment". 1st Cavalry Division Association. Archived from the original on 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "5th Cavalry Regiment - WW II, Pacific". first-team.us.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "5th Cavalry Regiment - Korean War". first-team.us. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "5th Cavalry Regiment - Vietnam War".
- Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., p. 248
- ^ "Vietnam Archive Operations Database". The Vietnam Center and Archive. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
External links
- 5th US Cavalry Regiment Association
- 1-5th Cav Official site
- 2-5th Cav Official site
- The short film STAFF FILM REPORT 66-28A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.